#but hi and thank you kind stranger

[bleedingoptimism]

part five: Eddie

Eddie has always been impulsive. Most of his tattoos were impulsive, starting a band was impulsive, flirting with Steve was impulsive, introducing him to his friends was impulsive, and kissing Pricilla was impulsive…

But falling in love with Steve? That was slow, tortuous, against every impulse on his body, and impossible to resist.

But again, Eddie has always been stubborn too, he gets an idea in his mind, and suddenly it cements in stone there, unmovable, unbreakable. And the idea of Steve liking him back was so preposterous he had never even thought about it.

He is impulsive and stubborn and he acts without thinking about the consequences because he thinks he is inconsequential, he thinks there won't be repercussions to his actions because no one cares about him.

He’s wrong, he knows that now. He’s been working on it.

He apologized to Lucas for making him feel left out just for liking sports, to Dustin for leaving him alone and scaring the shit out of him, and to his uncle for not going to him for help. 

And Steve had been the one who, during their heartfelt chats late at night, had helped him see how important he was, how the things he did mattered.

Which made the fact that his latest impulsive mistake had hurt him of all people so much worst.

So Eddie is impulsive and stubborn and when he gets an idea in his head is hard to make him change his mind. And when he wants to do something, he needs to do it now.

This is why, after Gareth, Frank, and Jeff came to talk to him and told him Steve thinks Eddie doesn't care about him and that he needs to fix that, he standing here outside Steve’s home at 11:10 at night throwing pebbles at his window.

Even though Jeff told him it could wait until tomorrow, that he waited this long already, and that Steve was probably sleeping.

But Eddie made a mistake and he knows how to fix it now so he needs to fix it now.

At 11.11 Steve opens his window and glares at him, then sighs and drops his chin on his chest and takes a deep breath, like he’s praying for patience, and it's something he’s so used to Steve doing when Eddie says or does something dumb, it makes him smile. 

Steve moves from the window and Eddie walks to the door, hoping Steve is going to open it and not ignore him leaving him outside.

When he opens the door Eddie has to suppress a gasp because fuck he missed him. Steve is just wearing sweatpants and a tank top and he’s rubbing his eyes, glaring at him, not angrily, but annoyed, at being woken up probably. And he looks fucking beautiful. He is so fucking beautiful.

“You were sleeping,” Eddie says stupidly.

“What do you want Eddie?” Steve questions, but moves away from the door, an invitation.

“I’m sorry” 

“It’s fine Eddie, I wasn't sleeping”

“No, I'm sorry,” Eddie says again standing in front of Steve as soon as he closes the door.

Steve cocks his head confused but then frowns “I- I don’t need you to apologize for that” He scoffs but he looks embarrassed and he hugs himself like he’s putting a barrier between himself and Eddie.

“I’m not. I’m apologizing for the after, and the before,” Eddie tells him, “I’m sorry it took me so long to come and talk to you. I thought you were mad at me and I didn't know what to do. I was scared because I don’t know how to explain myself and I’m sorry I made you feel like I didn’t care, or like you didn’t matter because you matter so much to me, Steve. To the boys too if the amount of shit I’ve received this last week is any indication.”

He pauses to smile shyly at Steve when he hears a faint chuckle at that, then takes a deep breath and keeps going,

“And I'm sorry about the before because I should’ve been paying more attention, I was so lost I’m own little world where you are too good to be true, too good for me and I didn't even think about how you felt. How you could’ve felt about me and I should've realized that you liked me back and I should’ve kissed you, Steve! When I saw you there, looking like a fucking dream in those jeans, wearing a shirt with my stupid band name on it, I should've kissed you”

He’s panting when he finishes his rant, not from lack of air but from the amount of passion in his speech. He’s been looking anywhere but at Steve as he talked, but now that he’s done he finally looks at him.

And Steve is looking back, mouth slightly open and eyes huge and unblinking, and then he abruptly surges forward, grabs Eddie’s face, one hand on the back of his neck the other on his cheek, and kisses him.

Eddie instantly melts into it, he kisses him back with all he has, and pours everything he feels into it, and Steve moans when he licks inside his mouth and it’s absolutely wonderful but then, just as suddenly as he kissed him, he pushes him away. It startles Eddie so much he stumbles and almost falls.

“Fuck!” no- just”

“Steve?”

“Just wait, because I need to make sure, Eddie,” Steve says crossing his arms again and staring him in the eyes, “What exactly are you saying?” he asks.

Eddie looks at him praying he says the right thing, “I’m saying I love you and I want to be with you and I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you” 

“And?” Steve says but there’s a hint of a smile on his lips and Eddie feels hopeful he’s on the right track. 

“And… I’m sorry I kissed that girl?” He tries.

“Damn right you are, and?” 

“And I’m not going to do something like that again?” Eddie says smiling back.

But then Steve’s smile is gone and looks seriously at him, “If we are doing this Eddie, if I’m going to give you my heart, you need to promise, promise you’ll be careful with it because-” And he stops talking, leaves the rest unsaid but Eddie understands what he means. 

And he’s impulsive but not about this, not about loving Steve and he’s stubborn and so very determined to treat him right. 

He moves close again and puts one hand on Steve's cheek, feeling him nuzzle into it as he places his other hand on his chest, right where his heart is.

Looks him in the eye when he says. “I promise” and this time, when they kiss, Steve doesn’t push him away but closer instead.

fin

part one

part two

part three

part four

part five (you are here!)

☕🥐💕 cafecito?

[viirazu]

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Hello! Hope you don't mind the random ask 🥺 You said after the newest episode that Mushitarou is one of your favorite BSD characters; could you talk a little about your thoughts on him/why you love him/his arc? He's one of my favorites too, and it makes me so so sad how underrated he is, because imo he's one of the most well-written and tragic characters in the entire series, despite how little screentime (pagetime?) he gets :' ) I wish more people would talk about him. Really hope that changes after the next episode 💚

I honestly almost screamed when I got this ask YES I CAN TALK ABOUT MUSHITARO. I CAN TALK ABOUT HIM ALL DAY.

Ok well first of all he is the poor little meow meow. Pathetic scrunkly man. I'm sorry but you can't deny that it's true. Even in-universe, it's like he's the BSD world's chew toy. He keeps getting kidnapped by different organizations with like. No breathing room in between. Give him a BREAK. Funnily enough, I enjoy and usually like to poke fun at these kinds of characters, but they're not typically my favourites. Mushitaro is, by far, an exception to my usual favourite character types.

Second, I am a lover of bittersweet tragic storylines. Yeah. Honestly, the way the storyline built to the slow reveal - I knew immediately after Poe mentioned the water droplets that they were his tears, and I was starting to suspect what was really going on, but the way it was unraveled was so, so painful and beautifully done. Even knowing it was coming today when I watched the episode, it still hurt.

Thirdly, Mushitaro's circumstances raise some intriguing questions we still don't have answered. He was captured by the Seventh Agency and made to work for them with his ability - he considers them a worse alternative to Dostoevsky and refers to them as tyrants. (We also know of another shadowy organization that takes on ability users with useful skills for nefarious purposes, V. V also somehow managed to not be discovered by either the government or Ranpo in 13 years. I'm not saying there's a connection there but... but... there might be. 👀) Anyways, point is, there's stuff goin' on there. And I wanna know. (Also I like the motivation parallels with Ango very much.)

But most of all, I fully agree with you - he is very well-written. What I love most about his character is actually the way his narrative showcases what I believe to be some of the series' character writing's biggest strengths - to excellent (and heartbreaking) effect.

Characters are often revealed to be quite different than what their initial introductions would suggest. Later revelations serve to recontextualize earlier character cues - these early cues are often misleading but not outright lies.

To be clear, this isn't a hard or particularly unique thing in character writing - in fact, this is... kind of a minimum requirement. Your audience should be able to go back after the fact and notice new things about characters that you only get on re-read. But I find BSD is interesting for this because these initial impressions don't frequently tell you what these characters actually value - the "establishing moments" are often incredibly misleading. Mushitaro is an excellent example of this.

The best part of the perfect murder arc is the way it slowly unravels piece by piece - and as it unravels, more and more, we get to see the real Mushitaro. He starts off with these terrifying facial expressions, bragging and boasting about how he is the "detective killer" and how none stand in his way, cackling like a shallow cartoon villain. There's not much there to suggest a deeper character. Then there's the first flash to Yokomizo's murder, and Mushitaro appears to revel in it and the idea that he can't be caught. Another flashback shows him making these arrogant demands of a literal terrorist, like all his tableware being silver and porcelain and having access to a library of occult books for his study. Ok dude. This all paints the picture of a selfish individual, primarily concerned with expensive things and money and image - all things that perfectly fit Ranpo's initial conjecture as to the kind of person behind the Kindaichi murder. And just like Ranpo later says, it's a little too perfect.

The reveal builds slowly but surely, and Mushitaro's built-up image as a dramatic, remorseless murderer crumbles. Because he didn't kill out of hatred at all. He killed Yokomizo because Yokomizo asked him to do so. Because this, and the legacy of a mystery that transcended fiction into reality, was his only friend's dying wish. It was enough for Mushitaro to delay his escape just to fulfill it - what Ranpo refers to as a kind of willing self-destruction.

What Mushitaro ultimately values then is honouring the wishes of those he cares about and repaying those he owes. He will take the secret of Yokomizo's ultimate mystery to his grave. He used what he likely thought were his last moments alive to grab the transceiver and warn Ranpo about the danger the Agency was in. He only decided to trust Ango after Ango admitted his use of the Seventh Agency was to honour Oda's memory and wishes.

So, going back and re-reading his intro again, it becomes more clear that he was suffering from a kind of cognitive dissonance. "But wasn't he just playing the role he was supposed to?" No. He wasn't. The first flashback to Yokomizo's murder is much more violent and ends with Mushitaro cackling and going into a full villain monologue when there is no one else around but him. There's no one to perform this role for - except Mushitaro himself.

Both the killing and the ensuing grief stemmed from the exact same source - Mushitaro loved his friend deeply. But there is, I believe, no small amount of bitterness too, for the way they argued frequently, and the way his friend asked this of him. It's practically irreconcilable in his mind, and so Mushitaro leans into his role as the evil perpetrator who hated Yokomizo to such a degree that I honestly think he started to believe it - Mushitaro, with two narratives in his mind running parallel to each other that are fundamentally conflicting, tried to make a monster of himself. Insisted on being the monster, at least until Ranpo made it impossible for him to deny the true motive behind his actions - protecting his friend's last wish.

Fittingly for the climactic reveal of a mystery storyline that blurs fiction and reality, Mushitaro's real-life grief was his perfect fictional role's undoing.

Is he boastful? Arrogant? A bit of a coward? Absolutely. But Mushitaro is no monstrous villain - he is a man unable to confront his grief over his friend's death, and who, ultimately, doesn't intend any real harm.

Because other than Yokomizo, revealed as an agreed upon assisted suicide - Mushitaro never murdered anyone.

2. Characters are not cured of their pain and trauma. They continue to struggle with it during their development and it actively impacts the way they view and interact with the world around them.

Mushitaro's story is heavily themed around grief and his consistent denial of it's effects on him. At first, he denies by embodying the role Yokomizo wanted him to play - it seems to the point where he legitimately started to lose it. He's slipping when we first meet him. In a weird way, for as much as Ranpo tore his perfect crime apart... I feel like he also saved him, in a sense. The dissonance he was experiencing likely only would've gotten worse if he had not been forced to speak the truth aloud.

After that point... the denial focuses solely on the idea that Mushitaro doesn't miss Yokomizo at all. That he's doing just fine and Yokomizo should be jealous (he's far from fine; he doesn't even see a point in going outside anymore now that he won't be able to see his friend) and that he hated him (he doesn't. he never did. but he has to. he can't deal with it.).

Another thing I really like about his arc is that Mushitaro's grief also clearly stems from the entire thing being traumatic for him - but neither Yokomizo nor Mushitaro are demonized or victimized for this; rather the situation is just shown as it is. It's nice, that the story allows the reader/viewer to draw their own judgements. Both had their reasons for their actions - Yokomizo was already dying and wanted to go out in a way that was meaningful to him, while Mushitaro chose to fulfill this wish in spite of the cost to him. They both mutually self-destructed, in a way.

The narrative doesn't frame either as the villain. It doesn't fully frame either in victimhood either. It's a tragedy all the same.

Mushitaro continues to see and hear Yokomizo wherever he goes, not because he can't get rid of him... but because he never wanted him to be gone in the first place. Stabbing me would hurt less I think. :/

3. Characters often grow and change before they consciously realize it or have any sort of "epiphany".

This ties in a lot with the ongoing theme of uncertainty, and I above all really like this aspect of the series. BSD has characters grow and change and try to be better, do better by themselves and others... without being sure of the outcome. Sometimes before they're ready to consciously admit a change is necessary. There are few epiphanies. The characters are forced to slog through hardship and only then suddenly realize how far they've come - for better or for worse.

Mushitaro does change, even in the short span of time he is a focus character. I love the first little signs of it too - Mushitaro, who doesn't even like mystery novels, uses a trick Yokomizo told him about to help himself, Atsushi and Kyouka escape. Look at him :')

Afterwards, he starts to wonder if he can see Yokomizo whenever he enters a locked room - as in, if connecting to the memory of his friend through what he loved in life will mean that he keeps that memory alive.

And as annoyed as he is with Poe's attempts to get him to write a mystery... a part of him is happy to be around people that he could start to consider his friends. Enough that the Yokomizo he hallucinates wonders if maybe he doesn't need him there anymore. And finally Mushitaro bursts.

But this is actually good. He's finally past that denial phase, the part that had him talking about hate when really he missed him all along. Thing is, he'd already been developing and changing by this point, in that he needed the growth to come to terms with this truth, and it was not the truth that drove the growth.

In a sense, Mushitaro working through his grief and uncertainty led him to a brighter outcome, one where he has more friends and can start anew. He lost the closest person in his life. But his arc continuously asserts that in spite of the fact that he will always miss his friend, Mushitaro himself is still alive. And he should live that life - both moving forward and keeping the memory of his friend with him.

Odasaku believed that writing a novel was to write people. Poe was so insistent on getting him to write because it's a way of seeing the people we want to see anytime we want.

What a beautiful character arc, that began with fiction as an escape from real-life pain, and concluded with fiction as a means to work through it and with it instead.

Plus he's just such a funky little dude.

I. Love. Mushitaro.

[sometimesiwanna-disappear]

im gonna tbh with yall, listening to magnus archives again without the constant fanon bleed and regular discussion etc.... definitely colors it a different way lol! i have more criticisms than i did when i listened to it the first time and it makes me a bit sad because i love it so so soso much. just coming up on the unknowing arc and i'm mentally strapping myself in because i'm realizing things [I dont like jmart very much / would like it MUCH BETTER if martin was actually a twist villain and web aligned i keep seeing the wires johnny i am shaking you by the shoulders DID YOU TAKE WEB ALIGNED EVIL MARTIN FROM US TO APPEASE THE FOUND FAMILY FANFICTION SOFT TEENAGE FANS ..... tell me why jonelias is so much more appealing to me now relistening to it as a grown ass woman . PAIN].

[secondpersonpoetry]

you’ve probably already read it before, but the poem Party by Kim Addonizio really got me tonight. first thought was “oh man. yeah” and then my second thought was “how can i make this about my hockey guys somehow………..”anyway! have a good one! 

oh. oh.

​

[corvuscorona]

SHADOW MONSTER - an Astos playlist

...for when you need to spend about an hour rotating that guy in your mind at top speed, or at least a little faster than chillout speed.

(YouTube playlist here) • (tracklist etc. below the cut)

Needed a playlist I could Think About Astos To while doing chores or whatever & it turned out I had the ammunition I needed to be kinda picky, so I'm sharing it here with all my comrades-in-Astos-scholarship, too! You know, in case you also need some music to Think About Astos To. Which seems possible-to-likely, I think.

I have only included tracks that are reasonably well balanced for Normal Listening (just please forgive me for the PS2 synth horns in "finish the promise" if you can find it in your heart). Also, if you use the YT playlist, Man Human is shorter than it should be, so listen to it twice if you want.

ACT I: IMPETUS

Creep City • Jake Shears I said I'd hang on for the ride / now I'm hanging on for dear life / …is that a real knife? バケモノ信者 (Bakemono Shinja / Monster Believer) • MAIKI-P 人の顔した　バケモノさ / 気づけば僕も　バケモノさ • hito no kao shita bakemono sa / kizukeba boku mo bakemono sa it's a monster with a human face / and now that I think about it, I'm a monster, too 心臓 (Shinzō / Heart[1]) • TOOBOE 蘇ってしまうよ　貴方の為なら幾らでも / 間違いも愛せるよ　馬鹿なもんでさ / 生き��ってしまうよ　貴方がくれた命だから • yomigaette shimau yo anata no tame nara ikura demo / machigai mo aiseru yo baka na monde sa / ikikaette shimau yo anata ga kureta inochidakara for you, I'd revive again and again / loving even the mistakes, fool that I am / I'll come back to life because it's the life you gave me

ACT II: THE PROCESS

Bleed it Out • Linkin Park half the words don't mean a thing / and I know that I won't be satisfied Man Human • Denki Groove for Devilman Crybaby Just One Yesterday • Fall Out Boy I want to teach you a lesson in the worst kind of way / still, I'd trade all my tomorrows…

ACT III: MADNESS

Décolleté • Kenshi Yonezu 兎角疲れました / 数えるから直ぐに消えて • tokaku tsukaremashita / kazoeru kara sugu ni kiete at any rate, I'm exhausted / I'll count, so hurry up and disappear [2] うみなおし (Uminaoshi / Rebirth[3]) • Maretu 君は何も悪くないぜ / (多分) • kimi wa nani mo warukunai ze / (tabun) you've done nothing wrong / (probably) 空想メソロギヰ (Kuusou Mesorogiwi / Fantastical Mesology) • Yousei Teikoku for Future Diary (See [4] below.)

ACT IV: FOR WHAT

A Good Song Never Dies • Saint Motel it just reminds you of where you were / the first time it made you cry / the first time you felt alive… SHADOW MONSTER • Toki Asako 探しものは踊らなきゃ見つからない • sagashimono wa odoranakya mitsukaranai if we don't dance, we won't find what we're looking for.

ACT V: RESOLVE

JUMPER • CAPSULE anger stress and secrets they won't break you wake up put aside you(')r(e) feeling nothing freely speed up landing stepping jumping jump Leave The Light On • Overcoats what if I don't make it home / you're not there, and the light's not on

ACT VI: THE END

still feel. • half•alive when it's hopeless, I start to notice / that I still feel alive finish the promise • MOTOO FUJIWARA for Tales of the Abyss White Light • Superfly for Tales of Zestiria 正解なんてない 間違いなんてない / 塗り替えてゆけ 在るべき世界へ • seikai nante nai machigai nante nai / nurikaete yuke arubeki sekai e there's no such thing as right; there's no such thing as wrong / remake this world into what it should have been

( NOTES )

[1] - Specifically the anatomical term. Metaphorical uses of this word do seem to be a thing, but skew more towards meaning something like "courage" (think "guts" or "spine") as opposed to 心 (kokoro) on its own, which is used for something more like "essence", "spirit", "soul". Incidentally, I highly… HIGHLY recommend watching the MV for this one (Check the YT link before the readmore)! [2] - Eternal plug for vgperson, who has been my source for Kenshi Yonezu lyrics since something like 2010, and is the backbone of society. Check out the full translation there (ctrl+F the title!) to get a feel for this song's whole... vibe (which I'd describe as a very specific flavor of "fuck. god damn it. whatever; leave me alone," which of course is why it's here). [3] - There's a footnote on the Vocaloid Lyrics Wiki page for this song that conveys something interesting about the title; it says: "'Uminaoshi' isn’t a word that’s typically used to mean 'rebirth'; rather, it is a compound made up of a word meaning 'to give birth' and a word that carries the sense of doing something over to fix mistakes, because you messed it up the last time," which is fun, I think. [4] - This song's lyrics are poetic in a way that makes them difficult to interpret as-written, let alone translate in a way that makes literally any sense at all. The official MV does have English subtitles that are NOT auto-translated, though. Those are the most coherent piece of information I can give you (check the YT link before the readmore!) re: why the Future Diary OP is even in this playlist, except for this statement: it's about breaking free of a time loop that's being treated like a game in some way by The Entity In Charge Of It. (And also, it sounds like... you know, like the way that it sounds.)

[empty-blog-for-lurking]

I'm thinkn.. what does ps8 Kuron and Lance's relationship look like after lance wakes up? of course Kuron is Lance's Little Guy TM but also they never really got the chance to truly bond and become friends, and now Kuron is. y'know. being Kuron.. and lance is full of grief and trauma and also The Horrors

i feel like at first its gonna ba at least a little awkward lol

It'll be really fucking awkward for both of them indeed!! But not nearly as awkward. The timeline and the story ideas are not clear but like i feel like there is some shit going on during Lance wakes up and he takes a long time (maybe i'll bring my quintessence ideas for this? Maybe) and when he wakes up he isnt exactly There at first. So like by the time Lance wakes up, Kuron has already had a lot of his character development

And yeah Lance and Kuron is a bit complicated relationship cause like i have said Kuron is grateful for Lance for actually saving him, but also he's a bit angry and most importantly confused cause just why? Why all this? Why now? How did you? What happened to you? And just this confusion that is plaguing since he got his new body.

Meanwhile Lance genuinely cares about Kuron but also is y'know. Busy. Not to mention Lance kinda expected Kuron to be like he was 'used' to be, or rather the rosy eyed version that was Kuron was 'a sweet sensitive guy who can do no wrong and Did Not deserve That' (which isnt wrong but also) (also same with Allura)

But this is something that can be talked out, and it might take some time and development for both of them but by the end i think it's just hugs and a big healing moment for both of them and it would be like a promise to bond and stuff

That being said this isnt exactly final, cause like i said i am still trying to figure out the timeline and story plot and everything so this is very much going to change

[softquietsteadylove]

For the Firefighter AU:

As a reference to the movie, what if Thena gets struck by a lightning while on track. Gil finds her unconscious and carries her back to safety. When Thena wakes, she says she's fine, she doesn't need his help and tries to leave.

Hugs and much love!! ✨🖤

The first thing she noticed was the smell (not bad at all, just...different). The second thing she noticed was that she wasn't in her sleeping bag, on the ground. She was in a bed.

Thena shot up from lying down, her chest tight, gasping for breath.

"Hey!"

That lone woodsman rose slowly from his chair at the far end of the mostly-one-room cabin. He held out his hands, like he would to approach an injured animal.

She glared at him from the bed--his bed, she assumed. "What the fuck am I doing here?"

"Fair question," he attempted to defuse her temper, not moving closer and still crouched as if she would pounce on him and rip his throat out. "I found you out in the field, Wolf."

She tried to remember what was last in her mind, but it was hazy. She remembered being on patrol. She was around the open field when she saw...something--had gone to investigate.

"We got a distress call," he gestured to the radio on his table by the window. "Some campers panicked when they saw the dry lightning. I'm guessing you were in the area."

Thena groaned, shifting on the bed. Now that it was brought up, her shoulder did have a certain burn and sting to it. "This is why I don't fuckin' rescue people anymore."

"Because you get struck by lightning when you do?"

She glared at him. His name was Gilgamesh, and that was about all she knew about him. He was part of wildfire prevention, but when that wasn't an all-hands-on-deck situation he did regular firefighter shit. She didn't think any of her boys from her old unit knew him either. "Almost--almost struck by lightning. If I had been, I'm pretty sure you'd have carried back my dead body."

He apparently didn't think that was very funny.

"Oh, lighten up, big guy," she rolled her eyes at him, making it known that this was not that big a deal. She scooched back to the edge of his - admittedly comfortable - bed. "It's nothing-"

She fell straight forward.

"Hey!" he was there in a second, catching her in that mile-wide chest of his before she could hit the ground. His hands held her arms, careful of her shoulders and back, "will you take it easy?"

Thena growled, trying to push off of him as he carefully and gently leaned her back up to the bed. "Get off me."

"You need to heal, Thena."

She looked up at him, shocked by the use of her name. She couldn't remember actually ever giving it to him, but they all did daily check-ins on the shortwave; none of them were exactly total strangers.

"I haven't applied any salve yet," he said gently, holding her eyes as he helped her sit comfortably. His eyes dashed down to her shoulder, "I figured you'd wanna do that yourself."

Thena snatched her hand away from him, sending him into the kitchen to leave her to it. She felt around her back carefully, immediately feeling the burn holes in her shirt and the open, aggravated blisters on her back as a result.

He was right, it had been very, very close.

She looked in the direction of the kitchen. The big guy really hadn't applied any treatment to her injured skin, probably having carried her and laid her face down on his bed to keep from agitating it further. Even if he was too precious about it to take her shirt off, he could have even just stuck his hand up the bottom and applied some fucking cream or something.

He came back with a steaming mug of something and some pills. "Take these--just ibuprofen."

She continued to watch him as she accepted the offering. He drifted to the far side of the room again, giving her the space to which she was so accustomed. It was indeed just ibuprofen in her hand, and some soup in the mug. Something to put in her stomach.

"I have clean cloths and towels in the bathroom," he pointed to the door situated between the kitchen and whatever room he didn't have his bed tucked away in. "You can wear one of my shirts, or I can go and find your camp and bring your stuff back for you."

She frowned, "slow down there, buddy. You make it sound like I'm checking in."

Gil held her eyes with a similar stubbornness. He crossed his arms (also massive). "You're not going back out there until you're healed."

"Oh, I'm not?" she snarled at him. He was the one who called her the White Wolf--well, most did, these days. All the more reason for him not to expect her to be cooped up like this.

"Look," he huffed, leaning off the chair and drifting towards the door already. "I'll stay at the station, I'll give you your space. But you need real treatment, Thena. Your back has open wounds on it, I'm not sending you back out into the woods."

She held his eyes. She would love to tell him to fuck right off and storm right out. But it seemed she was neither up to walking by herself, not able to reach the entirety of her wounds, at the moment. He was right; she was in no condition to go back to her base camp and sleep on a potential infection.

He seemed to understand what her silence meant and stepped away from the door, "well?"

She still wasn't sure about waking up in some stranger's bed and making herself right at fucking home. But she supposed she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. At the very least, she would see what tomorrow brought. "You offering to wash my back for me?"

He blushed.

Thena bit back a smile. That was why he hadn't administered first aid to her while she was unconscious? Because he was a sweet little gentleman?

He caught her holding back her amusement and rolled his eyes, "okay, okay."

Thena let out just a little laughter as he drifted to his bathroom and she heard the tap start. "I'll just-"

"The fuck you will."

She tried not to laugh. He was kind of cute when he was cranky.

Gil emerged with a towel thrown over his shoulder. He walked over to the bed, holding out his hand, "come on."

She sighed; she really didn't like having to lean on someone like this. Literally--using his outstretched hand like a fucking cane. "Ugh."

"Yeah, yeah, fuckin' sucks, I get it," he muttered as he helped her drag herself to the bathroom. He had a towel folded on top of the toilet seat, lowering her down to it. "Look, my eyes will be closed the whole time. You direct me as needed, okay?"

Thena looked up at him but his eyes were already fucking closed. She snorted, "y'know, if you're this shy, I'm sure I can mange."

"Just squeeze the fuckin' aloe out, Wolf."

Thena had to admit, at least this was more amusing than trying to treat this herself in her tent back at base camp. She pulled her shirt over her head and unhooked her bra with a grunt. "You sure you don't want a little peek?--for your troubles?"

Poor guy didn't even dignify her teasing with a response.

Didn't have to; his ears were bright pink.

Thena smiled to herself (since his eyes were closed, and all). She accepted his warm, damp cloth first, pressing it to her shoulder, "sorry, I'll give you a break."

He just sighed, moving closer with the disinfectant.

[talentforlying]

boston brand: they say the third time's the charm. so what do you make of constantine? tim hunter: he's all right, i spose — easier to talk to than the other three. only thing i can't figure out is how we get from place to place ... boston brand: that one's easy, kiddo. he's riding the synchronicity freeway, and so everything just falls into place; time, movement, even distance just sit up and beg for him. you're having an adventure, kiddo. if you survive it, it'll be fun.

books of magic still has the most batshit way i've ever seen constantine's synchronicity wave traveling abilities showcased, actually.

for frame of reference, most of the hellblazer writers usually apply the concept of surfing the synchronicity highway in much smaller ways: namely constantine's uncanny ability to stumble across significant events/people/artifacts, or winning at gambling 100% of the time he chooses to. but books of magic has him doing shit like bending time and space to breeze both him and tim from a new york street onto a cross-country flight with no one questioning how they just ended up appearing in seats assigned to them.

so either constantine is showboating to absolute fuck for the sake of making a killer first impression (extremely plausible), or he's REALLY taking it easy with his use of magic most of the time.

[corrodedcoughin]

I’m absolutely not the person to do it but I feel like there could be such a good steddie Drabble or fic based on spooky by dusty Springfield

The first verse based on how Steve sees Eddie, trying to use his old tactics of playing hard to get when Eddie asks him round to watch the movie he rents from family video. Thinking that if he plays his cards right he might finally get Eddie’s attention. Unsure of how to go about it any other way but absolutely knows with certainty that nobody else is going to compare to the strange and endearing guy who’s had Steve’s attention for far longer than either of them realise.

(But the thing is Dustin told Eddie all of the flirting advice Steve tried to pass on. So when Steve changes his initial ‘no’ to an ‘alright’ with a smirk eddie thinks and hopes and prays he might be in with a chance)

The second verse is Eddie watching steve at work and day to day. Completely unsure of how to take the ex-mr popular, convinced that he’s flirting with everybody that comes into his vicinity and it’s either through mercy or for his sins that Eddie is catching the strays. In two minds about what dustin said, is this part of Steve’s game or is it real? But this time when Eddie gets lost in those spiralling thoughts, Steve grabs his hand and smiles at him. Eddie’s flurry of doubt stops and all he sees is the contradiction of Steve with his neck scar and polo shirts.

Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little boy like you 🎶

[paimonial-rage]

what do you think was the biggest culture shock for thoma when he came to inazuma? -- @milkstore

[Character Analysis Ask Meme]

What do you think was the biggest culture shock when Thoma came to Inazuma?

Honestly, I think the biggest culture shock Thoma had upon coming to Inazuma was, well, the culture. It’s mentioned multiple times in his lore that he came from a very carefree and happy atmosphere, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise to us seeing how Mondstadtans are in general. However, Inazumans are not like that. The majority of them are not outgoing. There’s an increased level of pride and a sense of duty.  While Thoma is generally liked, his lore does state that not everyone is his fan. He was the subject of strange looks and gossip. In his hangout, some people see him as the kind of person that schmoozes his way through life. He’s even seen as a threat to the samurai spirit.  The culture shock for Thoma would be realizing that the way he brought up isn’t necessarily culturally acceptable in every place. His friendliness, though good in Mondstadt, is more of a source of distrust in Inazuma. I have no doubt that probably during his first few years in Inazuma, he had to make the decision whether to stick true to his Mondstadt roots or to change himself to become more like his Inazuman heritage.

[griefabyss69]

Hey friend, sketch request! Anything of Eddie with any type of gag in is cool with me: messier the better 😈

It's up to you if that's just spit or not 👀 Thanks for the request!!! <3

---

[ID: A drawing of Eddie Munson from Stranger Things. He's visible from the waist up, arms bound behind the back and a tank top drawn up under his armpits. He's wearing a red ball-gag with straps going around his head and under his chin. Clear liquid is spilling down his lips and flowing downwards over his chest. His head is slightly tilted backwards, his eyes closed and and his face, neck and chest are blushing. End ID]

[ronanlynchbf]

hell day today and i'm only two hours into my EIGHT HOUR SHIFT

[slutabed]

also fully believe that all the songs eddie writes are hardcore metal and sound like the kind of Black Sabbath-inspired rock that would scare the shit out of his conservative town

but all his lyrics just sound like “golden boy” by the mountain goats and are about like the most earnest goofy shit imaginable without a hint of irony

like just full on sick guitar solo like he does in the upside down, cymbals crashing, killer bass line, slamming drums and then he’s just screaming lyrics that all sound like “THERE ARE NO PAN-ASIAN SUPERMARKETS DOWN IN HELLLL, SO YOU CAN’T! BUY! GOLDEN! BOY! PEANUTS!”

[just-slightly-chayotic]

If you had to pick ONE Jeff Satur song to listen to - and you weren't allowed to listen to any others ever again - which one would you pick?

anon, did you wake up and just decide to choose violence today?

i got this ask halfway through class, and whatever thoughts i might have had about sappho and fragment 16, left my head immediately, and, instead, were replaced by analysing every single jeff satur song, and trying to decide which one i really couldn't live without.

the answer is all of them. i would simply die.

but that's cheating. so, and trust me, it physically pains me to pick one, i have to say Stranger.

[fle4floves]

no one loves you, your family probably disowned you, you should kill yourself RIGHT now because your death wouldn't affect ANYONE. in fact everyone is going to celebrate your death because of how annoying and horrible you were. words can't express how much I hate you.