#and this dynamic they've fully brought to life

[booasaur]

Harlan Coben's Shelter - 1x06

[heartfullofleeches]

Playtime

Yan Owner + Dog Hybrid Reader [+18]

Summary: your owner brings home a new toy for you to test out out

Warnings: top reader(sorta), knotting, gender neutral pronouns but reader has peen, dubious consent, degradation/objectifcation (not towards reader), Reader being a horn dog, brief mentions of spit

"Aha!~ Here's a selection from our first time out of the country. My poor pup is such a nervous flyer - but those sparkling beaches at that resort made it all worth while."

Pet Lovers - never thought they'd be one for the list, but given how this night has gone so far - there's a fair chance they'll never date again.

The start of their eve and therelationship as a whole had gone off without a hitch; something straight out of a fairytale. Blair was your average a fresh out of college, straight into retail work joe and their date was.. special. They had seen their soon-to-be partner around the store they worked at a hand full of times before which that person brought when they left a message on Blair's profile. Kind, well dressed and mannered, polite. They were all that and then some. There was a cloud of mystery and hesitancy around them when the two first began chatting which they latter confessed was due to their high ranking roll in their office and being used in the past. During this time they solely went by the initials M.J, which stuck long after things kicked off.

Charismatic as they may have been, M.J was a timid person underneath that brave face. They often apologized through dinner for glancing at their phone, but it was their first date in years which meant they had to leave their dog home with a sitter and they'd never been apart for so long. Figuring they'd be more comfortable talking about something they adored, Blair inquired more about their pet. As an anxious and cautious child, M.J feared other kids in their youth. The only invites they ever received were due to their parents influence and often from people who didn't even go to the same school. It was when they were gifted the cutest little pup for their birthday they understood the true meaning of friendship and even love. Without their pup, everything they've worked for was pointless.

Blair thought the dynamic was adorable - at first. M.J showed them a few pictures of you during their meal and you were as cute and fluffy as they bragged. They even met you when M.J managed to whittle their fears away and convinced them to head home with them after dinner. You we a sweetheart, albeit a little forceful when you all buy bullied them onto the couch - sniffling at their neck as you pinned them to the cushions with your imposing figure. You were a head taller than both them and M.J with the body mass to prove it. They were plucking fur out of their mouth by the time M.J got your attention.

They ushered you off to your room with a hushed promise they've kept to before - tender hands stroking your need once out of company as a soft, impatient whine leaves you. "Hush, hush. Playtime will be soon. Be patient, my love - and dont break this one too soon."

Blair thought that would be the end of everything revolving around you. The pair settled down for the eve with a bottle of something older than their great-grandparents and M.J seemed invested in all things Blair. Their hopes, dreams, fears - M.J urged and persuaded them to talk more about themselves than their therapist and even their parents ever could. That charming smile, the small, affirming nod when Blair flew off their rocket and the reassurance their feelings were valid when they apologized for their outbursts was nothing they'd witnessed from past failed attempts at love. They connected with M.J more than they had with anyone in their entire life which is why when they suggested taking things up to the bedroom - Blair agreed.

For someone would hadn't been on many dates, M.J had quite the skills when came down to business. Blair was stripped off their clothing while they remained fully dressed before the pair made it through the door. M.J opted to get things underway right in the hall, purged forward by Blair's recognition of the name scribbled on the opposite door. Inside the guest room, M.J paused to marvel at Blair's features as they guided them into bed, laying their datemate onto their side and pulling their leg back over their clothed lap. A hand cupped beneath the beat of their chest and fingers ghosting their sex between their thighs Blair believed things were finally turning up for them-

"Oh! There's still a few photos I forgot to show you at the restaurant. Do you mind?"

Until that. For the past God knows how long, Blair had been subjected to photos upon photos of M.J's most valued memories presented in accordingly dated folders centered around none other than you. Various classes, birthdays that time you tried to bake them a cake a nearly burned down the house. M.J was more focused on the past than the very real present coupled with their digits still shoved inside another as they rambled on like they weren't even there. Blair attempted to ignore all and center themselves on the foreplay, but your increasing lose of clothes as the gallery went on made it hard to look away.

"Hey... nor trying to be a drag or anything, but - can we look at this after we're done?"

The gentle smile against their skin hardens. M.J hums, tracing the outline of their shoulder with their lips. "Hm..Alright, I just have one more video to show you. I thought my sweet pup I was going on a date and they wanted to film something a little special for you."

"I...fine.." Blair snuggles into their warmth as the video plays. It starts relatively normal with the camera person traversing the hall they'd just traveled up to the door with your name on it. Each step brought more attention to the sounds of baited breath and whines, and the lewd snap of skin against skin. The door opens to reveal a frenetic hybrid pressing the face of their caretaker into their bed, fingers tangled through their hair as the claws of their free hand dug into their toy's ass. The human squealed and gasped through the hybrid's rapacious vigor - bed frame quaking with every spring from the hulking figure's hips as the bulb at the base of their cock rammed against the human's ass treading entry into their prepped hole. The caretakers hands had been tied with some kind of rope dog toy and their hair was plastered to their face from sweat, bite marks and scratches littering their skin. The camera person walks over and grabs the caretaker by the hair to allow the hybrid ful control of their limbs - wearing the same gloves M.J had removed before climbing into bed.

With a gentle coo, M.J points the camera at your face as you kiss, extending into a muddled whimper on your end as your knot slips in. They stroke your ears as your body trembles from the overload - suckling your swinging tongue as you fuck deeper into your favorite doll. M.J fakes a gasp, yanking at your collar a lightly as possible.

"Y/n! You know you're not supposed to too harsh on your playmates. We couldn't want to break them, now would we?"

All you give in terms of acknowledgement to their scold is the confused tilt of your head and pout of your lips, eyes clouded with lust and the faint idea of your wrongdoings. M.J chuckles, lifting your caretaker's head as they lower the phone back down to them. "But given how long they've been with us, I'm sure a little rough housing won't do too much harm."

Their face was covered in spittle, tears, and the drying remnants of rounds prior to M.J's arrival. M.J collects the mixture from the corner of their mouth and smears it over their plump lips, your caretaker taking the hint and opening their mouth for M.J to wipe their tainted thumb on their tongue. M.J grins at their obedience, ruffling their hair as they stand straight.

"Working hard for that paid vacation, ain't cha? Our sweet pup's gonna miss ya. You know how their cycles get this time of year."

You grunt - hooking your arms around their waist as you lower your weight down on them; effectively trapping them into bed and with you for the near future. M.J's brow twitches, fingers ripping a few strands of their hair. "Now, now - sweetheart. Your favorite toy had given recommendations for a new pet while they're away. What was their name again?"

A meek voice crawls from their bruised throat. "Bl...air... We went to college together. They've only been with like three guys as far as I know, and I heard they're getting evicted next month."

"Excellent. Printed a copy of their work photo while I was in the office, but it never hurts to check. Angel, will this one be alright for you?"

You lift up as your owner pulls out the picture. Inspecting the image, your knot pops from your current caretaker's stretched hold as you rock back on your legs. Settling the picture down before your release, spurts of your rich spend drown sight of the smiling face presented. Panting, you admire your handiwork and the glimpse as what the face underneath might look like coated in your speed. Grinning from ear to ear, you nod eagerly at your owner.

"Wanna play with them. Please lemme play. I'll be good, promise. Please? It hurts when I have to play by myself. I'll treat them good, I swear."

Leaping off the bed to beg your pushover owner, the video ends on the cum-stained photograph.

"What.... the actual fuck."

A soft scratch at the door. M.J sits up to address their humble guest. "It's unlocked, sweetie, come on in.... They're almost ready for you."

Pillow tucked between your legs and ears flat agains you skull, you enter the room in nothing but a tee shirt and pure drive. The shirt rode your backside due to your fluffy tail and the oozing tip of your already erect prick swoll from its hem. The moonlight highlighted that same animalistic desire in your eyes mirrored in the video and the saliva dripping from your teeth and lips. Blair sizes the silhouette of your cock to the fingers still wedged inside them. Without including the growth at its base it had to be twice their width the a sizeable length. The arousal in their nether reigions at the curiosity of taking on such a beast was almost painful.

Their head swims. "What's.... going on?"

"Pretty..." You slur, grinding against your spare pillow as you devote their naked form with your eyes. "wanna play..."

M.J finally unplugs their fingers from Blair's sex and retrieves a towel from the nightstand. They wipe down their entire arm as they stare Blair down, rolling their sleeves back down to their wrists.

"Blair... I need you to listen to me, and listen carefully. From the very second you walked through my front door... no, when you responded to my messages your life was no longer yours. Your hopes, dreams, and ambitions mean about as much as that cheap fragrance you wear. In all honesty, you really aren't much seeing as I could find a dozen more like you, but so long as you keep my pup happy and drained, you might finally have a purpose in that sad, miserable life of yours. The pay is far better and you get to care for the world's most precious pup. Doesn't that sound like a great deal? I'll do everything I can to make sure they don't harm you considering its your first time with them."

Blair felt tears catching in their lashes. They couldn't tell what was worse; the fact their amazing date only went out with them to find a new bitch for their pet - or in the span of this reality shattering new they'd imagined being plowed in ten different positions and speeds by that very same hound. Contemplating their choices from their first day to everything leading to this fucked up night, another mistake was common goal for them to take.

"If...their knot goes in - I want a bonus."

For the first time since they looked anywhere but you, M.J's smile met their eyes. "That's the spirit. Sweetheart?"

Given the go ahead, your reserve snaps. Leaping onto the and between their legs, you spread them as their elasticity would allow and sink in halted from burying yourself at full depth due to the thickness of your knot. Clawing a grip on the fat of their thighs you huff in frustration - bulb stretching their entrace wider with no real entry as it pops right back out with each aggravating trial. Channeling your irritation, your owner props themselves behind you and slinks their arms around your chest - ushering a swarm of kisses to your sweaty face and jaw before cradling their lips at your ear.

"Now, now - what have I told you about rushing things? I know you haven't had any help for two days but work is very demanding. I promise we'll have next summer all to ourselves, but I'll make it up to you as i can now."

M.J inserts two fingers from their unused hand into your mouth, gathering - and lathering your viscid drool around your knot. Easing you forward, your owner instructs you to keep a strong hold on Blair's tensing limbs as they slam against you from behind, rocketing your well lubricated shaft inside their tight walls. Impossible to pull out with them clenching around you, you shoot shallow thrusts into the squirming body beneath you as your owner praises you for your patience. Your size had already filled them fuller than any of their past partners and at this stage they felt bloated. M.J pins one of their ankles down as they kiss at your neck, biting softly at the small howl you mewl from the pleasure at both ends.

"My poor, sweet puppy~ Always in these nasty heats that give you quite the temper when you don't have a playmate. It hurts sometimes- I know, but you're doing so good for me right now. I'll wake up bright and early so we can have breakfast together before I start work."

Blair couldn't focus on much with your cock spearing their body numb and mind blank, but it was clear that to at least one here they were no longer a living, breathing human being with hopes and a family to return home to. A hole for you to dump your cum into and place aside until you needed them again. An object. A toy - that's what M.J saw them as.

"G..nhh.." Eyes rolling back, their walls hug your tender girth as your ceaseless pounding rocks them through their peak. Shaking free of your owner's touch you press down on them in a full mating, tongue licking their face and teeth as their hands beat at your sides, falling slack as your knot slips free only to screw back into their puffy hole - swelling as your grunts drown out their babbles. You cup their head into your hand away from the headboard as you knock them against it and into the mattress. Your lips draw closed and pursed as if going in for a kiss - only for you to spit directly in their mouth instead. They flinch.

"Sorry...M says I can't kiss my toys even those I really want sometimes and doing that is better, but apparently that's what some of you humans prefer. Maybe this would be nicer for you--"

Holding their jaw, you stick out your tongue and suspend the muscle over their face as a glob of spit beads down into their gaping mouth and over their lips. You rub the excess into their skin - throwing their head back against the pillow as your hand subconsciously latches around their neck; relaxed. Your toy struggles for a proper breath despite zero restrictions to their airways mainly due to your weight and the fervency of your thrusts. Looking back with unsure eyes, they fall on your owner for guidance.

"Gonna cum.... where should I....."

"Wherever you please. Mark your new territory."

You nod slowly as you return your gaze back to the human. Groping their hips, you lift your toy's lower body off the bed to your lap as you piston inside them - securing their legs around your waist as your balls tighten, slapping against their plush ass. You kneed the flesh, nipping at their chest as your cock twitches. Your owner running kisses down your spine, you almost instantaneously come undone as you spill deep within the human, waiting a beat for the swell of your knot to go down before you tear your cock out - pulling them beneath you as you stroke your shaft through overstimulation and rushed, less intense but still vicious orgasm over their chest and face; marking them inside and out as your bitch.

Your owner claps, whipping out their phone as they crouch beside the bed. "Oh, Angel! I always forget what a good painter you are! Say cheese!"

"Cheese..." Ears dropping, you smile a wide as your exhaustion would enable; your companion helped into a similar grin by your your owner. After taking a few solo pictures of you, M.J takes a blanket from the end of the bed and drapes it over your shoulders, dragging you to their height with its stretch and kissing your nose.

"Alright, sweetie- you know what time it is. I have to talk to them now so if you start your bath water and let me scrub you down without complaints I'll give you a massage and a treat before bed."

You whine, but skamper off, tail wagging, at the revelation of rewards for playing nice. M.J drops their attention over to Blair who stare back breathless and utterly ruined. M.J crunches some numbers into their phone and holds it out to them. It was hard to make out with their body giving out, but that many zeros could likely pay their rent for the next five months.

"Payment for your first night. Felt a little nice considering you kept quiet for the most. Shower behind that door over there and some spare clothes in the third cabinet on your right when you walk in. Tell anyone about them, you're dead. Kiss them or get too close, your whole family is dead. This is your only chance to back out. Your contract lasts until they grow bored with you or I can't stand the sight of you. If you agree to these terms - welcome to your new life."

[vechter]

👀 please elaborate on ur Cass and Damian thoughts, I’m also always thinking about what their dynamic could’ve been

omg i have so many!!!

okay, so initially, in batgirl 2009 #5 (iffy about character portrayals in this comic but that's a whole other thing), we see damian kind of anticipatory and even excited to meet cass:

it's super interesting to me because at that point, damian is still grappling with being a product of the league, still very much figuring out his role in this group of people his father chose.

and cass is one of them. cass, who's respected and considered formidable even by the loa. cass, who has also killed! i think in damian's eyes, they've had similar upbringings and he probably expects a certain degree of kinship with her.

because yes, dick, steph and alfred are coming to accept him, have purposely and actively showed that they care for him but they don't understand him! they don't know what growing up in that kind of isolation, with that demand for perfection is like.

damian's primary arc being dick's robin is about acceptance, from others but also, from himself! some heartbreaking panels below from red robin 2009 #14:

for damian, who is still actively fighting against his own instincts, who wasn't someone his father- a near mythical figure- chose, cass is someone who can, maybe, not only understand him but is also incontrovertible proof that people can change, that their childhoods don't define them. so, he already has somewhat high expectations for when they eventually meet, as we see in their first real interaction in gates of gotham 2011 #2:

gates of gotham is actually a great comic but unfortunately cannot consider the editorial nuance of cass being pushed aside by dc and removed from gotham entirely. but if you consider the implications, tim and steph definitely talk about her- probably dick and alfred, too. at this point, all of them respect and consider cass one of their own- she's accepted, she's even loved.

and that's probably something that damian is plagued and intrigued by. here's this girl who was brought up by someone the bats deem morally bankrupt, who changed her life around and went from being a would-be assassin to a hero (just like him!). she meets even his father's impossible standards, who has assigned her a whole city with batman inc. he lashes out at her when he thinks she hasn't accepted him (at this point, cass hasn't even done anything except come back to gotham lol so you can see how much damian struggles with acceptance, especially from someone he considers his peer!):

it's a deeply skewed view bc we know how much cass struggles with her own redemption but damian is still just a kid, lacking the emotional maturity to fully understand her.

i won't go into all the events of gates of gotham because it starts off with friction between them and they eventually end up working as a team and everything's sort of hunky-dory. but i think if flashpoint hadn't happened and we had actually gotten a deeply exploratory continuation of the nuances of the complicated bat-dynamics after bruce's return- we would definitely see more friction between cass and damian.

for cass, who sees everything- damian would be painful to witness. her own fears, her own guilt staring back at her. and i absolutely adore cass but she isn't going to be capable of tact or the kind of support that damian is passively seeking from everyone, but especially from her! cass is incredibly compassionate but her world-view is also so deeply jaded by her feelings about the life she took.

damian's initial robin tenure would be about developing his own moral code + coming to grips with what kind culpability he has in his own childhood- and cass would probably not see that bone-crippling regret and remorse and guilt she has, or even the one she often sees in bruce, and it would not sit right with her! sure, damian is a kid but she was a kid, too. and she can never get over what she did so for her to see damian coming to terms with his childhood would be like looking at a distorted reflection. i think it's also possible there would be something like- i don't want to say jealousy- but a complicated kind of resentment, not just from cass's end but also from damian's.

(also, a begrudging sort of respect from damian for cass's abilities expressed in somewhat snide comments)

this is not to say that they couldn't or wouldn't have a good dynamic! i think if they continued to spend time together, they would eventually come to an understanding (just like gates of gotham lol except a much more nuanced and complicated route to getting there) and while it would not be the kind of understanding either of them were expecting- it would be good! and there would be a very strong foundation of kindness in it.

[magical-girl-coral]

I did the mistake of entering a blog that unironically reblogs confessional discourse posts and read a lot of stupid takes so here's me debunking them, I guess:

Why didn't the Bad Kids reach out to the Rat Grinders? - They did. Multiple times. The Rat Grinders were mean to them back so the Bad Kids dropped that plan. Ivy was racist about Mazey to hurt Fabian's feelings. Adaine called Oisin cool in one episode and then saw him murder Buddy the next. Fig and Kristen tried to recruit Mary Ann several times and she didn't give a fuck. Ruben fully tried to antagonize Fig when he first saw her because he could. They don't owe them to stick to people who were sucky to them.

From a mechanical standpoint, Brennan did this so they players won't waste time on them and move on to solve the mystery. From a story perspective, it was because the Rat Grinders refused to be saved. They were too brainwashed by rage and they refused to let it go. Even in the last fucking battle Fig tried to reach out as Wanda Childa and Ruben almost killed her with a ninth level spell. I'd say they were pretty fucking patient if you ask me.

The Bad Kids were too mean to the Rat Grinders in the final battle! - No, they were not. Oisin taunted Adaine about her greatest fears before trying to murder the entire student body. Ivy was racist in her last moments and called Mazey "objectively ugly." Ruben was an asshole to everyone he meets. Kipperlilly tried to get them all expelled since episode three. The Rat Grinders sucked as people when they were villains and the Bad Kids had every right to lose their shit.

Fig was too cruel to Ruben. Getting into his dreams was insane - One, Ruben was a villain NPC that won't stop threatening her party. She entered his dreams after he tried getting them kicked out of school by offering them drugs. Pete entered Kingston's dream palace after he threatened to take Pete if he gets out of line again. When PCs get threatened, they act out. Secondly, this is how the team finds out about devil's honey, one of the more important discoveries they've had yet. Her entering his dreams worked.

Thirdly, shatter star Ruben was a creep that dated his fans (an extremely uneven power dynamic) and then made songs out of being toxic in those relationships. Sandra Lynn, Fig's mother, had her life ruined by a man that tricked her into a toxic relationship with an uneven power dynamic. Insane that no one made this connection yet.

How could the Bad Kids kill them when they were forced into being Shatter Starred? - This one pisses me off the most because of how much this is based on hindsight. The Bad Kids didn't know the Rat Grinders were forced into the ritual. They canonically knew few things:

The Rat Grinders joined a rage ritual after their sophomore year spring break adventure

They almost definitely killed their cleric Lucy Frostblade

They famously hated the Bad Kids since forever.

They never went on real adventures and instead grind rats for their first year and then were power leveled by two teachers

Not once was it hinted none of them wanted to commit to the ritual. It was a popular fan theory but that's it. The only one who evidently didn't was Lucy and Yolanda and they found their bodies in the forest with runes written on their bones so they couldn't be brought back.

Isn't it weird how the Bad Kids did a 180 and asked the Rat Grinders to be brought back once the battle was done? - No. They only found out at the very last minute that the only one who did the ritual willingly was Kipperlilly after she died and her lack of a scar was revealed. This was at at the very end of the season finale. Of course the Bad Kids felt bad after they put 2 and 2 together and asked them to be brought back, they were the same way about Ragh and Awelyn when they found out more about their backstories.

It's so shitty of Brennan to not delve into any of the Rat Grinders' backstories - We still don't know if Jawbone is Tracker's biological uncle or not. We don't know if Sandra Lynn's family supported her after the scandal or not. We don't know the name of Ragh's father or any of the mothers' maiden names. A lot of NPCs in Fantasy High have a shit of information missing because only the plot relevant stuff comes up. Some NPCs are more relevant than others, that's just how it is.

I remember when people used to make forums to theorize about a character's past. We made OCs and new cities out of fun when the creators didn't. Where's the fucking joy, man? Where is the fucking whimsy?

I bid you all adieu with this:

Get in the fucking transcripts, for the love of god.

[kipkoh]

please ramble about your ao3 fics!

Not sure if you had a specific fic or topic in mind, but I'm just gonna talk about Effortlessly My Baby since it's my most popular one.

When I get writer's block, I like to take a step back from my current project for a day or two to recoup, and during this time, sometimes I like to write something else entirely to keep up the creativeness. I was working on another longfic as my main project when I started writing Effortlessly My Baby on the side, just as something to do when I got stuck. So, in a way, we can thank my writer's block for EMB.

At some point I'd written so much of it that I just decided to start posting it, because why not? It might have been a side project, but I was still proud of it. At this point in time, I was still not super immersed into the TOH fandom, so I had no idea how big the Dadrius side was initially, and so I was not expecting my fic to get a lot of readers. To my surprise, it did, and I can never express how thankful I am for all the positive reception it received. It even quickly got to the point where EMB was getting far more traction than my main fic. New chapters of my main fic would rarely get any interaction but every new chapter of EMB brought in even more comments and kudos. Writer's aren't lying when they say comments help with motivation. Writing the fic would have been fun for me regardless, but it was made even more fun by the fact so many people were talking with me about it and I got to interact with so many Dadrius fans at once. Eventually, my focus shifted from my other fic to EMB, because why wouldn't it? The praise made me feel good, but not only that, I was giving something to people that brought them a lot of joy and comfort. The fic was originally around 25-30 chapters but because so many people ended up liking it, I ended up with the motivation to squeeze even more chapters into it, making it what it is now.

Anyway, on to the fic itself.

I was always a big fan of Darius and Dadrius, even before I immersed myself in fandom. It was inevitable I'd write about it eventually. The only surprising part is that it wasn't the first type of fic I posted.

The AU itself was something that kinda rotated around in my brain for like a solid year before I actually wrote it down. I wondered what their dynamic in canon would have been like if they'd known each other for longer than a few months. It's unknown how long they've known each other in canon, but I was running off the assumption that it hasn't been that long. Even if they knew of each other, I don't think there wasn't much, if any, non work related interaction before Hunter became Coven Head. It would make sense if Belos was keeping him isolated, after all.

Hunter's isolation was kind of the driving point for the overarching plot. He surely didn't enjoy not being allowed to make friends, and so a lonely kid with a desperate need for socialization with someone other than his emotionally distant uncle would be the perfect set up for a story about found family. Hunter needed someone in his life who actually cared about him, and Darius needed someone who could make him realize he wanted to love again after the death of his mentor.

The "mute" nephew idea was mostly because I thought it would lead to funny misinterpretations on Darius' part, but it also does have more significance. Hunter basically has two sides of himself under Belos: Nephew and Golden Guard. With Belos, he only knows how to be one or the other. Hunter wants to be taken seriously as Golden Guard as is worried he won't be if people knew who he was. (Nvm that it doesn't work.) He'd just be a nepotism kid to everyone. So, he never takes off the mask as Golden Guard and never speaks as Hunter so no one can recognize his voice. This means, however, that no matter who he is in the moment, he can never fully be himself. No matter what, he's lost some aspect of his identity.

After meeting Darius, Hunter's priorities get flipped. Darius already hates the Golden Guard, so now Hunter's goal is to make sure Darius doesn't find out Hunter is the Golden Guard. With everyone else, he was craving a sense of authority, but Darius ended up giving him a taste of what it was like to have a friend, and he was more terrified of losing that.

On Darius' side, I wanted to write about a man who lost someone he loved and in response, chose to give up. His mentor's death made him into a repressed shell of a man who was too scared to get close to anyone new ever again. Then, he meets a random kid who won't leave him alone and ends up worming his way into his cold, dead heart enough to slowly warm it back up without Darius even realizing until it was too late. The thing is, it didn't even take all that much for Hunter to do that. I like to think Darius likes to act tough and nonchalant a lot of the time, but he's inherently a very soft and caring person, even if he doesn't want to be at first.

The fic (and my writing skills) are far from perfect but despite that, Effortlessly My Baby is always going to have a special place in my heart. I was very sad to have to end it but at the same time, every story needs to end eventually. I can't just keep them going forever. I'm always grateful to everyone who read it and I hope it brings people joy for years to come.

[sulatni-flerida11]

htbahb au dump !! because the brainrot is too strong

general context things

currently, the characters are in their college years. even though the plan is to have the main storyline happen when they already have jobs, their college years established dynamics between them. some dynamics luckily haven't changed over the years, but others may take longer to rebuild.

cleo owns an apartment close to uni, and they share it with grian & etho.

joel & scar live as interns on campus.

lizzie, jimmy, bdubs, and pearl are also interns, with lizzie & pearl as roommates in a different building and jimmy & bdubs living across joel & scar

au prolly takes place in a semi-rural area; it started as a town with a small population and lots of farmland, but it's slowly evolving to follow other highly urbanized cities.

the town hasn't gone fully urban since it takes pride in utilizing its land with locally manufactured agricultural resources and artisan goods.

courses/classes they're taking prolly

cleo - agriculture, major in horticulture (with sculpting at the side)

joel - agribusiness management & entrepreneurship (he's not super into it yet)

scar - economics

etho - agricultural chemistry (secretly also likes music)

grian - literature (also enjoys photography)

lizzie - music (likes to experiment with different art mediums tho)

bdubs - architecture

jimmy - agriculture, major in animal science (was formerly majoring in horticulture)

pearl - economics

and other dynamics between the group !!

lizzie sometimes pulls bdubs & cleo to her experiments. every summer break, they take an art related class together. so far, they've done painting and dancing. (bdubs has already enrolled them in a modeling class for the upcoming break, but the other two don't know yet.)

joel, pearl, and scar would discuss their business and/or economics related classes to grian, and grian just smiles and nods in respect (of them and their friendship) even if he doesn't understand most things they're saying. ("wait, what is a griffin good?" "griffen, grian, with an e.")

the real reason why joel, pearl, & scar talk about their classes to grian is because they like messing with him. (he's not as good with hiding his confused look as he thinks.)

whenever jimmy and cleo have floriculture assignments that involve getting flowers, they pick their flowers from a private flower field in another district of the city. sometimes, they'd discuss the flowers there, ways to care for them, flower meanings, etc. sometimes, joel and etho join them. as loud as they are, they've only had one instance where they almost got caught. (they never brought joel and etho with them since then.)

pearl & scar buy newspapers daily by the campus gate to chat about the current events, especially ones relating to their degree. they quickly befriended the newspaper vendor as he also had a lot of food for thought regarding the things going on. their discussions help them a lot, aiding them in their essays and analysis about economic policies and applications.

etho would sometimes ask lizzie about music theory. what was supposed to be a few messages would end up in hours of them talking about music. eventually, lizzie found out about etho's music hobby, and she's the only one that knows.

grian owns a polaroid camera, and he sometimes takes candid pictures of the gang. his subjects are usually cleo & etho, mostly because they're his roommates and he spends the most time with them, but there's also a handful of pictures with scar & pearl.

joel and lizzie started dating after scar, bdubs, & pearl convinced him to go to an open mic event in the dorms during their first year; lizzie happened to be one of the performers.

if you've made it this far, any thoughts on what music genres/artists each life series member listens to? totally not for oneshot purposes in this au,,,

[nintendo-666]

Alright so here's the drama! This was the best way I could think to do it.

@moonlightnova @loveless-nameless-graceless-two

Other people who might get a kick out of it/I want to tell @kannibalkaiii @isaacclarkex-art @toadstooltyrant @this-ken-is-babygirl @xdia-morphin-e

Anyone else, feel free to read! I feel like I'm in a romcom!

Okay! I want to start this off by saying that I am doing fine in this situation. This story involves someone I've been starting to see less and less, and have been looking for a reason to break up with for a while. I'll call them Stack (they/he)

Yesterday, I got a message from someone relatively distant in my life, who we'll call Plushie(they/them). They wanted to discuss someone we mutually know. Totally random, but okay. The person in question turns out to be someone I've been casually dating since February.

Stack and plushie have been hooking up (nbd, major poly situation) but recently stack did something sexually without permission that triggered plushie. Plushie reached out to me to see if I thought stack was a trustworthy person. They were told that I was JUST A FRIEND. And one he had JUST MET IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS. Not someone stack has been following around for 8 whole months, frequently proclaiming undying love to. Stack, as a condition of our relationship, tells me about "all" of their other partners and hookups, but I haven't heard of plushie once. Plushie also brought up ~another~ name I've never heard.

So this of course lead to us discovering a massive web of lies. Stack currently has covid. Sent me pictures of the positive test. But specifically told plushie (immunocompromised, btw) that they only had a sinus infection. They also told plushie that they were single. But as far as I'm aware, stack has 4 partners including myself. Stack is constantly telling me how badly they want to raise a child with me, but told plushie that they're getting a vasectomy in a couple weeks. Stack told plushie that they're "saving the last season of wwdits so that they can watch together". Stack has fully already watched it with me. Stack claims to me that they use condoms with everyone else. Unsurprisngly, not the case. And then there's this whole roommate debacle where stack moved a much younger ex into their apartment, prayed on the power dynamic, and swore up and down that they two weren't hooking up. Also bullshit. During our 5 hour phone call, plushie and I kept finding more and more things stack has lied about. Things that don't make sense to lie about. We found explanations for times that he acted suspicious about things. Like when he was complaining about being low on money, but completely clammed up when plushie asked why. The answer is because stack had just taken one of their partners to a fancy hotel I recommended for their birthday. Which plushie couldn't know because, DESPITE THEM ALSO BEING POLY, stack hid all of their relationships from them.

Bizarre. The entire situation is fucking bizarre. All last night was spent scratching our heads and connecting dots. But it all makes sense. Stack has, in one way or another, sexually assaulted both of us and then made it about them and their depression. That we're the ones being mean and overreacting. Stack is incredibly manipulative and self centered. And a bad, yet seemingly compulsive liar. And now, they've been caught.

Anyways I know that was a lot and I feel like I said very little. Honestly, my brain is still reeling from the situation, and I'm feeling a little fried. But trust me when I say that we pieced together a LOT of lies. The next step is to figure out the funniest way to break up with them, with our new information. We're open to suggestions!

[heybaetae]

There were a few parasocial relationship discussions in the past week on reddit and someone brought up Jungkook almost every time as someone who leans more into the parasocial relationship with his fans - or enables it, I'm not sure how to word it properly. And it made me a little confused because to me, it doesn't seem like he does it? Or maybe I'm not that delulu to think that what he's doing Is indeed parasocial sometimes, or I don't fully understand what counts as parasocial with an idol. So I wanted to ask: do you think that he's leaning a bit into it?

If I remember correctly they brought up him calling the fans as his girlfriend(s) - I honestly just took that as a joke but Idk? - and him folding his underwear on camera - again very confusing to me because why is that parasocial? - and him sleeping on camera - well okay I can see why This counts as parasocial, but the others?

Sure, compared to idols who only do the necessary fanservice and rarely interact with fans he really does a lot more, like he had a million lives this year alone and he shared his recipes with us and gifted songs and etc. but I still don't know. Is it really more parasocial than it should be and I'm just simply not noticing it? 😅

i think his dynamic with the fandom is appropriately parasocial enough without it becoming overly codependent even though some would probably argue that it might feel that way from time to time. he's expressed that the fandom can't be excluded from his life and i believe he really feels that way since ARMY have been a constant in his life for a decade from such a young age and that's a big factor into why it's so strongly important to him.

i think he leaned into it way more than ever this year on purpose because he knew there'd be a temporary pause eventually and he wanted to make the most of his spare time with us in a less stress-inducing way while being in full control of it. consider how rare that's been in his long career, everything from your fanmeets/concerts to your scheduled livestreams at the company building being orchestrated and planned out for you. him deciding to say "fuck it i wanna chat with fans whenever i feel like it" and kickstarting the habit of going live from home without telling anyone at work first and letting it become a regular thing was a conscious decision he likely put thought into after he got away with it the first couple times. i'm not implying he didn't have control of that before, but there was always an obvious protocol to follow for safety reasons, which is understandable, but he wanted to take the risk and so he did. other members would later follow that example too.

i think sometimes people misunderstood him or purposely misconstrued his words on those lives, especially his jokes or his way of expressing his thoughts/feelings to fit their own narrative or image of him. people want him to fit the mold they've created in their heads of him, so no matter how often he came live and was vulnerable and honest with us, people still looked for ways and reasons to dictate what he did, how he felt, how he meant something differently from what he said when he couldn't have been more clear, etc.

i can't make you see something differently from how you already do. i don't love the term "delulu" in this sort of context because like you said, a lot of the normal things he let us see on his lives were normal every-day chores and not everyone is going to consider it very parasocial to have seen it, but how often do you hear of idols letting their fans in that much? hardly ever. it was fun for both parties because it was unexpected and sometimes spontaneous (like sleeping/cooking/exercising) and he felt comfortable enough to do certain things with an audience. we're talking about someone who'd been mostly ghost online for like two years. someone who has a history of being very shy. it meant a lot to fans to see him come out of his shell and grow even more comfortable with us, even if it sometimes put him in some unsafe situations because unfortunately, there are some really scary people out there. idk where the parasocial quota is, so i can't say what it "should be" but i can tell you i've never seen any famous person engage with their fans in as pure of a way as he did this year.

[outrunningthedark]

Silly question, but do you think the main characters' sort-of reconciliation with their parents will lessen the value of the group's "found family" aspect in the future, or the firefam's dysfunctional family relationships were for early emphasis that the bond they have with each other is stronger than blood ties?

IMO, there's been no evidence to suggest (or outright confirm) that "reconciling" with bio parents will have any long-lasting effects as the weeks and months [and even years] progress. Maddie and Buck: It was a 'blink and you might miss it' moment, but Boston hinted at things not being so bad between Maddie and her parents despite no mention of/appearance by them after 4x05: Phillip emailed her to check in because Chim would call the Buckleys asking if they'd heard from their daughter; Chim wouldn't have done that if the lines of communication were no longer open. Did Maddie reach out to her mother during her struggles with PPD? No. She leaned on Chimney (and her little brother for a bit) and worked on rebuilding the life she wants for herself to get to where she is now. Buck, meanwhile, hasn't been in therapy on-screen post 4x05 and also hasn't discussed his mother or father with anybody despite Kristen's decision to have the parents try harder/be nicer (even if their effort rubs people the wrong way because parents don't usually say *exactly* what kids want to hear). Were the parents meant to "replace" his dependency on Bobby as a father figure, we would have seen them become more of a consistent presence through phone calls (even if we only know who's on the phone because of what Buck says) or relaying of info. The parents have been putting in the work for two years - but that doesn't mean Maddie and Buck are wrong for still expecting something to set them off - and the standard dynamics have remained intact. It will be much of the same as this season continues, because even if Margaret and Phillip never leave Buck's bedside (we won't see that, though), they're still gonna go home once they know he's making a full recovery. With the way Kristen creates scenarios in her head and deems them irrelevant to the narrative, I'd be surprised if either parent is mentioned again before they're supposed to make another appearance. Chimney: Sang seems to have been brought back for Chim to get a story line to himself (prayers answered!), and *my* first thought when watching the episode live was that Sang is either feeling really, really guilty (Albert talking to them about seeing Jee-Yun and realizing what he's missing out on) OR Sang has gotten some unfortunate news regarding his health and he's wanting to "make amends" before he (potentially) passes away - He's going about it terribly, though! If Sang is meant to have limited time left, any "reconciliation" won't mean much in the long run when Chim can't reach out to his father for advice or help. If Sang's return is solely about the guilt, I expect him to get the same treatment as the Buckleys - Chim won't feel compelled to talk about his father unless it's because we're going to be seeing the Han family again. (And keep in mind that the show already does this with Albert, a character that actually served a purpose at one time...) You know what? I understand wanting to see kids cut their parents off - I'm sure it's what many people watching the show have done themselves or wish they had the strength to do - but if we remove the 'parent' and 'child' aspects of the story for a moment (bear with me)...the show has embraced the philosophy that forgiving someone doesn't mean you forget what they've done or have fully healed from their actions, it just means that you're no longer allowing that person to take up unnecessary space in your head and heart because they don't deserve to have such power over you. [And in the case of the Buckleys, forgiveness means that Margaret and Phillip no longer have an advantage. If your kids learn to NOT put up their defenses whenever you're around, you can't get under their easily as easily as before.] (This became an unintentional TL;DR. I'm so sorry.)

[theotakufiles]

Kanokon Manga

"Kanokon" is a thrilling and seductive anime series that explores the forbidden love between two high school students, Kouta Oyamada and Chizuru Minamoto. Kouta, an innocent and shy teenager, finds himself irresistibly drawn to Chizuru, a beautiful fox deity who disguises herself as a fellow student. As their passionate bond grows deeper, they must navigate through various obstacles posed by jealous rivals and supernatural creatures.

Filled with intense romance, comedic moments, and supernatural elements, "Kanokon" takes viewers on an emotional rollercoaster ride as Kouta struggles with his conflicting feelings while adjusting to this new world of mythical beings. With Chizuru's playful advances and her ever-increasing desire to make him fully hers, the series promises not only captivating character development but also an exploration of themes such as identity, loyalty, and the nature of relationships.

As Kouta tries to balance his mundane high school life with secret encounters in the shadowy forest where Chizuru resides, he must tread carefully to protect their relationship from outsiders' prying eyes. But with Chizuru's mischievous antics intensifying each day, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to maintain their sweet yet scandalous connection.

With stunning animation showcasing breathtaking scenery along with its romantic tension-filled narrative "Kanokon" delves into the depths of teenage desires whilst exploring the dynamics of love that transcends all boundaries; it propels viewers into a captivating world that sways between reality and fantasy - ultimately challenging what society deems acceptable in matters of the heart. Will Kouta succumb to his deepest desires or will he find solace in accepting societal norms?

Prepare yourself for an enchanting journey fueled by passion and temptation with "Kanokon."

Calling all manga lovers and avid readers! We have an incredible opportunity to support the talented manga author of 'Kanokon Manga' by purchasing their work at gekimanga.com. Let's show our appreciation for their creative brilliance by engaging in this call to action and immersing ourselves in the captivating world they've brought to life. By buying the manga, we not only encourage the author's passion but also contribute directly to their success, enabling them to continue delivering extraordinary stories that captivate our hearts and minds. So don't miss out—head over to gekimanga.com today and join us in supporting this incredible manga artist!

[ohtoburden]

thinking about my dad breaking down crying in the car while driving me to school when he and my mom were separated, and how he said he still loved her.

like, did he?

wouldn't he have listened to her when she talked about how his family was treating her badly? wouldn't he have stepped in? wouldn't he have taken her side in enforcing punishment for us kids when we did something wrong? being the sole bread winner, when you agreed to that dynamic before marriage, isn't enough.

mom had the qualifications to work, she could have done it. she wanted to do it but she thought that if it was with dad, she'd be happy to have kids and be a stay at home parent.

and she cheated on him, because she felt he wasn't there for her emotionally, after all those years. it's it cheating if you don't feel like the relationship is real anymore? if you feel abandoned in it?

i mean personally yeah, it's cheating. have it out with the man and leave him, christ. but also i sort of understand her.

i don't know what kind of love has you so absent from your relationship, so unable to communicate or change or compromise or discuss when possible are first brought up, but then somehow has you break down to your kid about years later.

also man, i don't know what an appropriate relationship with your parents is supposed to be like, but that moment was so baffling. i always thought my parents were ill-matched. that they got into fights all the time. i didn't understand why they'd married. and i was a teenager dealing with so many issues, it just felt so stupid.

like, why are you breaking down to me, 16, currently suicidal, traumatised by your and mom's parenting, engaging in self destruction behind closed bathroom and bedroom doors. what on earth are you doing. what was i supposed to do with that? what was i supposed to do about it? we were on the way to school, for christ's sake. i had just a normal full day of classes ahead. i was 16. what the hell.

and now later as an adult. after my parents finally fully separated. before my dad found someone new to see. him coming to my room at 3 in the morning to check on me, but i'm always awake at those hours, so we end up talking. and we talk about his life and mine but in such a way that i am somehow basically a therapist.

who opens up to their 23 year old about being bullied in grade school, and that they've never told literally anyone else. not his parents, not his siblings, not his friends. how am i the first person you tell about this? that's so sad for him, that it took me for him to finally find someone to open up to. it took me being me, but also him not having a Wife he could pretend everything was ok with. that his lofe was exactly where he wanted it to he.

because as soon as he started seeing his new partner the pseudo therapy sessions with me stopped, of course. as soon as he started seeing her he was fine! i can't remember if i told him about the issues he gave me before or after he started seeing her, but that talk was in the daytime. you know, like a normal conversation. jesus christ.

[love-toxin]

don't leave me be, be with me - yandere fruity four

plot: regardless of how much you love your partners, their love for you grows stifling now and again. and the best way to remedy that is to be a little rebellious, which is what leads you to sneak out with Robin and go for a little joyride and on a quest for breakfast in the middle of the night.

cws: gn!angelface, yandere fruity four, st 4 spoilers, polycule, post s4, eddie lives arc, PTSD-related coping mechanisms (alcohol abuse, isolation, reckless behavior), drinking, robin and angelface are drunk, drunk driving, scars, hurt/comfort, implied sexual dynamics, softcore, very mild jealousy, mentions of violence, fluff.

word count: 3.6k

spice level: 0.5/5

"Where the fuck are they?"

Steve's pacing again, shoes heavy on the carpet as he tries not to lose his temper. There's music blasting in Eddie's room, but the door is shut, and Nancy doesn't even want to try and knock right now. She doesn't have any answers for him, and it would just stress him out more. While it's been months since he's gotten out of the hospital, he's still healing in…other ways.

"I don't know, Steve."

"Yeah, well, they have to be somewhere, Nancy! They can't just disappear, not unless-"

"Steve, don't go there. They took the van, they're probably off getting ice cream or something–you know how those two are. The only danger they're in is Robin driving without a license." Nancy bites her lip. She doesn't know if that's the truth, she just wants it to be.

"Oh, God, what if they got into an accident?" But Steve's practically inconsolable–he always gets like this, his brain is hardwired to sense danger even when there is none. Probably. But there's a chance, so he's sniffed it out and won't stop fussing until he has you in his arms again, she's sure.

"Steve-" That look on his face is definitely not a good one, that sudden realization that means he can't stay still any longer–even though he hasn't been, it's shocking that there isn't an indent in the floor from where he's been pacing back and forth for the last hour. He marches over to the couch and grabs his jacket, throwing it on one arm at a time as he slides past Nancy and heads towards the front door. "Where in the world are you going?"

"Gonna drive around town and look for the van." Typical. His solutions are largely straight to the point, if not a little over the top. The second she opens her mouth for a rebuttal, he holds up a hand to stop her. "I'm going, Nance! Don't try to stop me."

She knows how stubborn he is, it's a good if not occasionally frustrating quality. And in all honesty, he has every right to be as fretful as he is.

All four of them nearly didn't survive the horrors that Vecna brought to Hawkins, but Steve and Eddie definitely experienced a new level of physical torment that she knows she won't ever fully be able to sympathize with. You're the only one Steve's ever really told the full story to, the one he's cried to and held so close for fear that if he didn't, you'd be taken away yourself. They've all seen each other's scars, but you've taken care of each and every one of them–you know them intimately, know the pain and the story and the way they've healed but never gone away, and never will. You're what Eddie calls their "cleric", but he always refers to you as an angel. And you are one.

Speaking of Eddie, he hasn't been the same either. None of them have, but he's different–quieter. The hospital seemed to numb him after the demobat attack, barely alive and clinging to life for so long that even Nancy didn't believe he would really make it. But you did, you never gave up on him, and eventually he opened his eyes and smiled that sweet smile at the sight of you, and she'll never forget the wails you let out as you hugged him so tight the nurse tried to pry you off–the memory usually brings a smile to her face. Steve got kicked out of the visiting room for a week after locking her out of the room, just so the four of you could hold Eddie as long as you wanted and kiss him, stroke his hair, tell him you love him…they were hard days, but good ones. But now everyone is just trying to survive normal life, and that's mostly to your credit. You make life just a little more bearable…and when you're gone, like you have been for the last couple hours, they're all on edge.

Nancy hurries after him out the door to the trailer, knowing good and well that she can't let him run off on a rescue mission by himself. He's too reckless with himself and too tunnel visioned when it comes to you, and it's certain not to turn out well if he really freaks out without someone there to calm him down. And that's when the familiar sound of crunching gravel hits her ears and she stops to watch the sight before her, Steve having only gotten to the bottom step before he freezes too.

That familiar van pulls up slowly, slow like the driver is trying not to draw attention, and comes to a stop just about a foot off of the mark that carves out the driveway from the rest of the grass. The pause between the vehicle stopping and the passengers getting out is suspiciously long, but when the doors crack open and the two of them get a glance at you, they're sure they know why.

"Naaaaaancy!" You giggle, your footsteps so wobbly as you move around the hood that you have to use it for support, while Robin hops out from the driver's seat and throws it closed before stumbling towards you. The two of you have to cling to each other, your hands clutching Robin's arm, to even hope to make it up the driveway and towards the front door–and when you get close enough, Nancy's nose crinkles as the smell of liquor wafts over and hits her like a train. So does the realization–you two have been drinking, and drinking hard.

"Can I have a kiss, Nancy?" You cackle, tripping over your own feet and nearly hitting the ground, if not for Robin's surge of strength as she pulls you back up with a goofy smirk on her lips. One glance at Steve, and she can see it clearly–he is absolutely pissed, his scowl mean enough to burn a hole through concrete.

"Where the hell were you two?!" He didn't mean to yell, Nancy knows that, but you two don't even flinch. You're not even all there, too caught up in your own world and in each other's mouths as you capture Robin in a kiss instead.

"Pancakes! Errrr, and other stuff.." You giggle around a mouthful of Robin's tongue, your playful wink just earning you a furious huff from your big, strong protector.

"Oh nooooooo, I think we're in trouble!" The two of you can't contain your laughter as you break off and nuzzle against each other, Robin's arm clutched in your soft hands as she whisper-yells that into your ear. She even cups her hand to make it seem like she's trying to be subtle, and she probably is, she just doesn't realize how loud she's being and how late it is.

"You're drunk." Steve states bluntly. It's not a first for Robin since the Vecna incident, unfortunately, but it's surprising for you.

"Just a liiiiiittle," Robin pouts, her fingers pinched together to show just how 'little' you and her have been drinking. From the smell of you two alone, it has to have been at least a full bottle of straight liquor between you two, maybe more.

"Don't get mad, Stevie! We were havin' fun."

"You were being stupid. You were driving drunk! Without a license!" He's almost vibrating with anger and frustration. Robin's blasé tone pisses him off on a good day, and after putting your life and hers in danger, it does even more so.

"Bite. Me!" You share an even more girlish laugh at Robin's outburst, each word punctuated by a middle finger, like it's the funniest thing in the whole world. "You guys suck ass, you're suffocating us–you guys hate fun!"

Nancy would probably be grabbing Robin's tongue for that foul comment, but she's so out of it she knows that there's no use. She'd probably just laugh it off, or cry, and she doesn't want either of those two extremes to deal with right now. But there is something she has up her sleeve that always works.

"You two made Eddie very upset, you know." Nancy lays her hand on Steve's shoulder as she speaks, silently relaying to him that she's got it under control. A soft "Eddie?" passes your lips. It's incredible how quickly you both snap to attention when she mentions his name, sharing a look between you two before both turning back to listen intently.

"Mhm. He's been up all night worrying about you two. He doesn't like it when you're gone, it makes him scared. You know that." Her voice is stern, but still gentle enough for you two to take in. The 'mom voice' as you, Robin, and Eddie like to call it, which is largely reserved for when she really needs to get firm with one of you. Or all of you.

"Eddie? Where's Eddie?" Your tone wavers, giddiness turning to concern in a matter of syllables.

"Tell us, Nance!" Robin tugs at her sleeve, eyes big and wide with worry.

"He's in his room." Both of you rush past them, hurrying up the steps in a frantic bid to find your beloved boyfriend. You love them all equally, of course–but Eddie is sensitive. Sweet. He's always been that way, but it's increased tenfold since Vecna and caused you to be even more protective over him than you were before. You just want to protect that precious smile no matter what.

"Eddie! We're home, baby!"

It's when you both stumble through the front door that you see him at once. Frazzled, his curly hair mussed, dark circles under his eyes from worry. His nails are bitten down almost completely, bad habit he struggles to kick when he's anxious. He's standing in the living room like he heard the ruckus and had come to see what was happening, but his eyes are clear and set on one of you at a time, switching between like he's assessing that you're both here and both safe.

The two of you rush forward and knock him right off his feet, a startled shriek pulled from his lips followed by a grunt as his back thuds against the carpet, and the two of you collapse on top of him with your full respective weight in a hug so tight he couldn't squirm away if he tried. Even being taken off guard, Eddie squeezes both of you tight in a hug as best he can, a relieved smile flickering across his face as you press desperate kisses to his cheek.

Nancy and Steve step inside, and the sight at their feet just raises a sigh. They might not be happy, but they are glad you're unharmed and in relatively good spirits.

"We're sooooorry, Eddie! Soooo sorry!" You babble, pawing at his neck and his face to plant even more kisses on his lips. He turns only to ruffle Robin's hair and peck her on the forehead, but otherwise his mouth is occupied by yours, and gladly so, if his muffled little gasps and mumbles of "missed you" are any indication.

"What about us? You have an apology for scaring the crap out of us?" Steve asks, irritation still lacing his voice. Part of it is definitely a spark of jealousy, Nancy can tell better than most. It takes you some work and the aid of Eddie's hand, but you get up and stumble over wobbly feet, and throw one arm around Nancy's shoulder and one around Steve's to loosely hug them both.

"M' sorry, Nancy…sorry Stevie….I love you guys soooooooo much.." You maw on each of their cheeks as well, leaving wet kisses by their ears and down their necks as if each one is to make up for one of the many minutes you spent away from them.

"We love you too." Nancy squeezes you back, eyes screwed shut, a breath caught in her lungs as she tries to keep it all in, to keep it together. Breaking down and crying because she was so worried about you would only hurt you.

"I've been bad…"

"Yeah, you have been bad." Steve's hand is in your hair, and despite reaffirming your realization, he's still so gentle with you like you're made of porcelain. As frustrating as he can be, and as much of a dad as he acts like sometimes, he's still so softhearted when it comes to you that it's honestly comical.

"Sooooooo….you gonna punish me?" You pull away to look at both of their faces, and giggle when their eyes widen, and they share a look like they can't believe what you just said. They haven't really seen you drunk very often, so they're not used to the…mood you sometimes get in.

"Not now, baby. But you are gonna make it up to us, later." Nancy tenderly takes your arm off of her and rubs it, trying to be strict but it just comes out soft.

"Aww, Nancy…" Your eyes draw towards Steve, who still has some frustration lingering on his features. He'll never realize how sexy it is–how sexy he is when he's mad. You slide that free arm around his other shoulder, and lean into him for your lips to just barely brush his.

"C'mon, Stevie, wanna feel you inside me…" His shoulders stiffen up and his chest tightens, his lungs at a standstill at the sight of you rubbing your body up against his. And then you lean up, and your lips ghost over his ear, and you whisper that dreaded pet name that sends a shiver up his spine and has him tilting his head up that he wasn't ready for–not in front of the others, at least. "..Wanna be good for you. Promise."

Your little attempt to get him all worked up, and your teeth nibbling at his adam's apple, is interrupted by a soft groan, one that turns all three of your heads towards the two lumps on the floor. When Eddie sits up, he moves to clutch Robin's limp body as she lays against him, who is very clearly asleep and sighing quietly into his neck at the movement.

"Okay, bedtime! C'mon!" With a face still flushed and hot, Steve hups and squats down to wrap his arms around your thighs, before he lifts you up to throw you over his shoulder and starts walking towards Eddie's room. Every step is another bounce and your grin is still loopy and enthused as he does so, while Eddie hauls Robin up to her feet and Nancy supports her by her other arm to lead her the same way. Thankfully it's a short ride, and when Steve flips you back on to the bed and kneels to take your shoes off for you, Robin hangs off your other friends before collapsing into bed beside you. She's so pretty with that red flush to her face, warm and dizzy from the alcohol and laid out on her back, her breasts heaving as she breathes quietly before opening her eyes and turning them towards you.

Once Steve's hands are occupied with carrying off your shoes and no longer ghosting against your ankle, you find yourself moving up on your knees and throwing one over Robin's waist, her fingers lifting up to brace your thigh as you sit gently enough on top of her for it not to hurt. The words have left her vocabulary, but the pleased sigh that she emits at the feeling of you pressed up against her is enough for you to understand.

"Robbie," You lean down to kiss her, and moan the nickname into her mouth. "Wanna do what we did in the backseat…"

"Uh huh…" She whimpers, hands laid out by her head in total submission. Her hips are already rolling against you, mind clearly muddled by need that you apparently haven't satisfied quite yet. Your hands move to unbutton her jeans, your gaze set and tongue flicking out to lick your lips–when Steve grabs you by the wrist and your head tilts to look up at him.

"Prude," You stick your tongue out at him, annoyed at his familiar interruption. Robin wasn't totally wrong, sometimes Steve is such a stick in the mud. He looks genuinely hurt, though, and his eyes fall from yours like he's trying not to show you what he's really feeling.

"Noooo, not the puppy dog eyes…m' sorry for pissin' you off, baby.." His grip loosens on your wrist, but you just grab his instead to pull him close enough for your foreheads to touch. He can't look away now, not even if he wanted to.

"I wasn't really mad, I..I was just…scared." His voice is so rarely this shaky, unsure, that it almost doesn't sound like Steve. Not your confident, headstrong Steve.

"Why?" You smile so innocently, it's nigh impossible to still be mad at you. He knows that, and yet he can never, ever resist it. "I'll always come back, Stevie. Not going anywhere."

A tired smile tweaks at his lips, and he moves to turn away–but you don't let him, and you grab his face to hold it in place.

"I'm not going anywhere, Steve." You sound more sober in that one breath than you have since you got home. More than you ever have, maybe. And he has nothing he can say that can encompass his feelings in that moment, so he just simply nods, and shares a kiss with you that's so damn sweet even with the taste of liquor on your teeth.

Having been relatively quiet until now, Eddie crawls into bed beside you two, his sneakers kicked off but his clothes from the day still on. Nancy's busying herself with pulling up a blanket off the floor to throw over you three, nudging your arm for you to slide off of Robin and cuddle up between the two of them so she can do so. Eddie's breath hitches when your fingertips brush the scars beneath his shirt, the flesh of his belly torn up and only now having healed into what he thinks are ugly scars.

"Eddie's so pretty…" You mumble as you turn to face him, already nodding off with the warmth of both their bodies cushioning you like big, heated pillows. Robin snuggles up to your back and drapes her arm over your waist, and Eddie wedges his arm beneath you two so you can both use it as a pillow, his fingers laced in Robin's hair to help her fall asleep like it always does.

"You're prettier, angelface." His warm breath on your face draws a chuckle from you, and with your eyes closed he kisses your brow before finally settling in to drift off with you. And when Nancy's finished tucking you all in and Steve shuts off the lights, each of you sharing your "I love you"s and "good night"s, the two of them shut the door quietly behind them to leave the three of you in relative peace as you slumber.

It feels like the day has dragged on so long, and in some sense it has–the time is nearing three am if the clock in the hallway is any indication. She and Steve have been awake for far too long, but it doesn't look like he's in any mood to rest by the expression on his face.

"You think we were a little too-"

"Harsh? No." Steve cuts her off abruptly. He knows exactly what she's thinking, he usually does–but this time, for once, Nancy really has no clue what's running through his mind.

"I'm gonna make them regret that tomorrow. I'll slash the tires on that stupid van if it keeps them here." The sudden surge of emotion in his voice takes her by surprise. Almost always, your touch and a few gentle words in that beautiful voice of yours are enough to calm him from whatever is bothering him. He's infamous for falling for your reassurances, giving in to you so often that it's like you're a siren to him, his certainty so often falling to the wayside when you sway him into believing whatever it is you're telling him.

"They might just steal your car, Steve. You know Eddie's got those magic fingers." She waggles her fingers teasingly, she's trying to lighten the mood, and he does chuckle a little at the joke. But the way his face sets immediately after is…intense.

"Not if I break their legs first."

"Steve," Her hand reaches for his arm, but his eyes and his mind are somewhere else.

"Don't." He warns. There's not enough conviction in his voice for her to really be worried about that–at least not now, when not enough has happened for him to really think that's at all a good plan. You haven't scared him enough, but…it does frighten her to think that it's still a possibility, albeit a very small one. Even though it would work, she hates to see you in pain, to see you scared. "Wasn't even my idea. Eddie talks in his sleep."

He steps away with those words lingering on his lips, heading towards the front door to drop your shoes by the others–but not before he reaches over and grabs the bat he's kept since that first night he realized that the world wasn't as safe as he thought it was. He throws the door open, and leans back to call to her before he takes a seat on the step and waits to see if anyone–or anything–followed you two home. Like always.

"...So do you, Nance."

[utilitycaster]

i was thinking about your post about your frustrations with the way fandom talks about romance and True Loves—do you get the sense that there's been a bit too much romanticizing of the "i broke the world for us" line? because i feel like the reason it works is that it is, among other things, an encapsulation of how selfish the briarwoods were, rather than a depiction of a healthy romantic relationship worth preserving or emulating. and i'm sure the players know this, but with the way people have discussed that quote regarding imodna in particular, i'm not...fully sure the fandom does? it's like people want imogen and laudna to wrap their entire lives around each other to the exclusion of everyone and everything else.

like, the reason that line is interesting to me in relationship to percy/vex is that their relationship wound up serving as a narrative foil to sylas and delilah; while percy and vex very explicitly influenced each other not to go down that path, they also had several other people in their lives who mattered to them and impacted their growth. and idk i just get the sense that rather than examining the idea of unhealthy codependence, fandom just wants to see these two characters perennially attached at the hip, and i can't say i find that idea terribly interesting. (as you said, there's a reason the briarwoods were npcs; a dynamic like that among player characters could get very tiresome.)

You know, it's hard to say, but I think so. The thing is, it's a great line, but the context is actually quite important: Delilah says "I broke the world for us" as Sylas is being killed by Keyleth's Sunbeam, after the aborted attempt to summon Vecna. This is the line of someone who thinks she's failed; it can be seen as "I had to do all this, some of which I didn't particularly wish to do, and then I don't even get what I wanted, which was to spend eternity with my hot vampire husband?

In other words, I think a lot of people interpret this as "I would do anything for my love" and I think that's part of it, but there's also a not inconsiderable undercurrent of "I got in WAY too deep in the hopes of saving his life, and now I don't even get more than five fucking stressful years?" I mean, Delilah is not terribly sympathetic, because of the murders and the necromancy, but it is in many ways indicated that Vecna was rather opportunistic into calling out to a powerful necromancer who happened to be vulnerable and desperate. On some level I have to wonder if, perhaps, prior to her deal, the Briarwoods did have friends; and then with Sylas as a vampire and Delilah going harder on the necromancy work, they had to cut ties to hide the secret, or they lost those friends when they were discovered and kicked out of the assembly. We see them at a point where all they have is each other...but that could be the result of what they've had to do to have each other.

Regardless, I hesitate to attribute this to why people are weird about other ships; I think that comes from a lot of places, and honestly I've seen far worse justifications or characterizations of ships. I think some of this being brought up for Imogen and Laudna when the story has not really backed up that kind of devotion is just because Delilah is in the story and so they're reminded of it. But I do think that saying someone would break the world for someone else isn't necessarily a sign that it's a dedicated and all-consuming romantic relationship; merely that it's one with little foresight or sense of proportion.

[cats-inthe-cradle]

Okay but what if I extended this into Wu just unintentionally taking in all the ninja sooner?

It starts with Kai and Nya, and I'm thinking Wu doesn't want to take them in, because of what happened with Morro he's afraid of messing up again. But something or another happens and he ends up taking them in anyway (I'm thinking maybe someone talked some sense into him and convinced/forced him to).

Garmadon and Misako probably hang around fairly often in the time before Garmadon is fully consumed by evil.

Lily took Kai and Nya living at the monastery as an excuse to regularly bring Cole around to visit. ("They need friends Wu.") When Lily dies and Cole runs away from home, he goes to the monastery.

Then of course Lloyd is born. And when Garmadon is fully consumed and leaves, and Misako goes looking for a solution or whatever, she leaves Lloyd in Wu's care (he's already raising Kai and Nya, what's one more?)

After finding out about Zane, Wu keeps tabs on him. And when he discovers that Zane's left his home, with no memory, and his father has seemingly vanished, Wu invites him to come stay in the monastery. I'm not entirely sure when that would happen timeline wise, but I'm thinking it's probably only a year or two before when the pilot episodes take place.

Jay I'm thinking comes in last, if purely for the angst of him feeling like he doesn't really belong with the others (from his perspective they've all known each other for years (which, yeah most of them have at that point) and he thinks he's forced his way into the group and the others only really put up with him out of politeness and because Wu brought him in.) He doesn't realize at first that he's filled a missing spot in the group's dynamic and if he tries to leave they WILL kidnap him and refuse to let him leave ever except to visit his parents.

Anyways so Jay's a bit harder for Wu to track down than the others I'm thinking. But Wu does find him, and upon seeing that he has loving parents and a mostly happy life he's hesitant to approach at all. And decides not to drag him into the ninja lifestyle or whatever until he has to. So Jay doesn't show up until he does in canon probably.

So basically from the time Kai and Nya's parents disappear, to when the pilot episodes take place, Wu finds himself as a reluctant guardian/uncle to all these kids, who all adore him. And hes very fond of them of course and as the years go by he comes to realize that maybe this wasn't such a bad thing afterall and just maybe he won't mess it up this time.

He still hides the whole green ninja thing from them tho.

And the fact that their elemental masters-to-be.

But he does give them some ninja lessens because they'll refuse to leave him alone about it if he doesn't.

Hmmm it's probably been done before BUT ninjago au where Wu took in Kai and Nya after their parents disappeared and later Lloyd as well when his parents abandoned him.

[variousqueerthings]

Kreese/Silver, Johnny/Ali, Johnny/Bobby, Dutch/Jimmy for the ask game :D You can just pick one if you don't wanna do all of them.

oh yay! I'm absolutely doing them all friend!!!!! on two separate posts I realised, because writing this got Long

KREESE/SILVER

Ship It (of course)

1. What made you ship it?

I watched Cobra Kai 1-3 prior to watching the Karate Kid movies and their Vietnam dynamic didn't have me hooked yet -- but when you combine that with what you see in the movie, you suddenly have this wildly intense, push-and-pull, full-on-love-no-holds-barred, caught up in masculinity and want and fear and shared history of violence delicious melting pot!!!!

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

I love the intensity of it -- for better or for worse that's what it is! No emotion they have about each other can ever be lukewarm, there's no way they can ever escape how deeply they feel about the other person! That and fucked up obsessive sexual scenarios....

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I don't know if it's unpopular, but I fully predicted that they would fall out and I was so into it! Obviously didn't know how it would go down, but I love how tragic they were always going to be -- the things that brought them together, the things they do together to other people, those things fuck the two of them up just as much -- I can see why people want them to be soft and loving together, but it's just not my vibe. They've got to be tragic -- Wuthering Heights Eat Your Heart Out Tragic

Johnny/Ali

I don't ship it (but there are versions of it I can vibe with)

1. Why don’t you ship it?

I think their romantic story is done (although I have had some interesting discussions about like... the intensity of your first relationship and how it will always be with you).

That intensity + the way their lives were when they reunited (Johnny's putting her on a pedestal For Years while his life fell more and more to pieces and Ali recently divorced) was going to draw them in for a hot second, but ultimately I'm pleased that s3 was about letting go of that past.

2. What would have made you like it?

Like I said, there are versions that I like. I like young Ali and Johnny stories (although I tend to like them from the perspective of it being over now) and I like young Ali/Johnny/Daniel stories where they're figuring out their bodies together. That's cute.

For a sadder version, adult Johnny and Ali reunite in s3 and have a wildly unhealthy affair for a bit that leaves them both worse off.... I'm really outing my proclivities here huh.....

3. Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

I'm glad that overall they both look back fondly at their first relationship. I think getting to look back at that relationship was needed for the both of them and so it was something that had a healing power, even 35 years later!

Thanks Friend!

Will post the second part in juuust a sec!

[many-gay-magpies]

oh no my cover is blown i think i failed secret agent school also shhhhh you have seen nothing here im not done burying my posts from 3 years ago yet but yes i agree this dynamic is really fun it feels like we're writing each other letters

honestly now that i read your thing about a new student not seeing the appeal because they're not integrated into decelis's clique culture it really brought to mind just how ROBBED we were in terms of sooha's character— i think it would've been better planned and Much more fitting if instead of her being automatically y/n-ified she showed up to decelis just . entirely immune to the pretty boys with vampire charisma. ik the boys feel a ~strange magical attraction~ which draws them to sooha but wouldn't it have been so great if she was just . weirded out by the attention instead of falling for heli immediately? like SHE could've been that student screaming "this idiot (jaan) just broke a hole in the floor bc he put down a dumbbell too hard and THIS IDIOT (heli) FORGETS THAT YOU HAVE TO MOVE YOUR MOUTH TO ACTUALLY TALK TO PEOPLE." i just think we were absolutely robbed of sooha really becoming part of the friend group instead of being yet another charmed student. and then SHE could become a cryptid too!! bc all the girls think its so strange that she doesn't get shy or blushy around them!! like imagine everyone whispering about sooha just one day sucker-punching solon to get him to shut up. PRICELESS.

help im imagining an exchange between that sleuth student and shion one night when hes ~on the prowl~. they go "hi, shion" and hes like "oh hi there- wait hold on how did you know it was me?? do you have powers too???? is it night vision????" and the student like "wha- no i just know that heli walks around at night so i assumed the rest of you would too and your eyes literally Glow In The Dark and hold on did you say too???? as in you have powers????????" and shion just . panicking like "aha no i meant do you have powers… in general… ahaha"

-vrvr anon

oh noooo hdhfbfjfb-- dont worry i will continue to pretend like i know nothing :> but no omg it is like writing letters thats why i like it so much!! its just. idk its so nice because rather than dms where conversations happen in small increments and can get kind of messy and mixed up, asks let you read over and give special attention to every part of what someone is saying so you can respond to it fully!! and theres less pressure to answer immediately and such (at least with the kind of asks you send) :3

LITERALLY THOUGH like. with sooha i WANT to like her character and mostly i DO but she has fundamentally been a reader insert protagonist from the start and its pretty easy to tell lmao. allegedly its worse in the webnovel (and from all the screenshots one of my friends sent me... y e a h) but she's still pretty heftily y/n-ified in the comic, what with all the boys being ✨mysteriously drawn to her✨ and her basically being a starry-eyes fool in front of heli lmao. we were absolutely robbed because it would have been SO COOL if they made her like... an actually interesting and compelling character... rather than just a love interest for the boys lmao. like it would have been great if she got close to the brothers and became their friend and everything SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE she wasn't disillusioned by the rest of the school's clique mentality and thought they were sort of weird. and maybe eventually theres a whole "man i feel like ive known you forever" exchange that happens between them, alluding to the whole crazy past life connection or whatever tf their deal is, but also it would be entirely platonic and just... kind of sweet, because she's the first person in SO LONG that they've been friends with that hasnt just wanted to be around them in hopes of looking cool or dating one of them. like what if sooha walked up to the brothers after hearing all the shit about them from her classmates and just went "lmfao yall are a bunch of fucking idiots arent you" and then they were friends. i think that would be neat

also now that ive gotten STARTED on this train of thought im just thinking about all the character traits i wanna see more in female characters in media, specifically protagonists... thinking about sooha WITH some of those character traits... just a very brash, not very friendly sooha that maybe built up a hard/defensive exterior due to years of being bullied and taught that showing vulnerability around people would get her hurt... a sooha that maybe isnt very nice, is a little bit mean actually, and clashes with solon because theyre both stubborn af and dont know how to converse or apologize like normal human beings... a sooha that, when heli catches her using her powers, yells "i swear to god if you tell ANYONE about this--" until he's like "whoa whoa its okay i have powers too"... a sooha that learns that being vulnerable around people and trusting people is okay actually, in an entirely platonic way... lots of thoughts hsjfbfjn

YEAH SOOHA CRYPTID!!! now i really wanna see her punch solon lmao

(we could have had it all. we could have had it ALL. but alas <//3)

also sidenote. the mental image of heli straight-up forgetting that you have to open your mouth to talk to people and just staring at someone not understanding why they're not hearing/answering him/why theres no sound coming out has me DYING. then when they call him out for it like "uhhh why are you staring at me like that?" he starts sweating and goes "HAHAHA SORRY NEVERMIND I JUST ZONED OUT HAHA WHAT WERE UOU SAYING.??"

NO OMG SHION. his chattiness/instinctive friendliness being his downfall is such a funny concept hsjfbfjf. like the resident Sleuth Student just casually says hi to him in the hallway and he full-on says hi back and starts being all sweet and polite before his brain goes VERY RAPIDLY through the following thoughts: "wait omg how does she know its me" "WAIT NOBODY'S SUPPOSED TO SEE ME AT THIS HOUR SHIT" "wait fuck why did i respond wHY DID I RESPONd--"

also now i have the mental image of shion with his crazy anti-grav powers just straight-up walking on the ceilings at night because its fun and (allegedly) no one will see him, only INCREASING the cryptid allegations if anyone does