#anyway!!! we've been together One Whole Day and we're back on THIS shit

[neverendingford]

.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

UPDATE What's up, it's the proposal guy. You said you wanted to know how this turned out, so I figured I'd tell you. First some context though, because I'm mean and I wanna keep you in suspense longer.

1- I don't wanna doxx us so I'm not telling you where we live, but suffice to say, neither of us are American, and gay marriage has been legal here for less than five years. For both of us, this is the first relationship we've had where marriage was even an OPTION, and I think that's where we've been getting some of that whole 'this has to be a REAL proposal with EVERYTHING' idea.

2- I gotta figure out how to explain this properly. So, I'm pretty used to being the GUY guy in relationships? I was always the one who did the nice gestures, not the one they got done for. Before I met my dream guy, I didn't really notice or care that it was such a thing, I just assumed that's how shit worked. Also, I promised I wouldn't talk a lot about his stuff here, but his last boyfriend before me SUCKED. Anyway point here is, it turns out we both REALLY like feeling swept off our feet sometimes, and a big part of finding each other has been getting to feel special for once? That's a stupid sappy way of putting it the point here is I think all that's what morphed into "I need to be the one getting proposed to, also it has to be completely perfect", and then our Petty & Extra genes got involved.

So I'm sitting in bed thinking about all that up there, and watching all the comments coming in basically being like "Dude, you are BLOWING this" on repeat, and telling me to compromise, and I look up and see him flossing in the bathroom and making all these doofy faces at the mirror, and it's like a switch just flips in my brain, and I'm like "Oh, I'd rather he gets to have his perfect proposal than we both have an okay one". I'm gonna do it.

Morning rolls around, and while I'm 'out for my jog like normal' I hit up a pawn shop for a temp ring (the ring pop thing is cute but NOT HIM). I found one I was at least confident wouldn't get ruined the first time he got his hands greasy (he fixes old machines as a hobby it's hot as hell), got back home, and hid the box in the toe of my nasty ass workout shoes in the bedroom closet, since I figured he'd check there last.

He was still asleep, because he stays up late no matter what and then is SHOCKED he's tired the next day, so I called and booked a table at our usual anniversary spot. (Side note about the 'he picks bad restaurants' thing. This isn't an 'I like Greek, you like Chinese' situation, dude's just BAD at finding places. He either assumes pricey is tasty and I get to eat some overrated gourmet bullshit, or he'll try and find something hip and underground and risk giving us food poisoning again, and he REFUSES to give up and pick somewhere we've been before when it's his turn to plan date night. I'm obsessed with him <3.) Date was set, I'd propose on the 21st.

Some of you might have noticed this, but fun fact! It's currently the 16th.

Last night I'm doing dishes and he's been sent to our room for mug collection duty, and he's taking FOREVER, so I go check just in case he found the ring, because the man's a gift tracking BLOODHOUND. Turns out he hasn't, he's found my Angry Box.

I assume other people have an Angry Box? Basically, we had this huge messy fight right when we first moved in together, and I never wanna let it get that bad again, so I have this shoebox where I keep a bunch of our stuff I can look at if we're fighting and hopefully cool off. There's one of those photo booth roll things, letters we wrote when he moved back with his parents for COVID, the wine cork from our first date, shit like that. Anyway, he's just sitting on the floor staring at it, and I explain about the Angry Box, and then he! Proposes!!! Kind of.

He definitely didn't have anything prepared, because by 'propose' I mean 'ugly cried & rambled at me for several minutes before I figured out it WAS a proposal', but once I got on the same page it was amazing. I said yes, and he had to admit he didn't have a ring for me because he was CONVINCED he'd win and I'd do it, so I grabbed mine because, yeah, he was right. He was like "this is the ugliest ring I've ever seen" and I was like yeah well the plan is to replace it later and he went "No. You can pry this off my cold dead fingers. After I'm buried with it." So I guess it's not a temporary ring anymore.

I'm just gonna go ahead and skip to this morning. I pointed out we still have the reservation, and he said I should propose there anyway because "We can get a free dessert. They have those creme brulee shot glasses you like. And for love, or something" and I said ok deal, but that means you gotta get me a ring to keep it fair, and his eyes LIT UP. When I swung by his work for lunch he was still on the phone with a jeweler and he had a whole page of notes on three other ones. Pray for me.

OH PS: I was RIGHT that he'd been the one behind the cat biting me, but it wasn't about the proposal stuff, it's because I paid my baby sister three dollars to shout 'fuck you' every single time he enters a room she's in for (if you ask me, he should be madder at my sister for charging so little), and he did it by giving her a bunch of treats for biting his hands too, so now neither of us can pet our baby girl without oven mitts on. HOLY SHIT I love this man.

Oh my goddddddd I love everything about this <333 I awwww'd out loud on a voice call, like, six times while reading. You two are friggin perfect for each other and so obviously smitten with each other and I wish y'all all the happiness in the world

PS Are y'all planning to have a big wedding? If so oh boy I can't WAIT to get that one in the inbox

Original post

[helluvabutt]

I posted this analysis to Twitter a couple of days after Apology Tour dropped and it did numbers, so I figured I should post it here since it's easier to format this kind of long form post here anyway.

Guys, thery're just both wearing masks. Like Stolas's is obvious, he literally wipes away the tears and puts the mask back on, goes back to being the unaffected, measured prince he's expected to be. It is a whole mask, it's in his DESIGN

He was born with it by virtue of being royal. By having those expectations placed onto him from the moment he was probably just an idea, not even close to being a person yet. That his mask is heart-shaped is just... yeah 😭

Blitzø on the other hand, seems to have /some/ chance to be a child, especially with Fizz, even if his dad was a piece of shit. But over time, not meeting expectations and the self-loathing that developed as a result drove him to create a mask (lit. mask in Truth Seekers)

This of course, all comes to a head in the fire, and from there on out it is locked in as something he cannot remove. Just like Stolas it is a part of his literal design. And though we see him measure himself and put it back on far less often, he still does.

I think theres something to be said for Blitzø having a half mask, he lets enough of himself out that it could go undetected, whereas Stolas seems very detatched from what's expected of a Goetia, and has to don a full mask to belong amongst them (with no help from Stella ofc)

But with his comment on not being invited out, and Ozzie complaining about him, he clearly doesn't have many fans (or friends😭) and I wonder how much of that and his general awkwardness is because he tries SO hard to keep it up and be what's expected rather than a person.

As a viewer I think that we've seen more mask off "Stolas in his feefees" but as much as he lets his guard down a little around Blitzø he still very rarely actually takes the mask off in his presense. He always waits until there are no eyes on him to let his feelings show

We're starting to see them letting the mask down around one another slowly, not entirely willingly...

But I think that both of them realising the other is also wearing a mask is going to be the first step in understanding that there is a middle ground between putting each other on a pedestal or being scum of the earth, and realising that they've both been damaged and the other gets it, that their traumas intersect in so many ways is ultimately going to be the thing that lets them truly connect and heal together, that and matching each other's freak ❤️

[kikidoesfanfic]

Barn Raising Demogorgon Daily

Demogorgon daily prompt Barn Raising for the @strangerthingswritersguild discord

/On ao3/

---

"You know this is basically a barn raising right?" Dustin says, appearing suddenly at Steve's elbow as he's about to drill in a screw. "I read about them in this book from the library, it's a community thing."

"This is a greenhouse though? There's no animals going in here." He puts the drill down beside himself, decides against using power tools while Dustin is still right there being distracting, in favor of measuring the rest of the spacing out instead.

"Well duh, I know what a greenhouse is, but it's like a barn raising we're all coming together to build it." One day, Dustin is gonna roll his eyes so hard he'll be stuck seeing his brain, and Steve isn't gonna help him he's just gonna say 'I told you so' and call it a day.

"We? You little shits have been playing in the pool all day, Eddie has been 'supervising' and Wayne's the only one being helpful." Eddie smiles unrepentantly from his spot perched on a deck chair, not even bothering to defend himself, instead just lowering his sunglasses to raise his eyebrows and leer at Steve. Wayne though looks pleased as punch where he's stapling shadecloth to one of the side frames, immediately looking over at Hopper smugly.

"Hey," Hopper says indignantly from over at the grill, "I was helping, not my fault I was told to sit this one out."

"You staple gunned your shoe two minutes into using it, of course you were," Steve's voice raises a few octaves, Hopper was lucky he clipped his shoe and not his leg. God these people are gonna give him gray hairs before he even hits 20.

"I do repairs on the cabin all the time, I can build a goddamn greenhouse," he points the bbq tongs at Steve while he talks, accusatory.

"Apparently not with a staple gun you can't," Steve says, pointing back, "we are not having this conversation again."

"Okay but Steve, barn raising, they usually get a whole barn up in a day or two, this is practically the same thing," Dustin says, at the same time Max shouts from the pool.

"I said I'd take over with the staple gun but you said no, how's that my fault?" Steve turns, hands on his hips to stare down Max.

"You do not get to wield projectiles that can be used as deadly weapons we've been over this Mayfield, and Dustin, while it sounds cool for the last time this is not a barn raising."

"Maybe I'll just eat all these burgers myself, since I'm not being helpful," Hopper chimes in as petulantly as a gruff man his age is able, just to make Steve's day more difficult he's sure.

"That mean they're ready then?" Wayne asks, wiping sweat from his brow and taking a swig of water. They are due a break, the sun's beating down today and though Steve had bullied Wayne into sunscreen along with the rest of them, told him to set a good example for the kids, it's probably time to reapply...

He's really not beating the mom allegations, as Eddie would say.

"Yeah, food's up," Hopper says, following it with a grumble about dangerous grills and not being trusted with one of those either, before starting to plate up the stack of patties.

"Alright you heard the man, out of the pool go get your lunch," he says loudly enough to properly grab the kid's attention, followed quickly by a veritable stampede as they rush to beat each other to the food. "Don't run around the- oh why do I bother."

Steve waits, he'll probably lose a finger if he tries to get ahead of them anyway so he might as well take his time. He grabs his own bottle of water, swallowing a mouthful before pouring the rest over his face and neck, it's too warm from sitting in the sun while they worked to be all that satisfying but it's better than nothing. He pulls his shirt up, using the bottom to wipe down his face, startling at the wolf whistle of appreciation Eddie gives from much closer than expected.

Dropping his shirt reveals Eddie right in front of him, fresh bottles of water from the cooler and a plate with two burgers balancing precariously in his hands.

"My my Mr Handyman, looking mighty hot and bothered there," Eddie says with a smirk. "Maybe later I can do some... drilling of my own, hm?

He sticks his tongue out slightly, pinning it with his teeth while he waggles his eyebrows, and Steve is not going to admit this is doing it for him.

"You're a dork," Steve says instead.

"You're saying you don't want a handy, man?" Steve covers his face with his palm.

"That was awful," he groans, looking between his fingers at Eddie's smile, watches him lean in close.

"And yet you're still gonna let me-"

"Munson," Hopper barks, and they both turn to see the kids staring at them with varied looks between horror (Mike and Dustin) and amusement (Max).

"-let me give you this burger, yep, here's your burger Steve! Mmm what masterful grill work, would you look at that, it's time to go stand far away over there!" Steve shakes his head, chuckling as he stops Eddie's escape by grabbing at his fingers, Eddie's still just a tad nervous around Hopper.

'It's the dad vibes, Steve.'

"Come on Romeo, come sit down before you fall down." He tugs Eddie along by their joined hands so they can sit in the shade and eat their burgers, nudging knees and bumping elbows about as much contact as they can confortably keep in the stickiness of the heat.

When he's finished Steve looks at Eddie, looks around at everyone congregating in his yard. They might not be raising a barn, and they might not be all that helpful with the power tools, but they're definitely building something together.

[kingofthering]

Well well well, you're not the only one thinking about that forced coming out au, GOD, that was insane. The sweetness both of them want but Marc not letting himself have it, because, obviously, it's fake pretend, but he wants it to be real. And Vale not allowing himself to tell Marc that it is so very real for him, holy cow.

How do they get in touch after that? Is Vale FINALLY getting his shit together, telling Marc that he wants to have everything with him for real? Is he being shitty to other people because he can't let his anger out otherwise? How does Marc feel during media stuff with Vale???? So many thoughts in my head, and sending love to you <3

"Take a shot every time tumblr user kingofthering mentions a quick idea one idea and say "no I won't consider this more it was just a silly thing" and then it ends up not just being that" truly would be a lethal game.

Anyway. Love my brain, let's try to get into this.

Honestly, if I wanted to be able to answer these questions properly I would need to draw a timeline of the whole thing, which is not happening for now so excuse me for the mess.

How do they get in touch after that?

As I said, depends when this gala happens, what has happened before between them. In any case, Marc is avoiding and ignoring the shit out of Valentino that following race weekend.

One thing I was thinking about is the fact that Yamaha&Honda PR people are going to want them to spend at least a couple of days together during the summer break. There is a meeting where Valentino says "Marc can just come by the ranch and train with the boys" and the PR lady looks at him very sternly and says "You can do that in addition to what we've already planned for you, we already have an assortment of resorts selected in a handful of countries, you can pick the one you want".

The two of them at a beach resort where they're supposed to be seen (and photographed together) (and they have to post some insta stories of their own) when Marc is avoiding Valentino and Valentino is hyper frustrated with him? Yep. Fun.

We 100% have a scene where someone (who doesn't know about them) hits on Marc at the bar by the pool and Marc is letting himself be seduced (leaning into the guy's space, smiling at him way too much, etc) and Valentino intervenes, going all possessive and "There you are, honey", hand firmly wrapped around Marc's hip.

Ensue a fight because Valentino can't understand why Marc is jeopardizing their whole thing and Marc is just like "sorry if it felt good to be wanted and have things be done in my terms for once". Valentino's very "???" because why the fuck is Marc implying that he's never wanted him and we have Marc telling Valentino that he was the one always picking when they could hook up and that Marc never had a say in their relationship, that it always been only about what Valentino wanted (what part of this is true and what part is Marc's anger blowing things up? eh).

I can't play the full fight in my head right now and maybe they need some room to breathe or not, but I think they end up hooking up again there. Less sweet than at the gala, back to how hard they could go at each other at their beginnings.

This time, Marc can't disappear the next morning. Honestly, I can fully see them living in this little fantasy (the beach resort where they can kiss in public and no one will bat an eye) for like 3 days.

Do we have Marc's breakdown/disappearance number two when they go back to real life or are things better? Again, timeline issues. Maybe they need to have a moment™️ on track to spice things up. Who knows. Like, I don't know who would have made the mistake but imagine Valentino saying in press conference something like "it's okay, I/he apologized and we talked and we're fine, this was just racing, we respect each other, we can be adults about this and move on". Valentino, baby, do you really think you were behaving like a smart adult in Sepang? This call for Marc calling him out but these discussions go towards making them better at communication and fixing some shit they need to fix before they can have a healthy relationship or something.

Is Vale FINALLY getting his shit together, telling Marc that he wants to have everything with him for real?

A big question is when does Vale realize that he went into this because he cares about Marc and he should have handled his 2015 feelings better and he actually wants a proper relationship with Marc.

I think those realizations would take a) time b) for him to actually discuss those feelings with someone and I'm not sure who that could be (considering how limited his options are here with how little people know about the whole fraud thing they're conducting). Uccio? Never. Luca? He's just 18 and not someone Valentino wants to bother with these issues. Jorge? Even if he's been playing nice (nicer than usual) with Valentino since he was put in the confidence of their secret but their relationship is far away from "relationship advices" levels. That probably leaves Dani, who I've always seen as a very neutral character in this whole mess they created for themselves irl. Maybe he could actually help (while having Marc's feelings in consideration). Things to consider.

Is he being shitty to other people because he can't let his anger out otherwise?

See, I hadn't even considered that but maybe. Although he's being even more careful of his image than usual so maybe not. Also, I've said Valentino was frustrated with Marc at times but then he'll remember that Marc is 23 and struggling and the whole reason Valentino agreed to this to begin with was because he knew Marc couldn't do it on his own so, it calms it to remember that.

How does Marc feel during media stuff with Vale????

Oh boy, so shitty. I don't think any of them are inherently good and enjoy media stuff. Vale has learned how to manage it in a way that suits him but let's not pretend it's his favorite activity in the world. Marc? He was doing fairly okay his first few years, always bubbly and optimistic in his press conferences (canon) but the aftermath of Sepang sure put a dampener on his relationship with the press.

Doing media stuff with Vale? Not something he initially feels comfortable doing at all. As @moonshynecybin excellently wrote it here, Vale is good at helping Marc relax, tho, or doing his best to help him to. It takes a while but it's not like Marc is immune to Valentino's charm and with time, I do believe it gets better and they manage to banter together in front of a camera (just like the old days baby).

[dr-peppers-monster]

Alive, With You–Chapter 3: Time Lost, Time Gained

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Read this story on AO3 here!

Fandom: Cyberpunk 2077

Fic Rating: Explicit

Relationships: Johnny Silverhand/V, Johnny Silverhand/Female V

Chapter Summary: V and Johnny spend some quality time together.

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V opened her eyes slowly, the morning light pouring into her and Johnny's bedroom. She looked over at her now-husband and saw that he had already been looking at her.

"Hey, you." She whispered, her voice crackly.

"Mornin'." Johnny said, affectionately moving a piece of her hair out of her face.

"You okay?"

"Mhm. Just lookin' at you."

V smiled, but concern washed through her.

"I'm sure I'm looking in peak physical condition with my bedhead right now. Sure you're alright?"

V wiggled over to Johnny's side of the bed and cuddled into the crook of shoulder. He put his arm around her and kissed the side of her head.

"All good. Just was thinkin' about things this morning. Used to watch you sleep a lot when I was inside your head."

"And you fell in love with me anyway?" V teased.

"Somehow, despite every ugly face you made."

"Asshole." V laughed, rocking her whole body to gently shove him.

"Just...life's never been so good, ya know? Not used to it, is all. Waitin' for the other shoe to drop. For me to fuck somethin' up, like I always do."

V moved to where she was sitting up, putting her hands over one of Johnny's. She looked into his dark eyes, care and fear in them in equal measure.

"Not a fuckin' chance.” She began. “We've been to hell and back, and probably worse, to be able to just...live. Not giving’ that up for anything. I know it's hard to shake the feelin' that shit is just lurkin' around the corner, but we're allowed to be happy for once in our goddamn lives. You used to be my brainworm, now you're the one who can't get rid of me."

"Hmm." Johnny chuckled lowly. "Just hard to shake the cynicism after all this time, I guess."

V shifted to where she was sitting in Johnny's lap, her legs tucked up behind either side of her.

"We've been through a lot. You've been through a lot. It's not gonna feel better right away." She paused, her expression brightening a bit before she spoke again. "But we've both changed, Johnny. For the better. Us, the two most stubborn assholes to ever darken Night City's doorways."

Johnny put his hands on top of V's thighs, caressing them gently with his thumbs. "Since when are you Mrs. Pep Talk over here?"

"Well, the Mrs. part is recent." V said sweetly, making Johnny smile. "Almost dyin', almost...losin' you. It changes your perspective. The bullshit really didn't matter anymore. Found what really matters." She put her hand on Johnny's cheek, and he turned his face slightly to kiss her palm. "This. Us. Livin', breathin', makin' out and makin' love and all the fun shit we worked so hard to finally get to enjoy. Actually enjoy, not the shit we used to do to numb the pain or be self-destructive. I'm done being so goddamn angry all the time, so fuckin' sad. I want that for you too."

Johnny’s smile grew into a more confident one, his eyes brightening.

"Yeah, fuck bein' sad." He said firmly. "Gonna make sad our bitch."

V laughed, the sound of it making the whole room seem brighter to Johnny.

"That's my Johnny."

"Val...thanks. Know it's not always easy bein' around someone like me."

"You were forcibly stuck in my head for a year and after we got you out I still chose to be around you forever, gonkbrain. Remember? Had a whole party about it, fucked on every square inch of a hotel suite about it, remember all that?"

Johnny exhaled through his nose, grinning. "Couldn't forget."

"I'll pep talk the shit out of you as long as you need. Some days I still feel weird and shitty and sad too. But, and fuck me I am about to sound so sappy right now, I look at you and…it makes all those gross feelings go away."

"That is really, really sappy." Johnny teased her. "Go on."

"Just shut up and come here already." V said in faux exasperation, giving him a big smack of a kiss on his lips and then peppering little kisses all around his face. She then leaned over further to wrap him in a tight hug, gently caressing the back of his head. Johnny sighed deeply, his shoulders becoming less tense by the second as the two of them held one another.

When V pulled back from their embrace they shared a few quiet moments while she ran her fingers gently along his collarbone.

"Hey." She said quietly. "Always come to me about this stuff, kay? I'll do the same."

"Deal."

"Kick your ass if I find out you're sad without me."

Johnny snorted. "I'll hold you to that."

Johnny stretched his arms out above his head, and V took an opportunity to sneak in another tight hug around his waist. His arms fell gently on top of her shoulders.

"Cute when you're sappy." Johnny teased, his voice slightly muffled in her ear.

V pulled back from the hug and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Don't get used to it. Won't be this nice to you all the time."

"Wouldn't want it any other way."

"So!" V said, her turn to stretch. "What's on the Silverhand agenda today?"

"Don't know about you but I'm fuckin' starvin’." Johnny replied.

"Huh, we haven't eaten since yesterday have we?"

"Uh uh. Would kill for a cheeseburg right about now."

"Fuck that sounds good. Let's do it."

"Is Dani's Diner still around? Greasy spoon kinda' place, just before you really get out into the Badlands. Was popular when I was alive the first go-round."

"It is! God, I haven't thought about Dani's in, shit, a hot minute. If it's been around since your time you know it's an institution."

"You callin' me old, V?"

V giggled. "Bet your ancient ass I am." She draped her arms over his shoulders, leaning in close to his face. "Lucky for you, I'm super into sexy once-dead old dudes."

"Fuck it, I'll take it." Johnny said with a shrug. He closed the distance between them and kissed her until she was dizzy.

"We're never gonna get out of bed with you kissin' me like that, Mister."

"Then I'm doin' my job right." Johnny responded with a cocky smile, taking her face in his hands and kissing her again deeply.

After a quick makeout session, they finally got out of bed to start the day. V went to use the bathroom and when re-entered the bedroom she couldn't help but laugh when she saw Johnny holding Nibbles up under his arms, his legs dangling below him.

"Why are you dangling our cat?" She said, laughter still in her voice.

"This little bastard was trying to scratch up my leather jacket. Gotta learn a lesson."

"Air jail for you, bud!" V said to Nibbles.

"Remember who the real man of this house is." Johnny said to Nibbles, the cat watching him confusedly. "I'll be watchin' you."

Johnny put Nibbles down and Nibbles scampered away, entirely unfazed by the lecture and brief time served in air jail.

"Dudes with cats.” V said, leaning up against the bathroom’s doorframe. “So fucking hot."

"You're bein' way too nice to me today." Johnny said with a grin as he slipped his jacket on over his shoulders. "Don't trust it."

"Good. Keeps you sharp." V said, the movement of her lips driving Johnny wild as she spoke.

"If I wasn't halfway to starvin' to death, know I'd push your sweet ass against that door and take you right now."

"I know." V said, putting a finger under Johnny's chin. "The anticipation makes the fuck all the better later."

Johnny smiled at her proudly, adjusting the growing bulge in his tight pants before they headed out the door.

————————————

Johnny and V took V's favorite bike for their drive out to the desert's edge. Johnny took the throttle, with V's arms wrapped around his waist. The feeling of Night City air flying past them, good tunes blasting from the radio, and his wife's warm arms wrapped tightly around him–this was Johnny's nirvana. He felt on top of the world in moments like this, so far away from the nightmare that had been his and V’s reality only been a few short months ago.

When they pulled up to the diner, Johnny pulled off his helmet and then looked over at V. She slipped her helmet off over her head, shaking her hair out around her. The way the golden sunlight hit her face, her hair shining in the breezy desert air, Johnny felt his heart skip a beat.

"You're too much, girl." He said to her, pulling her to him by her chin and planting a kiss on her lips.

"Learned it from you, baby." V said, her voice the tiniest bit raspy from the dry air. "Being too much, I mean."

"Val's got jokes today." Johnny replied as he put his arm around her shoulder. "How much time you think we got until–"

"5 minutes, tops. Let's try and grab a table first."

When they entered the sleepy roadside diner, a few heads lazily looked over at them. Truckers, local folks, the typical assortment in a place like this. 

"My stars, that is not little Johnny Linder in my diner!" An older woman said in a thick Texan accent, looking at them from across the restaurant's long counter. She was a tall woman with curly brown hair tied up in a 1950s style bandana and a 1950s style blue diner waitress dress to match.

"Ho-ly shit, Betty?" Johnny replied, pulling down his aviators in genuine suprise.
 Betty quickly wiped her hands on the towel in the pocket of her apron and approached Johnny and V.

"I suppose it's Silverhand though these days, ain't it? Big famous rockstar now.”

"Can't believe you're still workin' here." Johnny said. "S’good to see you.”

"So sorry darlin'," Betty said to V, "I was just so blown away by seein’ Johnny in my diner again that I forgot my manners! Johnny, are't you going to introduce me to this lovely young lady?"

"This is my wife, V."

"Just V?" Betty asked.

"Just V." V replied with a smile.

"Well, it sure is lovely to meet you V. Johnny here used to come into this diner all the time when he was just a teen lookin' for trouble. And a triple cheeseburger, of course."

V laughed. "Glad to see nothin's changed!"

Seeing Betty over fifty years older than he remembered hit Johnny in the gut as a reminder of the chunk of time he had lost. But it also reminded him that not everything good in the world disappears forever. Some things, like a cheeseburger at a greasy spoon in the desert, were still right there waiting for him when he got back.

"Wow, Johnny.” Betty continued. “I heard all about everything that happened to you two on the news. It all sounded too wild to be true!"

"Imagine how we feel." Johnny replied with a small grin, crossing his arms in front of him.

“If you don’t mind me askin,” V began, “Who’s Dani?”

“Dani is my momma!” Betty said with a big smile. “God rest her soul, been passed some 20 years now. Ran this place like a well oiled machine. This place was her baby, and now it’s mine.”

“Sounds like she was a real force of nature.” V said admiringly.

"She sure was, honey!” Betty said proudly. “Well, well, I could take your ear off all day. Let's get y'all sat and fed. Come on kids!"

V felt a distinct fondness for Betty immediately, her demeanor a far departure from the people she was used to interacting with.

The couple placed their orders and when Betty walked away, V couldn’t help but notice a faraway look in Johnny’s eyes.

“She was, Christ, maybe 20, 25 when I saw her last?” Johnny said quietly. “This lost time is fuckin’ me up right now.”

“I can imagine how weird that must be. Probably nice to see a familiar face though huh?”

“Strangely enough, it is. Not a lotta people I can say were honestly just nice for the sake of it, ‘specially in Night City. Betty’s good people.”

“Who’s the sap now, Mr. Silverhand?” V teased.

Johnny smiled, and then craned his head a bit to one side.

“Are they here?” V said with an annoyed sigh.

“They’re here. Smile pretty.”

A group of 5 different newscasters and their accompanying photo drones burst through the diner’s doorway, beelining towards the couple.

“Johnny! V! You’re the hottest couple in Night City! Just a few quick questions! Everyone in the city wants to know!” The reporter who got to them first yelled.

Johnny was about to stand up to confront them when V motioned for him to stop.

“Let me handle this one.”

Johnny smiled knowingly and sat back. V was smart, resourceful, and unpredictable. He loved to watch her work.

“Seems a bit rude to interrupt newlyweds on a lunch date, hmm?” V said to the reporter. “I’ll make you a deal.”

Before the reporter could say anything, she was startled by the sound of all of the camera drones belonging to the wave of reporters behind her fizzling out and crashing to the ground in an instant.

“O-okay.” The reporter said in a shaky voice.

“Take a nice chunk’a eddie’s from your editor’s budget and put it in this fine establishment’s tip jar. In exchange, you get to take one picture and I won’t fry your expensive drone like I have all to all the ones behind you. I’m only bein’ nice to you because you pushed through a lotta people to get here first, and that takes some guts.”

Johnny felt his heart pound wildly in his chest watching V do her thing, his bubbly wife turning stone cold the second she re-entered her merc mindset.

“That…seems reasonable.” The reporter said, clearing her throat. “Eddies sent. We good?”

“Fine.”

The reporter gave them a ten second countdown. V sat down next to Johnny, planted a less than PG kiss on his lips and flipped off the camera behind her. Johnny followed suit with his own middle finger, giving the reporters quite a memorable photo indeed.

“Fantastic.” The reporter said, gratitude mixed with fear in her voice. “Thank you, you two.”

“Have a nice day.” V said with a sickeningly sweet fake smile and high pitched voice.

The reporters all left the building and Johnny looked over at his wife, impressed and massively turned on.

“You get me so fuckin’ hot when you do shit like that.” Johnny growled in her ear before kissing the edge of her jawline.

“Interrupting my cheeseburger date with my husband? Fuck ‘em.” V responded, crossing her arms victoriously.

“Wow, that was some way to clear out some nuisances!” Betty said as she approached their table with their food. “‘Preciated the tip, too!” She added with a wink.

“Least I could do, Betty.” V replied apologetically. “Sorry for the trouble.”

“Dealt with worse than some vulture Night City reporters in my day. Some impressive netrunnin’ you did to those drones there, Miss V.”

“She’s one of the best to ever do it.” Johnny said proudly, stretching his arms out behind his head.

“Thank you.” V said. “I have very little patience for people like that.”

“Well you sure got rid of em lickety split! Enjoy your burgers, Mr. & Mrs.”

V and Johnny took bites out of their burgers and there was a few moments of blissful silence.

“Fuck, this is so good.” V finally said, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

“As good as I remember.” Johnny replied.

“Can’t promise I’m not gonna fall asleep on your shoulder on the ride back.” V joked.

As they were finishing their food, V’s phone buzzed in her pocket, and she checked it to see a text from Kerry.

“You two crazy kids!! 😆 Nice pic on the Net!”

Attached to the text was the picture of V and Johnny the reporter had taken.

“Damn, they work fast.” V said with a satisfied grin, showing the photo to Johnny.

“That’s a sexy fuckin’ couple right there.” Johnny replied. “Should frame that one.”

“Bet your ass.” V flirted.

“Gotta give em somethin to talk about!” V replied to Terry. She was about to put her phone away when a few more texts popped up:

Panam Palmer: “You guys are gross 😜 Come visit us sometime!”

River Ward: “Warn me so I can cover my eyes next time, V 😂”

Dino Donivic: “You sexy motherfuckers! Fuck the press! 🤘”

El Capitán: “Qué caliente, mamita! Looks like retirement is treating you well 🔥🔥”

V laughed as her phone pinged over and over.

“We’re bad influences, it seems.” She said, looking mischievously at Johnny.

Johnny shrugged proudly. “Got a reputation to uphold.”

“Got a reputation for bein’ a real showstopper in the sack too.” V said, keeping her voice low. “Gonna uphold that for me later too?”

Johnny felt his skin tingling as V flirted shamelessly with him, watching the way every word poured from her lips like honey.

“Time to go.” Johnny said quickly, and V laughed as they both quickly scooted out of the booth.

“Check’s covered Betty, keep the change.” Johnny said as him and V linked hands and started walking towards the exit.

“Everything was amazing!” V added.

“Thank you sweetie pie. Come back and see me again soon, okay Silverhands?” 

“Will do!” V said, giving Betty a small wave before they rushed out the door.

Betty smiled all she watched the couple leave, then looked down at her register to see the payment V and Johnny had made. To her shock, the “change” Johnny had left was 25,000 eddies.

“Knew there was a good boy in there.” Betty said was a grateful smile.

————————————

V and Johnny arrived home, and walked upstairs to their bedroom. Their top floor had an open balcony where they could see out their home’s large windows and the ground floor below. V leaned back against the railing and put her arms around Johnny’s neck.

“I saw that tip you left at the diner. My Johnny, being so sweet and generous. That really gets me going.” 

Johnny pulled her in closer to him by her waist. “Gonna do somethin’ about it, or–“

“Shut the fuck up–“ V interrupted him, crashing her lips into his and setting his mind instantly ablaze. They were all over each other in an instant, fingers on skin and clothes flying every which way.

V pushed Johnny up against the railway and kissed him down from his lips, to his chin, his neck, down his chest and as she moved further and further down Johnny inhaled sharply in anticipation.

V got on her knees and looked up into Johnny’s eyes as she licked along the length of his erection.

“Fuck, V–“ Johnny groaned, leaning back on the railing for stability.

“You taste so good, baby.” V hummed, taking his tip into her mouth and skillfully maneuvering her tongue around it.

V put one of her hands up on the v line of Johnny’s hips, running her fingers along his body. Johnny felt a delicious chill flow through him as his senses went into overdrive.

Johnny looked down into V’s eyes, her gaze set aglow by a sunbeam passing into the room. She looked at him like he was everything he ever wanted. He felt the need in her eyes, and he needed her just as badly

V worked him with her lips and tongue, moving deeper and faster as he responded to her touch. He moaned, grabbing the top of her head with his organic hand. She felt herself growing wetter and wetter as he writhed in pleasure above her.

“So fucking good–“ Johnny choked out. “Don’t wanna finish yet. C’mere, turn around.”

V popped Johnny out of her mouth like a lollipop and smiled ravenously at him as she stood up. He flipped her around so her body was bent in half over the railing and quickly slipped into her from behind.

“Ah, god baby you fill me up so nice–“ V moaned.

Johnny smacked her ass with his chrome hand, wrapping his organic hand around her jaw as he thrusted into her. He put his hand near her lips and she took one of his fingers into her mouth, biting it gently.

“God damn, you’re fucking perfect–“ Johnny sighed between ragged breaths.

V felt the railing press into her just below her ribs, the slight pain only adding to the beautiful sensory overload she was experiencing.

Johnny angled V’s head around back to him with the hand around her jaw, and their lips met in a crooked, messy kiss.

They gasped into one another’s mouths, both of them rapidly approaching their climaxes.

To V’s surprise, Johnny pulled out of her. He turned her around to face him and lifted her up to where she was sitting on the railing. He used his chrome hand to keep her safely balanced on the railing, and then put himself back inside of her. He wrapped his organic arm around her waist and pulled her in close as he regained his pace, their lips finding each other once again.

V’s moans turned into frenzied cries of pleasure, scratching her nails down Johnny’s back as he ravaged her. He knew they’d leave a mark. And he couldn’t get enough.

“That’s my girl. Scream for me.” Johnny groaned into her ear.

“Fuck baby, Johnny fuck fuck fuck!” V cried out as her orgasm rocked through her, every nerve in her body on fire.

Johnny’s climax soon followed, burying his face in her shoulder as wave after wave of sweet release washed through him.

V moved Johnny’s messy hair out of his face and devoured his lips with hers, desperate for more and more of him.

Johnny lifted V up from the railing and laid her down gently on their bed nearby, positioning himself on top of her as they continued to kiss like their lives depended on it.

When they finally pulled apart for air, Johnny landed with a loud thwump beside her. V immediately took his hand in hers, linking their fingers tightly together. Johnny lifted V’s hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.

“You’re so good.” V said, her chest rapidly rising and falling as she worked on catching her breath.

“I am, aren’t I.” Johnny replied, a crooked grin on his face.

V smacked Johnny in the chest with her free arm, making him laugh.

“You’re not too bad yourself.” He said, looking over at her with his big brown eyes as he kissed her hand again.

“Mhm, don’t puppy dog eyes me.”

“Know you can’t resist.”

“Fuck off.“ V laughed. “…hate that you’re right.”

“Know you got me wrapped around your finger, girl.” Johnny said, his tone softening. “Pisses me off how down bad I am.”

“Being in love is so fucking annoying right?” V joked. “We’re supposed to be these cool independent badasses and then we just had to go and fall in love with each other.”

“Truly tragic.” Johnny teased, stretching his arm out for V to cuddle up to him. She quickly did just that, resting her arm across his chest.

“You wouldn’t trade it for anything.” V said sweetly.

“Yeah yeah, I’ll keep ya around.” Johnny responded, kissing her forehead.

The room grew quiet, save for the thumping rhythm of their still-racing heartbeats.

“Johnny?” V said, so quietly it was nearly inaudible.

“Hm?”

“Just…love you. A whole lot. Mean it.”

Johnny put his hand under V’s chin and lifted her face up to kiss her. This kiss was gentle, romantic, devoted.

“Love you, my Valerie. Always. Mean it.”

V smiled so brightly that Johnny couldn’t help but smile himself. Love looked good on both of them.

← Previous Chapter | Next Chapter →

[can-ya-guess-my-curent-obsession]

Russel Hc's

Authors note: Had some Russel thoughts baking in my mind after I watched some interviews. I know I said I just want to clear up my asks, but tired of writing Murdoc and 2D as much as I love them, I need a break. I'll probably write some noodle ones down the line

Requests: Open

Phase: Nonspesified,

Hc type: A mix of general + Russel x reader

Note: I got a bit salty while writing this, cuz I like to research and listen to interviews while I write for the characters, and there is truly such little Russel stuff in recent years it kinda pisses me off, same goes for noodle- I want more GIVE ME MORE- ehem sorry, lets forget about this and move on

TW: Bad spelling, mentions of death, self isolation?

smh this man is so unappreciated

I don't think we talk about it enough but Russel is the most well dressed out of all of the band

It was clear from the start of Gorillaz that he took great pride in his appearance

In more than one interview, in the early phases they asked Russ about his taste in clothes and he would reply very passionately

Ya know when we used to see them interview everyone not just Murdoc and 2D

sorry that was uncalled for

Anyways, we've all seen the clip of Russel thinking about himself in a dress so we're all aware of the fact he takes pride in how others perceive him

I think that would apply to his relationship in a way

While I don't think he expects you to be dressed to the nines

I think he would want his partner who also takes pride in how they are perceived by others

Because as your boyfriend what reflects on you is a refection on him for dating you

So if his S/O is a person who enjoys fashion I could see him and S/O spending time making outfits together, giving each other feedback

Maybe the occasional matching outfit or at the very least coordinating outfits

but if is S/O isn't that kinda person, and just wears what they have not giving it much thought like me

He would give you subtle feed back on your clothes and clothes

And if you pick up on what he's doing and offer to let him make your outfit, he would be very happy and might spend a whole day rearranging your closet making set outfits for you of course taking your style into account

His favorite holiday was halloween purely because it allows you to dress up however you want

Also he has lot of fond memories picking out costumes with Noodle when she was younger

Really good with hair

Like weirdly good with hair

Well it's not that weird cuz he was the most like a parent when raising Noodle

So if you want him to do your hair, as long as he isn't busy he's down

And while Noodle's hair is for the most part straight so he doesn't have much experience with different hair types, he learns fast and would probably watch some videos in his free time to learn, in which like I said he learns fast.

Russel like's doing more complex hairstyles on his partner if they have long enough hair, because it gives him a since of craftsmanship and pride when he finishes

But every time he finishes doing it he swears he'll never do it again because of all the work and time it took

but it's a lie

Despite the horrible traumatizing shit he's been through in his life he has to be one of the healthiest(mentally) in the band(ignore phase 7), though that's not saying much

But it is true, in interviews and rise of the Ogre, he seemed to know who he was, and seemed to come to sense of peace and acceptance for what has happened in his life

Of course he has him dark moments we all do

Sometimes he just needs some time to mourn the past and will probably find himself sleeping in a guest bedroom in Kong studio's for a few days

Days where he buries himself in his music and his hobbies taxidermy as an attempt to drown out the the looming image of deaths face

These days where honestly few and far in-between before plastic beach, but they became more often after the events

He's scared for the people he loves and what being around them could mean for their safety.

He won't exactly avoid you

He'll state that he needs time to himself before avoiding you.

But when he comes back around he'll often start telling/ reminiscing to you the good times of his life before he met you, his parents, Dale, his school life

Its his way of accepting the past

[blackjackkent]

This redcap was much more powerful than the ones in the swamp, but not more powerful than us; Karlach basically one-shot it. And now we know for a fact exactly what hag we're dealing with. Hector is not happy about this development.

He is much more powerful than he was when they last met Ethel. And thinking about her earlier, he thought of her like an enemy out of a dream, as if it happened to someone else; he's changed so much since then.

And yet... now that it is immediate and real, the idea of facing her again feels unsettling, as if it recalls all those moments of terrible, incapacitating fear from his early days on the road. The urge to run, to panic...

Calm. He forces himself to calm. Ethel can't be allowed to continue her rampage of terror if he can stop it again. And there's one potential item of new hope - the redcap mentioned some book that Mayrina and her companions have... something that can truly hurt the hag, for real.

"That lying, thieving, scaly little *shit*," Mayrina snaps as he approaches her. "Thanks for knifing the bastard." She pauses, looks him up and down. "That makes twice you've saved me. I'm starting to think you're my guardian angel."

She was not particularly gracious about Hector saving her the last time, so this is a nice change.

"Good to see you again, Mayrina."

"You too. I've come a long way since we last met. Decided I was sick and tired of feeling stupid. Helpless. So I decided I wasn't going to be a victim anymore." She gestures at her compatriots. "This group is made of survivors. People like me who've been hurt by hags. I brought them together to fight back. We tracked a hag to the city, but lost her trail, right after she snatched a little girl."

(Oh, shit - does this tie into the quest to find Vanra???)

"Any connection to our old friend Ethel?" Hector asks cautiously. The redcap mentioned "Auntie", but... maybe there's some sort of mistake...

"I bloody hope not," Mayrina says, alarmed. "I see her enough in my dreams. No, Ethel is dead, thanks to you. But this one is no less of a nightmare. The moment I started investigating the missing girl, I felt the hag's eye on me. Next thing, I was sprouting wool and bleating up a storm."

Hector decides not to mention the redcap's comments for now. Mayrina already has enough to worry about. Besides... something else about her story is pinging. A girl, taken by a hag... perhaps more than one child has been kidnapped in the city, perhaps it's even likely, and yet when he first learned about Vanra there was that whole strange business with the memory-modified Fist guard...

"Wait," he says slowly. "Is this Lora? She said her daughter disappeared in the Blushing Mermaid..."

Mayrina's expression lights up eagerly. "That's her! And she vanished in the 'Maid? That sounds like a lead! We'll do what we can to find the girl but our chances are a lot higher with you on our side. Check the safe in the back - I've done my homework on hags since we last tangled with Ethel. Take whatever you need. I know it by heart anyway."

OK, Hector is actually quite proud of Mayrina; she's come a long way since the swamp too. And she's being much more gracious about working alongside him, and she's clearly incredibly determined to settle this matter.

We get a cool staff for helping out here.

Hector doesn't use a quarterstaff anymore but we'll give this to Gale when we get back to camp.

The safe she mentioned has two books in it. The first is a journal and study on a weapon we can use against the hag to get Vanra back:

(Wait, hags reproduce by EATING children? Alive and whole? Swallowed like a snake eating an egg? That's fucked up.)

The other's a book about general hag weaknesses:

Got it. So when we fight her (pretty sure it definitely is Ethel reborn again, based on this), we've got to burn any nearby mushrooms.

The safe also has the material to make one (1) copy of the Hag's Bane item, so we'd better be very careful how we use it to get Vanra back. We'll only have one shot.

Adrielle is not taking things very well.

"This is all my fault. Mayrina was hexed mere days after the dragonborn joined us. Why didn't I see it?"

"Hags and their agents are liars and cheats by nature," Hector points out.

"That's no excuse. I know what they're like, yet still I welcomed the dragonborn with open arms. Mayrina was right about you. Thank you - for saving her when I couldn't."

Poor kid. :( Her diary nearby suggests that she fell into a terrible state after her past hag encounter - drunken stupor, basically - and Mayrina was the one who pulled her out of it and gave her purpose again. Hopefully we can deal with Ethel for good this time and give them all some peace.

The Blushing Mermaid isn't far off, but I'm gonna go back to systematically working through the Lower City and we'll get there soon, hopefully. :D

[areiphilos]

✨ 🚦 🤍 🏔️ ✨

🚦 — kidfic escape au

"So what do you want me to do about your problem?" Dallas asks, giving Tim a look of disapproval now that he's out of prison. It's been two days and Tim has already decided to make himself as annoying as possible. A grown fucking man and he couldn't keep his house in order. "I ain't gonna go out here and kill no fucking kids cause you can't get it together."

"I don't care about those pups," Tim billows out smoke form his nose, the scar on his face more jagged than ever in the streetlights. "Ponyboy can keep 'em, ain't none of them good. I just want the money."

He looks at Tim, and knows that however this is going to play out, Tim probably won't like it. He also knows he can get as much money out of him right now as he liked. "Pay me, and I'll see what I can get back."

🤍— age gap, older dallas

Ponyboy knows that the wife, Dallas' wife to be more precise, doesn't like him here. What he doesn't appreciate, as he adjusts one of his socks — even in the right size, they went almost to his knee! — is that she thinks he's actually a kid.

Hypocrisy of the whole situation aside, he hates the assumption he's not in college, that he doesn't know what he's doing as he fixes himself his own breakfast. It wasn't her place anymore, her scent was barely around anymore for one thing. For second, her being here just made things more awkward, with her and Dallas descending into yelling or sniping at each other as he just attempts to get over the slight hangover he'd felt from being at the disco for so long and then getting here to see Dallas.

She'd probably explode if she knew they hadn't even fucked the night before. He'd been too tired to do much than stumble inside on his skates, allowed Dallas to unstring them, and get in bed with him. They'd just talked about Ponyboy's upcoming art class, Soda's latest letter from Florida, and the last thing he remembered anyway was Dallas asking him if he wanted to come with him to see the Bowie movie playing.

He has a half mind to call Antonio when she storms past him, to the foyer, and then the door slams.

Dallas comes around the corner, his scent clearly pissed off, his mouth in a half snarl. Ponyboy shrugs. "Guess that went well. You gonna divorce her before or after you knock me up, old man?"

That gets Dallas' attention.

🏔️ — soc au, classic version

"I'm not going to Houston cause you wanna go out to disco," Dallas is firm and Ponyboy knows that it makes sense on the face of it. They could get caught, be separated.

It doesn't mean he can't feel anything about it, tears of frustration welling up in him. "Why not? No one's gonna see us, no one's gonna know for one night, Dally!" He throws down the towel he has into the sink of dirty dishes, turning to face his mate. "We've been in this down for so long, no one's said shit and we're closer to Tulsa here than over in Houston. I just — I just want one night, Dally! One night where we don't have to be on the run!"

Silence descends on them thickly. They both know why that can't be, why that's not rational and that it's Ponyboy's fucking fault for it all, for Johnny dying, for them running.

Ponyboy hangs his head and when Dallas tries to reach for him, he shies away.

[omentranslates]

Owari no Seraph chapter 131 english fan translation

Howdy tumbly vampire fans, please enjoy this text only fan translation of the new chapter. The official has already been out for a little over 12 hrs at here so this is just for fun pls make sure to read that one if you haven't ;)

Color page text: Determination set in eyes gazing straight towards the future

Owari no Seraph chapter 131: All Are Forgiven

Yuu: So heaven is up there, I guess that makes this Hell.

Mika: Ah, Yuuchan there's one there!!

Bear: *roaring*

Yuu: Sorry about this, I'm gonna eat you.

Mika: What number was that?

Yuu: Third one. Oh, sweet.

Mika: We've gotta get enough food stockpiled up, since Yuuchan's gas mileage sucks.

Yuu: You're the one eating all the power, we'll preserve this stuff so I'll have it while we're on the move.

Mika: Mmk, I'll start the fire. Yuuchan, you do the gutting and stuff.

Yuu: K.

Yuu: Gonna take this off so no blood gets on it, be a pain in the ass to wash off.

Yuu: Man, I really want curry or something.

Mika: We had curry the last day I was human, didn't you eat my share?

Yuu: WHAT, NO I DIDN'T I SAVED YOU SOME.

Mika: The last curry the kids had, did they enjoy it?

Yuu: They said they wished you were there too.

Mika: No shit? Guess the play's less fun when it's missing its lead.

Mika: Got me thinking how I wanna eat curry together with everyone when we bring them all back to life.

Yuu: You can eat curry???

Mika: Well since the Great Mikaela will doubtless be human again.

Yuu: Someone's looking ahead all of a sudden.

Mika: I mean that's what we decided, I can't help it. Would you rather I stop?

Yuu: Go ahead. Actually no, help me dress this meat.

Mika: Can't, too busy scheming.

Yuu: *screaming*

Mika: So to summarize, what we have to do is gather the sin keys and resurrect Mikaela. And...the people who've been gathering them all ready are Ferid and Guren. Whatever their thought process is.

Yuu: Pretty sure Guren's goal is to resurrect humanity. With no Mikaela.

Mika: Any ideas about Ferid?

Yuu: I don't think anyone has any idea about Ferid. Probably whatever the worst possible thing in the world is.

Mika: Oh, ok but if the past we saw is factual, then you ARE Mikaela.

Yuu: Oh?

Mika: Meaning, for Guren to get what he wants, everyone except you will be resurrected.

Yuu: Uhhh, this got complicated. Really?

Mika: Well isn't it? Mikaela's resurrection will require those sin keys, but so would humanity's.

Yuu: Yeah.

Mika: But the angel Mikaela was actually Yuuchan.

Yuu: Seems that way

Mika: So then, yeah.

Mika: And that turns our whole situation around, doesn't it? I actually don't care if anyone else gets resurrected, so this is great for my goal being to just protect you no matter what. Realized that somewhere along the way.

Yuu: Oh, so that's where the sudden burst of motivation came from. Like how you used to be.

Mika: Ta-da!!! All the Fool Yuuchan must do to succeed is come along with the Great Mikaela!

Mika: I will definitely save you!

Yuu: You sure are excited about that.

Mika: I can't have you dying on me now, Yuuchan. Not after we've come all this way.

Yuu: I mean sure.

Mika: Huh, I thought for sure you were gonna say something like 'well then I'll become the sacrifice and it'll turn out fine.' Yuu: Well it's not like we really know which is which. Seems like I was a lot smarter in the past.

Mika: True, true. None of that carried over, for you anyways.

Yuu: You mean to say that I'm even smarter now, right?

Mika: Why yes of course.

Yuu: We still can't choose a course of action 'til we know, though. If we don't resurrect the angel Mikaela, one of us could die and then we're in trouble.

Mika: Ok but is the angel Mikaela a separate person? And to resurrect THEM we need those 7 keys? We'd be seriously stuck if resurrecting them caused you to disappear.

Yuu: I dunno actually I'd be fine with that

Mika: I wouldn't.

Yuu: Well, I wouldn't be fine if it was you either.

Mika: Yeah.

Yuu: So, so far we have that the First's goal is to resurrect the angel Mikaela and then use their life to resurrect all the angels, right?

Mika: Most likely yeah

Yuu: And Guren's goal is to use those keys to resurrect all of humanity?

Mika: Right

Yuu: So then my....or the angel Mikaela's goal was to..?

Mika: They kept saying they wanted to save the First.

Yuu: Yeah

Mika: And there's no way to do that without first resurrecting all of the angels, right?

Yuu: Ok

Mika: But we have to remember that every time there's a resurrection, divine punishment is dispensed. Who's going to be the next sacrifice?

Yuu: Alright, then my goal will be to do this without bringing punishment down on anyone.

Mika: I hope I'm right in presuming that no one receiving heavenly punishment will include you?

Mika: For you to perform the resurrection as the angel Mikaela and accept punishment in place of the First, in order to resurrect the angels and the humans, and that be it....you understand why we can't do that, right?

Yuu: Aren't you supposed to be thinking of a way I don't have to?

Mika: Yeah, I am. But if the decision comes down like that anyways, promise me you won't sacrifice yourself.

Yuu: ...

Mika: I'm not lifting another finger to help until you promise me that you won't give up on yourself, even til the very end.

Yuu: If you wanna be like that, if we find out along the way that the angel Mikaela really was you, will you promise the same thing? That you won't sacrifice yourself?

Mika: Yeah, alright.

Mika: Y'know this whole story, as long as we keep just sacrificing ourselves over and over, it won't end. The despair and obsession will just repeat themselves.

Mika: But...I've already died once. If we're fixing everything on this meaningless life anyways

Mika: This lifetime, we're going to move forward sacrificing no one and winning it all. That's the promise I want to make, Yuuchan.

Yuu: It's really like....you're seriously starting to remind me of the way you used to be again.

Mika: Whatever, just promise me Yuuchan. That you won't give up on yourself.

Yuu: So do you have a plan, then? Our enemies are real smart. Guren, Mahiru, the First, Saitou and Ferid.

Mika: No way, we've got someone way smarter on our side.

Yuu: Oh wow you mean me?

Mika: But actually, we're the ones in first place right now. Since everyone else still thinks the angel Mikaela is me. If we can keep them from finding out about that...I've got a plan that'll knock every one of them off their feet, I've thought of the meanest scheme in the entire world.

Yuu: Whoaa!!! I expect nothing less from the most infamously mean-...

Mika: DON'T YOU EVEN

Yuu: Then let's get to it!!

Mika: Right!

Yuu: ...so what are we getting to again?

Official Lodging of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army

Saitou: Well hey there, what an unusual caller. What have you come for?

They've finally made a move towards accomplishing their goal.....!!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

wibta if I started a different discord chat for my friend group just to exclude one person

I know it sounds bad and that I'm just starting shit but we've all been friends for 10+ years now so it's not something I'm considering lightly. We currently have a private discord server of just the 4 of us that we switched to as opposed to a traditional gc since we all have different phones and its good for having multiple conversations, quality photos and videos, and keeping a clear record of when and where plans are made

Anyway, this isn't a recent problem but the friend (A) has always had a tardiness problem it started with her not being able to wake up early in the morning but even if we have late night/afternoon plans she still can't get dressed and/or finish her makeup on time and causes us to be consistently at least 1 hour late which I was hoping she'd start growing out of after highschool but this isn't the case (we're now all 22+) and is especially frustrating when going out to eat bc by the time we leave all of us are hangry and expected to eat hours earlier. Recently A has started prioritizing other friends of hers which is nbd she can have other friends we all do except she'll drop plans last min with us to go with them which is also annoying bc it's disrespectful for the rest of us to be blown off like that. We're clearly not her priority anymore but she always expects to be ours, plans have to be on her work schedule, on her timeframe, on if she will be tired etc. plus being an afterthought leaves out a friend in the group (B) who had to move out of state with family and now he can't tell if we're making plans behind *his* back and he feels left in the dark when in truth he knows as much as I and the other local friend (C) do

It's to the point we've stopped doing any plans that start before like 2pm because we can't rely on her to be ready but she'll be upset if we don't wait for her while she's still getting ready, esp cuz we usually carpool, which already limits what we want to do together in the first place

However, it was my birthday recently and I'm currently ~2hr drive (no more than 3 with heavy traffic) from A and C, who doesn't have a car and needs to be picked up by A. I really wanted to go to my fav breakfast place and had some other plans for after and I kept emphasizing what time A needed to get here because the place closes early (they only serve breakfast). And at this point no one should be surprised she didn't arrive until after 1pm, after the place was closed, and at that point no one had eaten all day so we had to rush and find somewhere else that'd be open and nearby bc we were all starving and half my plans for the day were gone bc they were based on places we'd go after breakfast that also close in the afternoon (2-5 depending on the place) and since they are my closest friends and dont know my other friends who live closer and I've only known for less than 2 yrs (who I wasn't comfortable to ask for bday presents from yet still) (still got one from 1 even tho I insisted they didn't have to tho lol) they were the only people I made solid birthday plans with this year so it was really heartbreaking to deal with and have everything I was excited for be cancelled since it's hard for me to go out like this on my own w anxiety and busy work schedule too but I scheduled the day off. I was hoping that she would try even just a little bit because it was my birthday the one day I ask for literally anything and we rarely see each other now bc of conflicting work schedules and I DID plan for her to be semi late in secret but I didn't expect her to arrive for breakfast after 12

Anyway that's the whole backstory plus the recent straw on the camel's back but I just want to make a new chat between me, B, and C, to plan virtual movie and game nights bc she never reads the events chat anyway and all our online call plans grind to a halt for hours or days waiting for an answer bc at least C still wants to try and include A even tho her schedule is so busy or she's tired or will prob be late to the call and make us wait for her or cancel or leave early or we debate what game/movie A wants but she doesn't even NEED to be there it's just like.. Minecraft. Or a pirated 90s movie we're streaming or wtvr

I've tried saying like "hey I'm gonna be playing x on Saturday if anyone's free come and join me" but that usually just ends in me gaming alone bc it's so noncommittal the others will catch up on other work they have but really I'm just trying to hang with any of them even if 1 person can't make it at the time we don't always have to only call in a group yk?

A is nice otherwise like she's still my friend just planning anything with her is starting to be like pulling teeth and I still want to keep in touch with her and hear how she's doing from our discord server but stuff like that I just want to start separating her from weekly calls (which are currently more like monthly) bc she's so flakey but I know it's kinda shitty to purposefully leave her out and she'd be upset if she ever found out I was doing that.

I'm also open to advice on how to deal with this situation in general, thus the detail, without causing a huge fight or make anyone pick sides +her tardiness won't be something we can talk through it's something we've worked on for years and recently have just given up and accepted since she's late even to things that are important to her

What are these acronyms?

[bubble-popping]

day seven is gonna be a tumblr-exclusive since it's not quite long enough to put on ao3 imo and it's part of a longer au i've written

enjoy some hurt/comfort and dorks in love (they don't know it yet)

This was his fault. He should've been quicker. He shouldn't have let Dream out of his sight. If only he wasn't such an idiot.

Dream was dying and it was all his fault.

Techno sighed heavily as he rested his head against his clasped hands, posture slumped forward in his seat. His leg bounced involuntarily, gaze fixed on the old wood floor but not seeing a thing. That moment just kept replaying in his mind. Teeth sinking into Dream's shoulder, the bellow of pain, raw fear in his eyes that Techno couldn't take away. He failed at the one thing he promised to always do. The pact they'd formed together, to protect and watch out for each other, and he failed.

That whole run was a mistake, a waste of ammo, a waste of energy. It had been his idea, and fate decided his punishment would be losing the only person he had left.

It should've been him. It should've fucking been him.

He wasn't sure how long he waited, much less what exactly he waited for. Perhaps the awful groaning of an Infected, or the familiar scent of a rotting corpse. But, it wasn't either of those that had him jumping to his feet.

"Techno...?" A raspy, muffled voice came from within the room. He knew Dream told him to wait at least an hour, just to be sure, but he was tired of sitting around doing nothing.

Techno opened the door just enough to peer inside. Dream still laid in the same position on the bed Techno had put him in, staring blankly at the ceiling. "Dream? Ya good, man?"

"Can you... can you get me some water?" He asked, sounding out of breath.

"Yeah, of course, man." Techno left to retrieve one of their canteens from the reserves they'd built up since, obviously, their most recent food run hadn't been successful.

When he returned, Dream had managed to pull himself up into a sit, leaning against the headboard. His skin was flushed and sweaty, eyes glazed over, and hair mussed. He took the offered container and, after a small thanks, promptly downed it all.

Techno sat at the edge of the bed, placing the canteen on the nightstand when Dream handed it back to him. "How ya feelin'?"

With a cringe, Dream croaked, "Like shit... but, not dead. Yet, anyway."

"Every person that we've seen so far, Dream, turned almost instantly."

"We can't be sure... What if it's just... really slow for me?"

"And what if you're immune? I'm tryna be optimistic here, man."

"Immune? You really did... watch too many movies..."

"I'm serious. Think about it, Dream. People who get bit turn in literal seconds. It's been almost an hour later and you're still you."

"Yeah, me with the worst fever I've ever had..."

"It's better that turnin', man. Anythin' is better than that." Techno slipped his hand in Dream's, rubbing soothingly over his knuckles.

Dream simply hummed in response, eyes slipping closed. "Hey, Tech?"

"Yeah?"

"What if we're the only ones left?" Dream reopened his eyes, seemingly more aware now as he looked to his companion.

"Don't talk like that, man. We're gonna find your family and they'll be okay."

"But what if they aren't? What if it's just you and me?"

Techno exhaled softly, contemplating how to phrase his response. "If that's true, then... honestly, Dream, there's no one else I'd rather spend the apocalypse with."

Dream gave a small smile and huffed a laugh. "I knew you were a sap..."

"Only because of you, nerd." He watched Dream's eyelids flutter again, clearly struggling to remain open. "You should get some rest, Dream."

"I know... Will you, could you stay? Just until I fall asleep..."

"Yeah, man. I'll be right here, long as ya need me to." Techno smiled and Dream reciprocated.

Even if Dream was immune, it still was too close a call. Techno couldn't let something like this happen again. He would never make the same mistake twice.

[styleslistic]

How it Turned Out - Part 11: Harry and Y/N try to write a song

Masterlist

Y/N’s doorbell rang, which could only mean one thing, Harry was here. 

This was the first time either of them had been to the other’s house so it was kind of a massive deal. A whole day and night together with no one to interrupt them and no prying eyes to hide from. It was an absolute treat.

Of course, officially he was there to write a song with her. That was how they’d managed to get the time off during such a busy period for them both. 

Y/N opened her front door to find him stood there in a soft looking jumper with a guitar case slung over his back. 

“Morning,” he grinned. Y/N stepped aside to let him in and closed the door behind him. She pulled him in for a short, sweet kiss. 

She considered whether to offer him a tour of her flat. Pros: it'd be nice to let him see a few more snippets of her life. Cons: having to get through the heavy implications of showing him her bedroom without it being suggestive enough that they'd risk distraction before they'd really had time to catch up.

So no, no house tour for Harry. Instead, Y/N led him to the kitchen and put the kettle on.

She clattered around with mugs and teabags and milk, allowing them a few moments of light chatter. How was Harry's journey, how had her morning been, she liked his outfit, he liked hers. Just enough to warm them back up to each other a slip back into their usual, easy dynamic.

The kettle pinged, and Y/N set about assembly theirbsteaming mugs of tea, letting them fall into a conversational lull that was just as easy.

Y/N turned around with the 2 mugs to find Harry staring fondly at her from where he was leant against the doorway. It felt nice, him being there.

She set the mugs on the kitchen table and indicated for him to sit down on the cushy bench against the wall, scooching in next to him.

“So I reckon, we do a bit of song writing now, and have a bit of fun later?" Harry said.

"Oh I can certainly get behind having some fun later," Y/N laughed, leaning into the innuendo.

"...that's not actually what I meant, but I'm not gonna argue," said Harry with a grin. "I guess it's time to get to work then, huh?"

"I guess so."

"What are we gonna write about?” Harry asked. 

“Well, for our own sakes and to avoid people reading more into this than necessary let's not make it too obvious we're together, yeah?"

"So avoiding anything about being similar, being famous, tackling rumours..."

"The list goes on," Y/N chuckled. "Don't forget we've got to avoid talking about long distance."

"That'd just be depressing anyway."

"So what actually can we write a song together about?"

"Hmm... shall we just have a play around and see?"

___

Hours later, they had written roughly one and a half lines, a sequence of four notes and had their first, second and third fights.

“This isn’t really working, is it,” Harry finally admitted.

“You’re right."

"I dunno, I guess I spent so long having to write and sing fake shit when I was in the band. I can't really stomach it anymore," he sighed. "And god, you're like the most famously reactionary songwriter I know. Remember when you wrote that song about Howard Stern?"

Y/N let out a huff of laughter. "I sure do remember that, my manager won't let me forget it!"

"It was amazing."

____

They made efforts to try and overcome the collective writers block for another... five or minutes, before truly admitting defeat.

Y/N dragged Harry out of her little music studio and towards the fridge where she had a bottle of wine chilling. It had been intended for slightly later in the day... with the assumption that they'd be working for a bit longer than they had, but now seemed as good a time as any for it.

In the few short hours he'd been there, Harry had already began to make him self comfortable in the flat. So, while Y/N clattered around looking for the corkscrew, he made himself useful grabbing a pair of glasses down the shelf and setting them on the counter.

Then Y/N's phone began to ring.

"Shit," she said. "The only person whose number rings out loud on my phone in my manager, I'm gonna have to take this."

"No worries," said Harry with an easy smile.

There was no attempt at small talk from her manager, just a clipped order.

“Turn on the news." It was a tone of voice Y/N has heard reserved only for the most serious of situations.

Y/N didn't even bother asking further, she just went into the living room, picked up the TV remote and turned it on. There were a couple of tense seconds as she clicked on to the right channel.

The newsreader spoke.

“The UK is going into lock-down, everyone is required to stay at home apart from for essential outings such as food shopping.”

“Shit,” Y/N said. “Harry, get in here.”

Harry walked back into the room. The easy smile on his face dropped when he saw the frown Y/N wore, and the phone still pressed against her ear.

“What’s going on?” he said. Y/N silently gestured towards the TV.

Harry listened to the newsreader for a minute. “Jesus, I can’t believe this is actually happening." He ran a hand through his hair. "I’m supposed to be back in LA tomorrow, what am I gonna do?”

Y/N’s manager, still on the other end of the phone answered his question. “Tell him they’re pretty much cancelling all flights. They’re letting people get back to their own countries but he’s British, so it looks like he’s stuck there.” Y/N repeated it to Harry, who grimaced. He sat down on the sofa, head falling into his hands. 

“I can’t go back to my flat in London, its a complete building site at the moment, I’m having the kitchen redone,” he said. “I could go to my mum’s maybe, but I don’t know if I’m even allowed to travel that far, plus she’s not really got the room. Shit,” he cursed.

The solution seemed to be staring Y/N right in the face, and Harry was being either too polite to ask or it hadn’t quite occurred to him yet that it was option. She let him run through a few more options - friends he could stay with, maybe he could rent a place - but ultimately none of them seemed quite right.

“Harry,” Y/N interrupted. “You can stay with me.” 

He looked up, surprised. 

“Are you- are you sure?” he said.

“Yeah I’m sure,” she nodded. “It’s no trouble I’ve got the space. And hey when else are we gonna be able to have a few weeks together like this. Might as well make the most of it.”

“Thank you, yeah that would be amazing. You’re right it’d be nice to have the time together.”

“Can’t wait to dress you up in my clothes,” Y/N laughed.

“I hadn’t even thought of that, I’ve only got like a weeks worth of underwear with me!” Harry said. 

“Well, I’m sure it’ll only be for a few weeks, you’ll be okay.”

Famous last words.

___

Hello, I've returned from the dead! This is the final part of How it Turned Out. The sequel Play House is about Y/N and Harry in lock-down together where they co-write an album about their relationship! It’s gonna be quite a different format - each chapter will give backstory on one of the songs they write together! I’m really excited about it :)

Taglist: @theekyliepage @sleutherclaw @b-reads-things @mxltifxnd0m @lovurryy @golden-hoax @spinningoutwaiting4ya @gothmingguk

[morvantmortuary]

Heyy, I just wanted to ask you this question because it’s been bothering me for a long time. Do you think the Morvants would love still love their reader if they were ugly? I know that ugly is a word that is thrown around a lot but I mean it. Someone who is not conventionally attractive at all, who is not the desired version of plus size. Someone who has a big tummy, big thighs but not a round ass. Someone who is fat not thick. Someone who is not wanted by anyone. Would the Morvants still love them? Someone like me? I’m sorry if this is depressing I just can’t get out of my head and I hate the thought of my comfort people not loving me. Either way thank you for bringing them to life and letting us read about them ❤️❤️

I'm sorry this took me so long, sweetheart -- I've been caught between coordinating ongoing events at work with a whole learning curve, dissertation prep, and then a migraine swept my feet out from under me this morning, so I've just been trying to get my shit back together lmao. but I've been thinking about it since you sent it in. <3 I almost wanted to save this to be part of something I'm going to try to do coming up, (*knocking loudly on wood*), but I didn't want to leave you hanging.

short answer first to alleviate any anxiety: yes, absolutely, 100% without a doubt. once you're their person, you are their person, and nothing will change that -- not aging, or weight shifting, or any of the things that come with having a body and being mortal, okay?

I'll put the rest under a cut, because you got me talking a little on something I'm kind of sensitive about too <3

allow me a quick digression: from a doylist perspective, I'm writing the Morvants as someone who's definitely also on the curved stomach/big thighs/plush upper arms/saggy boobs side of things, along with some really frustrating skin that's prone to breakouts at the drop of a hat and other things about myself that lowkey stress me out on the daily. and we are just as worthy of love and desire and affection as anyone else, I promise you. <3 you do not have to be society's idea of beautiful to be worthy of love, or to be a good person. I'm sure you already know this, but I'm repeating it specifically just so you hear it, okay?

"ugly" is entirely subjective -- I'm also someone who isn't conventionally attractive, shall we say -- but I know we are our own meanest critics. I won't fight you on the word if it's one you've embraced, as I know everyone has a different relationship with it, but I will say I bet you're not giving yourself enough credit, honey. people do not have to be conventionally pretty to be worthy of love or a good life, I cannot emphasize that enough. we both deserve that, and we’re gonna get it, goddammit.

and you know something else? conventionally pretty changes every couple decades, and imho usually kind of sucks anyway. I think of being "ugly" as being memorable, distinct. we will never be duplicated, or in danger of looking like everyone else in our time. we're both a manifestation of history's crooked smiles and crows' feet and noses in interesting shapes. that's the kind of shit artists would want to sketch, baby, that's the fun part of being alive.

and circling back to that shifting standards bit -- I promise you there's a lot more classical statues that look like you and me than a lot of what you see on the image/video-dependent apps nowadays, okay? don't forget that. we've been the models for divinity for centuries now, as hard as it is to remember when the waistband of your jeans leaves a mark behind when you take them off like a regular mortal.

plus, there's the old saying about how your features are actually proof that people have loved people who looked like you for generations now. or the myth that your face was actually the face of the person you loved the most in your last life. on the days I'm feeling exceptionally self-critical, I find that one helps: that I've been left with the stewardship of the face of the person I adored more than anything, who meant so much to me in another lifetime that I might not still remember their name, or the sound of their laugh, but they imprinted onto me still, and I owe it to them to take care of it even if I can't bring myself to do it for me.

('rae you're delusional.' I might be. but here we are at the romantic necromancer blog, so it had to come from somewhere!!)

but anyway, you're not here for all that, you're here for the necromancers, so I'll get to those. thanks for humoring me, though ;3 and I hope it helped at least a little, maybe!

If you remember from the October Arc, a lot of Maxi and his Reader falling in love are them finding someone who feels just as out-of-place in the world as they do. When he meets you, he relishes the idea that he finally has someone he can be completely open with — not having to hide his dark sense of humor for the sake of propriety, someone who won’t think he’s weird or gross for being as fascinated by death and the horrible, beautiful parts of it as he is in his position. (A lot of morticians he knows will quickly say they’re not a morbid weirdo obsessed with death, just a normal person who does a job — he is definitely the aforementioned weirdo they’d like to distance themselves from. Who wouldn’t be, with his upbringing?) When he first falls for you, it’s because he’s realizing that after a lifetime of thinking he could only ever be alone (both due to his powers and his particular grimly sunny disposition), there was finally, really, someone who understood. Someone who doesn’t shy away from him in his more vicious turns, who isn’t going to pull back at the last minute when they see beneath the suit and the calmly professional exterior he shows to the rest of the town. It’s exhilarating. He never wants to lose that, and he’d do anything to keep you — to keep you his, and to keep you whole, healthy, and happy. He’s in love first and foremost with the person he knows to be his literal soulmate, the person he trusts with his heart after so long, and your body is precious to him because it keeps you both on the mortal plane. However you choose to adorn it, ornament it, or whatever designs are written into your genetics, it’s something he’s going to adore. But even outside of that — he would love you in any form you took, any change you decided to make, because it’s you. It’s always going to be you, and you’re his. And if he’s being totally honest, he hand to god has a thing for bigger people. It’s partly due to his specialization with flesh, compared to Rora’s bone and Hex’s ectoplasm, but also because he just finds it really, really attractive when someone has some extra pounds. He’s spent a lifetime around bodies that offered no comfort - be it very little warmth or affection from his living family, the cooling bodies of the mortuary in various states of decay, or the warped, broken horrors of the things still half-alive in the basement. His own body has been a source of stress (being lanky and soft in places at the same time all his life), of pain (growing up is hard enough, growing into a body that shapes itself to the needs of a demon doesn’t help), or of bitterness on his part (we’re going to learn more about why he re-opened the scar on his chest at some point). Your body, for whatever flaws you find with it, is something he associates completely with sweetness. He finds comfort in its shape, the way it moves, the way it feels under his hands. You’re entirely alive; your body works to keep you so. It’s a creature dedicated to keeping you here with him, so how could he not be devoted to it? He’s fascinated by all the parts of yourself you’re most concerned about, because it not only makes you something one of a kind (something he thinks of as his and his alone, in his darker, more possessive moments), but he’s also terribly taken with the softer parts of you. In your more intimate moments, he relishes the contrast between the pair of you - you’re unmistakably there, you take up space and ground him with the reality of your presence. (He gets a little carried away being clingy sometimes: whether it’s his hands over every inch of skin he can touch, squeezing the flesh he so adores, biting a little too eagerly at the softest parts of you where you’ll feel the marks later and remember him. Especially your thighs. He’s a thigh man at heart, always.) You’re always his darling, and he looks forward to watching you grow into your old age with him, however you change. Change means life, and he wants to linger on this side of the Veil with you as long as both of you possibly can stay. Watching you gain wrinkles, go gray, your weight shift around — it’s a privilege, and he treats it as such. You’ll have forever on the other side, he knows that. He’s not worried about that. It’s that the two of you can only do this part once, and he wants to make sure you enjoy it as much as possible. Until both your bones are in the family crypt, or ashes are mingled in the same secret place, he’ll love you and whatever your body looks like.

Hex doesn’t love in half-measures. When he’s into you, he’s all in. As we’ll see in his arc, he can’t always put his finger on what initially draws him to someone. But usually, he saw something in the most interior parts of yourself, your very soul’s essence, first. A glimmer of it caught his eye somehow — its color, its light, some facet of you that’s sewn through the entire fabric of your being. Whatever the sign was, he would follow it until he found you… And when he found you, saw you for the first time, your looks would be a matter of interest, certainly. But he wouldn’t be searching you for any kind of lack. He has no mental version of you to compare the real you with, no expectations. Your body is you, through and through, but what you are only complements what he’s already seen. He’s only looking at you to see the things he already knows he’s going to fall in love with. He sees your body as the backdrop onto which your Self is projected. (He would love Judith Butler if he read them ever lmao.) He’s fascinated with the little ways you manifest in your physicality: your geometry of your teeth, and how they’re arranged in your smile; how light plays on the fullness of your face; the precise way your belly moves when you laugh. The way you dress, walk, what you do with your hands when you talk. The way you move through the world is pageantry to him when it’s instinct to you. It’s something to be savored, because it only happens once. Hex knows what it’s like to be shy about certain things; he’s never been very confident in words alone, because people can say anything, only their actions will speak true. But looks, to him, are part of the factual, real world he can see. (Ironically, he’s one of those guys who very much believes in what he sees in front of him — he can just see way, way more than most people can.) You can make changes, or stay exactly as you are, and he will automatically accept that as part of the truth that is You. He also knows what it’s like to not be the blueprint that everyone else wants to look like, but he feels like there’s no point in stressing about that. Does your body bring you comfort when you sleep next to him, or when you eat the food he makes for you? Do you feel happy and free when you dance together? Do you like it when he touches you (there, and there, and…)? If the answer to all of these is yes, he figures, then why worry when you don’t have to? That’s easier said than done, though, he knows. But he will remind you, in a thousand ways, how he loves you for exactly how you look now. Your shape is the shape you were always going to come into his life with, he sees no reason to think about you in another. Your hair was always going to look that way in the light, your eyes were always going to be that color. Why would he ask one of the ancient oak trees outside to change the arrangement of its branches? Why would he ask the sun to be a different color when it sets? You are just as constant as that, to him. You don’t have to be beautiful by everyone else’s standards to be a force of nature that shapes his days. Whenever you cut your hair or switch your clothes or anything else, it’s just like the golden or blue hours to him — something he counts himself lucky to witness. Of the trio, he’s the ass guy, sure, but that means he’s smitten with what’s there. You are most attractive to him when you’re happy, and he only wants to make you happier when he holds you, and shows you exactly how you make him feel, with his hands or his lips or his tongue or— even, yes, the inconstancy of words. He doesn’t want you to think about how you look when the two of you are together, he only wants you to think about how you feel, and how good he feels with you. But he will do his best, always, to make you understand how much he loves your mortal self and everything it encompasses, until the pair of you cross through the Veil and shed your corporeal forms. (He can kind of do that now, tbh, and he’s more than happy to put it to use in some… very interesting ways if you’d be down with it.)

Rora makes it no secret that she loves that you’re not just another doll in a world that demands them. She has a hard, angry relationship with the idea of beauty standards in that she wishes she could set all phone cameras on fire at the same time. She thinks the modern world is mad for what it did to itself, how people have just made it that much harder for everyone to just exist, and it was already hard enough before she accidentally opened her own throat. She is indeed lovely in a nightshade kind of way, and she will acknowledge this when you both are sharing hard feelings, but the idea of beauty and desirability caused her nothing but pain when she was young. She’s a lot like you in the sense that she only sees what she’s missing: she was never the blonde, buxom type. She was never the southern belle that her parents had hoped for, or the perfectly feminine little mini-me that Mathilde had dreamed of for decades (and made no effort to hide her disappointment when Rora didn’t turn into that girl overnight). She wasn’t pretty in the right way her father needed to see her as an effective bargaining chip. She spent her entire first life feeling like she was made all wrong for what was expected of her. She has a loose relationship at times with her own gender, both because she’s doing things again in a borrowed mortal shell, and because she feels at times more like a creature than anything else. But she loves you. She loved you from the minute she first saw you — she loved your skin with any marks that might be there, the particular set of your mouth under your nose, the parts of you that move whenever you aren’t thinking about them. From your hair follicles to your fingernail beds, you were something she found wholly lovely in just how singular you are. You are the only version of you she’s ever seen. You are a rarity. Even in the most common parts of yourself, they’re a combination she hasn’t seen on anyone else her entire life. You look real to her. You look whole, and alive, and like a person who is allowed to just be. You move through the world as yourself, one of a kind, and there’s a part of her that, even now that she’s gained her independence, desperately envies that. Rora’s love is the kind of obsessive where she almost wants to set you on a stool like an artist’s model and study you up close. She wants to make notes about the places where your skin changes color, she wants to look at how your flesh settles into itself. You got folds, or rolls? She wants to get as close to them as she can, look at them like how soft-serve ice cream swirls into itself or a nautilus shell curls around. She wants to look at every bruise or old scar or stretch mark and take in the patterns of your life that has written yourself there. She wants to look at you naked like you would count the rings of a tree to see what the weather was like each year of its life, or like a big cat lounging in the sun. You are just as wild to her, and natural, and beautiful. …And then she wants to throw aside her notebook where she’s cataloguing every piece of you and eat you alive, but just in the fun way. Rora is the boob person of the three, and she is obsessed with yours if you have them/like people touching them. It doesn’t matter what size they are, if they sag, where your nipples point, she’s going to spend an absurd amount of time with her face in them whenever you’re shirtless. She’s just as bad about getting overexcited as her twin, and might bite or suck a little too hard at times, but she’s just enchanted by you. You are the earth itself made manifest to enjoy the sunshine and the breeze in the garden, and you have given her the supreme gift of deciding you like her too. She couldn’t not be in love with you if she tried. She understands our relationships with our bodies are complicated, but she is always on your side. She’d blind the entire town with a butter knife if it meant you felt more comfortable just sitting in the cafe with her. But she understands that the prison time for that is pretty hefty, so she’ll settle for refusing to let you talk bad about yourself.

I know this took a minute, and I’m sorry again love, but I hope it gives you what you needed. <3 Just know that I’m right there with you, but I would still rather us look like you and me than anyone else. Fuck the people trying to sell us something, we’re marvels as we are.

[alicevandrusen]

Wanna write fanfiction and not support Zionists?

I Got You, Boos. <3 https://squidgeworld.org! It is where I will be moving Dancing with Dragons from here on out until Ao3 gets its shit together or completely replacing it as my venue because they refuse to get their shit together, which has promoted the rhetoric that 'being Anti-Zionist and supporting Palestine means you hate Jewish people.' Which isn't true. We're not Anti-Semetic, we're Anti Genocide. Don't lose focus here. We don't replace one group's suffering with another. If it wasn't abundantly clear if you've ever run into me in other circles of the internet (This is me, every account with this name. Came up with the name sometime when I was 16 and it's been my main account name since), I am overwhelmingly pro Palestine. And it has very, very genuinely effected me since October. Me working a lot and hating this Duel wasn't the only thing halting production of the next chapter. Which I am working on, but only recently in earnest. Watching a genocide livestreamed into your phone and then the government giving money and a blowjob to the people who are attacking defenseless civilians and a country with no army, they don't even have an airport and they haven't almost as long as I've been alive. They can't even fight as a proper military, they just pick on people who can't fight back. I've watched countless destroyed and traumatized men, women, and children be strong in a way I can only hope to be one day, smiling despite losing everything and more. Free Palestine! And also vote third party on all levels next year. I just hope the world knows that this country is mostly pretty great, the US. People are plenty nice here. We're not always the smartest, but we're never mean on purpose, we've been lied to about everything and for so long. It's baby steps but we're learning. It's our government and the loud minority of assholes making us look bad. The world is with Palestine, The DRC, Sudan, Ethiopia, any place struggling right now. There's a whole laundry list of awful we had NO idea about until this year. Also, you wanna fight in the comments, trolls, I'm more than willing to rumble. It ain't my fault you sold your souls to back the wrong horse, and unless you change you'll be bullied off the fucking internet on my watch. Anyway. I've gained enough semblance of my sanity and will to live back to start doing stuff again. I hope this lasts longer than it feels it should. We're moving Dancing with Dragons and Free Palestine! Squidgeworld! It looks like Ao3 but prettier! And I've already got an account over there! See you soon! :)

[lochrannn]

There's some controversy over rumours about there being a Sparrow Academy spin-off [1] and they mostly boil down to (understandable) disappointment over TUA getting only an abbreviated final fourth season and Steve Blackman and the rest of the production team then turning around and making a different but almost identical show.

And I thought I'd put some of the points + my own thoughts/assumptions on this together.

One of the theories (that I also find an understandable assumption) is that it's due to transphobic sentiments, that TUA was axed because of Elliot's and Viktor's transition and though I can't find any tangible evidence for that beyond the fact that they are now developing a similar show but minus the trans character, in the climate that we're currently dealing with, it could definitely also be transphobia, there's no way to know, but every reason to be vigilant about this sort of thing and hold creators accountable. And I also want to say, I do not give a shit about Steve Blackman either way, beyond the fact that he's made a show I like. I have no particular fondness or animosity towards him.

All that being said, I want to add one more point to this issue, because I think it's important not to get caught up in only blaming all this on one individual and not see how Netflix's bullshit plays into this.

Basically, Netflix likes to cancel even successful shows after three seasons because of their financing model that means they have to pay the studios and production companies exponentially more.

See this article on Deadline for more but the details are basically:

"I hear at least some of the cancellations on the list were prompted in part because the shows were deemed to have gotten too expensive. That is because of how many of Netflix’s series deals are structured. It is widely known that Netflix employs a “cost-plus” model, offering to pay upfront a show’s production costs plus a premium of 30%+ of the costs. Even after Netflix subtracts a distribution fee, outside studios are at break-even or in a positive territory from Day 1, versus having to deficit-finance series for the first few seasons on most traditional networks. But in exchange for the upfront payments, outside studios give up the potential upside that normally comes up with owning a long-running successful series, including off-network and international sales.

Instead, Netflix’s deals include bump/bonuses after each season that are getting progressively bigger. While the payments are relatively modest after Season 1 and a little bigger after Season 2, I hear they escalate after Season 3, especially for series owned by Netflix — sometimes from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars — as the studio starts to pay off the shows’ back-end. For series from outside studios, which I hear cost about 20% more than their Netflix-produced counterparts, I hear the built-in payment increases do not skyrocket as much but still are bigger after Season 3, Season 4 and beyond."

I also have to assume with the cast being made up of a hand full of very well established actors with a movie career and on the opposite end those who had never done a bigger project before TUA, they may all have an interest in going on to the next thing. TUA, as we've seen, takes a lot of time to film and has held all the cast back from doing much else, especially during Covid.

(Also, I'll be honest, I watch TUA for the characters, I'd probably find it hard to get into a spin-off, even one that was about only one or two of the Umbrellas. So, even if the whole background didn't sort of annoy me a little, I wouldn't bother anyway). And now I'm gonna look forward to 6 more eps of my babies in.... the next 12 months? Fuck knows when we'll get it 😅

[1] I checked the source of the source, it seems legit, even if it's not been confirmed yet.