#best of luck !!!

[c-schroed]

If I had a nickel for every time an eldritch universe I love got an RPG announced on an August 1st,

I'd have two nickels.

[atmiek]

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle watches New Wish - Post #21

Best of Wish

This is way more intense of a Rock-Paper-Scissors competition than I expected. I love how the stakes in this show are kid-themed, but still flashy enough to be engaging.

For some reason, even though I know Dev's surname is Dimmadome, it's still funny to hear a kid be announced like that. For years, that's been an "old man name" burned into my mind.

Are they allowed to do that?? Does apple beat worm?

He's just a little guy! You wouldn't beat a little guy at Rock, Paper, Scissors, c'mon!!

Time of his life.

Dev: I cheated! And you're supposed to be SAD now! That's the whole point!!

Dev is having a very hard time dealing with his emotions. I am definitely enjoying him screaming about how he cheated to win and that means Hazel should be miserable now. You can just TELL the words he's throwing out reflect how he feels and he's super confused as to why she congratulated him on his win.

-> Gives me similar vibes to Foop in "Blue Angel" screaming about how it wasn't fair that Chloe kept forgiving him despite his best efforts to tear her apart, although I think the emotions are being played better in this set-up.

-> With Foop, even though he also has a messed-up past (37 years of solitary confinement from the day he was born according to my frozen timestream notes), he was born with murderous rage, and his culture definitely leans in the direction of encouraging that.

With Dev, you know he's lashing out with things that would hurt him specifically and that he's having a really rough go of things. I like that.

If I'm feeling like Dev reminds me of Foop, that kind of implies Dev and Peri are supposed to me a good match that balance each other out. I like that.

That checks out- Peri has doting parents and wants LESS attention, and Dev can't keep his dad's focus and wants MORE attention. Peri's the one who keeps trying to rein Dev in and Dev is always trying to get Peri to go further.

Agency knew what they were doing when they assigned this pair, huh?

/war flashbacks to Foop being distraught that his parents left him alone for spring break back in the day.

THERE HE IS!!

Irep implying he didn't have a choice in his name change? I wonder what the reasoning was, since he even says it's "Harder to pronounce" than Foop? Curious...

As much as he hated his name when he was born (Season 7), he was very attached to it by "Love Triangle" (Season 8), correcting Goldie every time she got it wrong until he finally snapped and screamed at her about how "It's not that difficult!"

Goldie got Fairy names right, AND every character in the school play right, but never bothered to learn her one Anti-Fairy classmate's name despite all the time they spent rehearsing for the play and him making it very clear he wanted her to say it right. Big yikes.

He's very proud of his name in later episodes (announcing himself often) and has his business cards. I mean... Sure, he's allowed to change it- It just surprises me that he's heavily implying it was against his will since his attachment to his name was such a big part of his character in my memory.

He's developed an entirely new identity, lmao. Who are you?

Potentially setting up a plot about how he's mad he has to copy Peri, but I feel like there would've been easier ways to do that?

I assume the logic here is that it needs to be clear to Hazel and/or viewers that they're opposites (We got the info here, but he'll probably appear in future episodes where it needs to be clear to prevent confusion for people just tuning in), but if that's the goal...

W... why would he not just change his name to Anti-Peri?

Plot twist of the century: They bring back Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda, but their names are Osmoc and Adnaw now and we all suffer for it.

/record scratch

Hey, um. Why did they give Irep body language that was pretty much exclusive to Foop's alternate personality??

You're really gonna play me like this??

Straight out of the GATE!?

Okay, I just rewound to his first appearance of this episode and I do see the Foop-exclusive body language in Irep too, but... ???

Just really caught me off guard to see two poses I've burned into my memory as "alt personality things" back to back in like, 10 seconds, but okay. I don't care if this is a tangent; the actual episode can wait. It's important to me...

All right, the context:

So, OG Foop does fists when he's frustrated / scheming / cackling / nervous (usually above his head or down by his sides).

His alter does upturned fists when he's praising / cheerful. That's always been one of their switch cues, from the alter's debut in "Playdate of Doom" (Season 7) up through the last implied switch in "Return of the L.O.S.E.R.S." (Season 10).

Even the very first onscreen switch in Season 7 ("Playdate") depicts the alter holding his fists like that, before the double eye highlights were introduced in "Spellementary School"-

-and he does the fists several times throughout his first episode.

Other body language habits include big, flat hands lifted towards the mouth, plus clasped hands. In other words, the alter is more "dainty" and "gushy" compared to Foop- I've always imagined him "doing everything over-the-top and unironically."

Don't confuse that with him being the nicest person, though. He's very funny; I like in the OG series when he's totally down to butt heads with Poof and coos "Does Mr. Popular want to fight~?"

Like. Logically, I know that is just a weird coincidence. There's no way the storyboard folks studied that, and there's no way they're planning to bring the alter back, because if they were, I'm sure he would've been blatant in this episode.

Foop's not using his high-pitched voice here and we can't use his eye highlights as a faithful signal since that's on-model for this show, but...

I mean... He's talking about Da Rules when he does the upturned fists. That does fit the "grumpy / scheming" energy which is correct for Foop (although he usually pumps his fists above his head or clenches them down by his sides instead of upturning them like this), but... ???

Wow, that is not a pose I'm used to seeing on Foop instead of his alter. I've written this little guy in 'fic a bunch of times; I know his body language pretty well and it was a switch cue for 3 seasons??

I'm okay. It's fine.

Also, here's a video showcasing their switches. Volume warning:

I just found out I missed one switch in "Terrible Twosome" when Poof gives him chocolate (even before his Terrific Twos kicked in), and I was always unclear on the full diner scene in "When L.O.S.E.R.S. Attack" (though I don't remember why; maybe because the voice is deep despite the highlights and I'm only rethinking it 6 years later), but... Them.

-> I do count "Terrible Twosome" as essentially the alter because the eye highlights, voice change, music change, and clenched fists all match the standard, but I'd accept arguments to the contrary since it's confirmed all Anti-Fairies have some version of Terrific Twos, and this is the only one we have for reference.

I was today years old watching this old compilation when I realized the music consistently zigzags between super cheery and dark when they switch, even outside "Terrible Twosome," which was where I remembered it. No... It's been there since "Playdate of Doom." Huh.

Okay, so... This is actually really interesting. When they switch, the music does too, but their music doesn't overlap. It's a very clear, jarring switch. There's often, though not always, a pause before this switch (such as their very rapid back-and-forth in "Playdate of Doom"). I've learned something new. Huh.

... Wait a sec.

They wouldn't...

...

Hey, uh ???

why does the tense music in "Best of Luck" cut off immediately before Irep temples his hands, drop to silence, and then switch the thumping part of the music to the cheery part underneath it and put the thumping part underneath the cheery bit instead?

I already used my one video for this post, but I can post the audio. It's subjective; I'm sure it's not supposed to indicate anything, so just bear with me...

- Okay, so we have this dark "BUM-bum, BUM-bum, BUM-bum" pattern. That goes for 12 seconds into this clip before fading out. - Note that you can hear, like... a scale underneath, like a swish, 4 or 5 seconds in. Right as 12 seconds turns to 13, there's a "sparkle noise". - And then we drop. And silence. So, that's the exact moment before Irep temples his hands.

- NOW the cheery scale in the music is louder and the thumps are very faded in the background, but definitely still there. - So, the stings are no longer "always switching, but never overlapping" the way they were in the OG series, apparently.

- Irep clasps his hands and says a couple more words, then drops his hands on "quitting." - RIGHT THEN, his music switches back to loud tension.

What the fliiiippp... what the fliiiiiippp?

?? I said I could see Foop-exclusive body language in him too earlier in this episode. Are they together again? Is that why they're sharing the music sting!?

SURELY that is not intentional. That HAS to be coincidence. I cannot imagine a world where that is on purpose. I'm losing my mind.

I... I don't really know where to go from here. I gotta lie down.

Bonus notes about the fists I moved down here due to length:

Okay, upon review, there are several ambiguous moments in the OG series where Foop himself makes potentially joyful fists instead of scheming fists, such as:

- When trying to fool Jorgen into thinking he's rehabilitated in "Playdate of Doom" (and Jorgen clocks him as lying) - When he's trying to sweet-talk Poof in "Two and a Half Babies" (and Poof also clocks him as lying) - Both times he's brownnosing up to Crocker in "School of Crock" (and Crocker clocks him for it) AND when he's sweet-talking the principal to trick him into activating his door trap. He also makes the fists when he's mimicking Poof in his first scene, so... he pretty much does it anytime he's "not being Foop," lol. -> In that case, it's funny he makes those fists when telling Poof in the closing scene that he's "sorry for trying to annihilate him." That said, he DOES switch a few seconds later while gushing over how Sammy Sweetsparkle is "kind of a bad boy." -> Clasped hands (also a thing his alter does a lot) is ALSO something Foop does when he's blatantly lying (The last of the Snow Wanda scene in "Fairly Odd Fairy Tales" is a good example, but I saw other episodes too). - Continuing with ambiguity talk, he does the joyful fists both times he enters the pet shop in "Man's Worst Friend," (a scene where he seems to switch multiple times, so it's clearly a place that affects him, but he doesn't have eye highlights when he first enters the building) - When the Anti-Fairy Council names him a scary godparent in "Fairy Godcouple" and he grins and says "Bring it on!" (though I can see that as scheming about what he can do with this power) - At the end of "Fairly Odd Fairy Tales" when he's trying to coax Timmy into eating his food and Wanda hands him a treat, interrupting his scheme (and he leaves his fists in the air while expressing interest in the treat) - The first time he meets Vicky during "When L.O.S.E.R.S. Attack" (when she joins the team's plan to get Timmy, so... arguably scheming, though the alt personality is known for crushes - and had eye highlights when asking Crocker if the mystery person he wanted to bring in was single - so I'd accept that as an answer).

Yes, I did drop everything to rewatch every Foop episode for this. hey man how's it going.

[helpicanntfindaname]

The dream is now…truly over

[kentuckyfriedmegumi]

tess’s guide to writing kiss scenes (featuring itafushi)

this is for @sunnyyflowerrs and @kat-likes-writing btw

bye so i am not that good at writing these idk why i’ve been asked to make this.  i read other people’s stuff and their kiss scenes and i’m like hnnnghghfhsnksj GIVE IT TO MEEEE!!!!! but alas… i shall deliver what the people want.

before we get into the step-by-steps of writing a kiss scene, i want to go over the general things i try to highlight in a scene that helps me when i write them. there’s the general way that kiss scenes go–build/tension, the kiss, post-kiss. wow, what a shocker, right? but overall, when i am writing a kiss scene, i like to highlight the feelings, the movements, and the energy. feelings being what the characters are feeling of course, movements being what they are doing, and energy being the overall charge in the scene. what is the context? is this a happy kiss? is it desperate? is it fast? is it soft? is it intimate? is it sexual? once you establish the tone of the scene, you are able to start building it.

let’s go.

1. the build up

as you get into building a kiss scene, there’s a lot of high tensions and emotions happening. a kiss is a very intimate form of contact and when you have two characters who are going to kiss, you need to set it up in a way that feels natural.

let’s take a desperate kiss for example. let’s say in this situation, megumi and yuuji both nearly died, and megumi was especially hurt (there will be light angst prob, sorry):

Yuuji stumbled towards the boy on the ground. Fushiguro was lying on his side, back towards him, breaths short and ragged. Guilt rippled through Yuuji the way a stone ripples through still water, jagged as it washed over him. “Fushiguro?” he asked. He could hear how pathetic his voice sounded, small and hesitant as he waited for an inevitable answer. Please answer. Yuuji dropped to his knees, feeling the pain of the fight finally settle in. The adrenaline was wearing off now, everything ached and he had cuts all over. He was sure he looked like hell and he could feel the blood caked on his face slowly dry and crust over. But nothing mattered because Fushiguro was right there. He could be bleeding—he probably still was—he could be missing an arm, he could he dying. It didn’t matter. Everything was shut out, locked away from his mind. Everything other than the body in front of him, chest rapidly rising and fall. He saw a small a shift and instinctively Yuuji reached out towards Fushiguro, only stopping not even an inch away from his shoulder. His hand was left hovering over him, scared to touch him, scared to cross that line. He wasn’t sure he could stop himself if he did.

in what i’m writing, i’m trying to show yuuji’s specific focus on megumi. this is a desperate kiss scene, so what i am trying to go for is this sense of i nearly lost you, so nothing matters other than the fact that you are right here with me.

notice that for this, i have feelings, movements, and energy.

feelings. yuuji is WORRIED, poor guy, all he can think about is whether or not meg is okay. i’m highlighting yuuji’s own pain and injuries, and immediately tossing them aside. yuuji does not care if he is hurting, all that matters right now is if megumi is okay.

movements. yuuji is placing himself near megumi, he reaches out for him, but he stops himself. this creates ~tension~ which makes for a juicy kiss scene. having some sort of tension also helps the build as emotions are rising. even in less /dire/ kiss scene builds, there may be some sort of tension going on. maybe they are both shy, maybe one of them isn’t sure the other likes them back, maybe they’re just plain nervous.

energy. this is the charge of the scene and mainly relies on surrounding context. this may be a bit easier to write based on how the scene is going. for this kiss, what is the overall tone of this that you’re going for? is this romantic? is it comforting? it’s important to have that extra layer so the reader has a better understanding of both characters’ emotions and motives as they reach the kiss.

2. the kiss

the kiss itself is the climax of the scene, everything is leading and converging to this very moment (no pressure right?). when writing a kiss, the feelings, movements, and energy are all VERY IMPORTANT because this is what the readers are reaching for when the scene starts.

let’s have a slow/soft kiss now. for this one, megumi and yuuji have been ~in love~ but they haven’t kissed and this is their first one. the build for this type of scene would focus a lot on the jitteriness in the characters. write in things such as trembling hands, increased heart rates, LOTS of blushing. aight, time to make these boys kiss, you get build and a kiss now:

Itadori was looking at Megumi. His cheeks were tinted a soft rosy color, and Megumi adored the way his eyes shone, despite his overall fidgety demeanor. He was usually so confident and easygoing, why was he so nervous now? Megumi wasn’t really in the position to ask questions, he could feel the heat rising to his face as Itadori looked at him. he smiled and Megumi could have melted right there. His eyes were so warm, his smile was so warm, Itadori was so warm. Megumi could feel his pulse quicken and he felt like his head was spinning in circles. But it was impossible to miss the way Itadori’s eyes flickered down, away from his eyes, a bit lower on his face. Megumi swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. “Megumi,” Itadori said, stepping closer. Megumi’s face was surely as pink as the hair of the boy in front of him. he nervously fidgeted with his hands, unsure of what to do as the ever-increasing warmth that was Itadori stepped even closer. Megumi searched his eyes as he took one more final step forward. Itadori stopped for a moment, gauging a reaction, as if he was making sure this was okay. Megumi could feel his breath, their faces just inches apart.   It was like time slowed. Itadori shifted, his hand coming up to Megumi’s face, as if Megumi wouldn’t want anything more than what was about to happen. He felt warm calloused hands lightly brush his cheek and Megumi jumped slightly at the contact. Itadori was already starting to lean in when he stopped at the sudden movement, worried that Megumi was going to rebuff him. Megumi reached up with his own hand, grasping Itadori’s arm and holding him in place. their eyes met. They stood like that for what felt hours and seconds all the same before Megumi started to lean in too, eyes half-lidded as they fluttered from Itadori’s gaze to his lips. Their breaths mixed and Megumi just knew that Itadori could feel his racing pulse beneath his fingers. It didn’t matter. With one final resolve, they both moved in. It was like everything in the world stopped. A burst of warmth spread from Megumi’s chest throughout his body, enveloping him as he sighed into the kiss. Itadori’s lips were soft. Megumi could feel a light tremble that was probably, definitely from the nerves, and he was certain that he was probably, definitely trembling too. Itadori’s hand on his cheek moved a bit lower, fingers ghosting the nape of Megumi’s neck. They tangled in his hair while the pad of his thumb rubbed softly behind his ear. Instinctively, Megumi’s grip on Itadori’s arm tightened. As a result, Itadori pressed himself into Megumi further, other hand snaking around to his back and pulling him against his chest. And god, Megumi wanted to melt. They broke apart, only for a moment, before Itadori moved back in and resumed the kiss. Megumi could feel his mouth part slowly and Itadori responded in kind. Both of them moved with gentle, subtle motions, taking in small breaths in between. Megumi shifted his head, tilting slightly to the right, allowing Itadori to deepen the kiss further. They kept the pace slow, their kisses light. Megumi’s heart was racing a million miles a minute and his mind was overflowed with only thoughts of Itadori—the tenderness in his touch, as if Megumi was the most precious thing in the world to him.

ayyyyyy look at that kiss!! once again, we got the big three.

feelings. for this scene, it was important to show that megumi is nervous (capital n), but he WANTS this. he wants yuuji to kiss him and he wants to kiss yuuji. when they finally do kiss, there’s this overwhelming feeling where all of his anxieties finally calm. notice how i focus a lot on megumi’s feelings to convey the importance of this kiss for them. i also highlight yuuji’s nervousness in meg’s perception through his actions. the constant glancing at his lips and the way he moves in slowly to kiss him help show that yuuji is just as nervous as meg is.

movements. a lot of people thing that writing kiss scenes are awkward and i can see how they would be. you don’t want to focus TOO MUCH on what they’re doing, unless you’re writing more explicit content. in this snippet, i have brief descriptions of their actions, but a lot of movements are also focused outside of what their mouths are doing. yuuji brings his hand from megumi’s cheek to his neck, his other hand comes his back and pulls him closer. but you don’t want to focus too much away the kiss. i bring it back to that by writing how megumi is the one who deepens the kiss, parting his mouth and allowing yuuji to take over.

energy. this kiss scene is meant to be soft and tender. notice how i sort of drag it out bc the boys are supposed to be a lil nervy. i convey the energy by using descriptors of their subconscious actions, bc the body is also reacting to the kiss. heart rates are increased, they’re looking at each other’s lips, they’re lips are trembling. but i also have the feelings and movements be really soft and slow. they don’t crash together, they slowly gravitate towards each other.

3. post-kiss

this part is probably the easiest to write. both characters are coming down from their high and there’s a swirl of emotions that starts to die down. usually nerves dwindle as both characters soften. depending on the situation, you can have them soften into each other, or perhaps they pull apart in regret.

bc i’m cruel, let’s do both! sorry in advance…

Fushiguro was kissing him. It should have been the best thing in the world. It was the best thing in the world, but all Yuuji could focus on wasn’t the heat from his body, the grip on his shoulders, or the soft press of Fushiguro’s lips against his own. All Yuuji could think about was the endless list of lives that he had taken. The people that he should have saved, that he could have saved if he had just died. Fushiguro was kissing him, and he didn’t deserve it. But couldn’t he be selfish? Just this once, could he take what he had always wanted? Fushiguro had asked to be saved, he had asked for Yuuji’s support. Yuuji wanted nothing more than to give that to him. He wanted to give it all to him. And so he did. Yuuji stepped closer, grabbing Fushiguro’s collar and pulling him further in. He could feel a small gasp before he swallowed it with a kiss. Fushiguro was kissing him, how could he not kiss him back? The feeling of Fushiguro’s hand carding through his hair stopped everything. His touch was gentle as he tangled his fingers through Yuuji’s hair. There was a certain tenderness in the way that he moved. No. He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve to be touched, kissed, loved as if he were a good person. Not after everything he did. Not after everyone he killed. And he especially didn’t deserve it from someone like Fushiguro. No, Fushiguro deserved so much more. Yuuji deserved nothing. So he pulled back, his grip on the collar loosening. Yuuji had to force his hands down at his sides as he took a step back. He was still quick to notice the way Fushiguro followed him, only briefly, before he pulled back with a certain look on his face. The kind of look that Yuuji hoped to never see again. “I’m… sorry,” Yuuji said. Fushiguro stiffened and his gaze fell. “No,” he said, face dark as he turned away from Yuuji. Suddenly, everything was so much colder. “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have k– I shouldn’t have done that.” It wasn’t you. It’s not you. It’ll never be you. I’m a monster, I’m a murder, I don’t deserve you. You could have so much more, so much better than me. A million thoughts raced through Yuuji’s mind—so many things that he wanted to say to assure Fushiguro that he didn’t pull away because he wanted to. “We should probably get some rest,” was what he said instead, “before we go to the third years.” “Right,” Fushiguro replied. “It’ll be a long day, I’m sure.”

eeek sorry, chooms. i’m just trying to provide ~variety~ here in my kiss scenes. whipping these up on the spot means i just sorta write whatever comes to my brain. this kiss meant to be angstier. it’s bleaker. yuuji’s thoughts are dark and self-depreciating. he kisses meg back, but he immediately feels bad about it because he feels like he doesn’t deserve it. this translates to his movements, with him gripping the collar in desperation, but immediately pulling back and restraining his himself at the end of it. as for the energy, notice how in this kiss and post-kiss how there’s an overall darkness in the tone. there is less focus on the kiss itself and what they are doing and more so in the dark thoughts plaguing yuuji’s mind. this adds to the post-kiss, as it sets up his regret in kissing meg in the first place.

Let’s do another one:

Megumi rushed in, crashing his lips against Itadori’s as the grip on his arm tightened. Fuck Sukuna, fuck the higher ups, fuck everything else in the world. They were crazy for thinking the world could ever just be free of Itadori Yuuji. Megumi wouldn’t allow it. Not when he was right there in front of him, real, and alive. Megumi could feel Itadori stiffen in hesitation for a moment before he was met back with the same fervor, the same desperation Megumi had kissed him with. All of the noise of the outside world, all of the noise in his head silenced immediately at the feeling of Itadori’s lips moving against his. His hand was quick to make its way to Megumi’s face, caressing his cheek with a gentleness that he was definitely not kissing him with. Megumi didn’t care about that, though, so he tilted his head and let his arms fall around Itadori’s waist and pulled him flush against himself. A small gasp escaped from Itadori before it was immediately swallowed by the kiss. Megumi drank him in like he was dehydrated and Itadori’s lips were a cold glass of water. They could have stayed that way for forever. Allowing their pace to slow, Megumi’s grip on Itadori loosened. They morphed into a kiss that more loving and intimate. It was as if the rush of emotions slowly recessed back into the ocean of Megumi’s mind—not repressed but rather settled into something a bit softer. When they parted, Megumi held Itadori close and rested his forehead against the other boy’s. He was smiling. That same goofy, stupid smile that he smiled when he was about to watch a movie with Megumi, or when Megumi summoned his Divine Dog, or when he was cooking with Megumi. The smile that Itadori reserved only for him. “Hi there,” he said. Megumi gave a small smile in return. “Hi.” He could tell his heart was racing, he was probably blushing too, but all he could think about was that he kissed Itadori. Even crazier, Itadori kissed him back. Megumi couldn’t help the small chuckle the escaped his lips before it was too late and Itadori was giving him a small nudge. “Are you thinking about me?” Itadori teased. “Shut up,” he said with no real annoyance. “Fine.” And suddenly, Itadori was kissing him again.

For this post-kiss, we have them softening to each other. The kiss was a big boiling point of emotions as megumi kissed yuuji, then after the kiss, they part and it’s a sweet, loving moment between the two of them. we have megumi’s feelings being read about yuuji, we have his movements in resting their foreheads together, and we have the energy shift from a passionate kiss to an intimate moment.

overall

i mean that’s basically it! i didn’t plan on it, but i wrote four kiss scenes (well, three kisses and one build to a kiss) and broke down my little formula for each one. i hope that this provides some enlightenment in how to write a kiss scene and i hope my ramblings make sense here. i was always of the belief that kiss scenes were super hard to write, but after writing one for IYTFPTGFMTFILWH, it just sorta all clicked for me. i hope that this guide helps it click for you too, fellow author.

if anything, i hope you enjoyed the itafushi kisses. happy itafushi friday.

[yaminini]

VERY well deserved

I hate this cube

[ao3-shenanigans]

I'm planning to publish my first fic soon once I get the first few chapters finished up (yay!), and I'm trying to decide whether or not to lock the fic. Mostly, I'm scared of it getting scraped and used for generative AI training, which I have heard can happen. But I would also like to share it with some friends of mine who don't use AO3 very often and don't have accounts. Any advice?

Locking your work is a great idea! If you want to lock it and share with a couple friends without ao3 accounts, I’d recommend making a copy of your writing in a word document and sending it to them to at way

[goldenamaranthe-blog]

Date Pact: Original

Yang: Alright, so it's agreed. We're all going to do this.

Robyn: I'm in.

Ilia: I have gone up against humans ready to kill me, White Fang extremists, and Blake when she's been unhinged. ....But this is terrifying.

Ghira: I feel like this is a death sentence. And, Xiao Long, you better be treating my daughter good if you're talking to her like this!

Yang: Trust me, Sir. Your daughter is much freakier than you want to know.

Ruby: I can't do this!

Yang: Ruby, you better not chicken out on us! Our partners have all shown some sort of attitude or dissatisfaction lately, and it is up to us to fix that and satisfy them to the point they reach Nirvana!

Robyn: I understand Blake, Weiss, and Winter secretly liking someone else to take charge, but Kali and Penny?

Ghira: Don't let the "sweet mother" look fool you. (blushes and clears throat) And, it's not just Kali. We've also brought Willow into the relationship...

Ilia: (shocked Pikachu face)

Yang: Get it, Ghira.

Ruby: Penny doesn't even know what to do normally! I barely know what to do normally!

Yang: Alright! We've made the pact. We're in this together. Hands in!

YRIGR: (put their hands in the circle)

Yang: One! Two! Three! Let's go!

-Bumbleby-

-Schneewood Forest-

[sarahjtv]

My Hero Academia is Officially Ending and I'm Fucking Coping 😭

So, it was officially announced early today, June 24th, 2024, by Shueshia and mangaka, Kohei Horikoshi, that My Hero Academia/Boku no Hero Academia will officially end in 5 chapters on Chapter 430. The last chapter will be released at the beginning of August after 10 years of publication in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine if all goes well.

I woke up to this news. I'm sitting here on my laptop typing this as a way of coping tbh. On the outside, I'm numb and stunned. On the inside, I'M SCREAMING, CRYING, THROWING UP, MOURNING LIKE I LOST A LOVED ONE WTF 😭

*sigh* But, this was going to happen eventually. It was only a matter of when. When Horikoshi said that we would have more epilogue to cover, I thought "Maybe he'll give us 10 more chapters!" Turns out it is 6-7 chapters instead... In Horikoshi's defense, 6-7 chapters are much longer than what most mangaka have given us for epilogues to their stories. I'd rather have him give us 5 more chapters of an epilogue than rush it in 1-2. Plus, if possible, we could potentially get 19-20 pages per chapter which might be just enough to wrap everything up. And since final chapters of manga tend to be longer than usual, we could get extra pages in the last chapter to finish everyone's arcs and the story properly.

Still, it's so wild to see a series I have loved for years and have such a strong attachment to end as I am following it. I have been a part of many fandoms before and have stuck around them for years (Pokémon, Supernatural, Doctor Who, Breaking Bad, and many more), but it's not often that I've been there there to see a series come to it's conclusion. Sometimes that can turn out well (Breaking Bad) and other times I've seen it end badly (Supernatural; only read about it and it was not great. I bounced after season 13? and I am so sorry to the fandom). My Hero Academia is one of the very few series I will see through to the end.

I'm really coping here, honestly. I've been a fan of My Hero Academia since 2018. I first heard about the series randomly through the internet, but I didn't fully introduce myself to it until I listened to a cover of The Day on YouTube (I forget the artist, I'm so sorry). I thought the song was so cool and that led to me listening to more covers of MHA OPs (Peace Sign is still GOATed btw). This eventually led me to the manga and the anime where I became truly immersed in the series. I started reading the manga around the Joint Training Arc (I think) which was definitely an interesting time to read the manga because the chapters where so short due to Horikoshi dealing with health and I think moving conflicts at the time. It was still an enjoyable arc and enough to keep me interested in reading from the beginning. I want to say I started the anime around season 3?, but I started at the beginning and worked my way up from there. "Shoto Todoroki: Origin" was the episode that finally solidified my love for the series and is still my favorite episode of the series.

To say that MHA has an important place in my heart is an understatement. (⚠️Warning: very quick mention of suicide) I was very sad and depressed in the latter half of 2018. My life didn't feel like it was going anywhere and I was close to giving up entirely. (⚠️ ). Finding and loving MHA during that time honestly might have saved my life. As strange as it sounds, it was one of the few things that brought me genuine happiness at the time. I had something to look forward to every week and it was thrilling. I still remember debating whether Deku or Shoto was my favorite character. Shoto took the top spot in my heart, but Deku is a very close second 🩵💚.

Seeing MHA end is heartbreaking, honestly. I'm watching something I truly love come to an end. We'll still have the anime, movies, and spin-off series to keep us busy for the next few years, but the manga that started it all is coming to a close. It feels so, so surreal. God, is this how the Haikyuu fandom felt when it’s manga ended? My hope is that this fandom can be kept alive long after the series is over. The MHA fandom DEFINITELY has it's flaws, but it also has a lot of good in it too. I have seen incredible art and fanfics come from this fandom. I have laughed and hyped up some of the best moments of MHA with people who love it too. I know that the fandom is collectively mourning its end and I know we'll all cry bittersweet tears when it ends. If anything, I am glad to see Kohei Horikoshi end his momentous story on his own terms. I hope it ends up being one of the best manga endings in recent Shonen Jump like how Haikyuu's was. I think Horikoshi can do it. Regardless of how it ends, My Hero Academia will be one of my favorite pieces of fiction. I am really glad to be here to celebrate it.

[steddieas-shegoes]

Chapter 9

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8

Steve woke up to Eddie carrying him to his bed.

Lips were on his forehead, his eyes were closing again.

He would’ve thought he dreamt it if not for the fact that he woke up in his bed, Eddie curled around him, his alarm loud enough to echo around the room.

Eddie tightened his arms around him, nudging his nose in between Steve’s neck and shoulder and breathing in.

When he exhaled, Steve giggled and scrunched his shoulders up.

“Mornin’ sunshine,” Eddie mumbled against his skin, voice rough with sleep.

“Mornin’.”

“So cozy.”

“Mhmmmm.”

They stayed like that for another few seconds before Steve shifted out of Eddie’s arms, shutting off his alarm and curling back up against Eddie’s chest.

“Gonna get up?”

Eddie’s voice rumbled against Steve’s ears, the vibrations from his chest keeping Steve relaxed.

“Do I have to?”

“You’ve got work, sweetheart.”

“Rather be with you.”

And he did. He wanted to stay right in this spot for the rest of his life, be held by Eddie so he could only see, feel, hear, smell, and taste Eddie.

“I know, but you gotta see your kiddos.”

He liked that Eddie knew how special his job was to him, that he saw how much he loved it and cared about the kids he worked with.

“They’ll understand. They’ve wanted me to get a boyfriend for the whole school year.”

Eddie huffed out a laugh, breath fanning Steve’s hair slightly.

“I guess you better tell them you’ve met their standards then.”

“Ah, but have you?”

“Welllll…have I?”

“I guess we’ll see.”

“And how will we do that?”

Eddie’s fingers were tracing patterns along his back, his mouth moving against the top of his head as he spoke.

“You’ll have to visit me at my office.”

“Oh? And what will we do to prove that I’m worthy of you? Should I bring flowers and a picnic basket full of food? Or rent out the auditorium so I can sing to you in front of the whole school? Maybe I should spell out our names in a heart on the football field?” He peppered Steve with kisses in between each ridiculous question, making Steve laugh.

He felt so carefree, so light.

He felt like sunshine.

“If you ask some of my students, they’d say all of the above and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

“They love you a lot,” Eddie said as he pulled back, looking down at Steve with the fond smile he’d grown to recognize.

“Yeah. I love them a lot, too,” he smiled up at Eddie, eyes still heavy from sleep.

“Stevie?”

Eddie suddenly looked nervous and Steve’s sunshine dulled, clouds coming in to surround him.

“Yeah?”

“Do you remember what you said last night when you were falling asleep, sweetheart?”

He racked his brain trying to think of anything he could have said last night. He was really exhausted after everything, the memory of Eddie’s hands on him making goosebumps raise on his skin.

“I don’t think so. Was it embarrassing?”

“No. Not to me,” Eddie took a deep breath. “Don’t panic okay? You don’t have to panic.”

What the hell did he say? Why would he panic?

Now he was panicking.

Eddie’s hands rubbing up and down his back weren’t even helping.

He felt his breath becoming shorter and less frequent, his chest squeezing, heart racing.

He felt his hands tingle and his feet lose feeling.

He started to get tunnel vision.

And then Eddie’s fingers were gripping his chin tight, making him focus on his face. The grip was probably enough to leave bruises if he stayed long enough, but he knew Eddie would let go as soon as he had all of his attention.

“What did I say?”

Steve whimpered. The grip didn’t hurt, but it was strong enough to make him feel helpless and like maybe Eddie would make it hurt if that’s what it took to get him to stop panicking.

“Keep your eyes on me. I’m gonna tell you what you said and then I’m gonna take you to the shower so we can get you ready for work. Got it?”

“Mhm.”

“When you were falling asleep, you said you loved me.” Steve felt the panic rising again as Eddie spoke, but Eddie squeezed his chin between his fingers again. “If it was just something you said because you were on an adrenaline high, I understand. We can forget you said it.”

Steve didn’t want that. He meant it. He didn’t want Eddie to think he didn’t mean it just because he’d been mostly asleep when he said it.

“Or. I let go of your face, and you tell me you love me because you mean it for real right now. You tell me with your eyes open and completely aware of how much I fucking love you.”

Steve knew that without the fingers gripping his chin, his jaw would be wide open in shock.

This was crazy.

This was insane.

Of course he loved Eddie. He’d said it to himself too often over the last couple of days not to know it deeply. He’d said it out loud last night, probably subconsciously hoping that Eddie would know he meant everything to him because he deserved to know he was loved.

But Eddie loving him? In the same intense way Steve loved him?

It seemed impossible.

But the way Eddie’s eyes were shining and his serious face was replaced by nothing but fond, fond, fond, Steve knew he meant it.

Eddie loved Steve.

“I meant it. Of course I meant it. How could I not?”

Eddie beamed down at him before pushing him back, rolling on top of him, and kissing him senseless.

Steve moaned into the kiss, arching his back so every inch of his body could be touching Eddie’s.

He never got tired of feeling Eddie against him. It was endless fire, warmth without burning, a second away from combusting with love.

Eddie’s hips rocked down into Steve’s, both of them moaning into each others’ mouths.

They were both only in boxers, providing them with barely any separation between their already hard cocks.

Steve rocked up, biting Eddie’s bottom lip between his teeth as he moved. In the back of his mind, he knew continuing like this would make him late for work, but he couldn’t find it in him to actually care.

He could be late.

He was being loved by Eddie.

“Feels so good, sweet thing,” Eddie moaned into his mouth.

They rocked against each other, naturally finding a rhythm that wasn’t too slow, but wasn’t rushed. Their cocks brushed just right against each other, the fabric of their boxers providing just enough extra friction to bring them closer to the edge.

Steve felt the heat building, the twist in his stomach that meant he was getting close. He sped up, his hips rocking up faster and faster.

He didn’t care if he looked desperate, he was.

Eddie’s body heat was bordering on too much, sweat breaking out along his forehead and chest. Everywhere they touched sent a spark through Steve’s body.

“Gonna…can I? Please, please, please,” Steve panted out, his words interrupted by whimpers when Eddie pinched one of his nipples between his fingers.

“You wanna cum, sweet thing?”

Steve nodded, gasping as Eddie’s fingers found his other nipple, pinching it, the sharp zing of pain almost as distracting as the pleasure rocking through him.

But Eddie slowed his hips, moved his hands away from Steve’s chest, and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

Then his hips stopped completely.

“No,” Steve whined. “Please. No. Need to.”

Eddie shook his head.

“No, sweetheart. You have to go to work.”

“Like this? I can’t. Eddie, please.”

“I think you can. I think you should go cool off in the shower, and if you’re a good boy, I’ll take care of you tonight.”

Eddie was pulling away.

No.

“Please. I can do it myself! I’ll be quick,” Steve begged, hands squeezing Eddie’s sides as he rocked his hips up searching for more friction.

Eddie pulled away further, barely touching Steve now.

“Sunshine, you have to get to work. You’re gonna go take a shower and not touch yourself, right?”

Steve whimpered in response, his body fighting against everything Eddie was asking of him. His cock was leaking so much precum, he would’ve thought he’d actually finished somehow.

Then Eddie touched his cheek, thumb pressing into his bottom lip.

“Color?”

Steve wanted to say red. He wanted to cum. He wanted Eddie to cum.

But more than that, he wanted to do what Eddie asked, he wanted to make Eddie proud.

And he knew that if he just took a moment, and a cold shower, he could probably do this.

“Green.”

Eddie beamed at him.

“That’s my good boy. You’re gonna be good for me, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir,” Steve said breathlessly.

He was rewarded with a kiss, not nearly as hot and heavy as before, but still full of the love and passion they both felt.

Steve sighed when Eddie pulled away and got off the bed, but gave him a soft smile as he pulled his pants on and carefully tucked himself in before buttoning them.

“Gonna make you some breakfast. You go shower, sunshine.”

Steve nodded and leaned up to get another kiss.

Just before Eddie made it out the door, Steve sat up all the way.

“Wait!”

Eddie paused and turned to him, frown on his face as if he was concerned, but he had no reason to be.

“I love you,” Steve said with a fond smile.

“I love you, too, Stevie,” Eddie replied, face scrunching with a huge smile.

It didn’t feel real that he was getting this, that he was loving Eddie and Eddie was loving him, that he was happy in a way he’d never dreamed possible.

He felt like he was floating on a cloud constantly.

He never wanted to come back down.

——————

Steve was able to calm down in the shower. He could still feel it, the edge at his toes, but it was more reserved.

Like he could step back and enjoy the view instead of jump headfirst.

He ate breakfast with Eddie by his side, leaning against his shoulder as he sipped his coffee made to perfection and toast with strawberry jam.

Eddie told him about his half day session today with one of his favorite clients, his excitement about the artwork making Steve proud that Eddie was able to create such special, permanent memories for everyone.

He looked down at the sun on his wrist, noticing that the edges seemed to be peeling a little.

Eddie noticed, of course he noticed, that Steve seemed distracted.

“Something wrong, sunshine?”

“Um. I know you said it would peel, but is this okay?” Steve asked as he held up his wrist in front of Eddie’s face.

Eddie looked at it for a few seconds, then placed a soft kiss against the center of it.

“It’s perfect. You should put some lotion or Vaseline on it though, today and tomorrow. Want me to do it?”

Steve nodded.

He was perfectly capable of doing it all himself, both of them knew that. But it was nice to let Eddie take care of him, even with something as simple as this. Eddie seemed to want to just as much as Steve wanted him to.

So Steve started cleaning up the dishes from breakfast as Eddie walked to the bathroom to grab the Vaseline Steve had been keeping on the counter since he got the tattoo.

He was back quickly, hands wrapping around Steve’s waist from behind, lips trailing kisses up his neck until Steve tilted his head so he could reach his jaw too.

“You’re making it hard to go to work,” Steve groaned.

“Oh, am I making it hard?” Eddie teased back.

“You’re insufferable.”

“You love me.”

Steve turned around in Eddie’s arms, wrapping his arms around his neck.

“I do.”

They stood like that for probably too long, but Steve couldn’t find it in him to care.

Every moment with Eddie was worth whatever tardiness he had to deal with later.

Eddie gently pulled his tattooed wrist from around his neck and placed another kiss to the center of the tattoo before he opened the Vaseline and applied some to the area.

“All set.”

“Thanks, baby.”

“Anytime, sweetheart.”

“When will you be done with your session today?”

“Probably about six or so. Depends if he wants to make it through the whole time or not.”

“Want me to meet you at the shop with dinner?”

Steve knew he was being clingy, and he wouldn’t blame Eddie if he needed a night off. But his words from earlier rang through Steve’s mind, about taking care of him.

“That sounds lovely, sunshine. How about pizza?”

“Mkay. What kind?”

“Hmmm. Why don’t you guess? Surprise me.”

“What if I get it wrong?”

“Then I eat you for dinner instead,” Eddie smirked before leaning in for one more quick kiss to his lips.

Steve walked out with him, sneaking one more kiss in before he got in his car and drove to work.

If this was what every morning could be like, he wanted it.

———————

Just before Steve took his lunch break, there was a knock on his office door. He didn’t have anyone scheduled, so he assumed it was one of the front office people or a teacher.

“Come in!”

The door opened and a very familiar face popped his head in.

“Eddie?” Steve stood up so fast from his chair, he got a head rush.

“It’s me.”

“I thought your appointment started!”

Steve walked around his desk and over to where Eddie was still standing in the doorway. He looked nervous for some reason, and since he never looked nervous, Steve felt his stomach drop.

“He said he was gonna be an hour late, so I thought I’d stop by. Hope that’s okay?”

Steve fisted his hand in his shirt and pulled him all the way into his office, shoving the door closed as soon as he was all the way in.

He pushed him against the door and smiled up at his shocked face.

But before he could kiss him, he caught a glimpse of color. Yellow.

Oh my god.

“Did you bring me flowers?”

Steve’s hand dropped, his eyes suddenly glued to the bright yellow peeking out from behind Eddie’s back.

“Are you done trying to attack me?” Eddie said somewhat hesitantly, like he half expected Steve to push him against the door again and strip him down.

The thought was appealing, but not during school hours.

Steve rolled his eyes, but stepped away, giving Eddie a few inches of space to move away from the door.

When he pulled the bouquet from behind him, Steve gasped.

Sunflowers and daisies amongst wildflowers, a piece of twine holding them together, almost like Eddie had put it together himself.

“There’s that flower shop on the way here that lets you customize the bouquets, and the sunflowers were right in the window. Had to get some for my sunshine,” Eddie said, simple as that.

Like it would’ve taken more effort to pass by the flower shop and not stop.

Steve bit his lip as he took the bouquet of flowers from him, tears welling up in his eyes.

He realized that besides the time Robin got him flowers to celebrate his graduation, he’d never received any from anyone.

And it wasn’t even that Eddie had just grabbed any bouquet he could at the store; He’d made this combination himself, used the colors of the sun and light and turned it into a visual representation of their love. Just for Steve. Just to make Steve’s day brighter, to make him feel special.

A tear fell as he pulled the bouquet up to his face, breathing in the fresh scent of each flower.

Eddie’s palm cupped his cheek, his thumb wiping away a tear before it could drip all the way down his face.

“What’s wrong, sunshine? Should I not have brought them?”

“No!” Steve hugged them gently to his chest. “No, they’re beautiful. I love them. I love you.”

“Are you sure? I won’t be upset if you don’t like them.”

“I promise I love them. They’re perfect.”

Steve placed a soft kiss to Eddie’s lips before pulling away.

“I think I have a mug from a student somewhere I can fill with water and put them in until I get home.”

Steve was so busy searching his cabinets behind his desk, he didn’t hear the soft knock at the door followed by it opening.

“Oh! Sorry. I forgot it was your lunch break, Mr. H.”

Will.

He turned around and watched as Eddie scooted away so Will could come closer.

“No need to apologize, Will. We didn’t have an appointment I forgot about, did we?”

“No. Just uh. Wanted to tell you something. I can come back later.”

He started to back out of the door, then Eddie spoke.

“Will? The Will who drew the sunshine?”

Will looked at Eddie, eyes squinting, probably trying to figure out how he knew that.

“Yeah.”

“Dude! That was one of the best pieces I’ve ever tattooed.”

Will’s eyes widened and his mouth opened in shock.

“Wait, you’re the one who did it?”

Eddie nodded, huge smile lighting up his face and the room.

Steve stood behind his desk watching. Will was an extremely shy kid, so he wanted to see how this played out.

“Yeah! I just hope I got the spirit of it in there. Sometimes it’s hard to put into it what the original artist did, but it helped that I had a good canvas,” Eddie nodded towards Steve.

“It’s so good! You made the colors pop so well against his skin. And the way you followed the same lines, but made them blend more? I tried copying that with a painting and it got me an A!”

Steve didn’t think he could love Eddie more. But now, watching him interact with his favorite student? Not just interact, but bring him out of his shell? He would marry him on the spot.

“That’s incredible! Mr. H says you’re quite the artist.”

Will was blushing, looking down at his feet, suddenly shy again.

“I’m okay.”

“Okay?! I think you’ll have to let me be the judge of that,” Eddie turned to Steve with his arms crossed over his chest. “How do I get in touch with his agent? I’d like to see his portfolio.”

“I don’t have an agent, and my portfolio is actually why I came to talk to Mr. H,” Will managed to say after he let a giggle slip.

Eddie was good at this, at being the calming presence in the room, fitting in anywhere, making sure everyone felt seen and heard.

“Is everything okay with your portfolio? You still have a month until the deadline if you’re worried about that. I even finished the counselor check-in portion yesterday, so it should be good to go.”

Eddie watched from the side, eyes darting between Will and Steve.

“Everything’s fine. I mean, hopefully. It’s just that the fee for the portfolio evaluation is due by Friday and my mom is trying to see if they could extend until next Friday when she gets paid? Do you know if they do that?”

Will looked like he was going to cry, and Steve knew if he cried, Steve would cry.

“How much is it?” Eddie asked, trying to appear casual, but Steve knew. He already knew that Eddie’s big heart wasn’t going to let this kid get a setback like this.

“It’s $200. My mom’s been trying to save, but she just had to get a new tire for the car so it set her behind. If they can just extend it a week, we can do it.”

“This is for your future right? So you can focus on your art more?”

“Yes, sir. I’m applying for a scholarship to an art school next year. I would meet the requirements for their grants for tuition if I get in, but the application fees and portfolio review fees are still due.”

Eddie looked over at Steve, silently asking him for permission to do what Steve knew he was going to do the second he started asking questions. He knew Joyce would insist on paying him back, but if it meant taking a bit of stress off of her and Will, he wasn’t going to stop Eddie. He gave him a quick nod.

Eddie got a bit closer to Will, still not within touching distance, but close enough to keep his voice low.

“I think I’d really like to pay for your portfolio review fees. Should I give the money to you or Mr. H?” Eddie asked as he got his wallet out of his back pocket.

“What? You can’t. You don’t even know me! You’ve never seen my art!” Will exclaimed in disbelief.

“That isn’t true. I’ve tattooed your art on someone, and I feel like I know you a little because Mr. H talks about you so much.”

“I can’t take your money.”

“It’s not taking it! I’m expecting you to work hard for it. I want you to design my next tattoo. Consider this your payment. Deal?”

Eddie was so good.

Steve didn’t know what he did to deserve this man, but he would do everything he could to keep him.

“Is that allowed?” Will asked Steve, his tone hopeful.

“It’s allowed if you want it to be.”

Will was thinking about it, his hands nervously tapping against his legs as he looked between Eddie and Steve.

But then he looked at Eddie, and he let out a sob, and fell into him, Eddie’s arms quickly going around him to keep himself upright.

Eddie was looking at Steve, panic written all over his face, probably not used to the emotions of kids. Steve gave him a gentle smile, letting him know that it was okay, that Will was probably just incredibly relieved and happy.

So Eddie let himself relax and hug Will back properly. Steve set the flowers down, deciding the mug would just have to wait. This was a moment he didn’t want to miss a second of.

He could hear Will saying “thank you” over and over into Eddie’s chest and Eddie just repeating “you deserve it, kiddo” back to him.

Will finally calmed down after a couple of minutes, pulling away suddenly to wipe at his tears and clear his throat.

“Alright, bud?” Steve asked, grabbing his box of tissues off his desk and walking over to hand it to him so he could wipe his face.

Will snagged a few from the box, wiping his eyes and then blowing his nose, face turning red when he realized how loud it was.

“I’m good. Sorry. I think I got snot on your shirt,” he said to Eddie, who just shrugged and gave him a smile.

“Not the worst thing I’ve had on my shirt. I can change when I get to the car.”

“You don’t have to do this, really. We can figure something out.”

“I want to. And I want a tattoo designed by you so I can match with Stevie here,” Eddie smirked, then realized this was one of Steve’s students. He was Mr. H to them. “Sorry, Mr. H.”

Then it suddenly dawned on Will what he may have interrupted.

He glanced at the flowers, then at Eddie.

“Oh! Oh my God! I’m so sorry. Were you gonna have lunch together? Like a date? I just ruined a date didn’t I?” He shoved his face in his hands, but Steve quickly pulled them away.

“No! Eddie just surprised me with a quick visit, that’s all.”

“Are you…”

“Are we…”

“Boyfriends?”

Eddie snorted and Steve rolled his eyes at him, crossing his arms and leaning against his desk.

“Yes, we are.”

“Oh. That’s good. Mr. H deserves someone like you.”

Well, what the fuck was Steve gonna do with that? Cry, probably.

He wouldn’t in front of Will though, especially not after his emotional visit to his office. He held it in, but he could tell Eddie saw how hard it was for him not to break down in tears.

“He sure does. I hope I can be what he deserves for a long time,” Eddie said, adding to Steve’s emotional turmoil.

“Alright, enough trying to make me cry! Will, I’ll send in the money for you, okay? Just tell your mom it’s been taken care of. Eddie, you have work to get to. Let me have a little cry in peace.”

Steve started to shoo them out, but Eddie leaned in to give him a quick peck on the cheek first.

“Love you, sunshine!”

“Love you back.”

He’d never get tired of this.

———————

He should have known things couldn’t go perfectly for the day.

When school got out, he sent a quick text to Eddie to let him know he had about an hour of paperwork and then he would head home, change, and grab their dinner.

Does your client want me to grab anything?

He didn’t get an answer immediately, but he didn’t expect to. He knew when Eddie had the gloves on, he couldn’t touch anything else unless it was an emergency.

But finally, right before he left his office, Eddie responded.

No he’s good thx

So he followed his plan. He went home, changed, managed to text Robin a few emojis when he saw she hadn’t made it back to the apartment yet.

But then his phone rang.

Thinking it was Robin responding to his texts with a call instead, he answered without looking.

“Robs, you can’t come for me about my boyfriend when you’re out here sleeping with-”

“Steven.”

That was not Robin. That was definitely Richard Harrington.

He hadn’t heard from him in years. He wasn’t even sure how he got this number.

“Dad.”

Meet him with the same barely civil shortness he’d given Steve for most of his life, that would be what gets him through this conversation in one piece.

“You have a boyfriend?”

“I do.”

“Is it serious?”

“Would it matter to you if it was?”

He didn’t want his dad’s grubby hands anywhere near Eddie, and if it meant keeping him a secret, he would.

Richard cleared his throat before continuing.

++++++++++++++++++

“I’m only calling because your mother insisted.”

Well, that couldn’t be good.

“A response is often polite so the person on the phone understands they can continue speaking, Steven.”

“Oh, my apologies, I forgot how talking on the phone works.”

“You don’t need to be rude.”

“What does mom need you to tell me?”

“She’s sick. Breast cancer. It’s still early, only stage two according to the doctor. She’ll have surgery next week and a few months of treatment and should be fine. I told her calling you was a waste of time, but she-”

“Does she need anything from me?”

“No, don’t worry, she isn’t requesting your presence.”

Steve knew he should be more upset, more worried, maybe even more angry that his dad was choosing to tell him this with such an attitude.

But all he could feel was relief that he didn’t have to visit.

And maybe some guilt that that was all he felt.

“Well, are you going to wish her well?”

“I will when I call her.”

“Oh, so you do know how to do that?”

It stung. The words hit him in the chest.

He spent his entire adolescence and young adulthood waiting for a phone call from them while they traveled, any word at all about when they’d be back or to say goodnight to him or just to see if he was alive.

And now his father acted like he was an awful son for not calling the parents who didn’t support anything he did?

He bit back the tears he could feel pooling, not wanting to give his father any advantage over this conversation.

“I sure do. I had to teach myself though since you didn’t seem to learn until recently.”

That shut Richard up.

Good>

“Anyway. I have to get dinner for my boyfriend. Hopefully I won’t be talking to you again anytime soon. Bye!”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When he hung up, he let out a sob and quickly sent a text to Eddie to let him know he was on his way to get pizza.

He didn’t have time to be upset, or even really think about what his dad said. He had to get pizza and get to his sunshine.

—----------------------

When he got to the shop, Eddie was wrapping up with his client.

“There he is! Eddie hasn’t shut up about you, man!”

Steve blushed as he set the boxes down on the counter and walked over to them at Eddie’s chair.

“Shut up, I’ve barely even said a damn thing,” he said as he handed over the usual care instructions, though from the look of this guy, he’d had plenty of experience. “Hey, sunshine. Doing okay?”

Steve leaned over and kissed his cheek.

“I’m okay. How’s the session been?”

“He tortured me the whole time. I begged him to stop and he wouldn’t.”

“Sounds about right,” Steve agreed.

“Name’s Ian,” the guy said as he held his hand out to shake Steve’s.

“Steve. Nice to meet you.”

Steve was trying to be polite and smile like you do when you meet new people, but he was exhausted, and he was kind of hoping that he could just hide in the back with the pizza until Eddie was ready to leave.

“I’ll get out of your hair. Thanks again, Eddie, looks great. Got an opening in a couple months I can steal?”

“I always have a spot for ya. Just text me.”

“You got it.” Ian turned to Steve and smiled. “Have a nice night, Steve.”

“You too.”

Ian left and Eddie was immediately on him, hands on his cheeks, concerned eyes boring into his.

“What happened, sweetheart?”

“I don’t really wanna talk about it. Can we just go home?”

Steve knew it wouldn’t work for long, if at all, but he really didn’t wanna have a breakdown in Eddie’s place of business.

“Okay. Let me clean up and we can go,” Eddie leaned in to kiss his lips softly.

Eddie started disposing of the ink and paper towels, the tattoo gun already taken care of and back in the cabinet.

Steve thought about what might make him feel better. Being with Eddie would for sure, eventually talking about it probably would, but he needed to do something else.

“Can you give me a tattoo?”

Eddie’s head spun around from where he was wiping down the chair.

“What? Now?”

“Yeah. Just a little one.”

“Sunshine, that might not be a good idea. It seems like something happened that upset you and I don’t think you should get a permanent thing to feel temporarily better.”

He was smart, obviously. That’s one of the reasons Steve loved him.

But he wanted to make a reckless mistake. So much of his life had been spent being smart, making decisions that would keep him safe.

“I know it sounds like that. But I wanted this for a while anyway.”

“What is it?”

“I want a small robin on my arm.”

Eddie’s face softened, his frown turning into a smile.

“A robin, huh?”

Steve nodded.

“You’re sure?”

Steve nodded again.

“Alright, hop up. I’ll get everything prepped. You want pizza first?”

“No, not that hungry.”

Eddie kissed his forehead.

“Mkay. Where’s it going?”

Steve took his shirt off and pointed to his shoulder.

“Gonna hurt there, sweetheart.”

“I can handle it.”

Eddie didn’t respond, just continued getting everything ready for his impromptu tattoo.

He didn’t think about it as Eddie left to sketch and print a robin. It was simple, small, just something to remind Steve of the most important person in his life.

He loved what Eddie came up with, and he settled as Eddie got started.

It did hurt. It hurt much worse than his wrist, even with the simple lines.

But with the pain, he found himself finding pleasure too.

The tattoo gun pressed into his skin, but Eddie’s hand was holding it still in his firm grip. The needles made him bleed, but Eddie’s whispered words stitched the wounds.

He knew he was sinking, and he knew he was hard.

But this time he knew what was happening and he knew what he could do to get through it.

He knew Eddie would get him through it.

He relaxed into it, letting out small whimpers when Eddie’s other hand brushed gently against his skin.

The back and forth, the hard and soft, the rough and gentle.

It all made Steve feel like he wanted to be on his knees.

“Sweet thing, can you look at me?”

Yeah, he could do that.

His glassy eyes looked over at Eddie, who was taking off his gloves and turning the tattoo gun off.

“You’ve been so good for me, sweet thing. Wanna look in the mirror?”

“Mhm.”

Eddie helped him get up and walk the few steps it took to stand in front of the full length mirror hanging on the wall.

“How’s it look?”

Steve took a deep breath so he could focus. He did want to see this, appreciate it.

Then he’d appreciate Eddie.

It was beautiful, of course. Eddie had drawn it simple, the way Steve wanted, but had included small details like making the wing a similar color to Robin’s eyes after looking at a picture of her for a few seconds.

He leaned over to kiss Eddie, wordlessly thanking him for what he did.

Then he sank to his knees and leaned his forehead against Eddie’s hip bone.

“Sunshine? You okay?”

“Mhm. Want you.”

“Right now?”

He sounded shocked that Steve could possibly want him now, as if he hadn’t been thinking of this since his first tattoo before he even properly knew him.

“Please.”

Steve looked up at him, eyes wide and lips parted, sending the message that he needed Eddie in his mouth immediately.

“You wanna suck me, sweet thing?”

Eddie’s hand ran through his hair, gripping the ends as if he wanted to tug, but was waiting for a confirmation from Steve that he could.

Steve nodded once, closing his eyes when he felt Eddie’s fingers tighten and pull his head back.

“So pretty on your knees for me. Love seeing you so desperate,” Eddie leaned down to lick into his mouth filthily, sucking his tongue between his lips and letting out a laugh when Steve moaned. “Think you can keep your hands to yourself?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Keep them behind you, sweet thing.”

Steve immediately moved them behind his back, locking them together so he could resist the urge to touch every inch of Eddie.

Eddie pulled back, unbuttoning his jeans as he did. He pulled his waistband down just enough to pull out his cock, working his wrist up and down the length right in front of Steve’s mouth, teasing him.

“Being so good, waiting for me to give you permission. You want a taste?”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Steve couldn’t hold back how much he wanted him, his taste, his smell. Everything.

Eddie pushed his cock against Steve’s lips, just barely letting the tip leak onto his mouth.

God, it was good.

Steve wanted more.

He whined, words lost to the sensation of Eddie being so close but so far, his control keeping Steve still.

“Might have to buy you some lipstick sometime, see how my cock looks with red lipstick stains around it.”

Steve groaned, closing his eyes and picturing what that would look like, what he would look like.

“You like that, sweetheart? Want me to buy you some lipstick? Wear it when you want to be on your knees for me?”

Steve couldn’t answer, couldn’t even nod. His brain wasn’t connected to his body anymore, but Eddie knew.

“That’s it, sunshine.” Eddie tugged his head back slightly, forcing his mouth open wider. “Open up for me. You can have it.”

So he did.

He let Eddie feed his cock into his mouth slowly, swallowing every inch like he was starving for more. He’d never had much of a gag reflex, but Eddie was big, and he knew if he pushed all the way, he’d be choking.

He wanted that.

He opened wider, letting his tongue run along the bottom of Eddie’s cock as he pushed the last inch in.

He was in his throat.

Steve gagged, but he chased Eddie when he started to pull out.

“Oh, you like that? Wanna choke on it?”

Eddie’s voice was rough, raspy in a way he’d only heard it when he was first waking up. Steve loved it.

He nodded as Eddie slowly pushed in again, pausing halfway to tilt Steve’s chin up to look at him.

He was sure he made quite a sight.

“Tap on my leg three times if you need to stop. That’s your red when you can’t talk, okay?”

Steve nodded.

“Tap once for green. What’s your color, sweet thing?”

He tapped once.

Eddie pushed in the rest of the way, causing Steve to gag, drool dripping down his chin and making a mess.

Eddie loved it, though, he could tell.

Steve moved his head up and down a couple of times, letting himself slowly enjoy the taste and rhythm.

But Eddie didn’t want him to be in charge, and neither did Steve.

Eddie’s hands were at the back of his head, fingers wrapped in his hair. He pulled Steve back, then pushed him forward, fucking Steve’s mouth slowly but deeply.

He breathed through his nose, moaning around the cock hitting the back of his throat, pushing against his tongue.

Eddie quickened his pace, pushing in and pulling out faster than Steve could keep up with.

His mouth was wide open, barely even closing around his cock now, just letting drool fall on the floor, run down Eddie’s cock, mess up his pants.

He was so hard. He knew if Eddie kept this up for much longer, he’d cum in his pants.

One particularly deep thrust, made Steve choke around him, tears welling up and quickly falling from his eyes.

“So beautiful like this, Stevie. Love you so much.”

That was all it took.

Steve felt the sticky wetness in his boxers, already making his jeans uncomfortable.

Eddie looked down to see Steve’s completely blissed out face, saw the dark spot now on the front of his jeans, and let out a long moan.

“Fuck, sweetheart. So perfect for me. Gonna cum in your mouth so you can taste it, just like you wanted,” Eddie was rambling, but it just made Steve wish he could do this all night.

But he could feel Eddie’s hips stutter, the rhythm getting lost to the pleasure.

Steve let out a whimper, muffled by Eddie’s cock sinking in as deep as he could go.

His cum flooded Steve’s throat and mouth, dripping back out with the drool still falling from the corners of his mouth.

He moaned as Eddie pulled out so he could swallow, the taste musky and salty, but exactly what he wanted.

When Eddie slowly pulled out all the way, Steve stuck his tongue out so he could try to lap up any leftover cum on his cock, but Eddie pulled his head away.

“Too sensitive, sweet thing. You made me feel too good,” he praised.

Steve could feel himself smiling, proud that he was able to give this to him, proud that he could do something right.

“Color?”

“Green.”

“Good boy. Gonna help you sit on the chair so I can grab something to clean us up.”

He managed to get Steve up, settling him in the chair with a kiss to his nose, smiling when Steve giggled.

“Love seeing you so happy, sunshine.”

Steve loved being this happy, loved that he had so many reasons to be this happy.

Eddie grabbed the paper towels from his table, wetting a couple at the sink next to it, and wiping himself first so he could button his pants back up.

“You got us pretty messy, sweetheart.”

“Sorry,” Steve said.

He wasn’t though. He’d never been able to be messy like this before, and he certainly had never been given so much attention and care after a blowjob.

Eddie was giving him everything he needed, even things he didn’t know he needed.

“Sunshine? Doing okay?”

“Mhm.”

He was. He was way better than okay.

Chapter 10

TAG LIST:  @invisibleflame812 @inmoonywetrust @captain-daryn @carlyv @lillemilly @spectrum-spectre @raisedbylibrarians @estrellami-1 @gregre369 @mightbeasleep @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @bornonthesavage @loguine-linguine @bejeweledbaby @bisexualdisastersworld @eddiemunsonswife @sadcanadianwinter @messrs-weasley @i-write-stories-not-sins-bitch @maya-custodios-dionach @sleepyboosstuff @novelnovella @jestyzesty @f1ct1onwh0re @croatoan-like-its-hot @shrimply-a-menace @crazyhatlady86 @izzy2210 @phirex22 @crypticcorvidinacottage @yourebuckingkiddingme @sydthekid2004 @lovelylilbadone @abydell921 @wildflower-faun @lydi-cyan @lololol-1234 @221b-fandom @carlajim98 @azure-and-gold @space-invading-pigeon @crying-trashcan @hellomynameismoo @mrsjellymunson

[milksockets]

they are literally all the same.

of course this dumbass followed me 10 minutes beforehand.

[citylighten]

when i see people reading sink or swim from the beginning i'm like

[tonycries]

Heyyyyy alpha Tonyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Me and my bf broke up. Apparently he started this as a bet with my ex 😔

But then he said the he FeLl iN LoVe with me.

Idk what to do 😔😔😔

Ugh girl drop the manifestation for the Wattpad novel rn because omggg 🤭🤭 but ahaha yk lovely the petty part of me says the best thing to do is get with his bestie 😭 And his dad if you want to stay toxic but yk what you didn't hear that from me 👀

Anyways, hope you have the loveliest week n' keep us updateddddd, daddy Tony is very invested ☕

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle watches New Wish - Post #22

Best of Wish

I enjoy Irep's grit-teethed remark when he mentions Anti-Fairies can't have godkids. He's just like his dad, for real, for real.

If he's this annoyed at the thought of Anti-Fairies not being allowed godkids, that kinda implies he wants one, which is interesting. Godkids were always one of Anti-Cosmo's interests, but never something Foop pursued on purpose or ever expressed interest in.

Please enjoy this cut Anti-Cosmo dialogue from an early script for "Fairly Oddlympics" that I think about constantly:

btw, there are a lot of funny deleted scenes in the old scripts that I love talking about, especially from this one, so if you find anything that catches your eye and post about it, you should @ me because I would enjoy reading your reactions <3

Plot twist - Irep is doing healthy things to work through his "scary godparent for Vicky" trauma while Peri's reaction to Vicky trauma was to cover his ears, hide behind his mom, and sing "La la la, la la la" to pretend she wasn't there.

Peri said his memories of childhood are blurry. I wonder if Irep remembers his childhood better since he was fully able to talk and comprehend things back then.

"Once a fairy quits, any magical being can take their place!"

I mean... Technically yes, but you used to have to sing for it. lol.

The Pixies, who are literally last in line for godkids below all other magical beings (including pegasi, bigfeet, and lake monsters), watching Irep stroll in like: ???

- which imo was implied to be a punishment for their race after H.P. was godparent to some unconfirmed kid I've been headcanoning was Dale for 7 years-

Actually, I like the implication that Irep was so fast to snipe Dev because he's been stalking them since he found out Peri was assigned a godkid.

Irep: Once a fairy quits, any magical being can take their place! Wanda: Peri didn't quit! He was waiting for you to call! Cosmo: He thought you two were on a break! Me: ... ?????? Peri was waiting for Irep to call and take him back? Run that by me again??

... I legitimately cannot tell if they're addressing Dev or Irep. Irep was the last person to speak, but Dev speaks next. Rewinding and listening to the conversation again, I can use my context clues to see they're probably looking at Dev (who is offscreen), but ?? why would you frame it that ambiguously.

Did anyone else get confused here or was that just me?

Also this has done nothing to disprove my previous "Peri is clingy especially where break-ups are concerned" interpretation.

I like how the very first wish Dev makes in this scene isn't for his dad to love him, but for Bev to love him.

How many kids in this class have names that rhyme with Dev and why is he so determined to befriend them all?

?? Okay, so I was previously confused about Dev's friendships because I was pretty sure I remembered him saying in Episode 1 that he and Trev were friends, but we haven't seen them interact at all. I went back and checked, and here's what he says:

"That's Trev! He's my bud, so he probably won't give YOU the time of day."

I wish we got to see him hanging out with Trev. Did they split after Trev didn't come to his sleepover?

- I just checked; I don't see any evidence of Trev at Hazel's. - Hey, did Winn and Jasmine ever find out Hazel lied to them about living in a 5-star hotel? - In conclusion, we are being ROBBED of the Trev-Dev-Bev friend squad.

Looking back, it's very funny that Dev made an effort to introduce Hazel to people when she was the new kid despite that not being his job... including giving some glowing reviews of a few of their classmates, including "This guy's my bud, this person's cool, and I respect this other guy." He wants to talk...

Also, moon is full in New York.

I keep waiting for Irep's music to drop again, but it never does in this scene. It's stressing me out; why did it only drop in THAT scene?

The version I'm watching unfortunately doesn't include credits and I can't find it after a few quick searches, but if Guy Moon did the music for this episode and remembered how he used to do it for Foop and his alt personality when they would do their switch cues 14 years ago, and so when he saw that body language he did it again, I'm gonna lose it.

Surely not... But he had to do it for at least 3 seasons; maybe it just stuck??

I don't see him credited for A New Wish at all on his own IMBD or Wiki page either. idk who did this episode, but I liked it. Hi, I'm the target audience; it's me.

And Irep's still a leftie! Even after putting both hands on the mace handle to smash it down, it goes back to his left when he takes one hand off.

He even does the "sword fight" with his left hand. It's the boy!!!

?? Is Irep's hair both blue (like both his parents') AND black (the color his tuft was in the OG series)?

Are his roots black, but the color eases to dark blue the farther out it grows? That's fantastic!

I like how Peri's hair looks most like his mom's but with a faint slope implying his dad's influence is there, and Irep's hair best parallels his dad's, but he gets his curl from his mom.

Huh. Looks like we've retired the 5 magic colors and now we're just pink poofs and dark blue lightning. Which I'm okay with; I just wasn't paying attention until now. But I know lightning-shaped Anti-Fairy magic was canon in "School of Crock," maybe others.

This does deprive me of my usual 2nd-watch shtick of reading moods based on color. Alas.

I enjoy Hazel rescuing the news reporter, but letting her know that she's a big fan of her work.

Okay, Irep uses his right hand at the last second, but I consider this a win.

I went back and checked frame by frame because I'm a NERD, and funnily enough... It looks like he changes hands after Cosmo blasts him in the left arm. It's hard to tell with the poof cloud, but when you consider the direction he moved (buffeted backwards), that implies it was a left-side hit. It's probably just coincidence, but that's funny.

I like Dev's silly star shades during this scene:

Peri's back!! Old buddies, ol' counterpart pals... I love that teeny-tiny movement Peri makes with his fingers to symbolize air quotes around "quit."

"I never gave two weeks notice~!!"

Also, this definitely belongs in my collection of counterparts using the same body language for opposite moods. idk if we'll see more of that, but it excites me that my stash grows!

I like Peri patting Dev on the head.

"He's still my godkid! :)"

Ooh, snap. Local cousins (once removed) are here to lay down Da Rules, as von Strangles do.

Aw, I like how undoing Dev's cheating means Hazel ends up with the prize shirt. I guess that makes sense; it just wouldn't have been my first thought.

I'm glad adult Irep makes squeaky sounds when you squeeze him. I seem to remember OG Poof making squeaky sounds when he bounced off walls.

Aw, Peri having a happy hug with his parents again! Instead of him feeling like they're overbearing. That's great.

Peri once again proving he's a jealous, clingy ex. I don't think this kid was okay when he was pried away from Timmy and I don't think he took his parents' leaving him on his own for 10k years very well.

I really enjoy Peri's body language throughout this series. All his little twitches and arm rubs and flicking eyes... It says a million words. You could talk forever about him.

I enjoy Dev and Hazel a lot this series, but I think Peri's my favorite. With all his little anxieties and moments he avoids eye contact, you really get the sense that he's working through a lot of baggage.

I like how his instinct was to be honest with his parents and then he immediately regrets it and closes off his body language, avoiding eye contact. He retracts what he said and says something else that he thinks makes him look better. He's got a lot going on.

The fact that he makes this big, decisive head nod as he changes his story to claim he wasn't "jealously spying on Dev" after quitting as his godparent, but he was instead "very normally and confidently passing by" is fantastic. That's... not how people talk in normal conversation, Peri. But I'm glad you're telling me you struggle with confidence issues.

- I think everything I've seen of you supports that. You've been the biggest anxiety ball ever since you got here. - Peri is the guy who'd be on edge wondering if he did something to make everyone mad.

It took me forever to get the above screenshots so I had to keep rewinding, and I have to say... I'm obsessed with that itty-bitty head tilt he does to the left before he goes full right. Idk why it's there, but I like it. It's like a shrug, or like he's thinking through his lie? I enjoy.

Also that teeny-tiny head squirm when he's enjoying the hug with his parents. He's so cute.

Okay, that's pretty messed-up of Peri to laugh with his parents while Dev is in the background really upset. Like, Peri is literally talking about Dev behind his back

-> I wish they'd snuck hints of purple in the background to indicate Peri was there, like a milk carton or pencil or something.

-> I stand by everything I've previously said about Peri not being emotionally mature enough to godparent. His kid needs comfort after a tough experience! Dev just got snapped at and punished by authority and now he's sitting on the ground looking dejected, and Peri's over there giggling!

-> C'mon, man! Hazel clocked on and she's trying to do your job for you. She shouldn't have to do that! (Though it's nice of her to try comforting her friend).

Oop, Dev just yelled at Hazel (again) and Peri did not discourage or discipline him in any way, and tbh... I don't think he even noticed. Because he was laughing and talking about his godkid with his parents. Dude, get your crown in the game.

I love Hazel throwing her prize shirt in Dev's face and shouting that she "hopes it was worth it" <3

I still don't know how to spell O-pairs and at this point, I'm too afraid to ask.

omg, Dev wants to learn about Anti-Fairies. Are we going to get lore and culture? Drama...

PERI, your godkid's running away!! Oh no, he can't hear us... he's got anxiety...

[redwinterroses]

Red do you have any advice on how to get my church's senior pastor to stop using AI Generated Images for Literally Everything; all his recent sermons and weekly announcement slides have started using AI and it looks Absolutely Atrocious to anyone with eyes.

Oh no. [winces] First, I'm so sorry, that's obnoxious.

Second, if you have a relationship where you can actually talk to him, I would try to hit mostly on the idea that, if we believe in a God who created us in God's image, a big part of that image (imago dei) is being sub-creators.

Therefore, a) putting that off on machines devalues the act of sub-creation, and b) image generators are, almost without exception, built on the theft of art from real, human creators. Using image generators by default makes you party to that theft, and is an exploitation of fellow humans and their work and craft.

I'll link a few articles here -- I can't vouch across the board for the publications or authors, but these specific articles are pretty good and might prove useful to you.

(you can also just tell him that it's ugly lol)

(and on another note... I would really question whether or not he's using genAI to write his sermons too. That might be a trickier question to ask, and he might take it too personally, so proceed with care and grace. But... we don't need machines preaching to us, and a pastor who generates his sermons is acting in a way that doesn't befit a shepherd.)

The Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Christian Thought: A Vision for the Future, by Young Choi

AI Will Shape Your Soul, by Kate Lucky

Why Christians Need to Encourage Human Creation in the Age of AI, by Sophia Bricker

How AI Short-Circuits Art, by Jared Boggess

[kaurwreck]

idk how people who consume enough booktok to throw fits about it don't recognize that they're watching booktok instead of reading anything of value themselves. like, okay, and. what were you doing at the devil's sacrament.