#but these are some main things that come to mind

[carnalcrows]

EX MARKS THE SPOT — THANOS

pairing: plug!thanos x male!reader

synopsis: After a messy breakup, you turn to Thanos, a dangerously smooth dealer in a suit, for more than just supplies—and somehow end up making your ex jealous while questioning your life choices (and his cologne).

content warnings: 18+, bottom male reader, drug usage, mentions of alcohol, myung-gi is reader's ex, marijuana, drunk sex, riding, shot-gunning, breeding, creampie, myung-gi is an asshole.

word count: 2.2k

A/N: this is hands down the funniest thing i've ever written lol. enjoy!!

Texting your ex always felt like poking a bear—pointless, frustrating, and dangerous. Yet, here you were, staring at a string of messages from Myung-gi, your recently demoted ex-boyfriend, as he passive-aggressively reminded you of all the things you’d “lost” when he left.

“Good luck finding anyone who’ll put up with you. Or supply you. 😊”

The nerve. You could practically hear his smug tone through the screen, and it made you want to chuck your phone into the nearest body of water. This man had cheated on you, lied about it, and somehow still had the audacity to act like you were the problem.

You rolled your eyes so hard you swore you saw the back of your skull. Myung-gi might’ve taken his flashy car, his designer cologne, and—worst of all—his “supplier,” but there was no way you’d let him hold your good times hostage.

Still, it was hard not to get irritated. Myung-gi always had a way of making your blood boil while somehow convincing you it was your fault. He was like an evil mastermind but dumber, pettier, and with terrible taste in socks. (Who wears neon argyle with loafers? Seriously.)

You shoved those thoughts aside and scrolled through your contacts. A friend had slipped you a number a few days ago, prefaced with, “This guy’s the best in town. Professional. Discreet. Just… don’t piss him off.” You hadn’t planned on using it, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

You took a deep breath and typed out a message:

You: “Hey. Got your number from a friend. Need to talk.”

The reply came almost instantly, which was mildly unsettling.

Unknown Number: “Come to 10th & Main. 9 PM. Cash only.”

Straight to the point. No pleasantries. Not even a "Hello."

You hesitated for a moment before typing back:

You: “Cool. What’s your name?”

Unknown Number: “Thanos.”

You stared at your screen, blinking slowly. Thanos? Thanos? Like the purple guy from the Avengers? What kind of name was that?  Was this some kind of joke? You half-expected his next message to be something like, “Bring me the Infinity Stones,” or, “I hope you enjoy dust.”

A dozen questions raced through your mind. Should you be scared? Impressed? Concerned he might snap his fingers and wipe out half your neighborhood? You weren’t sure if you were meeting a dealer or the final boss of a video game.

After a long moment of contemplation—and a quick Google search to make sure “Thanos” wasn’t slang for something illegal—you decided to go for it. Worst-case scenario, you’d die in an alley, and Myung-gi would probably gloat at your funeral. Best-case scenario? You’d have a cool story to tell.

With a sigh, you texted back:

You: “Alright. See you then.”

Unknown Number: “Wear something cute.”

Your jaw dropped. Was he… flirting? With you? Oh, this was going to be interesting.

When you showed up at the alley, you immediately regretted your decision. Thanos was leaning against the wall, his lean frame illuminated by the dim, flickering streetlight. His head gleamed like a polished amethyst, and his piercing gaze locked onto you the moment you stepped into view.

“So,” he said, his deep voice rolling over you like a summer storm. “You’re the newbie.”

You swallowed hard, clutching the cash in your pocket. “Uh, yeah. I guess.”

He pushed off the wall, his towering presence somehow even more overwhelming up close. His suit, far too nice for a back-alley transaction, clung to his broad shoulders like it was tailor-made.

“You guess?” he repeated, tilting his head with an amused smirk. “Pretty boy doesn’t know what he wants?”

Your brain short-circuited for a moment. “I’m here for… you know… the stuff.”

His grin widened, and he handed you a small bag of green nuggets. “Relax, sweetheart. I’m not gonna bite. Unless you want me to.”

Your face flushed, but you tried to play it cool. “Thanks,” you muttered, already turning to leave.

“Hold up,” Thanos called out, stopping you in your tracks. “Do you even know what to do with it?”

You hesitated, clutching the bag like it was a live grenade. “Uh… yeah?”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Don’t lie to me, pretty boy. Come on.” He gestured for you to follow him, and before you could protest, he was walking toward a nearby bench under the dim streetlight.

You trailed after him, curiosity outweighing your embarrassment. He sat down, pulling out a rolling tray, papers, and a grinder like he was some kind of cannabis sommelier.

“Watch and learn,” he said, his hands moving with surprising finesse as he broke down the green nuggets and ground them up. He sprinkled the freshly ground product into the paper, rolled it up with precision, and sealed it with a quick lick.

“There,” he said, holding up the perfect joint like it was a masterpiece. “Now you try.”

“I—uh—I don’t know if I can…”

“You can,” he said firmly, pushing the supplies toward you. His large hands hovered near yours as you awkwardly tried to mimic his movements. Your fingers fumbled with the paper, and you could feel his amused gaze on you the whole time.

“Here,” he said, reaching over to guide your hands. His touch was warm, steadying. “Like this. Don’t roll it too tight. You want it to burn evenly.”

You felt your pulse quicken as his fingers brushed against yours. By the time you managed to produce something vaguely resembling a joint, you were red-faced and flustered.

“Not bad for a first-timer,” he said with a chuckle, lighting your creation and taking a slow, deliberate drag before handing it to you. “See? Not so hard.”

You took a hesitant puff, coughing immediately, which earned a laugh from Thanos. “Easy there, sweetheart. No need to impress me.”

As you recovered, he leaned back against the bench, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “You’re cute when you’re trying too hard, you know that?”

You didn’t know how to respond to that, so you just focused on not coughing up a lung.

Thanos grinned, watching you with that same predatory confidence. “Don’t be a stranger, pretty boy. You’re fun.”

A few days later, you found yourself at a house party you didn’t even want to attend. The music was loud, the drinks were cheap, and the pool in the backyard looked way more inviting than the sweaty chaos inside. You’d planted yourself there, floating in the shallow end with a Bacardi in hand, silently regretting your decision to show up.

And then, of course, he appeared. Myung-gi . Your ex was lounging by the pool with his new girlfriend—a painfully perfect, Instagram-model type who looked like she’d never experienced a bad hair day. He was laughing loudly, probably for your benefit, his arm slung around her like he wanted to rub it in your face.

You downed the rest of your drink in one go and muttered to yourself, “Great. Just great.”

“Trouble in paradise?”

You turned at the sound of the deep, familiar voice, and your jaw almost hit the water. There, standing at the edge of the pool, was Thanos. He looked unfairly good—white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark slacks that hugged his thighs in all the right ways, and that same smirk that made you question all your life choices.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, your voice coming out more surprised than accusatory.

He crouched down, his golden watch glinting in the moonlight. “Got invited. Seems I’m more popular than I thought. But seeing you here? That’s a bonus.”

Your face heated, and you quickly looked away. “Well, enjoy the party.”

“Not until you stop sulking.” His gaze flicked to Myung-gi and back to you. “Ah. That explains it.”

“Explains what?”

“You’re sitting here like a kicked puppy because of him.” He gestured toward your ex with a tilt of his head. “Pathetic, honestly.”

You bristled. “I am not sulking.”

“Sure you’re not.” Thanos chuckled, then slid off his shoes and rolled up his pants, stepping into the pool like he owned the place. The water rippled as he waded closer, stopping just a foot away. “Wanna make him jealous?”

You blinked. “What?”

“You heard me.” He leaned in slightly, his smirk downright devilish. “We could give him a little show. Something to really stew over.”

Your heart raced. “You’re kidding.”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?” He cocked an eyebrow, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

You glanced over at Myung-gi . He wasn’t looking now, but the idea of wiping that smug grin off his face was very appealing. You turned back to Thanos, who was watching you with an expectant look, and something in his confidence made you throw caution to the wind.

“Fine,” you said, your voice steady despite the flutter in your chest. “Let’s do it.”

His grin widened. “Atta boy.”

Before you could second-guess yourself, Thanos closed the distance between you, one hand cupping the back of your neck as his lips met yours. The kiss was anything but subtle—his mouth moved against yours with a ferocity that left you breathless, his other hand gripping your waist as if to anchor you to him.

The water lapped around you, the sounds of the party fading into the background as you lost yourself in the moment. His lips were soft but commanding, his teeth grazing your bottom lip just enough to make you gasp.

You vaguely heard the sound of spluttering from the side of the pool, and when you opened your eyes, you saw Myung-gi standing there, his face a mixture of shock and rage.

Thanos pulled back just enough to speak, his lips brushing against yours as he murmured, “Think he’s mad yet?”

You glanced at Myung-gi , who looked like he was about to explode, and couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, he’s pissed.”

“Good.” Thanos grinned, pressing another kiss to your lips, this one slower, almost teasing. “Serves him right.”

By the time you finally broke apart, Myung-gi had stormed off, dragging his bewildered girlfriend behind him like a kid throwing a tantrum in a grocery store. You barely noticed, too caught up in the heat of the moment and the rush of adrenaline coursing through you.

Thanos leaned in close, his breath warm against your ear as he murmured, “You’re welcome.”

“For what?” you managed to ask, your voice a little shaky as you tried to play it cool.

“For reminding him that he downgraded,” Thanos replied with a smirk, his thumb brushing a stray drop of water from your jaw.

You let out a breathy laugh, shaking your head. “You’re so full of yourself.”

He tilted his head, his piercing gaze making your pulse quicken. “And yet, you’re still here.”

Before you could come up with a witty retort, he reached out and took your hand, pulling you out of the pool with an effortless strength that left you momentarily flustered.

“Come on,” he said, his voice dropping an octave, rich and enticing. “Let’s find somewhere quieter.”

You hesitated for half a second before nodding, letting him lead you away from the crowd and the noise of the party. Your heart pounded as he guided you down a dimly lit hallway, past closed doors and muffled laughter, until he pushed one open and gestured for you to step inside.

The room was cozy and dim, the faint scent of lavender lingering in the air. As the door clicked shut behind you, the weight of the moment settled over you, thick and electric. Thanos leaned back against the door, his smirk softening into something more genuine.

“You good?” he asked, his deep voice cutting through the silence.

You nodded, your breath hitching slightly. “Yeah.”

He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming in the best way possible, and as his lips found yours again, all thoughts of Myung-gi —or anyone else—faded away.

You didn’t know how you ended up in this position. Or maybe you wanted it to happen. The booze and the weed had certainly gotten to your head.

Thanos was puffing on a blunt while you rode him, bouncing up and down on his cock with fervour.

“That’s it my boy…Taking it like a champ,” he mutters, the praise going straight down to your dick.

The hand that wasn’t holding the blunt was wrapped around your waist, guiding your hips on his length. He slowly took in a slow drag of his blunt while locking eyes with you, his dark orbs stained with red from all the substance. It certainly was a sight to see.

He pressed his mouth to yours, shot-gunning the smoke straight to your throat as you inhaled. You had gotten slightly better with the weed by now, so thankfully, you didn’t start coughing all over the place.

Your pace on his dick slowly sped up, you were at the brink of an orgasm. “Fuck… cum for me baby,” Thanos groans as his grip on your waist tightens. He takes another long drag of his blunt, before handing it to you.

You feel the scent of the herb hitting the back of your throat, and with that, you climax all over the purple-haired man’s stomach with your eyes rolling to the back of your head. Thanos releases soon after, painting your insides white.

You bask in the after-glow of mind blowing sex, lazily leaning forward on Thanos’ shoulder. The click of the doorknob alerts the man, who looks at a fuming Myung-gi and his still-confused girlfriend (the poor thing).

“Rise and shine my boy, I think we have an audience~”

© carnalcrows on tumblr. Please do not steal my works as I spend time and and I take genuine effort to do them.

[paroslineage]

Being Their Girlfriend Would Include :

Recruiter Edition.

Series Masterlist.

Main Masterlist.

GORE WARNING.

This man comes with a warning of his own.

Hella POSSESIVE.

This man is a smug bastard especially to others and considers them trash but when it comes to you he's suddenly a most well mannered person you have ever met ✨.

Has a GOD LEVEL PATIENCE.

Makes the most watering dishes for you and in doing so wears a cute apron and becomes a cute househusband all for you 🤸.

One time, a slick man thought he could get away by taking panty shots of you being unbeknownst and found himself kidnapped, gagged and bound and in front of him stood your boyfriend with a sadistic calm expression and his revolver.

And the next thing the man knew was he had his blood and brains splattered on the wall behind him like a abstract art.

Afterwards he dumped the man in the incinerator and left him to burn along with his cracked phone periodt.

Will break anyone's bone and disfigure them if some distresses you in any manner just say the word and the person is no longer in existence.

Is extremly touch starved.

Is a big spoon but wouldnt mind being the little spoon.

would hold you close and hum you to sleep if you're stressed or burned out.

He just doesn't want to lose you ❤️‍🩹.

[chris-prank]

Hi, sorry if this is awkward but I’ve never sent an ask before 😭

I really like your series with Jacce, and I was wondering if you could write something (nsfw) with him receiving. Maybe some nipple play or pegging? Writhing around on the floor after writing this

Your ask wasn’t awkward at all don’t worry 💪🏻

And I can totally write about Jacce being on the receiving end (I’m keeping the nipple play for his main story, you guys will see what I mean later😏)

CW: NSFW, top reader, dom reader, sub yandere and teasing

It’s gender neutral so you can imagine that reader as a biological dick or a strap on.

･*:.｡..｡.:*･*:.｡..｡.:*･

You were convinced you never saw Jacce trembling with this much excitement before, and that was saying a lot as he was always a horny mess when it came to you. You figured that it was because the roles were different this time around. You were in fact the one topping, something that you two wanted for a long time, but both parties had been too awkward to bring it up first. It all boiled down to Jacce intimidating size. You feared rejection at the suggestion of dicking him down, thinking he wouldn’t want to be in such a vulnerable position.

But there he was, laid out before you like a five star Michelin dish, with oil covering his erected shaft and all the way down to his hole. The latter was perfectly exposed to your eyes since Jacce had his legs spread out on each side, shuddering in anticipation every two seconds. You were perfectly lined up between them, your tip brushing against his asshole occasionally, and every time it did, you could hear the faintest whines coming from him. Seeing Jacce so eager for you and your cock made you want to turn him into a complete mess, as mean as it sounded.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you wanted this sooner?” You punctuated your question by finally sliding it in.

At the sudden feeling of his muscle widening, Jacce’s back lifted off the bed in a beautiful arch. “Haah! I-I just didn’t think you… Mmf... you would want to…”

“And why is that?”

“Be-Because… Ngff… I’m tall and-and hairy—” Seeing tears forming in the corner of his eyes you cupped his cheek, cutting him short in his self-deprecation.

“Don’t worry, it's even better that you’re big and hairy.” You leaned down to kiss the tears away, while moving your hips at a leisure pace, “because it’s more satisfying to turn you into a stupid slut that way.”

Jacce moaned at the mix of insults and compliments, while wrapping his legs around your hips to keep you close, pushing your shaft deeper into him as a result. You cooed some more reassuring words into his ear right until your pelvis was flush against him. Glancing down between your two bodies, you grinned.

“You greedy little thing.”

You leaned back again, wanting to have his whole body and face in your field of view. It made the man weakly reach for you with a small frown, so you gratefully took his hand, intertwining your fingers. With your free hand, you petted up his happy trail in a repetitive motion, just like someone would do to a pet they found irresistible. It was humorous how the tip of his cock would reach your arm and graze it subtly. That’s when your fingers meet a small bump on his stomach. Your brain didn’t even have the time to register what it was that Jacce cried out an ear scratching moan, his eyes rolling back in his skull.

You were stunned for a good moment, but soon you decided to try out a theory, pulling your hips back, while keeping your palm on his lower stomach, you met with his ass once again with a swift thrust. Just like you suspected, every time you pulled out of him the small bump would disappear then reappear once you were back inside, and that brought wicked ideas to your mind. As you now grinded against him, you applied more pressure onto his stomach. The effects were immediate, Jacce’s crossed legs squeezing you tighter and his fingers clenching onto your knuckles. During your administration, you could feel subtle shudders that coursed all over his body as well, including his dick, the tip of it smearing precum onto your forearm. It’s as if you had touched the right button in his brain, making it impossible for him to say anything except pathetic “Ah Ah” and muffled whimpers.

“Feel that puppy? That’s me all the way up there.” You rubbed your palm against it as you spoke, “doesn’t it feel weirdly good in your tummy?”

The mess under you opened his mouth agape in a silent scream, strings of saliva connecting his top and bottom lips. It was indeed an unusual sensation that made it impossible for him to define where the pleasure and the discontent started or ended. Jacce’s mind was also too engulfed in pleasure at the moment to have any sense of self-control or dignity, his tongue lolling out of his mouth without a care of what he might look like. But despite his dazed state, his gaze was still drilled on you at the best of his effort and his grip on your hand stayed strong.

You hoped you could burn this image into your retina forever.

･*:.｡..｡.:*･*:.｡..｡.:*･

Sorry if it took me some time to answer! I wasn’t satisfied with the first draft and completely started over 😅

[keeryhours]

wildflower chapter seven

Eddie Munson x Henderson! female reader, Steve Harrington x reader

Main Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Eddie Munson Masterlist

Steve Harrington Masterlist

Summary:

Eddie springs something on you, and Steve is not happy.

Warnings:

Angst, fighting

Word Count: 3k

A/N:

I hope you enjoy 💕 Thank you so much for your support on this series!

It had been two weeks without any word from Eddie. You felt terrible after he had shown up and found you and Steve after…well. You knew it had hurt him, which is something you never wanted to do, despite your history.

It was another uneventful day at the diner. You had just delivered a tray of drinks to one of your tables when you noticed Chief Jim Hopper coming in and heading your way.

“Hey, Hop,” you greeted with a smile, sitting the empty tray down on the counter. “Where do you want to sit today?”

Hopper approached you with an uncomfortable look on his face. It made you nervous, your eyebrows furrowed as he got closer. He was carrying some papers in his hand. He called you by your full name as he reached you, which he never did.

“…Yeah?” You said, concerned about whatever he was about to drop on you.

Hopper rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I’ve got some papers for you.” He handed you the stack of papers, avoiding your gaze. You’d known Hopper your entire life and he’d never acted like this around you before.

You looked down at the papers. Petition for Establishing Paternity. Signed - Edward Munson.

You looked up at Hopper, eyes wide. “What…what is this?”

Hopper was still avoiding your gaze. “Eddie filed to establish paternity. This is a court order for a DNA sample from both you and Asher.”

Your head spun with this information. Eddie had filed for paternity with the court? You had seriously just been served papers? “What…what does this mean?”

“You’ll have to go to the address on the paper to provide a DNA sample from you and Ash,” Hopper said. “If the DNA proves Eddie is Asher’s father, he’ll be added to the birth certificate and he’ll have paternal rights. He’ll most likely file for joint custody at that point.”

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Eddie hadn’t even talked to you about this. He hadn’t talked to you at all. Was he really so mad at you about Steve that he’d do this? In this way?

You thanked Hopper for coming out here and he gave you a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before he left. You felt like you were in shock. You couldn’t think of anything else as you went on with your day - you felt like you might cry. This was so much all at once. You never would have kept Asher from Eddie, if he had just asked. But adding him to the birth certificate so soon? And having to go to court?

Your mind was still reeling with this information when Steve and Robin showed up after their shift at Family Video. They could tell something was wrong immediately.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked as soon as he reached you. He placed his hands on your shoulders, looking you over like something had happened to you. “What’s going on?”

An equally concerned Robin stood next to him as you sniffled and wiped your eyes. You reached behind the counter and grabbed the stack of papers, handing them to Steve. “Eddie had me served.”

“He what?” Steve said, grabbing the papers from you and looking over them as Robin gasped. He flipped through the papers, getting angrier by the second.

“Why would he do something like that?” Robin asked. “That’s not like Eddie at all.”

You and Steve exchanged a look - you knew exactly why Eddie would do this. He was hurt and angry. Robin didn’t know about you and Steve sleeping together, and you weren’t planning to tell her, at least not yet. Things had already been confusing enough between you and Steve.

“I don’t know,” you said, looking down. “I wish he had talked to me first.”

Steve was clenching his jaw. He handed the papers back to you, turning and walking out of the diner angrily.

“Where are you going?” Robin called, throwing her hands up. “You’re supposed to be my ride home!”

Steve sped into Forest Hills Trailer Park. His car skidded to a stop outside the Munson trailer, and he killed the engine. Eddie’s van was outside. Steve knew he probably should have taken the time to calm down a little, but he wasn’t thinking straight. He climbed out of his car and slammed the door shut, stomping up to the front door and banging on it.

“What the fuck-“ Eddie said as he opened the door, then his eyes went wide. “Steve? What the fuck are you doing here?”

Steve shoved Eddie in the chest, making him stumble backwards. “What the fuck is wrong with you? How could you do this to her?”

Wayne stood up from the couch in shock as Eddie shoved Steve back. “How could you do this to me? Take my place in my son’s life, sleep with my girlfriend?”

“She is not your girlfriend!” Steve yelled back, exasperated. “You left her! And you all but admitted you slept with groupies on the road. You expected her to just wait for you while you did whatever you wanted and come running back whenever you decided to show up again? Whether you knew about Asher or not, you abandoned her!”

Eddie was at a loss for words. “I- that’s my son. He’s not yours. As much as you want him to be.”

Steve clenched his fist. He wanted to take a swing at Eddie so bad. “She missed you, you know? It took her a year to stop talking about you. I bet you didn’t think about her at all.”

“I did think about her,” Eddie said. “I thought about her all the fucking time.”

“Then why did you leave?”

“Why did you fucking sleep with her?” Eddie yelled, the hurt evident in his voice.

“That’s not relevant at all,” Steve said. “She’s a grown woman. She doesn’t owe you anything.”

Wayne jumped in at that point, ever the voice of reason as he tried to defuse the argument. “Eddie, he has a point. Why did you take off and never talk to that girl again? I thought you loved her?”

“I do love her!” Eddie exclaimed. “I love her so fucking much you have no idea.” He pointed a finger at Steve. “You could never even comprehend how much I love her. You could never love her the way I do.”

Steve scoffed. “Yeah, that’s not true, buddy. I’ve been here for her while you were off playing rockstar. I’ve been raising your son.”

It was Eddie’s turn to clench his fist. “That’s only because I didn’t know about him. I love her, and I love Asher.”

“You love her so much you had her served? Instead of just talking to her?” Steve stepped closer to Eddie, getting in his face. “Do you even know how upset she was?”

“Wait,” Wayne said, holding his hand up. “Ed, you had her served?”

“I want to see my son. I have rights.” Eddie said, holding his head up high. He felt like he was completely in the right here, he didn’t think he’d done anything wrong. He wanted custody rights, he wanted to be on the birth certificate. He wanted to be Asher’s father.

“She wants you to be in his life, you fucking idiot! All you had to do was ask! All you had to do was fucking show up for once in your life!” Steve was fuming, adrenaline coursing through his body, ready to fight. “She still misses you. The old you, at least. The one that never would have treated her this way.”

Eddie was speechless once again. Wayne walked over, cautiously putting a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “Eds, you know I love you more than anything, and I’m always in your corner. But you need to grow up before you can be in your son’s life. That poor girl had to grow up a lot faster than she wanted, and she did it on her own.”

Eddie turned to his uncle, his brown doe eyes sad. “But Wayne-“

“No buts. I know the band is important to you, and I know you’ve worked hard. But you need to think long and hard about your decisions. You made a bad call. A petty one. This isn’t about you, or even you and her. It’s about that little boy. You need to be thinking about what’s best for him.”

The words struck Eddie deeply. He always valued his uncle’s advice - he had been a great father figure to him all these years, so he had to know what he was talking about. If anyone knew how to be a father, it was Wayne.

“I just…” Eddie ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve already done it now. I’m going forward with it. If we can agree on custody, we won’t have to go to court. But I’m going forward with getting my name on that birth certificate.”

Steve shook his head, laughing humorlessly. “You’re a selfish prick, Eddie Munson.”

Steve turned around and marched out of the trailer. Moments later, Eddie and Wayne heard his car starting and leaving the driveway. Eddie collapsed onto the couch, his head in his hands.

Maybe he really had fucked up.

Things had been different between you and Steve since sleeping together. You hadn’t done it again, but things were definitely…a little stranger. He had kept his word, and the next morning he drove you straight to the doctor for a morning after pill. As much as you loved Steve, and as much as you loved being Asher’s mom, you weren’t thrilled by the idea of adding another to the mix. The doctor had warned you it wasn’t 100% effective, but it was safer than nothing.

You weren’t ready to jump into a relationship, either. You knew Steve would want that, but he was happy to move at your pace. You weren’t sure what you wanted anymore.

The next day after being served, you had off work so you bundled Asher up and headed to the lab to fulfill the DNA samples. You had been stressing nonstop since you’d been served the papers. You didn’t mind adding Eddie to the birth certificate and giving him partial custody or visitation, but you had wanted to ease into it. He barely even knew Asher still, had only met him the one time. You didn’t want all this to be confusing for him since he was still so young.

You pulled up to the lab and killed the engine, climbing out of the car to get Asher from his car seat. You carried him inside on your hip, walking to reception and handing the paper to the woman working. You were so nervous you felt dizzy and sick to your stomach, like you could vomit at any second.

She asked your name first, then glanced down at the paper. “And this is Asher Henderson?”

“Yes,” you said, the toddler examining the building with curiosity. “It's…not going to be painful, is it?” You hated to put Asher through this at all, but especially if it involved blood work.

“No hon, it’s just a cheek swab,” she said, giving Asher a friendly smile and wave. Asher smiled back cautiously, hiding in your neck as he waved back. “You two can go on back.”

Asher clung to you as you walked to the back, following a nurse to a room. You sat Asher on the table and stood next to him. He eyed the tray with the long cotton swabs, but didn’t fuss since there wasn’t a needle in sight.

The nurse swabbed the inside of both of your cheeks first, showing Asher it wasn’t scary. Then she moved towards him - “Say aaaaaah!” - and you were grateful when he listened. He opened his mouth wide and she got the swabs she needed.

“Great job, little man,” the nurse praised, giving him a high five he happily returned.

You were struck by the most intense nausea at that moment, you almost doubled over and threw up on the floor right there. “Can you watch him?” You asked quickly, before you were sprinting from the room and to the bathroom down the hall, which was mercifully empty. You fell to your knees, emptying the contents of your stomach.

When you were done, you were in shock. You wiped your face with some toilet paper, flushing the toilet and leaning against the wall. You had been worried sick over the thing with Eddie, but you didn’t think it was that bad. It was getting to you more than you thought.

You straightened yourself up and hurried back to the room, where the nurse was letting Asher play with a stethoscope. She turned as you walked in and gave you a reassuring smile as she stood.

“I’m so sorry,” you said, picking up Asher. “Thank you for watching him. I don’t know why that happened.”

She gave you a reassuring squeeze on the arm as she headed out of the room. “It’s okay. I got sick ten times a day when I was pregnant with my daughter.”

“Oh, I’m not-“ You began, but she was already out of the room. You furrowed your brows, thinking maybe you needed a trip to the doctor in case you had the stomach flu. It was about that time of year.

It was also nearing Asher’s 2nd birthday, and you had a party to execute this weekend amongst all this drama. You wondered if you should invite Eddie or if that would be awkward. Ultimately you felt like you should at least extend the invitation - be a bigger person, and all that.

You had planned his birthday party at your mom’s house, since he was still too young for friends the entire guest list could fit comfortably. You’d already ordered the cake, and sent invitations to everyone.

Despite how angry you were at Eddie, you figured he at least deserved to attend his son’s birthday party.

You waited until Asher was tucked safely and cozily into his crib before you reached for the phone. You dialed the number you never forgot, even after all these years.

“Hello?” A voice greeted, familiar and missed.

“Hi Wayne,” you said. “How are you?”

“Well!” He responded, sounding significantly happier once he recognized your voice. “I’ve been alright. How have you been? How’s that little boy?”

“We’re both doing just fine,” you smiled over the phone. “Is Eddie there?”

“Sure is,” he said. “Do you want to talk to him?”

“Please.” You twisted the phone cord around your finger, the nerves creeping up in your stomach again. You’d already thrown up one more time since you’d been home, you didn’t want to do it again.

It was a few seconds of shuffling over the phone before you heard breathing. “Yeah?”

“Hey, Eddie,” you greeted awkwardly. Since you hadn’t spoken to him in so long, not since he caught you with Steve and not since being served, you didn’t know how he felt about you or the situation.

“Oh,” he said, sounding surprised to hear your voice. “Uh…hey.”

“I, uh, just wanted to ask you something,” you began. “Asher’s birthday is coming up and we’re having a party at my mom’s this weekend. I was wondering if you and Wayne wanted to come? The guys are invited too, of course.”

“Oh,” he said again, sounding shocked at the question. “Yeah. I mean, yeah, of course, I would love to go. I know Wayne would, too. I’ll talk to the guys.”

“Okay, cool,” you said, feeling extremely awkward. An equally awkward silence filled the air. Finally, you decided to address the elephant in the room. “I got your papers.”

“Oh..yeah,” he said, and you could practically see the uncomfortable expression on his face. “Yeah, Steve came to, uh…talk to me about that. Listen, I’m real sorry. I didn’t mean to spring it all on you like that.”

“It’s…okay,” you reassured him, although you really didn’t feel like it was. You were still kind of hurt about it. “I mean, you could have just asked.”

“Yeah, yeah, I…I know. I’m sorry.”

You were quiet for a moment. “We went and did the DNA samples today, so I guess that ball is rolling. They said it usually takes two days. And, well, you and I both know he’s yours.”

Eddie laughed lightly. “Yeah. He’s definitely mine. I didn’t have any doubts about that…kid’s my twin.”

His words made you laugh, too. “He sure is. I’ve seen your face every day for the past two years.”

It was silent again as your words hung in the air. Finally, Eddie spoke. “I’m…I’m really sorry. About what I did. Disappearing on you and never calling and all. That was…it was shitty of me. I admit I got caught up in the band and the fame. And I don’t know if you can ever forgive me - hell, I wouldn’t blame you if you couldn’t. But I’m sorry, and I just want you to know that.”

Tears welled in your eyes, a couple escaping and falling down your cheeks. You wiped them away with a sniffle. “Thanks, Eddie. That means a lot…for you to say that.”

“Well, I mean it,” he said. It was quiet again as neither of you knew what to say.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you this weekend at the party,” you said. “I’ll talk to you later?”

“Yeah…talk later.”

You hung up the phone, the lack of an ‘I love you’ feeling odd for the end of a phone call with Eddie. You remembered the nights laying on your bed at home and hogging the phone all night while you chatted with Eddie, totally in love, giggling and kicking your feet as you talked to him.

You still felt sick, so you felt like you should get an early night. You headed to your room, took a quick shower in your en suite bathroom, dried your hair and did your nighttime routine, then got cozy under the blankets. Your mind swam with thoughts of both Eddie and Steve, as you fought off the nausea. Finally, you were able to fall asleep, and get some rest from the mess that was your life.

tag list

@awkward00noodle @american-idiot-jpg @georgeweasleyslostearhq @fandom-princess-forevermore @emxxblog @hopesicle @hellv1ra @whimsiwitchy @avalon-wolf @kellsck @toomuchbucky @sashaphantomhive @losingmygrasponreality @the-disaster-in-waiting @eddiesgirl1944 @ashcal99 @richardsamboramylove55 @ilovetaquitosmmmm @allhailtheslothoverlord @micheledawn1975 @browneyes528 @costellation-hunter @taccobelle @hellmastereddie @siriuslysmoking @princessadriana4-blog @littlemissholy @punkrockmlchael @sadiea20 @seeigotyoubaby @heyyimmisunderstood @xplrnowornever @fandomsearcherforcuntymen @alhaithmss

[yes-no-maybe-soo]

Reminder that Sylus was released with:

6 4 stars & 6 3 stars, while the OG3 had 18 of each

1 bond, while the OG3 had 2

1 anecdote, while the OG3 had 3

1 free companion, while the OG3 had 3

No photobooth background. He only just got it after 6 months

No full stellactrum, as opposed to the OG3. For the longest time, Sylus was missing yellow and red— now he has 2 yellow and 1 red. Of those, 1 yellow was a promise card, thus locked behind a paywall and now no longer available.

In total, as of right now, Sylus has 34 cards, meaning that he still, after half a year, has less cards than the OG3 had upon release (41). Bear in mind that a number of these 34 cards were limited and thus no longer obtainable, while another portion of them are only obtainable through the Silver/Radiant Galaxy. So for new & F2p players, unless they are very lucky, they'll have to make due with the 17 standard cards available. Which makes real progress impossible. Sylus is not only P2W but basically P2P. If you missed out on his limited 5 stars and especially his second myth? You're fucked. B/c he still doesn't have his green 4 star solar pair.

The discrepancy in number of memories compared to the other LIs also means that the likelihood of pulling Sylus cards is drastically lower than the others — ~11-12% VS ~30% according to calculations made by a number of different players both on the CN and global side.

Presumably because of his puny amount of cards, Sylus' orbits are locked at level 80. That means that he has 70 less floors than the OG3. This, paired with his low number of cards, means that raising affinity becomes extremely difficult after a certain point, especially if you can't afford to spend a lot of money.

In addition, Sylus girlies need to spend twice the amount of stamina as other girlies in order to level up cards. Why? Because, in contrast to the OG3, he does not have a Bounty Boss dedicated to his prime Stellas (in his case Pink and Green). This means that we have to fight both Snoozer and Lemonette if we want to level up the majority of his cards.

Sylus girlies have been reaching out to customer service for months about these issues, and have either been given nothingburger replies or been totally ignored. There have been exactly 0 meaningful communication on Paperfold's side. No one is asking them to give us what we're missing tomorrow, but we are asking for some confirmation that our valid concerns are being heard and that the issue will be rectified. But so far... nothing. All that the CN girlies have received as of yet are attempted gaslighting and subtle threats. Is this how you treat any — much less your objectively highest paying — consumers?

I hope everyone can see how blatantly unfair all of this is, and understand why such a large number of us are angry and upset. We have been called greedy and ungrateful, but tell me, how is asking for fairness, for the bare minimum, greedy or ungrateful? We have never asked for special treatment, only equal treatment. The argument that all of this discrepancy in basic content is due to Sylus being "new" has never been and will never be valid.

To end this post on a somewhat hopeful note, the current boycott by the CN Sylus girlies have resulted in a significant drop in daily revenue. One can only hope that this will finally make Paperfold listen and rectify this mess, or at least communicate with their consumers,

Let me remind you that while this issue currently only affects Sylus mains, it will eventually come to affect all of us. B/c if they can get away with this behaviour with one character, then I guarantee you that the other LIs will be next. In fact, from the look of things, Caleb will receive the same treatment.

If you as a global player wish to help do something about all of this, I'd highly recommend writing an email to the company (loveanddeepspace-en@infoldgames.com). Additionally, there is talk of organizing a petition in support of the CN girlies, the link to which I will post on my blog, should it become a reality. While it might be true that global players unfortunately hold little sway, doing something is still better than doing nothing.

If you're curious to learn more, please refer to my pinned post for links and additional info on the situation.

Finally, if you've read all of this, thank you 🙏 I appreciate you for taking the time.

[megalony]

Learn The Signs

A double posting today!!

This is my first time writing for Eddie Munson from Stranger Things, I hope you will all like it. Please send in any requests/ ideas to keep me going.

Taglist: @justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @woderfulkawaii @amberpanda99 @daggersquadphantom @marvel-and-chicago-fan @angryknightstatesmantrash @minjix @lyje @kmc1989 @itsmytimetoodream @noonenuts @hiireadstuff @ashie-babie @classyunknownlover @jayyeahthatsme @sp1ritssz @dumb-fawkin-bitch @oliverstarksbae @gimatida @heart-35 @supernaturalstilinski @kyky9103 @gay4hotmilfs @itshamleth @chaoticnosleepinfluencer @gs29 @wh0reforsmutstuff @mel-vaz @natashamea18 @chrisevansdaughter @alexandra848484 @deena-beena-weena @targaryenluvs @kpoplover-19 @marvelmenarebeautiful @gillybear17

@zoeybennett @mrspeacem1nusone @zephyrmonkey @estella-novella @eleventhdoctorsangel @kniselle @senjoritanana @shauna-carsley @dottierose @cfdhouse51 @darkfemme1 @rainechase45 @lolalolsstuff @jupiter1700 @ashdoctor @an-aliens-ghost @lunaroserites @houseoftwistedspirits @callsignwidow @winterreader-nowwriter @reneinii @bellsbomb @western-pyro @itsgigikay @harry-satellite @midsummereve1993 @babyqueen17 @buckyyyismahhlife @sammiejane22 @mrsyixingunicorn10 @op-81-lvr-reblogs @talicat713 @niamhmbt @strawberry-canyon @bieberhoodforever @911fangirlie @hollandxxmix @jasmineee05

Main Masterlist

Summary: Eddie finds himself growing attached to the new girl who joins their table at lunch. And he learns a few things especially for her to make her feel included and to show his feelings for her.

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took Eddie longer than it should have to realise that there was a new face sat at the table.

He had been stabbing his fork into what he presumed could only be mashed potato, although the colour was closer to grey than it was to fluffy cream and the taste didn't really resemble anything but some kind of bland powder. The meals were never inticing or tasty, but it was simply easier than having to go through the faff of making himself something at home and bringing it along or buying something and keeping it in his bag all morning. By lunch time whatever he brought would be warm, squished or simply inedible.

The slop on his plate was the only option, quite the same as what everyone else seemed to think. And Eddie spent a generous amount of time playing with the mash and pushing the peas around his plate before he glanced his eyes up from where he was sat at the far end of the table.

They all had their assigned seats, it was a silent but nevertheless binding agreement where they would all sit, and Eddie always sat right at the end. The head of the table. The leader of the freaks, as they had come to call themselves. Better say it themselves and say it with pride than let everyone else say it with a sneer.

So when he lifted his head and looked around the table in an effort to reengage with the conversation, he found an unfamiliar party member sat at the table with them.

A brow quirked up in surprise and his head inclined to the side as he stared across at the only girl sitting at their table. The only one who wasn't part of their so called group.

She stood out because she was the only girl sitting with five boys but with that fact aside, she seemed to blend in with them.

She had her cheek resting on her hand and her fingers seemed to be drumming a steady rhythm against her skin like she needed the stimulation to keep herself awake. Her other hand was toying with her sandwich like she wasn't really sure she could stomach it but she knew she would be hungry otherwise.

Her head was cast down looking at her plate and her shoulders were hunched forwards. It was as if she was sat with them, but she was secluded in her own little world at the same time.

Eddie studied her for a lot longer than he should have until the pieces finally clicked in his mind and he realised where he knew her from.

English. The one class that Eddie wasn't failing miserably- which was only thanks to playing DnD because he found it easy to conject those fantasy stories into some sense of coherence when he was in class. Plotting out different worlds and creating those stories were what got him a good enough grade in English to pass the class.

He didn't have the attention span for science. His energy wasn't put to good use in physical ed and he wasn't the smartest in maths, combined with how boring it was which led him to his bad grades.

But English was the one class Eddie was good at and didn't flunk and that was the class where he knew her face from. She sat in front of him in the next row, so Eddie always got to see her side profile when he aimlessly scanned the classroom once he'd finished his assignments.

"Brought a friend to dinner, Henderson?"

All eyes fell to Eddie and that slanted grin on his face as he pointed his fork in (Y/n)'s direction since she hadn't looked up from her plate when he spoke.

Eddie wasn't sure whether his knuckle-head bandmates had blankly hadn't noticed that there was a new person sitting at their table. Or whether they had noticed (Y/n) take a seat but not really figured out that it was someone new, not one of their usual group members.

Either way, the three of them looked over to where (Y/n) was sitting beside Dustin on the end of the table. Their eyes wide as confusion plastered across their faces.

"Oh, um, yeah, this is (Y/n). Is it okay if she sits with us?" Dustin knew he should have asked before telling (Y/n) it would be fine for her to sit with them, but he didn't think it would be a problem. Everyone seemed easy going when it came to accepting new people, after all they had taken Dustin and Mike under their wings immediately when Eddie sourced them out and gave them a place to feel welcomed.

Intrigue pooled in Eddie's eyes as he watched (Y/n). She still looked like she was ignoring them, like she was drifting off in her own world and hadn't even noticed a conversation had begun.

"I suppose, if she's one of us."

When he realised (Y/n) wasn't paying attention, Dustin swiftly prodded his elbow into her side and darted his head to the left in Eddie's direction.

(Y/n) lifted her head and scowled at Dustin when his pointy elbow prodded her chest. But when she realised where he was looking with those wide eyes and that certain look, she realised the rest of the table was looking at them. At her.

The sandwich in her hand flopped back down on the plate and she sat up a bit straighter. She looked around the table, but her eyes kept stopping when she looked at Eddie.

He was smiling, or rather smirking. Her eyes trained on his lips in case he started speaking but he didn't say anything. Instead, his tongue darted across his lower lip and stayed at the corner of his mouth for a few extra seconds. He knew she was watching his lips. He was toying with her.

Finally, he spoke. "Are you one of us?"

The way his smile widened made (Y/n)'s stomach flip and she couldn't quite tear her eyes away from his pale pink lips. She wanted to meet his gaze, she wanted to study every inch of him and get closer to him and take him in fully. She never got to look at him or really see him when they were in English class, and she rarely saw him outside of class either.

But from a distance, she could see a few details about him. (Y/n) could see he had a ring on almost every finger on both hands. She could see the beginning of a chain that disappeared beneath his Hellfire shirt. She noticed a tattoo on his right forearm where his sleeve was rolled up but she couldn't see what it was. She wanted to. She wanted to examine the ink and see what other ones he had hidden beneath those clothes.

(Y/n) wanted to know everything about him.

When her eyes finally managed to tear away from that smirk, she looked up to find her gaze captured with those intense brown eyes that seemed to be growing darker with each passing second.

"What are you?" Her voice was so quiet that Eddie could barely hear her, but still, he smiled.

He leaned forward, fork still in hand, elbows planted down on the table while he rose from his seat to lean over his tray and be closer. To be intimidating, to be daunting and see whether (Y/n) would back away in fear or stay with a smile.

"Broken configurations."

The way Eddie smiled obscured the way his lips moved. He spoke too quietly for (Y/n) to hear and his smile was too wide for her to work out what words he had spoken.

Her eyes narrowed before she turned her head to look at Dustin. She knew she didn't have to say a word for him to know she hadn't quite caught Eddie's words.

"Misfit, freak." (Y/n) knew that wasn't quite what Eddie had said, but she guessed Dustin was simply paraphrasing and whatever Eddie said must be close to what Dustin was implying.

So he wanted to know whether she was one of them or not. Whether she was a broken piece of society that had been pushed to one side.

Couldn't be judge that for himself? Did he really need (Y/n) to answer that?

A coy smile formed on (Y/n)'s lips as she reached down for her sandwich but her eyes never strayed far from Eddie who was still waiting, patiently, for her to give him an answer. "What do you think?"

Her answer clearly hit the right note with Eddie because he grinned, nodded his head towards her once, and then took his seat again.

"Oh, you can stay."

(Y/n) took a bite of her sandwich, satisfied that she wouldn't have to disappear and try to find a new table or a new set of friends to be around.

She wasn't in any of Dustin's classes but she knew him through Nancy and he had quickly become a close friend. Now he was out of middle school (Y/n) would see him more often. She passed him in the halls, saw him when they were each studying in the library and now he had asked if she wanted to join their table at lunch.

Eddie was partly the reason (Y/n) said yes. She didn't think he was the freak that everyone called him. From the little that she had seen and what she knew about him, Eddie seemed rather sweet. He was different, yes, but there was a sensitive side to him that pulled (Y/n) in.

She liked his charisma and how he wasn't afraid to be himself or be silly or make a statement either by what he said, what he wore or how he acted. If they would let her sit with them at lunch, (Y/n) would join them every day.

She took a bite of her sandwich, content that she wasn't an outsider or an invisible party at their table anymore. But her eyes quickly cast to her right and she jumped when she felt Dustin's hand patting her hip.

Her lips morphed into a frown and her eyes narrowed on him as she swatted his hand away, unsure what he was doing.

"Turn it on." He spoke quietly as he pointed to the pack that was hooked onto the waistband of her jeans.

With a grimace, (Y/n) pulled on the wire connected to the pack that looked very similar to a cassette player to show Dustin that the hearing aid wasn't even in her ear. It was tucked away safely in her pocket.

"Too loud." She muttered back while her eyes cast down to her plate when Dustin held his hands up in surrender.

She wasn't going to put her hearing aid in at lunch. (Y/n) didn't want to listen to the sound of people chewing and slurping and coughing as they hogged down their food. She didn't want to have fifty different conversations flooding her mind with hundreds of different tones and volumes and too many words for her to keep track of.

She wore her hearing aids in most of her classes, but sometimes she would turn it down so she could have some peace and quiet to herself.

Without the hearing aid, (Y/n)'s hearing was muffled, like a cassette on the lowest setting with a sock muffling the speaker. That was why when she turned it off, she relied on lip reading to understand what people were saying and what was going on around her.

One of the reasons she got along with Dustin so well was because he was the only one in the gang who knew sign language. He taught some to Mike and Max and Nancy knew the basics, but (Y/n) didn't need sign language very often. Although it was sometimes a relief not to have to focus so hard on reading lips when Dustin or anyone else used sign language with her.

Something struck Eddie's chest as he watched Dustin make some sort of gesture towards (Y/n), which she then reciprocated.

He hadn't known she used a hearing aid; he didn't know she was partially deaf. Really, he couldn't be blamed for that. They only shared one class together and the teacher never called on (Y/n) to answer questions- something Eddie thought was odd at the time.

He had seen the pack on her jeans but he assumed it was a cassette player, and he was sure he had seen her walking round school with headphones on. Maybe she wore them to disguise her hearing aid, or maybe she could hear music if it was on a certain volume.

The moment (Y/n) lifted her head, Eddie realised that he might just have been staring for a bit too long and he quickly ducked his head back down to face his tray instead. He didn't want to seem like a jerk or a creep caught staring at her and he certainly didn't want her to think bad of him when this was her first time sitting with them for lunch.

With her head angled back down to finish her sandwich, (Y/n) let her mind begin to wander while Dustin and Mike started talking about the latest DnD game they would be playing. (Y/n) understood the game and the rules and so on, but it wasn't her kind of thing. She was much like Nancy, she would tolerate the game and try to observe, but she wasn't one for joining in.

With her eyes on the last of her food and her hearing aid turned off, (Y/n) became lost in her own little world and subsequently missed the first part of the tangent that Eddie went off into.

It was only when she finished her food and raised her head to glance around the table that she noticed Eddie had moved.

He was no longer at at the head of the table like the father figure in a family meal. He was instead stood behind his bandmates, an arm looped around each of their shoulders and his head inclined to the side as he stared over at Mike and Dustin.

"…I am army crawling my way to a D in Miss Sloan's class."

The way his hands began to vibrate as he straightened up made him seem like he was suddenly fueled on adrenaline. Like he was a bag of popcorn that was about to pop and explode all over the hall.

(Y/n) liked the excitement that lit up Eddie's face as he spoke. She liked how he became animated so suddenly even though she wasn't sure what had been said to set him off on this tangent. And she liked the grin on his face that mixed with the seriousness in his eyes.

The way he sauntered past the table and moved into the centre of the hall made Eddie look like he owned every ounce of confidence in the school. He looked like he was putting on a show and he was the main star. There was something comforting yet extraordinary about him and his movements.

But when Eddie turned around, (Y/n) was suddenly blank. She couldn't follow the conversation when his back was to her. She couldn't make out what he said, her hearing aid was turned off and without it on, every voice was no louder than that of a mouse in a muffled corner of the room.

She wasn't sure what he said, or who exactly he was trying to swear at when he raised his hand. But she guessed it would be towards the rest of the students in their school or the teachers he didn't like or get along with.

It didn't matter what Eddie said- or the fact that he said he would be flipping off the principal- because to (Y/n), she could still read his enthusiasm and get the gist of what he was talking about. He was on the subject of leaving school.

It was no secret to anyone that Eddie had aged out of school despite the fact that he was still here. He had flunked twice already, this was his third time repeating this last year to try and graduate. (Y/n) hadn't been at this school for long and even she had figured that out. But it didn't bother Eddie. He didn't seem to care that he was trying again and again to graduate, all he cared about was managing to do it and to leave.

When she felt a tap on her shoulder, (Y/n) begrudgingly tore her eyes away from Eddie, who was now parading down the centre of the hall like he was performing in the school play. She looked to Dustin who was trying his best not to burst out into fits of laughter.

'He's going to get his diploma and run out of here.'

Dustin's sign language was a little rusty, he wasn't great at stringing sentences together, he was much better at single words and phrases. But he did his best because Eddie's commentary was too funny for (Y/n) to sit and not understand.

"Didn't you say that last year?"

"And the year before that?"

Eddie spun on his heels as his hands clenched into fists at his sides and he took a deep breath. He didn't need them interrupting his monologue or telling him what he already knew. So maybe he had been a bit too full of himself for the last two years. Maybe he thought he would scrape a diploma when he hadn't done enough work.

But this year was different. He would do it this time. He was so close, all he had to do was a bit of actual revising and he could pass these exams like a it was a fluke and he would be done with this place.

"Yeah, yeah and I was full of shit." He sneered with narrowed eyes and the tiniest smile on his face.

But as he sauntered back towards the table, his eyes narrowed and his chest tightened when he looked over at Dustin.

He watched Dustin point in his direction before the younger boy curled one hand into a fist and waved his other hand from left to right over the top of his fist like he was orchestrating music. But it didn't take Eddie long to work out what Dustin was doing. He was signing something.

There was something about the glee written across Dustin's face that put Eddie off guard as he watched him sign another word. His hand stayed clenched into a fist but his other hand then slapped down on top of his fist, pressing his thumb into the centre of his fist as his hand made a bang as it came down on his fist.

A grin lit up (Y/n)'s face as she looked from Dustin back to Eddie the moment Dustin signed 'full of shit' to her so she knew the whole monologue Eddie had gone off on.

"Henderson, what did you tell her?" Eddie rested his left hand down on the end of the table as he stooped over and pointed his other hand at Dustin before he planted his hand down on his hip.

The way he leaned over her caused (Y/n) to hold her breath deep within her lungs. She felt like she couldn't take one proper breath, let alone get her thoughts in order. She couldn't do anything except tilt her head back so she was looking up into those dark brown eyes that were burning through her and making her melt on the spot.

"I just relayed what you said."

"Full of shit, huh?" (Y/n) barely trusted her voice on a good day when she was at home, but somehow she gained the courage to try and speak now. After all, she had spent years figuring out how to judge her own tone and her pitch when she couldn't exactly hear what she said.

She figured she had whispered her words because no one looked at her or winced or tried to tell her to be quiet. But Eddie heard. She knew he heard by the way his grin spread wider and his eyes dilated as he stared down at her like he was ready to pounce.

"Not this year, I can feel it." He sounded a lot more sincere than he felt, usually it was pride and desperation pushing him when he talked about finishing school. Not today. He could just sense that this year was going to be different, that this was finally going to be his time. His year.

(Y/n) smiled softly when Eddie leaned closer and she folded her arms over the table as her elbow nudged against his palm. "This is your year."

"Our year, you're graduating too aren't you?"

So he did somewhat pay attention in class and to the people around him. He knew (Y/n) was going to be graduating too, and Eddie was in no doubt that she would pass with flying colours and wouldn't face the same struggles he did.

Her eyes followed him as he spun around and perched down on the table so his shoes were tapping and scraping the floor and his hands were now tapping on his thighs. He had a good sense of balance, keeping his back straight as he sat there like a perfect statue with his head angled in (Y/n)'s direction like she was the only person in the room. The only one worth looking at.

If she was going to be sitting at their table from now on, Eddie had a feeling this year was going to be even better.

Eddie didn't know sign language. Maybe he should learn some if (Y/n) was going to be a regular at their table.

***

A nervous grin lit up (Y/n)'s face when she approached the table in the dining hall. It had become second nature for (Y/n) to come and sit at Eddie's table during lunch. The group had taken to her as if she had been one of them since the dawn of time.

They made her feel included and welcome and they didn't make her feel like an outcast when she turned her hearing aid off. They all knew she preferred not to listen to the sounds in the dining hall that they themselves could automatically tune out and make sense of. It was habit now that when she sat down, (Y/n) pointed to her hearing aid before she turned it off and put it in her pocket.

The group would nod and proceed to talk slow and clear and make a point not to speak with their mouths full. Sometimes Dustin would sign a few things, just to make it easier, especially if someone was going off on a rant about something. But it was a normality for them all, they didn't make (Y/n) feel like she was being a burden on them like everyone else did, and that was what she loved about them.

Her fingers tapped nervously against her tray as she moved towards the table, her eyes solely focused on Eddie and Eddie alone. Dustin and Mike weren't at the table yet, they were still in line for their food. (Y/n) wondered how Eddie always managed to be the first one at the table, the first one with his food which seemed to be a priority for him more than getting to class on time.

But when she went towards her usual seat down the other end of the table, she paused when Eddie shook his head.

He wordlessly tilted his head down and drifted his eyes towards the seat next to him before he looked back over at (Y/n).

It took an extra amount of control to stop her hands from shaking and prevent the tray from falling to the floor when she realised what he was implying. Eddie wanted her to sit next to him.

He didn't want to keep sitting away from her. He didn't want to have to lean over the table to get her attention. He didn't want to be far away so that he couldn't even rest a hand on her arm. Eddie wanted (Y/n) as close as he could get her. He wanted her right next to him so he could smell that intoxicating perfume she wore. So he could see those pretty eyes that concentrated so much on his lips when he spoke. So he could see those blushing lips and simply be in her presence.

When he looked at the seat for a second time, (Y/n) found the will to move her legs. She didn't want to think or ask about what the others would say or do when they realised the seating arrangement had changed.

All she thought about was sitting down before Eddie changed his mind.

She set her tray down and took the seat on Eddie's left which would put her next to Mike when he and Dustin eventually turned up- if no one else decided to switch seats too.

Her fingers continued to drum against her tray but when she looked up at Eddie, she found a very sweet grin lighting up his face.

He set down the fork in his hand and leaned closer to her with those intriguing eyes that were sending shivers running up and down (Y/n)'s spine. She couldn't bring herself to look down to his lips when his eyes were locking her in place. She hoped whatever he said would be easy to figure out and wouldn't take much concentration.

Instead of saying anything, Eddie moved his hand instead. (Y/n) wasn't sure what he was doing or if he was doing his signature wave to her which he usually did whenever he saw her around. Which was happening more and more now. She bumped into him in the halls, he offered her rides home and seemed to linger everywhere (Y/n) looked. And she loved it.

Her eyes darted to look at his hand but what he did astounded her.

He pressed his hand near his head and pulled away like he was saluting her. But then he hovered his hand in front of his face with his thumb pointing near his chin, and curled his hand over into a fist like he was grabbing an invisible microphone.

'Hello beautiful.'

She couldn't believe it. He had learned some sign language. (Y/n) had no idea if Eddie had learned the basics, if he had become a sudden wizard or if he only learned certain phrases. Maybe that was the only phrase he had learnt, she had no idea, but it didn't matter.

All that mattered was that Eddie had made the effort. He didn't need to, (Y/n) could speak, she could use her hearing aid most of the time and she could read lips. Eddie didn't technically have to learn any sign language, but he had. He had done that. For her.

(Y/n) realised after a minute that she hadn't responded or made any move at all. She simply sat there with an open mouth and wide eyes, staring at Eddie like he had turned into an alien right in front of her.

If it hadn't been for the light that sparkled in (Y/n)'s eyes, Eddie would have started to panic that he had done that wrong and said something else. Something wrong. But the sparkle in her eyes and the slight quirk of her otherwise gaping mouth told Eddie that he had gotten that correct.

It was only a small sign, a simple gesture that had taken two minutes to learn and perfect, just like the other basic signs he had roughly practised and tried to memorise. Eddie thought it would be a good start to trying to become something more with (Y/n) if he learned some signs. This would show her that he was serious and that he wanted to make her comfortable.

Plus, he didn't like that Henderson was the only one who properly signed with her. Eddie wanted to be that person. He wanted to be the one she sat next to, the one she leaned against and signed with and smiled at. Eddie wanted to be everything to (Y/n), and he would do anything he could to make that happen.

"Didn't think I could do that, did you?" He whispered softly which caused (Y/n)'s gaping expression to change into a grin.

With a deep breath, (Y/n ) straightened up so she wasn't leaning so far forwards over the table anymore.

She raised her right hand to her temple and pulled her hand away in the salute sign Eddie had done moments earlier.

She then curled her fingers until only her index and middle fingers were extended and moved her fingers in a circular motion from her temple around to her chin. She prayed Eddie knew enough of the basics to know what she had just signed to him, or else it would be a little embarrassing to have to explain it to him.

A deep red blush tainted Eddie's cheeks and the end of his nose crinkled as his lips pursed into the cutest smile (Y/n) thought she had ever seen. It didn't matter how Eddie lowered his head or tried to dance his eyes around the table before he looked back to her. His hair didn't move and cover his blushing features and (Y/n) saw the bashfulness wash over him.

'Hi handsome.'

It didn't take Eddie long to figure out what that second sign was. No one had ever called him handsome before. When he was little a few girls called him cute. When he got older and found his punk look, some girls thought he was the spitting image of a bad boy and they seemed to like that.

Girls commented on his hair. They liked the rings on his fingers and he found a lot of people digged the tattoos on his skin. But there weren't many girls at school who could get past the 'freak' title he had been named.

The careless attitude he displayed, the willingness to speak out and act out and show his crazy side always pushed girls away.

And no one had called him handsome.

"Flatterer." Eddie somehow managed to find his voice, despite how breathless and flustered (Y/n) seemed to make him.

He leaned in close enough that he could smell that perfume she always wore which felt like a drug whenever Eddie inhaled that scent. He was so close that their noses were almost brushing and the only place he could look was into those eyes that acted as black holes, drawing him in.

If he just leaned in a little closer, that would be it, their lips would be touching and there would be no going back.

Eddie was desperate to lean in that little bit more, until a clatter of trays hit his ears and the sound vibrated through the table and caused (Y/n) to jolt. The pair of them leaned back, sitting up straight once again as their heads snapped to look at the rest of the table.

A sigh passed through Eddie's lips and his smile wavered as he slouched back in his seat, lettnig his knees part to the sides beneath the table as the rest of the group took their seats. Seemingly oblivious to the moment they had just ruined.

Although he did look to the left when he felt a small movement and he felt his heart jolt up into his throat when he noticed (Y/n) had inched closer to him. The movement was so subtle he almost thought he'd imagined it. But sure enough, her chair was that tiniest bit closer to his and it allowed her to slouch to her right and lean into Eddie's arm.

It was a small, subtle movement, testing the waters to make sure Eddie was alright with it. When he didn't pull away, (Y/n) allowed her cheek to rest on his arm and she tried not to smile too brightly. Being this close to Eddie felt like heaven.

When the conversation started flowing around the table, (Y/n) darted her eyes from left to right, making sure she was keeping track of what was being said and who was talking. She would admit that it was hard when she was this close to Eddie, and the only downside of sitting here was that she couldn't look at Eddie at the same time as she looked at everyone else. But she could read the social cues to guess when Eddie would chip into the conversation so she knew when to look up at him.

It was a small price to pay for being able to sit so close to the person she longed to be with. The person who clearly liked her presence, for (Y/n) felt his free hand drift beneath the table until his ring clad fingers were tracing along her thigh. It was a small movement, a light touch and his hand stayed near her knee, more for comfort than to actually distract her or push the boundaries too far.

The food wasn't up to much today and (Y/n) could barely touch it with how nervous and excited and fundamentally shaken Eddie was making her feel. She felt better leaning against him and simply smiling in a daze than trying to eat when her stomach was leaping and bounding towards her throat.

"So I thought for the next game maybe we could inv-" Mike cut himself off rather abruptly when a presence loomed near the end of the table.

All of them slowly turned to look and (Y/n) looked up to follow the line of attention to see Jason Carver stood at the end of the table. He had his food tray in his hands, it was clear he wasn't attempting to approach them or cause an argument, but something had made him stop.

"Oh look, the circus has a new freak."

Eddie felt the way (Y/n) bristled beside him and he hated the fact that Jason was staring at her directly. Trying to get a rise out of her, trying to make her feel strange and worthless and like an outcast when that was the opposite of what she was. She had found her place here, with them.

(Y/n) bound her arms around her waist beneath the table and subconsciously scooted closer to Eddie until their hips were practically glued together and she was almost sitting on his chair.

She was used to people making remarks, people glaring and leering. It was normal at her old school for people to talk jargon and pretend she was too stupid to understand what they said. Or for them to whisper and mouth words when her hearing aid was on so she thought it wasn't working.

Someone like Jason, some strange person who thought he was the best at everything, coming over and making a silly comment was nothing new. But that didn't make it any easier.

"Buzz off, Carver." Mike's words seemed to fall upon deaf ears, for Jason wasn't even looking at him.

He was looking at Eddie. He wanted to get a rise out of Eddie, the person he was always trying to rile up and pick on and call a freak. He wanted to see what Eddie would do and how defensive he would get over the only girl at their table being called out and picked on. Jason wanted to know if a little comment was enough to get Eddie's blood pumping.

And it was. That comment was enough to made his blood feel like it was turning to sludge in his veins and make him feel like the fires of Hell were beginning to consume him and make him sweat.

But the smile that splintered across Eddie's face made everyone at the table uneasy. They thought he would snarl, that he would climb up and walk across the tabletop- something he was accustomed to doing- they thought he would start a fight or sneer something back in anger.

No one thought he would sit there and smile.

All of them watched, (Y/n) included, as Eddie leaned forward in his seat until he was barely touching the edge of the chair. His head slowly drooped to the left and he let go of (Y/n)'s thigh so his elbows dug uncomfortably into the table top and his hands were visible.

With that sadistic smile still on his lips, Eddie held his left hand out with his fingers curled and only his index finger and his thumb sticking out in an L shape. He curled his right index finger and thumb into a circle like he was making an okay sign, and began slowly sliding his curled fingers over his left index finger like he was doing a strange magic trick.

(Y/n) couldn't help the broad smile that took over her features when she saw what Eddie was doing. Her chest expanded to the point her lungs and sides started to ache and her cheek flopped onto Eddie's arm as she watched the confusion plaster across Jason's face. Especially when Dustin started to snigger and the moment Dustin realised (Y/n) had started to copy the action, he did too.

It didn't take long before the whole table was copying the sign, even though only three of them actually knew what it meant. And the confusion was enough to cause the blood to flush to Jason's face. He knew he was being vexed, he could see they were taking the piss out of him and he gathered rather quickly that whatever they were doing was a message in sign language.

It wasn't until Jason stormed back to his own table and smashed his tray down on the table that everyone finally stopped signing and a deep cackle left Eddie's lips.

And Mike leaned across to Dustin with a grin that morphed pleasure and confusion. "What does it mean?"

"Fuck off." As soon as Dustin spoke, everyone around the table began to laugh. No one seemed to question how Eddie knew that sign or the fact that before today, they weren't sure he even understood what sign language was.

While the rest of the table were laughing, (Y/n) tilted her cheek back against Eddie's arm so she could look up at him. And she loved how he turned his head in her direction, causing his hair to brush along his face and become stuck between his cheek and shoulder. And the way he sank his teeth down into his bottom lip made (Y/n) shudder to her core.

"You've been practicing." The feeling of Eddie's arm looping over the back of her shoulders almost had (Y/n) melting in her seat and it caused her cheek to nudge and rest on his shoulder instead.

How didn't she guess that the swear words would be the first thing that Eddie learned to sign? It was in his nature, it suited him so well, it was what (Y/n) would of expected if she knew he had been thinking about learning signs.

"I've learned the basics."

Eddie loved the sound of (Y/n)'s laugh and the way she nuzzled her face into his shoulder made him tingle and spasm against her.

He hadn't learned much, but he couldn't begin to learn signs and not look up a few swear words. It would make him look more sophisticated at graduation if he flipped off the principal in sign language. He could get away with it better that way and have the added satisfaction of only having a few fellow friends understand what he was actually doing and implying.

As he tightened his arm around her shoulders, Eddie took the plunge and leaned forward to press a wet kiss against (Y/n)'s temple. And when she didn't pull away and instead pressed her hand against his chest, Eddie kept his lips there and closed his eyes.

Oh yes, this was going to be his year alright.

[cepalliumtm]

Thinking of a yandere competent maid and her sweet duchess reader~

Basically, after escaping your family through a loveless marriage, you’ve expected the worst from your husband: being neglectful within the duchy and even having a couple of mistresses behind your back. You figured as long as you live a life distant from him, it would be easy for you to prevent any more mistreatment from the staff and his family when coming to visit.

Yan maid would be one of the first of the manor to introduce herself to you. Unlike most of the other maids she seems competent at her job, holding loyalty to the duchy which includes the new mistress of the house. She found you beautiful although powerless in the face of your husband. She was tasked to be in charge of taking care of you, making sure your life is secure whilst married to the duke.

It was surprising how much… affection? respect? yan maid gave you, considering that the other maids weren’t exactly fond of you. The estate was filled with plants from the other families, waiting for you to slip up and fall into despair so they can replace you with a more… deserving candidate to be by his side. But yan maid wasn’t like the others. She went above and beyond to ensure your safety; she tested your food before serving it to you, kept a watchful eye when guiding you around the estate, and had such helpful advice to maintain somewhat friendly relations with your husband. It seems that out of everyone around her, despite her rather cold demeanor, there was a subtle kindness coming from her. You were very thankful for it.

Yan maid was also in charge of furthering your status as the duchess: teaching you the duties that come with the role. She was patient; any repeated mistakes that would easily irk off any other tutor would be corrected in a calm manner, she’d never raise your voice when you’ve done something wrong. She praised your intelligence despite your naivety and reminded you to hold your head up in the face of the men that would put you down.

Over the next couple of months, she would guide you into the perfect duchess, one that anyone would be proud of.

And within those couple of months, the fleeting (and rather shallow) affection she held for you the moment you arrived would blossom into something deeper, something special. Since yan maid was your main caretaker, eventually you’d become more comfortable around her to say what’s on your mind. And what was once the image of just a beautiful woman easily transformed into an intelligent being capable of thought and emotion. You’d come to her mainly for advice, asking about mundane things like some of your husband’s likes and dislikes, or embroidering techniques, etc.

Through these little conversations she began to fall deeper for you, wanting to hear more of your voice, wanting to see you more in those frilly little dresses. The Duke may be funding your lifestyle, but she was the one that arranged everything. Anything to ensure your happiness she’d do.

In fact, yan maid would gloat about how she easily was the most important person in your life, above anyone else, even above the duke she initially was supposed to be loyal towards.

And yan maid is aware of the danger imposed upon you. As a result, she would put herself in charge of protecting you when no other would, she wasn’t afraid to spill blood in your name. On the days when you’re especially frightened, paranoid from a possible assassination attempt, yan maid would knock on the door, ready to provide you with the love and comfort your neglectful husband couldn’t.

Hell, if one day you come crying to her, saying you’ve had enough, that you want to run away, she would be the one to arrange everything. She'd wipe the slate clean, all the paperwork would be handled, and it's not like anyone else would miss you. Just promise her that you’d take her with you because she wouldn’t want to leave you alone.

Sorry about the dip in quality, i haven't really written anything like this. But I wanted something quick out before tomorrow, just because now I know that people are actually reading my shtuff. Enjoy lol

[darcytaylor]

Theorizing vs. Facts: Let’s Talk

One thing that keeps popping up in fandoms (and life in general) is the mix-up between theories and facts. Let’s break it down:

A fact is something we know for sure - confirmed, verified, undeniable. A theory is a guess - sometimes informed, sometimes wild, but it’s still a guess. It’s when we take what little we know, add in what we think, and arrive at a “what if” scenario.

Here’s how this applies to some current discussions:

Nicola and Jake

Nicola and Jake hang out.

They go to events together.

They are in the same friend group. These are all facts.

Is Nicola dating Jake? There’s a possibility, sure. But since neither of them has come out and said they are, that’s still speculation. You can talk about signs, actions, or what you think it all means, but until the main players confirm it themselves, it’s still a theory (maybe even an informed one), but not a fact.

Luke and Antonia

Luke and Antonia are in the same friend group.

They have gone on vacations/traveled together.

Antonia posted a video at the same restaurant Luke was at in Rome. These are facts.

That’s what we know (and yes, there are other facts). The rest - whether they hang out one-on-one, whether Antonia was in Rome specifically to see Luke, or anything else - is speculation. Saying they’re in a relationship might be informed speculation, but it’s still not fact until the main players say so.

Luke and Nicola

They are on the same show and play each other’s partner.

They did a world tour for the release of season 3 of Bridgerton.

They have a unique relationship (and no, I’m not saying it’s romantic) that nobody in this world will truly be able to understand. These are facts.

We don’t know whether they hang out in private - they might, and they might not. All of that is speculation. And honestly, they have no obligation to share who they do or don’t spend time with in real life. Who they are dating or not dating.

(Obviously, with all of the people I mentioned above, there are more facts out there, I just named a few)

Now, here’s the part that’s been on my mind:

Sometimes people say they’re just “looking at the signs” and piecing things together because they’ve been in the fandom for a while and have the “information.” But what information do you really have? Things posted on social media, where everything is curated and never shows the whole picture?

I’ve been in this fandom for a long time, too. Most of that time, I wasn’t posting - I was a silent lurker. I’ve followed the actors since 2020. Some might think that gives me more knowledge about what’s going on, but it doesn’t. I’ll never claim to have insider knowledge, because I don’t know any of the people involved personally.

Do I maybe have more context about the wild speculations and in-fandom fights that have happened? Sure. Do I get sent things in private messages and asks because I now have a blog? Yes. But I really don’t have more facts about these people than anyone else, because most, if not all the facts are easily attainable. It’s the speculations people cling to that make them feel they have more information or insight. But guess what? Fan theories and speculation aren’t facts.

Now, I know what I’ve written here is very black-and-white, but that’s what facts and non-facts boil down to. It’s in the grey areas that theories and speculations are born. And while I do think there can be some value in exploring those grey areas, we have to remember - they still aren’t facts.

Look, I get it. People like to feel special. They want to believe they have unique insight into celebrities’ lives because they’ve followed them for years or been in the fandom for a while. But that doesn’t make you more knowledgeable than the next person. It doesn’t mean you have insider information or a clearer picture of what’s really going on.

And honestly, it gets weird when people start putting labels on others they don’t even know in real life. Relationships - even friendships - are nuanced. There will never be a pretty little box that all relationships in this world will fit into. When you label people based on limited knowledge, you’re creating a parasocial dynamic that’s both extreme and invasive.

A problem comes when speculation gets repeated so often that it feels like fact. Suddenly, a harmless guess becomes “proof,” and then people start arguing over something that was never confirmed in the first place.

So, here’s my little PSA:

🌟 Speculate responsibly. It’s okay to guess and wonder, but make sure it’s clear that’s what you’re doing. Also, there are things that just shouldn't be speculated on. Have some class. Have some empathy. Have some grace. 🌟 Acknowledge what’s real. Facts are facts. Theories are theories. Let’s not blur the lines. Nobody - and I mean nobody - has more information about people they do not know than the rest of us. We are all just fans of people in a TV show. 🌟 Stay grounded. The truth might not always align with the most entertaining theory - and that’s okay.

Let’s keep theorizing and speculation fun, don't stress. ❤️

[hai7ani]

yves, bestie. i’m gonna need more of this loser virgin rindou x single mother. like him getting with her?? oof. homie losing his mind just touching her. 😭 absolutely tweaking tf out.

collection

Oh I think he likes calling to check up on you. Comes over with food and maybe pizza sometimes because your son loves the one he buys at his usual pizza place. Plays lego with your kid while you go on a work call or shower and Yuzuha's just sitting at the dining table eating the leftovers with a towel wrapped around her head.

It's cozy most nights. On some when it's just you and him and your son's asleep and Yuzuha's not home you like taking the time to know who he is while you turn the TV on for some noise. There's a lot to know about him. Technically he is doing music as a side hustle because it earns less than his main income (a liquor store staff) but he works the job anyway to fund his hobby and it's respectable, you think. He has an older brother who's studying accounting in Keio and he was supposed to attend the same university majoring in data science but he's said that things don't always work out for him.

He had eczema when he was younger and would always scratch on the spots that has left scars all over his skin. You inch closer to touch on it one night when he shows you, just out of curiosity, and you flinch at the way he flinches. He's red and fidgety and then he excuses himself to the bathroom. You feel bad. You think you'd overstep his boundaries and you want to apologise. He's a nice person who's helped you out countless times and you don't want things to be awkward.

He comes out with wet hands and his foggy glasses stuffed into his pocket. Doesn't speak about what happened and turns the volume up with the remote but he's sitting closer to you this time. He puts his phone face up and his screen lights up from a text message from a friend. His wallpaper is a photo of the sea. He leans forward to read it but he doesn't reply.

💬 Shion

yo

wanna go drinking

For some reason after seeing him like that you don't feel the need to say sorry anymore. You think it's fine. You ask if he wants more chips and when he nods you grab onto his knee to push yourself up. Sharp nails digging into his meat. Feeling his muscles tense beneath your palm. Ass in his face while you block the screen to fix your shirt and then walk away just like that.

He slides into the bathroom again when he thinks you're not looking.

[thetepes]

so gen question i hope doenst come across as offensive, but in your bio you say you dont like how the topic of lily is discussed and thats why you made ur blog. but it seems like you're agreeing with the other blogs in the lily-sphere uncritically. so which ones were you initially frustrated with, and what was the behavior you found so wrong in the first place?

I also think the lily hating has long since crossed over into lolcowing, to the extent that its very difficult to imagine real accountability is possible anymore. I agree with the stance you take in a lot of your posts, and then i see you reblogging and agreeing with the worst offenders in the lily sphere so like. have you changed your mind?

Look, I'm upset right now so excuse me if I'm terse, but I've REPEATEDLY and VERY LOUDLY admonished people for not giving a shit about her racism and homophobic bullshit.

I am extremely critical of who I reblog because there are plenty of people in this space who are just in it for the attention and bants, I've not been shy about that. I refuse to even follow people who post worthless shit.

I know you mean Sai, just say Sai. Sai has talked repeatedly about Lily's abuse of Courtney, Britt, in general, her trying to take away both her and Ant's channels, her racism, and her pedo inclinations. She might not cover it in totality on stream or in one big long video, but she doesn't shy from it. She's talked about it on stream.

She's also the only one of 3 people who checked on me behind the scenes after I was racially abused and purposefully triggered. She's also been one of Britt's loudest supporters.

I don't agree with her on a lot, I've openly not agreed with her on a lot. I've told her personally what I don't agree with her on. I've told her she can be out of pocket. She's one of those fun people you can go "Ayo, I disagree." and have a conversation with. There are some things she's just not going to budge on, donkey of a woman, and that's just fine with me.

And let's be fucking real, she's one of few in this space that takes the racism seriously. I've seen what people say. I know they only care until someone cries "You're not focusing on the important topics enough" then they call it "Lily being mean" because maybe six people in this space at most can handle confrontation and their ally ship only extends to the tip of their nose.

The media takes matter because that's where she shows her racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and pedophile inclinations the most. She couldn't even review hamtaro without making it weird with adding incest and sexualizing a literal baby hamster. Going over the media takes shouldn't be the main focus, but it serves a very good purpose.

My aim on here was to talk about her racism. It matters. Even if it's just me screaming about it in this godforsaken space, it matters. I'm tired of racism being given a free pass because it's progressive to hate asians and fetishize anyone darker than tea stain on teeth. I'm tired, as a CSA survivor, of the shit she's made like The MLP pedophile rape game getting a free pass.

I'm tired of people like you pretending none of this matters anymore because there was no big Lily left the internet blow up. That's not how things work most of the time, sorry. People like her and Birdie and Patricia and any of the other people I've mentioned on here don't take accountability and the police don't give a shit about online crimes most of the time. I'd know, I was blamed by them for being groomed as a kid and told I wanted it because I went in those spaces.

All we can do is keep pointing it out, supporting victims, and raising awareness of not just Lily, but other people like her that just will not face the justice their victims deserve while trying to mitigate harm. If you don't want to be a part of that, fine. Harm reduction is work and it's work you will not be acknowledged for. My advice is curate your experience like an adult. That's the healthiest and happiest way to live your life online and off.

So no, I've not changed my mind.

[padfootagain]

Love in Verses (XLIV)

Chapter 44 : ‘I go up to the stone wall for a friendly visit.’

Hi! Here is a new chapter! Some best friend shenanigans!

I hope you like this chapter! Tell me what you think!

****

Pairing: Hozier x fem!reader (professor!AU)

Warnings: slow burn, angst, hurt, hurt/comfort, tooth-rotting fluff in later chapters, some scenes in later chapters will have heavy sexual themes even if it’s not explicit nsfw description, so no minors here

Summary: Your life seems perfect. You're engaged, your career is thriving as you become an assistant professor at Trinity College, and this Andrew Hozier-Byrne you're sharing an office with seems to be a nice guy you hope to call a friend soon. Life seems to be smiling at you... until everything goes sour. When your fiancé breaks up with you, your perfect world shatters. And when your colleague also gets his heart broken soon after, your shared office seems to be a curse rather than a blessing. But Andrew seems determined to mend your broken hearts... Will things finally go according to plan?

Word Count: 3618

Masterlist for the series – Hozier’s masterlist – Main masterlist

A Time to Talk

When a friend calls to me from the road And slows his horse to a meaning walk, I don’t stand still and look around On all the hills I haven’t hoed, And shout from where I am, What is it? No, not as there is a time to talk. I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground, Blade-end up and five feet tall, And plod: I go up to the stone wall For a friendly visit.

Robert Frost

Being back in Belfast felt strange. To be fair, you should have travelled back to this town sooner to visit Siobhán, but you had missed the couple of opportunities that had risen along the past year.

Now you were back in the town where your academic career had begun. Tomorrow, you would go back to visit the university where you had started teaching, where you completed your PhD, where you met your best friend…

… speaking of the devil…

“Y/N!”

You huffed, almost falling over the impact of Siobhán running into your arms. In the busy train station, you noticed a few strangers passing by with an amused look on their faces.

“I’m so happy you’re here!”

“I’m happy too!”

“Oh, and the tree is here too!”

Andrew laughed, giving your friend a hug as well, and your heart grew heavy with warmth at the sight. Andrew fitted so well in your life, with the people you loved most…

“Alright, let’s head to your hotel then… although you two could have stayed at my place…” Siobhán argued, while Andrew was already picking up the suitcase where you had gathered your clothes and his. You were only staying for four days, but they promised to be… eventful, knowing your best friend.

“I wasn’t coming alone, it was easier for us to get a hotel.”

“I mean… if that’s because you’re planning to get laid… perhaps that’s for the best, indeed,” she nodded, giving you and Andrew a disgusted wince that made you laugh. “It’s already quite late though… we should grab something to eat.”

You followed her plan, headed to your hotel so you could check in and leave your suitcase there. Siobhán had come to pick you and Andrew up at the train station, and would be driving you around during your stay, whenever she could. You let Andrew climb in the passenger seat so he could fit his legs somehow better than in the tiny backseat of your friend’s old car.

“I hope you won’t mind giving up your girlfriend for a few hours, Andy,” she joked as she stopped at a red light. “But I need some alone time with her. We have so many things to talk about… we need a proper girls night!”

Andrew merely laughed.

“Of course, I don’t mind. I’ll keep busy while you take my partner from me…”

Partner… that word was kind of new. You had been girlfriend and boyfriend for a long time, but ever since the two of you had moved under the same roof, Andrew had started calling you his partner. There was something so special about the title, something serious, too… something that echoed with equality in your relationship, with the two of you being a team. You loved it. Whenever he used that title, your heart melted.

It felt a little overwhelming though. As you watched the sunset reflect its colours over old buildings and glistening windows, you were worried. You had so much love for him… sometimes you weren’t sure what to do with it. How to show him. How to tell him. How not to fear the strength of it all.

“Only for a few hours. Will you survive?”

“Can’t be sure…” he joked, but it still made you stupidly giggle.

“Tomorrow!” you promised. “Tomorrow we have lunch with The Boss…”

“Christ, don’t I know about that… he’s overexcited, I swear… He couldn’t stop yapping around your lunch the entire week.”

“Cillian is a sweetheart,” you nodded, smiling at the mere thought of seeing your former boss again.

He had been your mentor as a PhD student, had hired you again post-graduation as a post-doc. He was saddened by your decision to leave for Trinity.

“Yes, but tonight, we celebrate you finally coming to visit, and we’re getting fantastically wasted!”

You could only laugh at that, but you didn’t fight your friend’s idea. You wanted to let loose indeed, to enjoy your time spent in your best friend’s company.

And that was exactly what you did. You spent your dinner catching up with her life, joking around with Andrew, who was being the responsible drinker this evening. Siobhán had already given him her car keys, so you and your best friend could enjoy yourselves fully, while your boyfriend would make sure both of you were safe.

Which led to the three of you being lost in a wave of laughter that didn’t seem to ever end, somewhere in some random pub you had stumbled upon.

“Just so you know…” you warned your boyfriend, who dried his wet cheeks on his sleeves, your words slurred by your intoxication, “if they do a lock-in… I’m volunteering you to sing so we can stay… this pub is grand!”

“It’s not the pub that’s grand, it’s just the whosk… the whisk…ey…” Siobhán staggered on her words before drinking another large gulp of the burning liquor.

“I am not singing tonight, darling,” Andrew shook his head. “If they’re kicking everybody out, we’re leaving. Actually, we should soon head out, it’s pretty late, and you’re both very drunk.”

“You’re no craic!” Siobhán complained, before turning to you. “Why did you get a man that’s not craic!”

“Andy’s funny! He’s silly! Very silly,” you defended your man, before being interrupted by a hiccup.

He laughed, kissing your cheek.

“I’m gonna head to the bathroom, and then we’re leaving. Okay? Be good, you two! I won’t be long.”

“Yes, mom!” Siobhán stuck her tongue out.

Andrew stood up, walked towards the bathroom. You watched him as he walked away, towering everyone in the bar, his long curls let loose over his broad shoulders…

You rested your cheek in the palm of your hand and your elbow on the greasy table, heaving a dreamy sigh.

“You’re disgusting looking at him with heart eyes like that,” Siobhán complained, nudging you playfully in the arm.

You stupidly giggled in response.

“Yeah… but look at him… he’s so pretty.”

You lost sight of him, heaved a dramatic sigh as you turned to your friend.

“Don’t get all romantic and sappy on me!” your friend admonished.

“I can’t help it.”

“You’re head-over-heels!”

“I am!” you admitted. “I can’t help it!”

“I must admit, that… Andy’s… kind of… amazing. But! But! But! But he’s…”

“Perfect,” you answered for her, making her wince.

“Of course not! No one’s perfect! What kind of nonsensically nonsensic… nonsense… sensicality are you talking about?”

“Of course… you’re right… he’s not perfect. Sometimes, he gets on my nerves. He’s stubborn sometimes. And he doesn’t fold his socks properly. And last week he ate the last piece of my favourite chocolate. And he doesn’t sleep enough, and it worries me a lot, and sometimes it wakes me up too. And he’s always late, although I don’t really mind that all that much, I like teasing him about that. And when he’s annoyed, he hides stuff very high on shelves so I won’t be able to reach them, although… he does that sometimes just to rile me up, he doesn’t have to be annoyed. And that drives me craaaaazzzyyyyy! But Siobhán… He’s so sweet… He reads the books I like, and he sends me songs he thinks I’ll enjoy. And last month, I twisted my wrist, and it was nothing, but it was painful for a few days, and do you know what he did? He brushed my hair for me every morning for a week, and he helped me wash my hair, and he cooked all the time, and he carried stuff for me… And he makes me laugh sooooo muuuuuch! And he’s so smart, we spend hours talking about politics, and art, and just… anything, really. And he listens to me. And he’s interested in me, and he thinks I’m interesting and that I say interesting things… And you know what else he does? He asks me about my day. Every day!”

Siobhán had grown quiet, listening to you. You were getting more and more emotional through what could have seemed like a silly ramble.

“I love him so much. Like… sometimes it’s overwhelming how much I love him. And I keep on loving him more and more, and I don’t even know how that’s possible, because… it’s like there’s no end to it. When I think I couldn’t love him more, I still do. That’s scary. Sometimes I worry, because… what if he doesn’t feel the same? Like… he’s the real deal, Siobhán. He’s… he’s everything. He’s the one. I think… I think he’s the love of my life.”

You blinked tears away, heaving a sigh. Your friend reached for your hand.

“There is one last thing we need to question before we can state whether or not he’s the one for you.”

“What is it?”

“How good is he in bed?”

You both exploded with laughter, but your answer was earnest nonetheless.

“Oh… All I will say is… I’m never disappointed.”

You were lost in a new fit of giggles.

“Really? That good?”

You nodded.

“Oh, yeah…”

You struggled to calm down, quieten your laughter. Meanwhile, Siobhán seemed to be gathering her courage now.

“Actually… I wanted to tell you… I think I have a crush…” she mumbled before covering her mouth with both her hands.

“A CRUSH!?”

“Shhhhhh! It’s a secret! Secret… like… in secrecy!”

“Who is it?”

“You can’t tell anyone!”

“I won’t!”

You swore an unbreakable pinky promise.

“I… like… Andy’s friend.”

“What? Which one?”

“His best friend!”

“ALEX?!”

“SHHHHHHH!”

“Sorry…” you whispered. “But, Alex?!”

“Yeah… after we helped you moving together, we bumped into each other again in a pub. And he was super nice! But I didn’t really think much about it. He gave me his number, because as you and Prince Charming are glued to the hip, we were doomed to cross path again. But then, he asked me if I wanted to go for a pint, and I said yes. And we talked, a lot. And we did it again, and again… And two weeks ago, he invited me to one of his gigs, cause it was here in Belfast, and mamma mia, Y/N. MAMMA MIA!”

She moved her hands in the air, looking up at the heavens.

“He was so fucking hot!”

You hummed, nodding your head, picturing Andrew singing in your mind… sweating, throwing his head back, closing his eyes, his fingers moving across guitar strings…

“Yeah… it’s hot.”

“He’s a bassist, Y/N! I can’t fight against that!”

“Hmmm… I get it. But… did you tell him?”

She bit her lip.

“Maybe, after that gig, we… hooked up?”

“WHAT?! YOU SLEPT WITH ALEX?!”

“SHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“You slept with Alex?!”

“Yes! And it was… amazing!”

She couldn’t refrain a grin. But you knew her like the back of your hand. You narrowed your eyes at her.

“But?”

She bit on her thumb.

“But… then I kind of… panicked… I left in the morning, and I’ve kind of… ghosted him.”

“Why would you do that?! Alex is nice! He’s a good lad!”

“I know! That’s what scares me! Like… I could… properly fall for him! And I don’t want that! I’m strong and independent!”

“You can be strong, independent, and in love!”

“Can I?”

“Of course! Look at me! I’m all of that!”

She gave you a tender smile.

“Yes, you are. But… I don’t know… the past few years, I’ve really enjoyed having fun, and just… enjoying being a woman without any attach, and having one-night stands and exploring sex. I… I don’t think I’d like not being exclusive with Alex, I really care about him.”

“Then… be exclusive. You can keep exploring and having fun… just with him.”

“Do you do that with Andy? Can you do that with just one person?”

“Yeah! Of course!”

She heaved a sigh, burying her face in her hands

“But it’s scary.”

“Loving someone is scary. But it’s worth it, I think. I’m scared all the time with Andy. But then I look at him, or I kiss him, or I talk with him… and I just… know that this is right. That he’s right for me. I can’t explain it. But he makes it worth the fear of losing him and being vulnerable before him.”

You were the one to reach for her hand now.

“I think that… tomorrow, once you’ve sobered up… you should call him. He’s a nice lad. I’m sure you two could be happy together.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah… yeah, I think so,” you nodded.

“Alright, I will.”

You exchanged a smile, and then Andrew was standing next to you again. He gave you a tender smile.

“Shall we go, love?”

You nodded, and he helped you to your feet. He drove Siobhán home, made sure she was safely in her flat before he called a uber and went back to the hotel with you. He helped you reach your shared room, started to help you undress so you could go to bed.

“Honey…”

He knew what that tone meant, but he threw you a cautious look while he helped you step out of your jeans.

“Baby?” he asked in a careful tone.

“I…”

You stared right into his eyes, and it was hard to deny that he wanted you while you stared at him like that, with that determined glint in your eyes, standing there, looking glorious in nothing but your underwear…

But you were drunk.

“I want you,” you huskily whispered, reaching for the buttons of his shirt, but he stopped your hands immediately.

“You’re drunk, hun,” he stated flatly.

“But I want you.”

“No, you don’t. You don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I do!”

“Babe… let’s go to bed. Come on. Tomorrow.”

You pouted, but didn’t argue. You took off your bra without a care for Andrew standing before you, and he helped you put on his old Thin Lizzy t-shirt.

You rubbed at your tired eyes.

“You need to drink some water, baby,” he instructed, walking to the bathroom to pour you a glass. “Then, we can go to bed.”

“Okay.”

You soon joined him in the bathroom though, and you reached for your toothbrush in the small bag by the sink.

“Do you need help with that?” Andrew asked as you struggled with the toothpaste.

“No, I can do it. I’m a strong, independent woman… and I am all that while being in love.”

He chuckled, something tender in his gaze.

“That you are. But you’re sure you don’t want some help with that toothpaste?”

“Nope!”

He nodded, kissed your hair.

“You call me if you need anything, okay? I’m gonna get changed too.”

“Okay.”

A few minutes later, you were both in bed, you in his arms and already almost asleep.

You let his warmth relax your tired muscles; his peaceful breathing lulled you to sleep, his scent blurred your senses…

“I love you, baby,” you whispered in his shirt.

You felt his smile against your hair as he kissed you goodnight.

“I love you too, darling.”

Seeing you wearing his clothes was Andrew’s favourite thing in the world.

Although, now that he came to think of it, he loved kissing you an awful lot too.

And having sex with you.

And talking with you.

Well, let’s say that it was one of his favourite things…

“Ouch… my head… I’m too old for this…”

Your groan made him laugh, he watched as you stretched across the bed like a cat, watched the fabric of his shirt moving over your chest.

“How drunk was I last night?” you asked, rubbing at your eyes to gather the strength to finally open them.

“Hammered.”

“Yeah, I can believe that.”

You looked at him, reached for his hand across the bed.

“I hope I wasn’t too much trouble.”

“Of course not. You had fun, that’s all.”

“Did I do anything stupid? It’s very messy in here… I need to think.”

You furrowed your brow as you tried to collect your thoughts, Andrew guessed that your memories of the previous night were a little messy.

He hesitated for a moment. He wasn’t particularly proud of how he had behaved, he knew he should have stepped back, but he hadn’t…

When you and Siobhán were talking, he walked back to the table merely a couple of minutes after disappearing. But instead of seating next to you again, he stopped and listened while you were unaware of his presence. It wasn’t spying, or at least he hoped it wasn’t. But you were having a private conversation with your friend, and he listened when he should have given you some time alone. But you were talking of him, and… he wanted to know. He needed to know what you thought of him.

Despite feeling bad about listening to your conversation, Andrew felt more at peace thanks to it. Because he felt the same about you. If you had made these drunken confessions to your friend, it had to be because you meant them. It had to mean that you loved him as much you said you did.

“So… I have the pub… oh… I’ll have to tell you something Siobhán told me last night, but you have to promise not to tell a soul, cause it’s a secret! And then… we took her home.”

Your frown deepened.

“I remember… wait… did we…?”

You raised a suggestive eyebrow, but Andrew merely rolled his eyes.

“You were drunk,” was his only answer, and you gave him a grateful smile.

“Right, so nothing happened.”

“You’ve covered half the bathroom with toothpaste trying to brush your teeth, but beside that… not much happened, no.”

“Did I?”

“A little bit.”

“Sorry,” you winced, making him laugh, bright and loud.

“Don’t apologise, it wasn’t that bad. I’ve been worse when out with Alex and the rest of the gang.”

You laughed at the memory.

“You were so out of it…”

You noticed then that something was off. Despite his tender caress over your knuckles, despite his tender smile, you knew there was something on his mind. He tried to hide it, but he could never hide anything from you, you knew him too well for that.

“Is everything okay, honey? Did I do something stupid last night?” you asked, your frown back on your lovely features, and he kissed the crease across your brow to soothe it.

He heaved a sigh.

“I… You did nothing wrong, I did. I’m really sorry.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing.”

“No… no, I did something… I feel bad about it. I’m sorry.”

“What did you do?”

He bit on his lower lip, went to rub at his collarbone, but you held both his hands instead.

“You remember talking with Siobhán? Just the two of you? Right before we left the pub?”

You nodded.

“I… I came back from the bathroom before… what I said. I just… I planned on walking away and keeping an eye on you while you finished your conversation, but I didn’t. I listened to the conversation, even though you were confiding with her, and I knew it. I knew I wasn’t supposed to hear what you were saying. I’m sorry. I just… you were talking about us, and I… I got too curious. I’m sorry.”

You averted your eyes, sat up, seemingly upset.

He followed your movements, chased after you. You didn’t push him away when he rested his head on your shoulder. Good. You weren’t too mad…

“What did you hear?”

“Quite a lot. Too much.”

“Are you… are you freaked out?”

He shook his head.

“No, I’m not. I’m… relieved.”

“Relieved?”

“That you feel the same as I do.”

He heard your sharp intake of breath, tried to soothe it with a sweet kiss on your shoulder.

“You do? Feel like that?”

“Yeah… I do.”

You reached for his cheek, held his face in the palm of your hand so he would look at you. Did you know how much of him you held in this palm of yours? How much of his heart, of his love, of his life…?

“Baby… I…”

“I love you. More than anything in this world,” he interrupted you, tone firm yet tender, trying to make you believe his words.

You smiled.

“I love you too.”

There wasn’t much else to say. He was starting to believe that you would stay, that you did love him as much as he loved you, that this could work for a long, long time… that maybe you could love him for a lifetime, without any regret…

He was about to kiss you when your phone rang, breaking the fragile silence of the room. You cursed under your breath, but it was Siobhán’s name shining over your screen, so you picked up despite Andrew reaching to keep you close.

“Hello?”

“Y/N! I’VE FUCKED UP!”

You pulled the phone away from your ear because of your friend’s shout. She was panicking… wait, was she crying? Andrew had never seen or heard her crying before.

“What happened? Are you okay?” you asked, clearly concerned.

“You remember what I told you last night, right? Wait… is Andy with you?”

You exchanged a glance, but he nodded. Yeah, he had heard that part of the conversation too…

“Yeah, he’s with me, but that’s okay.”

“This is none of his business.”

“Siobhán… Andy and I have no secrets for each other.”

“Oh, you and your bloody romanticism!”

“Is it about Alex?” you asked, and Siobhán wailed over the phone.

“I DRUNK DIALED HIM! Y/N! AND I WAS FUCKING PATHETIC! WHAT DO I FUCKING DO?!”

“Erm… wait, we’ll think of something…”

But right at that moment, Andrew’s phone rang, and Alex’s name appeared on his screen.

You exchanged a worried glance.

“Shit!”

“Shit!”

[fushiglow]

10 things I've learned about being a fanfic author over the last year

At the time of writing this post, I have been writing and sharing fanfiction for Jujutsu Kaisen for almost two years. This time last year, my in-progress longfic, Over the Threshold, started to gain popularity and, over the last twelve months, I think it's fair to say I have become somewhat of a BNF in the SatoSugu community... Sigh...

While every creative wants their work to be seen, there is a threshold (ha) past which visibility brings difficulties, and unfortunately I went over it (ha) in recent months. It has changed my fandom experience significantly, and not entirely for the better. While there have been friendships for life forged, beautiful memories I'll carry with me for the rest of my life, and more kind words and fanart than I can shake a stick at, there have also been opportunists, naysayers, and even outright bullies.

Seeing your name thrown around in fandom spaces with little regard for the real person behind the writing — for your character, for your circumstances, for your creative liberty — does force you to re-evaluate your relationship with your work and your audience. With that in mind, I thought I'd share the lessons I've taken from the last year as a fanfic author.

I really hope this serves as advice for any fanfic authors seeking more visibility on their work, and also generally encourages more thoughtful engagement with fandom creators. Let's go!

1. Writing for anyone except yourself is still a bad idea

That doesn't mean it isn't sometimes worth taking reader preferences into account. It's just about knowing when to disregard them. We write fanfiction for lots of different reasons that vary from fic to fic. Sometimes, making other people happy is a good enough reason to write a fic, as long as that's what you set out to do and you're under no illusions about that.

However, letting reader expectations creep into your approach to your other work in a way that doesn't serve your personal creative vision is a bad idea, especially because...

2. People disrespect fanfic authors even more than you thought

There are plenty of kind, supportive people in fandom. However, the unfortunate truth is they are vastly outnumbered by people who will gobble up your work without even taking a moment to say thank you for the meal and who will, in fact, demand more from you instead.

Trying to please entitled people who are impossible to satisfy, who bring nothing of value to your fandom experience, and who may even resort to bullying if you don't play by their ever changing rulebook is a pointless endeavour — so don't bother!

3. Your writing process is a constant work in progress

Because you are a constant work in progress. You can't always expect something that worked for you a year ago to work the same now. There are too many variables in play, not least your skill as a writer. If the stabilisers you put on last year are no longer helping, maybe it's a sign you don't need them anymore. Maybe it's time to take them off and try something new.

I am still planning a more in depth writing process post, but the simple truth is, my writing process can be summed up as...

4. Whatever works!

My main piece of advice when it comes to writing is always going to be, "at some point, you've just got to do it". Sure, there are tools and techniques you can use to aid the process, but ultimately it always comes down to you and the words.

There's no right or wrong way to write, and there's no point comparing your process to someone else's, because ultimately you'll do whatever works for you. Whether you're someone who religiously practises a warm-up routine before sitting down to write or someone who stares at the screen for two months straight before vomiting up a masterpiece whole (or someone like me who jumbles their way through with a slightly different approach every time), it's all good as long as it ends with words on paper.

5. Writing for an audience changes the game

For better and for worse! Having an engaged readership on a WIP has, on occasion, created unique and invaluable opportunities to elevate my work beyond what would have been possible by myself. I'm very grateful for the artist-audience dialogue that I know we all crave when sharing our work with the world but aren't always fortunate enough to experience.

However, being aware of your audience while writing also influences your approach in unhelpful ways, no matter how much you try to get around it. Ensuring that I maintain control of that dialogue (or, at the very least, a 50/50 back and forth) requires constant vigilance.

6. Community is a double edged sword

I think everyone in fandom is seeking community of one kind or another. Building a dedicated community around my writing and seeing real good come of it was an unexpected by-product of sharing my fic with the world, but a deeply rewarding one. However, communities aren't static and they require a collaborative effort to maintain.

Series come to an end, fandom trends shift, people move on. On the flipside, you build something so wonderful that others want to share in its benefits without contributing in meaningful ways. Seeing a community so closely tied to your work and your sense of self shift into something unrecognisable until you start to feel like a stranger in your own space is very hard. Furthermore, managing a community in a dedicated forum takes significant time and energy which could be spent writing, which is why...

7. The most successful fanfic authors are selfish

What I mean by "successful" is up to you. However, whether it's replying to comments, supporting fellow creatives in the fandom, or even tagging work for discoverability, some authors disregard anything that prevents them from getting words onto the page. Some people are here to post their shit and leave — and more power to them.

The more of yourself you offer, the more people come to expect until, eventually, the already generous act of writing thousands of words for your fandom becomes the bare minimum. This is often where the topic of "fandom etiquette" comes up, but fanfic authors are already taking on a disproportionate share of the burden simply by sharing their work in the first place. Anything beyond that is a courtesy we are not obligated to extend. We should thank authors who thoughtfully choose to extend those courtesies anyway, rather than vilifying them when they don't.

8. Guarding your enjoyment is paramount

If, like me, you're an author who does enjoy being an active member of the fandom community, then it's important to watch out for the myriad of things that can come between you and your stories. Fandom politics, or even just fandom trends, can have a huge influence on your relationship with the characters that originally inspired you.

However, what other people are doing with them doesn't need to have any bearing on what you choose to do with them if you don't want it to. Responding to fandom trends in your writing can be satisfying, but maintaining a degree of separation between wider fandom and the stories that really matter to you is crucial, I think. That being said...

9. Collaboration feeds creativity

Some beautiful moments have been born from throwing an idea back and forth with my fellow fans. Simple things can rapidly snowball into territory you would never usually set foot in, and expanding your creative horizons like that can only ever be a good thing! Being open with your ideas in fandom spaces is always a bit of a worry, but the reward for extending that trust far outweighs the risk in my experience.

Additionally, I think we get caught up in the idea of absolute originality, but if you're active in fandom, you're always taking inspiration from your fellow creatives. Freely crediting the people who have inspired me has only ever brought wonderful things my way, and I've even gone on to develop collaborative relationships with some of them. Fandom is more fun with other people!

10. But ultimately, writing is lonely work

No matter how many friendships you forge, you still have to retreat into solitude to write the damn story eventually. Writing doesn't lend itself to active human connection as much as art or music. You can chat to someone while drawing or play an instrument alongside another person, but when you're writing, you have to go it alone.

And the worst part? Even when you eventually share your story with the world, no one will ever care about it as much as you do. Writing is such a deeply lonely experience most of the time, I think — which is why it's so important to hold onto all the things that make it worthwhile.

And that's that! I have been stewing on all of these thoughts privately, but I wanted to share them in case they're of value to someone. I tried to keep it as measured as possible, but I acknowledge that I'm in a bit of a bitter headspace about fandom in light of the Discourse TM and subsequent harassment over Christmas.

I don't think it will stop me writing stories for this fandom, but I do think it will make me more guarded in my interactions with the wider community, and I think that's a shame. I joined this fandom as a fan first and a creator second, and I'm deeply sad to feel like some of the parts I used to enjoy most are no longer accessible to me.

This experience has certainly got me thinking more critically about the trend of fandom creators seemingly becoming more distant as they gain popularity. The word "arrogant" is often thrown around, but I think it's much more likely that taking a less active role in fandom spaces isn't as much a choice as it is a necessary measure for the sake of wellbeing and even safety.

Fascinating in a sort of sick way.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

I honestly don’t understand the toxic relationship Netflix has with the duo, and maybe the $100M contract play a role, but are there other shows that will be released in the coming days? Were they delayed too? Or why are they being very considerate towards her and allow all that BS, helping with her PR of Humanitarian Meghy is being so good person?

See, as other anons have said, I think she would had enough views/hours in order to be 1-2 weeks on TOP 10, but to expect this show to be somehow one of the ‘most watched shows’, ‘having very amazing reviews’ or else, it’s just to make fool of themselves. Her show will be from those which will be talked for 2-3 days and then people will forget it, that BS isn’t Stranger things, Squid Game, etc.

Releasing it on Wednesday or releasing it on March won’t have any change 🤷🏻‍♀️, her target is the LA community, but they aren’t. Like it or not, her main viewers (for hate or for love) are from UK , so delaying it or not, won’t help with more views.

But well, they have already done it and that sounds like they will continue pulling their stunts, I hope that at least the next time they don’t call TMZ and goes ANONYMOUSLY!

—————

Also, I saw some comments saying that maybe she will use Invictus Games (it will be on the beginning of February I think) to promote her show or else, but I don’t think she will go with H this time. They will play the: Poor H was so worried to let his wife and children alone but MM told him he had a duty with the competitors and she decided to stay in LA to continue helping people. Who knows, I doubt she will go.

Also, apparently Harold needs to go to UK in 1-2 weeks for his lawsuit to provide evidence, I don’t know if he NEEDS to go or his lawyers can do all the work. But if he goes, lol, it would be so stupid to go and cry for himself when there are literally people losing their houses

It's thought that this show is the last one one their contract.

This is all you need to know about the Sussexes/Netflix relationship:

The Obamas got a major deal with Netflix after leaving the White House.

Meghan planned her post-Megxit career on the Obamas so because they got a major deal with Netflix, she wanted a major deal with Netflix.

At the time, the Sussexes were an unproven entity and weren't as widely reviled or disliked, so Netflix gambled and gave them a contract; however, the price of the Sussexes' deal was nowhere close to the kind of money the Obamas got (and that's been confirmed by industry gossip leaking out over the years; they did not get $100 million).

The Sussexes struggled with developing content for the deal. Meghan wanted their platform to be inspirational activism and Harry just wanted to make documentaries about his passion (which is a continuation of his work with the BRF).

They sold a documentary to Apple TV (despite having a deal with Netflix).

They sold an interview to CBS/Oprah (despite having a deal with Netflix).

Meghan had an idea of an animated children's program that focused on feminism and childhood education that was essentially American Girl meets Wishbone whose main character is modeled on a young Meghan Markle. Netflix sank a ton of money in developing and producing the show for Meghan, but Meghan kept changing her mind and rewriting everything. Eventually Netflix cancelled the show.

The Sussexes spent another year putting together their docuseries which was widely panned.

Then they bought an already-in-the-can documentary about inspiring leaders and slapped their name all over it. It too was widely panned.

Netflix released the Harry & Meghan docuseries but almost immediately, Meghan started bashing it with criticism about the director and how certain editing choices weren't choices she made.

Netflix bought Meghan Meet Me At The Lake to make. Absolutely nothing happened with it. It's in pre-development purgatory still.

Meghan called the paps on her hanging out with the Netflix CEO and his wife a few times. They went to a Beyonce concert.

Someone at Spotify publicly called the Sussexes grifters.

Meghan ditched the Netflix CEO and started hanging out with the Paramount CEO and his wife.

but are there other shows that will be released in the coming days?

Yes

Were they delayed too?

No

Or why are they being very considerate towards her and allow all that BS, helping with her PR of Humanitarian Meghy is being so good person?

Rumor has it that Meghan is stirring up a DEI fuss about the marketing of her show. If that's true, then possibly Netflix felt it better to satisfy her demands so she goes away quietly in October when the contract officially ends. That rumor comes on the heels of other rumors that Meghan was upset of old cut footage being included in the trailer, which follows an initial set of rumors that she wanted reshoots.

I really do not think this show was delayed out of the kindness of Netflix's heart because of the suffering from the wildfires. It may be part of the reason, but Meghan is not that powerful a person to be able to make that kind of a demand on her own. There has to be something else at play here too.

But look on the bright side: with the show's release now delayed to March, that leaves only six months before their contract expires in October. Six months is not enough time in Archeworld to develop, film, produce, edit, and release a Season 2. This really is Meghan's last hurrah with Netflix because so far it's pretty clear from Netflix that they're not interested in renewing the Sussexes' contract.

[disgruntleddemon]

i though i'd try and do designs for the better world from J3 as fun lil challenge! i went w middle age-ish, since we don't rly see that in canon.

McGucket gets to be fun and silly. he gets into eccentric button ups (i firmly believe the Hawaiian shirt Stan puts on the skeleton was McGucket's), and just generally enjoys getting ridiculous with his outfits. also, return on the mustache! and a ponytail for the hell of it. kind of a fun uncle vibe.

i think Ford just likes plain colored button ups. that's basically all he wears in flashbacks lol. besides that, he's a bit more outdoorsy. best believe he has a shit ton of random things in the vest pockets. he also doesn't have any tattoos from Bill, so that's nice

for Stan i basically just went w his sea grunk look. his hair is just starting to thin out a bit. his chin is also scruffier since i'm still not sure how to give a dog stubble. idk, his design was the trickiest to figure out.

Stan and Ford's matching earrings were from an incident where they were drunk and one of them thought it would be a great idea. both of them insist it was the other's idea. they never got rid of the earrings though lmao. McGucket teases them about it sometimes.

anyway, long ramblings on my timeline headcannons under the cut:

so, the main thing that ended up changing the timeline, was Ford reaching out to Stan Sooner. things had just started to go bad, like in cannon, but Bill played one of his cards too soon.

he did the zombie possession thing, and that's enough to scare Ford into contacting Stan. the idea that even death wouldn't be enough to escape Bill was pretty terrifying y'know?

he hadn't yet come up with the plan to hide the journals, so primarily he wants Stan to help buy him some time. basically, he needed someone who could babysit him and make sure he was restrained if he fell asleep.

given his goal, he has more time to just sit down with Stan and explain the whole situation. he's a bit more trusting than cannon Ford, but in a "this is a last ditch effort, idk what to do if this fails" way. obviously, Stan agrees to help, which also means they're now living together and forced to work through their issues. it does go a bit smoother than would have in cannon tho. at some point during this time period, they do hide the journals. they're basically throwing anything at the wall trying to see what sticks.

Ford believes they REALLY need McGucket. with some convincing from Stan, he works up the nerve to call Fiddleford's home. only to be met with Emma saying he hadn't come back, and not to call her anymore. i kinda picture a scenario where Ford and Stan desperately try to find McGucket, only to, ironically, get snatched by the blind eye after seeing something supernatural

i'm not entirely sure how i'd have the confrontation play out. i do think this gets to be a moment where Ford is the one to excel in a social situation. like, i think it'd be a chance to see some of him and McGucket's friendship, and show how much Ford does actually care.

either way, McGucket agrees to help at the end. idk what to do with the blind eye, but i'm thinking similar to the ending of the episode in the show. except maybe more open ended if all the members got their mind erased in case i want the blind eye to make a reappearance as antagonists later.

i've seen a couple different ways people go about protecting Ford's mind from Bill in mystery trio aus. unicorn hair, metal plate surgery but riskier, metal helmet, etc, but i'm surprised no one ever uses project mentem!

for one thing, it just SCREAMS fiddleford to me. i already headcannoned better world McGucket gave cannon Ford the blueprints for it, so of course i'm gonna use it as part of my better world timeline. i mean, if he made the memory gun, i can def see him making the brain protector too lol.

after that is a couple various events:

Ford and Stan have to help McGucket recover from his memory gun addiction. while not as pronounced as cannon obviously, he still has memory issues left over

they start dismantling the portal

Ford publishes his research like McGucket originally suggested, and does get quite a bit of money from that

Mcgucket and Emma get divorced and have to figure out their situation. i think it'd be awhile before Fiddleford gets proper custody, but i do think Emma moves closer, and Fiddleford gets to see Tate

the trio opens something similar to the mystery shack, but an actual anomaly natural history museum. Stan ends up doing tours, while Ford and McGucket do the displays + research for that. it's around this point those two officially get together. they'd been kind of dancing around it for awhile lol

surprising everyone, it's Fiddleford who thinks they should revisit the portal, and that he has ideas on how to get it to work safely. still not entirely sure how to have that play out, but obviously they do figure it out in the end

at some point the institute is founded

when the portal is actually finished, and dimensional travel becomes more of a thing, Ford and Stan start exploring together. they don't go sailing, but the do get to go on adventures as brothers :]

at some point, shifty is revisited. having seen a few aus where he ends up as Ford and McGucket's kid, i'm kinda leaning in that direction. haven't decided what to do with him yet

now, when cannon Ford shows up, and gets some of the basics of what happened in this world he asks Fiddleford something to the effect of "so, did Stan hide the journals?" and he technically did hide them, WITH Ford, so McGucket is like "yeah, i guess so, but-" before cannon Ford cuts him off and changes the subject.

i think cannon ford was already overwhelmed by seeing what was essentially his dream world, that finding out what happened to Stan would be too painful. if they reconnected, that would hurt, if they never saw each other again, that would also hurt. so, cannon Ford, king of repressing his feelings, just avoided the topic.

[artificervaldi]

If Louis is Lucifer, then Satan is...?

[NOTE: this post will contain spoilers for Metaphor: ReFantazio as well as various SMT games and I guess Dante's Inferno if you care about spoilers for that]

So, it's not a secret Louis Guiabern (AKA Louis Charadrius. AKA Louis C.) is very clearly based heavily on Lucifer, specifically SMT's version of Lucifer. Of course he has Satan elements, though these are mostly Dante's Inferno cues rather than SMT's version of Satan.

While Metaphor is meant to be it's own thing/a third pillar for Atlus there's no denying the SMT DNA present in the main antagonist. From his boss forms' titles matching races in SMT (Archdemon we'll get into in a moment, Destroyer being 破壊神 or Hakaishin matching the light-chaos race of Fury), to his very ideal of the world matching the Chaos alignment well.

But within SMT2, Atlus proposed Satan as a sort of opposite to Lucifer, a Law aligned being to the Chaos shown before. So does Metaphor have any character that matches up to that Satan? The Angel of Judgment and Servant of YHVH?

To figure that out, I want to touch on a few things about Louis, specifically the Archdemon and Destroyer forms we see him in in the game's final boss fight.

It's pretty obvious that there's a lot of Kaneko-cifer in the DNA of the design of Archdemon Louis Charadrius, albeit with eight wings rather than six (though a few times SMT and its spinoffs have shown Lucifer with more than six wings)!

Interestingly, Dante's Inferno contained 9 circles with Satan at the center. There are 9 tribes including the elda and he is at the center of his wings. Given the wings represent the other tribes and notably skip 4 to make it 9, this shows Dante is at play even here with regards to his design.

See below for reference.

1) Anger - Clemar 2) Pride - Nidia 3) Deceit - Roussainte 4 skipped 5) Greed - Mustari 6) Fear - Ishika 7) Gluttony - Paripus 8) Lust - Rhoag 9) Sloth - Eugief

One final thing to touch on with this form is the title of Archdemon. In JP it is 大魔王 or "Dai Maou." This is also used by Atlus in SMT as a race title, but unlike Destroyer/Fury, this one is specific to a certain someone...

Specifically, Lucifer, though in Nocturne and Vengeance it was translated as "Devil." Do pay attention, this will be on the quiz.

Now, Destroyer Charadrius.

We know his design is based heavily on the Lucifer/Satan of Dante's Inferno. His first form and the way it eats the puppets calling to Satan chewing on those Dante considered the worst sinners especially comes to mind.

Honestly speaking, the second form to me is a bit of that SMT-influenced Lucifer coming through. Once again doing their own spin on various mythologies.

Notably, by the by, is that Satan in the Inferno is frozen from the waist down. This is even mimicked, somewhat, by Louis's lower-half in this form being the Charadrius itself.

But this isn't the first time a frozen devil has been featured in an Atlus game. It's actually been used in story at least twice for Lucifer and is otherwise often reflected in his moveset.

(Worth noting in both of the above cases, he does eventually canonically have to get out of the ice at some point. You don't have to release him in NINE, but given he's around in 2 he definitely gets out at some point.)

As for gameplay he often has ice skills (along with others, though the tendency towards ice is very notable) or, in the case of Raidou 2, they're a good thing to use AGAINST him in battle.

As we move into talking about SMT Satan here... It's notable that he usually is associated with fire, but P5R and Soul Hackers 2 specifically pivot him to a more ice-based skillset.

...Interestingly enough, Louis has a small association with fire. Strohl even says that he believes Louis is still stuck in "that night of flames," leading him to the choices he made in the end.

Now back to Satan. Compared to Lucifer his story roles in mainline SMT are farther and fewer between. So while Lucifer we can pull from more games than not, Satan-wise the only one I feel is really comparable to is the one from Shin Megami Tensei 2. Namely because of the human element of Satan.

Zayin is a temple knight and one of the artificial humans made by the Archangels in their madness from TFW no YHVH. He is, in fact, an aspect of Satan and the one meant to judge all life in His name. He starts the game loyal to the center, the theocratic nation you live in, but thanks to the protagonist begins to question and fight for what he believes is right.

This ranges from starting a revolution among the lower classes to attempting to fight the elders (leading to his own frozen/petrified moment -- albeit one more meant to be an homage to Star Wars than anything).

Hell, if you take the Law Route he ends up turning on his very creator and judging him as he judges all other life. But at his core, Zayin is a good man who sees the value in "weaker" life but also value in being able to stand against leaders who do not have your best interests in mind.

Also worth noting as part of the Satan equation, however, is Seth. The demonic half of the angel.

A dragon that sleeps but spells destruction for many/all when he awakens and finds his other half... Surely that's not gonna come into play here later (it is, keep an eye out).

So, who from Metaphor would make a decent fit for Satan, keeping Zayin's arc in mind? First thought might be, say... Gideaux.

Warrior Monk fits Temple Knight fairly well and he does have a (let's be honest, rushed) arc about realizing the corruption around his religion and trying to do right by it.

But he's just... Not a good fit. He's willing to do some of those corrupt things (remember, he's the one who suggested pillaging the relics of the mustari!) and only comes to realize the mistakes when Rella broadcasts them to the world.

Not to mention he's too passive. Yes, he turns a new leaf, but he doesn't lead a charge. Doesn't judge if someone is fit for their role in the world, doesn't rally the people behind a common goal, doesn't even have a connection to Louis outside of a pissing match with Glodell!

...You know, Zayin at one point broadcasts to all of Tokyo Millennium about the corruption. He rallies the people behind a common cause, behind the protagonist.

Doesn't something similar happen in Metaphor?

That's right, I'm presenting the following candidate for the Satan of Metaphor: ReFantazio.

Rella Cygnus herself is the character I want to present as in fact a perfect stand-in for Zayin/Satan. She hits so many of the marks too perfectly not for me to present her as my choice here.

A devoted member of the theocracy's faith of choice? Check. Aware of the horrors behind it at some point and working to better it? Check. Battle against the protagonist and then rally the people behind them when they prove worthy? Check. Willing to die for what they see as right? Check.

Hell, she even has a related dragon with an S-starting name! (And remember, this is the only dragon ever fought alongside a person in their right mind. The rest are on their own or with a Human!)

Does this mean Rella had more planned for her that got cut? Probably. Does this mean she could get thawed out if we get a sequel and we get another proper Law Antagonist? If Hashino loves me, yes.

And uh. It's not very big but. You know how Louis has a few Satan-like traits here and there? You know how Rella's darkest magic presents as thorny vines? Just thought this line from Lucifer in the Freedom ending of SMT3 was interesting.

Anyway, yeah. Rella gets hit with the Satan beam agenda. Thank you for your time.

[starrywooyo]

DEAREST: CHP ONE

pairing: ot8! ateez x fem reader

genre: mafia au

!!warnings(per chapter)!! !NONE FOR NOW!

word count: 1.5K

taglist: (lmk if you want removed/added

@scuzmunkie @santineez @yoonshiiu @stayatinykatsy @nuggiesnuggetdog04 @hon3ysun

synopsis: new town, new city, new country again.. will it be permanent this time? the friends you make.. are they honest? relationships? who's telling the truth..? what is the truth.. who should you believe?

notes: first official chapter~~ hellooo! I'm s sorry it took so long.. its not as long a chapter i would like but id rather post this the now and give you something than keep you guys waiting longer.. with that.. i hope you guys enjoy and.. happy new year!! happy 2025!!

series masterlist | prologue | next chapter | main masterlist |

 You walk up a few more steps and take a seat at the long table.. ‘Wooyoung’ who you've just been introduced to turns around in his seat leaning his head on his now propped up arms.

“So pretty.. Where are you from never seen you around here before~” he smiles up at you

��Ahaha yeah.. Um.. I'm actually not from anywhere really..” you say and he looks up at you confused..

“My father.. He moves locations at work a lot so we’re never in one place or country for too long..i was born here though and did stay here in my grandparents estate until i was like 7 or 8..”

“Ooooh I see.. So.. how’d you know our Yun, pretty? Are you together?”

“Oh- no no no!! Nothing like that.. Apparently his family is friends with mine? Or well my grandparents..?” you answer back very quickly..

“So you don't have a boyfriend then?”

“Wooyoung!” yunho warns

“What! It's valuable info.. I don't want some guy coming after me if she does..”

“I uh.. I dont no… i'm never in a place long enough to.. “

He opens his mouth to speak again but the lecturer enters the room.

“Good Morning class. Oh? It appears we have a new face in our homeroom.. Hi i’m Mr Kim, this homeroom isn't anything strict please just think of it as a chill space before your lectures. If you want to introduce yourself you can.”

You stand and clear your throat.

“Hi I'm y/n.. I uh.. I've never been in one place too long but I hope to make and be good friends with you all.”

Some students smile, others are just not very interested..

“Thank you y/n.. I hope you enjoy being in our homeroom and that the guys will treat you kindly.. Now.. lets see here…” the homeroom teacher trails off and begins daily announcements and just little things we should know before the day starts. Then we just have free time.. To which yunho uses to look over your schedule properly.

“Mmm.. seems you’re in the same building as me most of the time so i can take you to your classes while you get used to the layout.. Apart from your art lecture period.. That's on the whole other side of the campus…” he trails off

“I don't mind escorting the pretty lady to the music and arts dept~ would be an honor as a gentleman” wooyoung says, turning around in his seat.. Kinda biting his lip. 

“To hell I'd let you take her woo.. I'll get hongjoong to take her..”

“WHAT- oops.. I mean what.. You’d let hongjoong take her? Isn't he worse than me-”yunho quickly kicks the back of Wooyoung's chair.

“Fine.. jongho then.. He's got music during that period so music rooms just down the hall from the art dept. Don't worry y/n.. Jongho.. He's quiet but he's nice.”

..

So the day goes on and yunho true to his word, escorts you to all your lectures and picks you up from them. 

It's a bit overwhelming needing to introduce yourself in every class but.. It had to be done.. In all honesty you just wanna go back home, you're that socially drained. 

Thankfully it's lunch.. 

“Yeah so this is the cafeteria… The lunches and stuff they serve are pretty good.. Open all day so if you ever get an extra free period you can always come in for a snack or y’know.. Or of course bring your own lunches, that's totally okay too.." Yunho says as he holds the door open for you.. 

You both collect a tray of food and side dishes 

“Come on, you can sit with me”

“Is that.. Really a good idea..?” 

Yunho lets out a breathy laugh

 “I mean sit yourself if you want but.. Isn't it better to sit with someone on the first day? Y’know socialise? Besides.. You've got art next and jonghos sitting with wooyoung already so wouldn't it be good to know your new escort for your last lecture??” 

“I.. I suppose you’re right.” 

So you follow him to the table where the two other guys sit

“Ooooh hey again pretty~”

“Wooyoung.” yunho warns again just like in the class 

“Oh y/n this is jongho.. Jongho y/n shes new”

“Yeah.. she's the girl you got told to help this morning.. I know..” jongho says as she eats a bit of his food. 

“Yeah.. that's right.. I was hoping you could take her to the art and music department on campus after lunch since it's on the other side of campus from my last few lectures..? You're going to the music room right?”

Jomgho hums at that..

“I suppose I could take her.. For you..” he says

“Thank you..” you say 

To that he just kinda gives you a smile.. 

The rest of the lunch you just eat in the sort of awkward silence with wooyoung occasionally asking you a question.. 

Then once you finished your lunch you all take your trays and put them away and discard any rubbish. 

Yunho bids you all farewell as he heads in the opposite direction and you just silently follow jongho through the building until you get to the exit to walk across the campus towards the art and music department building.. 

“So.. you do music?” you ask him

He nods a little

“Yeah… that's right..”

“What do you play..?”

“Guitar… I sing a little too..”

Oh.. he plays.. 

“That's nice.. Guitar and singing go well with each other..” 

He just hums again and gets his id card out and buzzes the door open to the building and enters holding the door for you..  And you walk down the hall 

“What room is your art room?” he asks..

“Oh..” you struggle a bit and get your printed schedule out of your bag..

“A-1117?” 

“Mmh you're up the stairs then.. This way..” he leads you up the flight of stairs ..

And sure enough on a little stick out sign..

A-1115… A-1116.. A-1117.. On the far end..

“Oh… I see it.. Thank you jongho.. You don't need to walk me to the door.. Thank you for showing me the way.” you smile at him and bow.

He just smiles, but it's a small one “no problem..” and turns and makes his way back down the stairs..

You walk down the hall and then into the room..

It's a wide open space, tables and various art supplies neatly tucked away.. Some students already in there

“You must be y/n?.. I'm your lecturer but you can just call me jenny.. Pick a desk anywhere.. We’re not drawing today just doing some theory..”

“Aah okay.. Thank you..

… 

After your art lecture jenny had told you about some books you should pick up from the campus library a girl in your art class kindly showed you the way 

But shoot that is a bi stack of art books.. Only a few would fit in your backpack so you had to carry the rest.. You thank the librarian who got you the books and after checking them out you make your way to the doors of the library.

You struggle but eventually get the door open and slip out.. You walk down the hall carrying the stack of books, one of the top ones begin to slip and of course gravity pulls it to the ground.. 

“Oh..” 

You turn and shift the stack into one arm.. And bend down to pick the fallen book up.. Only another arm has extended to pick it up.. One tatted up with a sleeve..

“Here, let me get that for you” your gaze meets the face of the man

He helps you stand upright and let sout a cheeky laugh

“That's a lot of books is it not? Art student?”

“Yeah.. something like that..”

“D’you need a hand getting to where you're going or..” he trails still holding the book..

“I think i can manage..” just as you say that some more books begin to move in the pile as you try and move them back to the middle.. And onto the ground.. 

The man laughs.. 

“Sure you can, princess.. Come on. I'll help you carry them to your car..assuming.. You're getting picked up?” he says as he picks the fallen books up as well as taking a few more from your stack.

“Ah.. well thank you.. I appreciate it..”

And so you walk with the man through the campus and to the parking lot where others are getting picked up by their chauffeurs

You see the family driver standing outside the car..

“It's just that one there.. “

He walks towards the car and opens the door on the other side placing your books on the seat.. 

The driver opens your side

“Oh um.. Thank you for helping me..” you trail off not knowing the guys name

He opens his mouth to speak.

“Hongjoooong!! Come on!! We’re gonna be late..” a voice calls from a little bit away.. 

Wooyoung and another few boys stand.. 

He turns and gives them a thumbs up..

“Hongjoong.. My names hongjoong..”

“Well thank you hongjoong..”

“No problem princess” he does a little bow and runs off to catch up with his friends.. And you get in the car…

So that's hongjoong? He.. didn't seem as bad as wooyoung said..