#come to think of it she also didn't want him to go into the coffin recklessly

[barmaidatthegarrison]

Green Eyes and Gunpowder (7/?)

Thomas Shelby x OC (Emily Hughes)

Summary - Sharp-tongued, steady-handed, and raised beside the Shelbys like blood, Dr. Emily Hughes weaves through their war for Birmingham with a surgeon’s precision—offering comfort, challenge, and quiet resistance, especially to the man who’s forgetting how to be anything but a weapon.

Word Count - 2,429

Warnings - none new

A/N - This'll be the last update until June cause I got some work stuff coming up. I might write out what happened at the ball as a fun side-scene/short one-off but not rn.

Oh also I got the figures for the guns based on the prices they would have expected to have been worth in the 1920s. I didn't just make it up. They would have been worth roughly £12k.

Thanks for the support <3 Would love to know what you think!

Chapter 6

Thomas didn’t sleep that night. He couldn’t. And he wasn’t the only one.

Between him and Arthur, he lost track of the number of cigarettes they burned through, just that they’d filled two ashtrays. John wanted to stay too but someone had to be home with the kids.

“Emily’s going to be fine.” Polly had said before heading up to bed. “You boys worry about that girl far too much. I have more faith in her than any of you.”

Tommy also had more faith in her than anyone else, but she didn’t understand that wasn’t the issue. The issue was that she was in danger and he wasn’t in it with her. She didn’t have any of them to protect her. Will was fine but he wasn’t Tommy.

“It’s as your Ms. Hughes promised.” He picked up one of the Lewis Machine Guns, turning it in his hands.

There was something in his gaze, appraising it like he was looking for something specific.

“Dr. Hughes.” John corrected automatically. He hadn’t stopped scowling since they got out here. Even through the digging, which was almost impressive.

He hummed. “Spiral springs are in good condition. Recoil enhancers have been installed.” Liden pulled the magazine out with a practiced hand, inspecting it for a few moments before reinstalling. “Wherever you got these, they’re good quality.”

“You know your guns, Mr. Liden.” Tommy commented, taking a drag of his cigarette.

“We all had our roles in France.” His eyes were distant again for a few seconds, before looking at Tommy with a hidden intensity.

Arthur squinted, then combed his hair back, sweat keeping it in place. The silence was expectant.

“100th Company of the Machine Gun Corps.” He said heavily. “You all served?”

They all nodded, something unspoken passing between them. An understanding.

“Good. We’ll hold our end of the bargain.” He dropped the gun back into the coffin with a nod. “I’m sure this will be very profitable for everyone.”

So now there was a briefcase of cash sitting in the safe in Tommy’s office. Five fucking thousand pound. Closing his eyes, Tommy leaned his head back – the other half would come in two weeks when O’Hare’s men showed up. He should be fucking thrilled. But all he could think of was it wouldn’t be okay until Emily was back.

“Five fucking thousand.” Arthur breathed, leaning back in his chair. There was awe in his voice, almost disbelief. “And that’s just half.”

Tommy didn’t say anything, just took another drink. It was so much fucking money.

“How long do these fucking parties last, eh?” Arthur griped. “When the fuck is she getting home?”

“They’re all night affairs, Arthur.” He needed another cigarette.

Arthur sighed, “Fuck. I’m getting another bottle.”

The sun had just begun to peak over the horizon when the front door opened, and Tommy actually startled. His head snapped to the front door, in the corner of his eye he saw Arthur shooting up in his chair.

Emily slid into the house, exhausted and moving heavily, but still somehow just as beautiful as when she’d left all those hours ago. In her hands were her shoes, the hem of the red dress trailing along the ground.

When she saw them seated at the table, she paused mid-step, tilting her head to the side.

“It’s a little early to be down here, eh?”

“Thought you were staying in Luton.” Tommy volleyed, both men ignoring her comment.

She hummed, taking the seat closest to her, right next to Arthur. The oldest Shelby automatically put an arm around her.

“I’m not stupid. I saw Louis early. Thought he was coming back here so I hitched a ride on the way out.” She let her head rest on Arthur’s shoulder, closing her eyes and letting out a long suffering sigh. “Got tired of those fucking toffs touching me and looking at me like a piece of meat. I just wanted to go home.”

Arthur pulled her a little tighter, taking a smidge more of her weight. Comforting her. Emily had never been one for strangers touching her – when she was a kid it was always flinches when people tried. With Arthur’s arm around her, she smiled, stretching up to kiss his cheek before laying her head back down. His older brother smiled, pleased.

“How’d it go with that Liden fellow?”

Tommy lit another cigarette, “Half’s in the safe now.”

She didn’t react immediately, just stared at him quietly for a minute.

“Is that good?” If it wasn’t for the intensity of her stare, she would have seemed half asleep – soft words, leaning heavily into Arthur’s body.

Tommy wished he was as confused by that as Arthur seemed. The oldest giving the top of her head a funny look before raising his eyebrows at Tommy.

“Why the fuck wouldn’t it be?”

Tommy sighed, neither of them answered Arthur’s question. No matter how used to it he was, it was an odd thing to be so seen by someone else. The way her eyes traced his face, stared into his eyes, like his every breath was being catalogued and understood, it made his chest feel heavy.

Eventually he nodded, and she closed her eyes again.

“Okay.” Her voice was thin, almost small. He wasn’t sure why it bothered him so much.

She knew one day the Garrison would belong to the Shelbys. It felt like an I-told-you-so-moment but she wasn’t sure exactly who she was supposed to be smug to. It just felt right to be smug about it.

God, she was too tired to be thinking straight. Only gotten about 30 minutes before Finn had come bursting into her room so she could get him ready for school.

Between the lack of sleep and the anxiety of having been fucking threatened by the IRA it’d been a hell of day and she thought she could be forgiven for not being at her best.

“You’ll both forgive me if I indulge a little.”

Tommy had only just poured the drinks and already one was gone. At least this man was happy to pour his own second. Placidly she took a sip of hers, focusing on the one who would prove to be difficult. The second man.

She didn’t think Tommy noticed yet, but he soon would. The second man would be trouble and no mistake. The lines of his face were harsher, less genial.

“It takes a lot for a man from Sparkbrook to step inside this pub.” The first continued.

“We’re open to all kinds.” She said simply. Tommy nodded to her words. “As long as they pay and don’t cause trouble… well too much trouble.”

The charismatic one – Ryan, that was his name – smiled back at her, but the other seemed less impressed.

“You said you had business.” Tommy started, and she took the offered cigarette from him, letting him light one for her then himself.

Ryan nodded, his focus was on Tommy, but the other, he was staring pretty resolutely at her. Maybe she saw that she understood what he was here, or maybe he thought her weak. Either would work.

“It’s delicate, Mr. Shelby. A question of who knows what about what. It concerns the factory down the road at the BSA.” There was a pause as he put the whiskey back down. “Now as you might know most of the paint shop there is Irish. Big old place like that rumour get started.”

“Rumours that there was a robbery.” The other one added, still looking at her.

Her mind was racing. There was always a fucking leak with these things. This is exactly why Pol wanted the guns gone as fast as possible.

“Robbery of what?” Tommy asked, his voice flat and affectless. It shouldn’t have been so attractive when he slipped into this role – the kingpin, the gangster, the Devil of Birmingham – but God it was. What would her father have said if he could see her now?

“Guns, Mr. Shelby. A serious amount of guns.” Ryan continued, still so genial, so kind.

Crossing her legs and taking a long drawn-out drag of her cigarette, Emily raised her eyebrows. “Hm. And exactly how do you think we’re involved with that?”

Ryan smiled at her, the other one’s eyes narrowed. “When it comes to speculation you can’t beat a factory night shift.” Ryan was a nice man, she thought, in another life she might have thought him a good one.

The other man jumped in there, “Some say there was word from the proofing bay – it was the Peaky Blinders who took it.”

Tommy and her made eye contact briefly. This right here was what she was afraid of the whole time. God, thank fuck those guns would be gone in a few days.

“Your night shift must be dreaming.” There wasn’t a hint of doubt in Tommy’s voice.

“Maybe they are–”

“Maybe they’re not.” Oh the other one was getting testy now. Good. It was about time the cards started getting on the table plainly.

“What we’re trying to say is, Mr. Shelby, Dr. Hughes, that if either of you were to hear about the whereabouts of said items, we’d pay good money.”

Right there. The other man’s eye tightened there, a flash of something. Approval? Power? Ryan may have simply been a messenger boy, or just a man who would be seen as disarming, but this other fellow – there was more there. He had a sense of confidence borne of something greater than being an Irish rebel.

“You have good money?” Tommy’s counter pulled her out of her thoughts, tuning her back in.

“We have the collections from the pubs.”

Knocking the ash off her cigarette, Emily raised a brow, putting as much incredulity in her voice as she could. “Interesting. And on whose behalf exactly are we offering this collection? I’m assuming you aren’t a bunch of upstart nobodies?”

“We speak for the Irish Republican Army.” Oh there he is, the unkind one’s ego was hurt.

“Do you now?”

“We fucking do.” She just kept smiling, watching him scowl deeper. “You think we’re jokers?”

She looked at Tommy, who was putting on as much of a disinterested act as he could.

“Are we laughing?” She countered.

The thing is, she knew the song he started singing word for word. Her father used to sing it when he drank sometimes. Not with the pride and anger of the man before her, but with his own melancholy.

Tommy and her looked at each other in near sync, both already exhausted of this man. Still this didn’t exactly dissuade her from thinking that he was someone. No one mouthed off to Tommy unless they were incredibly powerful or incredibly stupid and despite the evidence to the contrary, she had a feeling he wasn’t stupid.

Ryan tried to get the man – Maguire was his name apparently – on track several times, but ended up having to push him out of the snug. She followed them to the door of the snug and watched Ryan shove his still singing companion out of the Garrison.

“Alright boys. If I hear about who knows what about what I’ll let you know.” Tommy called after them and she couldn’t help but smile.

When they were finally gone, Tommy switched briefly to Romani as they turned to the bar, “Nobodies.” The old language flowing easy from his tongue., “At least this will be over soon.”

Emily shook her head, replying in his ancestral tongue. “Maybe not both of them. I’m going to look into Maguire – I have a feeling he’s more than we think.”

“Well at least he was better in tune than some of the people here.” Grace joked as they approached, already reaching to hand Tommy another bottle.

“Whiskey is good proofing water, it tells you who’s real and who isn’t.” Emily nodded to Tommy’s words – drink usually made intentions at least a little clearer.

“And what did my countrymen want?”

“Who the fuck knows.” Emily fake griped, offering the barmaid a little smile.

Tommy took a long drag, “They drink at the Black Swan in Sparkbrook. They’re only rebels because they like the songs.”

“You have sympathies with them.”

Emily actually snorted at that, “We have no sympathies of any description.”

In the corner of her eye, she could see Tommy holding in a smirk of his own. She was quoting him there and he caught it immediately. Even if it wasn’t true.

“Their accents were so thick it’s a wonder you could understand them. Next time I could translate.”

Tommy actually looked a little charmed at that, but something about it rubbed Emily the wrong way. It was the same feeling she got when Grace lied to her twice in a row about why she left Ireland. There was something else at play here but she wasn’t any closer to putting her finger on it yet.

“I don’t think a pub will adequately launder all the money you just made.” Emily smirked over at Tommy playfully, and he huffed a laugh.

“No.” He breathed, taking a sip of his drink.

“You’re soft, Tommy.” Her smile itself turned soft, leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I’m proud of you.”

He looked at her, quirking a single eyebrow, but didn’t refute her point. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” And he tipped his glass to her in thanks.

God, but she could kiss him right now. Too bad they didn’t do that.

A dead IRA man. Fuck they were really in it now, weren’t they?

She closed her eyes and slipped back into her own room. Convenient that she had gone to Tommy that night, had wanted comfort. Too bad she’d been beaten by Danny, especially considering the news he brought.

They thought the gang did it, but they didn’t. She knew they didn’t – no orders like that would dare go through without Tommy’s say so and he would tell her.

He would.

Right?

“Do you know which one it was?”

Tommy looked over at her, quirking a brow. Emily’d hemmed the dress from the ball to mid-calf height and altered the sleeves a little. It was still quite fancy, but not too much so for the races, especially if she was going to play a posh girl, and by God she looked beautiful. Even his uncle Charlie had complimented her, between his cautious warning.

“Maguire or Ryan – the ones who visited us. Did Danny say which had been killed?” How had she heard about that? He was going to tell her on the drive. His silence spurred her on. “I was coming to you last night, but Danny got there first. Heard a little, but not much; didn’t want to eavesdrop.”

“No.” He breathed. Even if she had stayed, he wouldn’t have minded – probably would have preferred it – and Danny wouldn’t have cared. “Does it matter?”

She paused, a pregnant pause. “I think it would be worse if it was Maguire. I think he’s someone.”

Tommy didn’t say anything to that. He didn’t think either of them had been anybody, but Emily was better at reading people. Used to be she would read them and he would charm them, but it was so much harder to be charming these days.

“Tell me it wasn’t you.”

His gaze snapped from the road back over to her for a moment, stunned.

“You think I wouldn’t run that by you first, eh?”

She wasn’t looking at him. In the corner of his eye, he could see her gaze out the window.

“Of course it wasn’t us.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel, but she still didn’t react.

They sat in silence for almost twenty minutes before Emily spoke again.

“Be careful with the barmaid.” 

“What?”

“Grace. She’s…” Emily shook her head. Her voice was hesitant, careful, as though she was afraid of his reaction. “She’s lied too many times, and she’s nosy. I don’t trust her. I know you boys like her, but… well I know my opinion isn’t worth much…” She cringed. “Just be careful with her.”

She startled forcefully when he pulled the car to the side of the road, slamming his foot on the break, but she still didn’t look over to him.

“Don’t we have somewhere to be?” Her voice was still cautious and he was fucking tired of it.

“What’s going on?”

“I just have a bad–”

“–feeling.” He finished, scowling. “What are you on about ‘your opinion isn’t worth much’? Who else’s opinion do I fucking listen to, eh? Who runs this fucking business with me?”

It bothered him that she flinched at that.

“I didn’t mean–” She cut herself off that time. “Sorry I’m just in my head today. It’ll pass.”

Lying.

“Want to try that again, love?” He reached out and turned her head towards him, meeting minimal resistance. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“Nothing.” She rubbed her eyes and followed by shaking her head. “I just don’t want to overstep again. You like the girl, Arthur and John like her too. That’s fine, just be careful.”

‘Overstep again.’ Fucking hell. If he didn’t know her so well, he’d think she was being difficult on purpose, but sadly this was on him.

“Make any more shitty deals on behalf of my fucking family you want to tell me about? Are you trying to ruin us?”

He sighed and took her hand in his, threading their fingers together, “I’ll be careful.”

She nodded, and while she didn’t look at him, she did squeeze his hand.

---

A/N2: The guns are going to be GONE... mostly. I PROMISE WE'RE GOING SOMEWHERE SOON!! (Next chapter things might start coming together). I'm still trying to figure out how slow this burn should be tbh.

Tagged: @weaponizedvirtue, @taorislover94 @maaxxxaam @thehanes22

[lizardkingeliot]

Hoooo boy okay let's do this. 2x06 was a goddamn doozy, you guys. There was a very strong theme here throughout the episode of makers and fledglings being able to feel one another through their shared blood even when they can't read each other's minds. Louis says he can feel Madeleine is out of town because she is his fledgling. Likewise, Madeleine calls out the fact that she can feel Louis after acknowledging she can't read his mind. But there's something else happening here too....

She looks to Armand. Says she can feel Louis' love for him through their blood. Then calls out the fact that... Louis won't tell him? Only... Louis HAS told Armand "I love you". That was a pretty important element of 2x04. The casual way he said it with the vision of Lestat laughing at the bedside all the while. The one Louis actually couldn't say it to...

Was Lestat. We all remember, but just in case anyone forgot...

But what does Madeleine ascribe this feeling to? Why does she think she can FEEL Louis loving Armand? Because of the blood they share. The blood they share that comes from Lestat. The blood Claudia didn't want Madeleine to have BECAUSE it's Lestat's. The episode did a really great job of reminding us about the blood bonds and just what it means to have a connection to your maker. And when that maker is also your lover..... hoooooo boy.........

Anyway. The love. The blood. The bond with your maker. I can understand why Madeleine would be confused about the love Louis is feeling. She sees Louis with Armand. She assumes they're in love. She doesn't realize...

Her maker is sitting there thinking about his own maker the entire time. To the point he almost quotes him word for word before he stops himself...

And of course he's thinking about Lestat. He's just become a maker himself. Why WOULDN'T he be thinking about Lestat? Even after saying goodbye to Dreamstat, he can't get Lestat out of his mind. Even after becoming a shadow of who he used to be. Someone cold and distant. He's trying so hard, but it's never going to work. He's never going to be able to shove Lestat away completely. And he's certainly never going to be capable of loving Armand in the way Armand desperately wants Louis to love him. Because while Armand might say he belongs to Louis. If you ask Louis if he belongs to Armand, well...

And honestly... I feel so horrible for Armand here. Because there's nothing he could have done that would have made this particular outcome any different. He never stood a chance. Louis and Lestat are bonded not only in their blood but in their hearts and their souls. Lestat was not only Louis' maker but the love of his life. His first love. The first man he ever allowed himself true intimacy with. The one he shared a coffin with. The one he shares a heart with. Louis is trying so hard to be who he was before Lestat, someone closed off and cold. But he cannot sever the bond in their blood and in their hearts with all the coldness in the world...

Which leads me to wonder... did the love Madeleine detect in Louis not only have to do with his blood bond with Lestat/the fact that he was thinking about Lestat the whole time, but also the fact that Lestat was already in Paris? Could Louis feel it? Was he aware of feeling that innate connection but was so determined to make himself a hardened shell of who he once was that he just brushed it of? Thought it was residual grief? Is that why his visions of Lestat before he banished him in 2x04 were so vivid? Because Lestat was in Paris for years, and despite not really knowing that, Louis felt it all the same?

Anyway. Moving on. Circling back to Armand and Louis and the topic of love. When they're discussing Armand not being aware of what Santiago was truly up to, Armand blames being distracted on being in love and Louis just... outright scoffs at the idea?

We sure are a long way from "meet the vampire Armand, the love of my life" territory this deep into season 2, that's for sure. And sure, in Dubai Louis is feeling bitter and doesn't trust Armand for many reasons this particular post aren't about. But even looking back on it, on the time that should have been their honeymoon phase before it all went to shit, Louis just... doesn't see love there. Or at least not being In Love. Because the only one Louis was in love with in Paris was his maker. The one he was bonded to in blood.

And the one he's about to have to sit on a stage with next week and never once be permitted to touch. Never once be permitted a moment of truth with. But the bond is still going to be there. They'll still feel each other's hearts, beating as one with their shared blood. And we have to assume after that... they just never see each other again after Paris? And just thinking on that point alone... it truly is no wonder Louis is still so unwell in Dubai. Locked away in his tower that is his prison that is his forgetting. I wasn't sure I believed Armand when he said Louis asked him to take the memory of San Francisco away from him. But I think I actually do? It makes sense. That he would want to forget something like that. And it also makes me wonder...

What else did Louis want to forget? And how much of that forgetting is related to this agonizing, unbreakable blood bond he shares with Lestat? I truly have no clue how far they're going to take this, so I guess we'll just have to wait to find out...

[imnotlostimlooking]

I hate the Eddie story line that's happening. Like I hate that they are putting him through all this bullshit over a mistake that he made because of years of trauma. And i hate reading stories where people make it out like he was cheating on Marisol. Maybe he wasn't great for sneaking around with another woman but if you really look at it? Nothing remotely romantic or sexual was going on. Eddie saw this woman who was a clone of his dead wife and latched onto her because of this, as if she could somehow solve all the answers he'd never gotten even tho he logically knew she couldn't. They spent a lot of time together and maybe some of the things they did seemed romantic but he was always detached with her.

Its never said in the show but this man was raised (using the term loosely) by a Mexican father in an extremely catholic household and so I'm betting all my money on the fact that when his girlfriend got pregnant at 19 it wasn't HIS choice to get married. Even if he was the one to suggest it, it would have been because it was 'the right thing to do'. He was a baby. Having a baby.

He joined the army and came back with ptsd up the whazoo to parents who were raising his child like he was their own, giving him the love they'd never given Eddie, and a wife who resented him. His wife left him with a child he didn't know how to care for and parents who wanted to take Christopher away from him because he worked 3 jobs to get on his feet.

This man moved to LA and yeah he found the 118 and a family but his life revolved around work and Christopher and 'finding him a mother' which he canonically said. It never even seemed as though he wanted to be dating when he was with those women, more perfunctory than anything, even tho he didn't realize it.

And then he meets this woman who looks just like his dead wife who left him and came back and divorced him and died and she storms his fucking castle in cosplay and forces him to open up when he's clearly uncomfortable with it and his child walks in.

And yeah, it's fucking terrible. Like the worst. Oh my god poor Christopher seeing that. Poor Marisol thinking he's been cheating on her this whole time. But also. Poor fucking Eddie. Poor fucking Eddie because he didn't ask that fucking woman to show up at his goddamn house. He didn't ask her to dress like his dead fuxking wife and try and fix all his trauma. Yeah what he did wasn't right, but he cut shit off and that should have been that. He didn't ask to be fixed and he certainly didn't ask for whatever the hell rhat was.

And then his child calls his grandparents to come get him which is fair cause he's a child right? Kids do things like that. But they come and take him without even a call to Eddie. Their son. Who they are supposed to love and cherish. They don't ask what happened. They don't ask if he's okay. They just place blame and steal his child and Eddie let's them because Eddie has trauma and he 'knows' he's never been good enough for his kid and this is just the nail in the coffin so he should let him go right? And they fuxking take him.

But now? Like moving to Texas? Go get your fucking child and bring him home. He's a child. He does not make the fucking decisions. It should not even have lasted that long that he was in el Paso in the first place. Why is no one telling him that he's the fucking parent in this situation. Why is no one telling him rhat he's good enough. That he's an amazing father. That his parents are manipulating his trauma. That yeah maybe he fucked up but he didn't do anything actually WRONG.

And im reading all this fics where he is groveling and saying or being accused of cheating and im like wtf. Disgusting. I hate it. Let him be fucking A+ parent dad Eddie again cause I'm tired of this shit. Go to his parents house. Tell them to fuxk all the way off. Tell your kid to pack his shit he can be mad in LA in therapy.

[nyxanarchy]

SOTR SPOILERS

more things I noticed/thought about

-drusilla saying to maysilee that she doesn't know what awaits for her. She really would have gone the Gloss route (or maybe Johanna, but I think she would have had to play their rules if she wanted to save her family) Also. The implications on Merrilee. We know there was the possibility of selling Katniss and Peeta as a package. Do you really think someone who looks just like a victor would have been safe from that fate?

-Plutarch asking "why didn't you?". Listen. Listen. I know Plutarch is trying to do the greater good here. But also. If I catch you Plutarch. Don't let me catch you Plutarch. I know. I know, he is an ally. He tried to be good to Haymitch. But nonetheless.

-Maysilee and Haymitch talking in the katniss bush

-the fact that it takes one hit to Asterid for Burdock to back off. He really loved her. I'm convinced that if Haymitch hit him, he would have kept going to him

-Haymitch developing an addiction because of the fact Asterid keeps bringing him the syrup (it's not her fault tho!! It's just very unfortunate. I think it would have happened anyway, but maybe slower)

-The whole snake and loulou thing. Do you think maybe she was accustomed to snakes because there are a lot of them in the labs? Maybe she was housed with one.

-Loulou screaming "you are killing us, you are killing us!" My god. My shayla. Poor baby, stolen from her parents. She lost everything, even her own name. Can you imagine some relative looking at her without knowing who she is? Maybe someone could recognize something in the way she moves. I also think her parents could have been alive till her death. It feels like it's a worst punishment than death watching your own baby girl transformed in someone else get sent to her death.

-Also confirmation that the seam residents are melungeons. We already knew that, but this is your reminder katniss is not white.

-maysilee and merrilee godbye "and for a moment the donner twins become one, arms locked around eachother's neck, foreheads, noses pressed together. A mirror image that the peacekeepers tear in two." They became one. Oh, Merrilee. How could you ever cope seeing her in your mirror everyday? Thinking about Merrilee seeing herself dying on the tv.

-also "in the girls' pen Maysilee is gripping Asterid hand while a weeping Merrilee embrace her, their three blond heads pressed in a tight knot" I don't know why but the wording is just so touching, maybe because it's such a clear image. A knot. It destroyed me, it still does.

-haymitch coming back home with the coffins. In the first reapings they really didn't care at ALL about the appearances eh

-so now that we know the reapings are rigged a lot (i mean we had our doubts but now it's confirmed), what are we thinking about prim's reaping? Not in the sense that she was reaped to punish katniss or something like that, more in the sense "in the games there must be a percentage of really young children because it makes for a compelling narrative". We know it's a "tv show" for the capitol and i feel like they have to have a diversified cast. Don't know if i'm making sense.

-Lenore Dove screaming in the wind instead of crying in front of the camera "the moment our hearts shattered? It belongs to us" I literally can see her. I literally can see them.

-Maysilee's "I'll be your sister". And Haymitch calling her sis? My god.

-The cistern being empty because Haymitch went to see Lenore Dove. It was inevitable anyway. They would have died either way, they were always gonna kill them.

-Haymitch sweetheart being a little girl he saw as a sister. It was never a mockery for katniss

[radiance1]

Vlad Masters has died.

Or at the very least, that is what the upper class was lead to believe. Could you blame them? His death was wildly convincing, and the thing was.

No one knew who would inherit Vladco and his fortune.

As far as they knew, Masters never had any heirs to speak of at all. Not even an illegitimate child, or a foster care. He doesn't even have relatives that the fortune and company could go to.

So, safe to say, they were quite looking forwards to what would happen to the company. Would it sink, or stay afloat?

Now, normally, Damian wouldn't have cared a single bit about what would happen. But seeing as he is forced to go to an event held at the very dead Vlad Masters' mansion, he thinks he should have the right to see what'll happen.

The company's various stockholders were all gathered together, as well as Lex Luthor and other rich upper-class individuals. He knows that Vlad and Lex didn't like each other very well, so he thinks that Lex Luthor may or may not be backing the biggest current stockholder so that he'll have a say in the man's company when they take over.

Honestly, the event was pretty boring. He thought there would be... more, happening. Considering the context of this event.

So, he leaves. He's really just exploring to stave off his boredom, but if he found Vlad Masters' secrets before his death, well. Might as well, really.

He comes upon a room filled wall to wall with merchandise that screamed Masters was a packers fan before his death. Quite the large one at that as well. He picked up one item just to take a look at it, it wasn't something he was too interested in, but it was sort of impressive.

He turned when he heard the door open behind him, and saw a girl that was probably around his age staring at him with concern.

The thing is, she wasn't dressed like a guest. Or even a maid. She was dressed like a poor person.

So obviously he thought she was breaking in to find things to steal and sell off.

"I'm telling dad you tried stealing his packers merch." And with that, the girl was off, and Damian found himself running after her.

Why?

Boredom.

But also, father? He genuinely considers who she was talking about, clearly it couldn't have been anyone participating in the event, so was he also another thief that wanted to steal from Masters?

What sort of thief reveals they have another roaming around where they're stealing from? And their blood relation at that?

He realized that they were running towards where all the guests were gathered, and Damian thought that this girl was either lost, or genuinely didn't know what she was doing.

"Dad! Some kid is trying to steal your merchandise!" Said the girl, slamming open the doors and causing the attention of everyone present to fall directly on her as she paused.

Damian couldn't see it, but he thinks she's quite stupefied in that moment, paused on her pause. It was completely, and utterly quiet for a moment as the guests stared at her, and she stared back.

However, the next moment. The very detailed coffin laying in the center of the room suddenly swung itself open with a great pillar of green fire that reached the ceiling, causing his attention to switch over to it.

He saw lines on the floor around the coffin, lines that he previously ignored as some kind of design choice.

Lines that were filled with a liquid none to dissimilar to Lazarous Water.

A hand reached out of the coffin. "WHO DARES TO TOUCH MY PRECIOUS MERCHANDISE!?" And from beyond the grave the previously dead now arisen body of Vlad Masters pulled himself out of his own coffin, with inhumane red eyes.

So. Damian came to two conclusions that night.

One, Vlad Masters may or may not have had ties with the League of Assassins in some way, leading to his now ressurection.

Two, Vlad Masters has a daughter that was extremely well hidden from basically everyone present at the gathering and, maybe even the world at large.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

I'm clearing out my draft folder again.

Steve and Robin were running through Starcourt, high as fuck when Steve skidded to a stop in front of Eddie Munson.

"You look like Eddie Munson," Steve giggled.

"Steve!" Robin said with wide eyes. "I think that is - "

"Man, what happened to your face?" Eddie asked.

"Funny story, can you keep a secret from Eddie?" Steve said seriously.

"Sure," Eddie grinned.

"No, Steve, that's - ,"

"ANYWAY," Steve rolled his eyes at Robin. "I had this crush on him in freshman year. Do you think I should tell him?"

"Uh - are you guys on drugs?" Eddie asked.

"YES! But we didn't want to," Robin said. "They wanted information."

"Aw, fuck, there's this guy that works with Rick. Real sketchy. I told him he needs to let him go before he gets Rick into trouble, but does Rick listen to me? Nah!" Eddie exclaimed. "Look, whatever the hell he gave you should wear off. Not all drug dealers are like that. What we pitch to you is what you get. What you want is what you get. Okay, let's get you guys to the bathroom and try to get it out of your system. Come on."

"I'm going to tell Eddie," Steve said with a grin. "Shh! Wait here. I'll tell you how it goes."

Steve ran off with Robin on his tail. Eddie cursed and chased after them. They got distracted by the lights hanging overhead and started spinning around, gazing at them in awe.

"You guys do not want to do that," Eddie said, and they started heaving before they ran off in the direction of the bathrooms. "And that's why."

He ran off after them and into the bathroom room, where they vomited into the toilets. Eddie knelt down next to him and stroked Steve’s hair as he emptied the contents of his stomach. Once Steve was done, he leaned his head into Eddie's touch and closed his eyes, letting Eddie stroke his hair. He whined when Eddie moved away and saw him go to the sink. He came back with a wet, soapy paper towel and started cleaning Steve’s face.

"I guess I'm chopped liver," Robin said. "It's okay, I'll get it myself."

Steve laughed and made a face at the taste in his mouth. Eddie clapped a hand on his back.

"I'll be right back," Eddie said.

He rushed off to buy a couple of toothbrushes and toothpaste. He also picked up what he thought was lip balm. When he returned, he he heard them talking. They were clearly bonding, solidifying their working relationship into a friendship. Or maybe something more considering how Robin was talking about watching Steve. Shit, maybe Eddie should leave. They were talking about someone else now.

"But Tammy Thompson's a girl," Steve said.

"Yeah," Robin said.

"Oh."

Or maybe not. Oh God, Robin was coming out to Steve, and Eddie was overhearing it. Oh God, what should he do? He was frozen to the spot. Steve was going on about how Tammy Thompson was a total dud and how she sounded like a Muppet. Eddie snorted. Yeah, that was true.

"I can't believe you're making fun of my crush," Robin laughed. "What about yours?"

"Hey, at least Eddie can sing," Steve replied.

Fuck! Okay, so he had been telling the truth then.

"How do you know he can sing?" Robin asked.

"My car broke down near the Hideout one night, and I heard him singing. He was playing with his band, Corroded Coffin," Steve said. "They were really good. I was going to go talk to him, but I kind of thought that the drummer was his girlfriend, but that's crazy. I mean, guys and girls can just be friends, right?"

"I like to think so," Robin replied.

There was a long pause in their conversation, which gave Eddie plenty of opportunity to burst through the door.

"Okay, so I have a green toothbrush and a pink one," Eddie said. "Which one do you guys want?"

"Ooh, pink," Steve said and they stared at him. "What?"

"Nothing," Eddie said in amusement.

He watched as they brushed their teeth. Well, he mostly watched Steve.

"So, how much of our conversation did you hear?" Steve asked, setting his toothbrush on the sink.

"What? I didn't hear anything. Were you guys talking about something?" He asked.

"Seriously?" Robin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't hear anything that you guys didn't want me to hear," Eddie said.

"I don't think you're the kind of guy who would spill the beans on us," Robin said. "At least, I hope not so you don't have to deny anything."

"Ooh, lip gloss," Steve plucked it out of Eddie's hand. "May I?"

"Yeah, I thought it was lip balm," Eddie frowned. "So, have you always known that you liked guys?"

"Not just guys, girls too," Steve said as he started applying the lip gloss to his pouty lips. "I'm bisexual."

"Did you always know you were bisexual?" Eddie asked as he watched Steve’s lips intently.

"Well, yes and no," Steve said. "It was more like a slow build-up to my realization. Like more and more evidence started piling up that I could no longer deny."

"So, it wasn't like you looked at someone one day and realized 'shit, I'm into dudes, now?" Eddie asked as his eyes raked over the swell of his ass.

"It's always kind of been there. Why?" Steve asked as he closed the lip gloss.

"No reason," Eddie blushed, looking at his shoes.

"Oh my god!" Robin exclaimed. "You woke him up."

"What?" Steve asked.

"You woke him up!" Robin exclaimed, and Eddie quickly hid behind his hair.

"It's the outfit!" Eddie shrieked.

"So, what is it about the outfit that does it for you?" Steve asked.

"It's everything! The socks! The shorts that fill out your ass fantastically, by the way! And the shirt with the red bow tie in front," Eddie said. "It's just the whole fucking outfit."

"You should see me in the hat," Steve said in amusement.

Suddenly, Dustin and Erica burst into the bathroom before Steve could say anything else.

"There you are!" Dustin shrieked.

"Hey, could you give us a minute?" Steve asked Robin.

Robin quickly started ushering the kids out of the bathroom.

"But, Steve?!" Dustin asked.

"Out!" Robin yelled and shut the door behind them.

"I like you and as badly as I want to kiss you right now. . . I don't want it to be after I vomited in a bathroom. Plus, you still need to figure things out. If you still want me a few days from now. Call me. I have to deal with these kids I babysit. So go home and think things over," Steve said softly.

There was something that Steve wasn't telling him, but Eddie knew that he was also right. Besides, it was late. Steve placed his hands on Eddie's shoulders and pressed a kiss to his cheek, close to the corner of his mouth. It felt much like Steve was promising him something. Steve pulled away and started moving toward the door.

"Hey, Steve?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah?"

"I'm definitely going to call you," Eddie said.

Steve laughed and walked out of the bathroom, leaving them both with hope for the future.

[thisapplepielife]

Written for @corrodedcoffinfest and @stobinmonth.

Lake Michigan, 1987

CCF Spring Break Prompt: Ocean & Stobin Month Prompt: Holiday | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | POV: Multiple | Pairing: Platonic Stobin, Pre-Steddie | CW: None | Tags: Post S4, Everybody Lives, Steve's on a Mission to Crash Corroded Coffin's Spring Break Getaway to the Beach, Robin's Along For The Ride

Robin

Robin squirms in her seat. They've been in this car for hours, and she's sweating, legs sticking to the leather. She lifts one thigh, then the other and feels them release, but also hears the little thwap it makes. It's so gross. 

She thought they were supposed to be there by now. 

"How much further?"

"Not sure," Steve says, "look at that map again."

Robin doesn't want to look at the map again. She's not interested in playing navigator. 

"Ugh. This is taking forever."

"Stop complaining, we're going to the ocean!" Steve declares, banging his fist against the steering wheel.

Robin rolls her eyes.

"Lake Michigan isn't the ocean. It's a lake. It's in the name, even."

"Same thing."

"Really not," she says, but lets it go, "How late are we? Because I'm starving and they better have food left. Good food. But I'm not optimistic."

Steve doesn't say anything. 

"Hello? Earth to Steve? Dingus, are you listening to me?"

"I'm listening."

"We're not lost, are we? What time were we supposed to be there?"

"Uh. When we get there, I guess."

"That's not an answer. Do you even know where we're going to meet them? What's the plan? You've been awfully secretive about this adventure."

Steve mumbles something under his breath.

"What?" she asks, twisting the stereo knob all the way down.

"Theydon'tknowwe'recoming," he says in a hushed rush.

Robin flops around in her seat, turning to face him fully, "Steven. Harrington. What do you mean they don't know we're coming?" 

"Surprise!" he says weakly.

Then, after a beat.

"Yeah, we might be lost."

"Steve!"

"Kidding, just don't let me miss the sign for 94 East."

She throws her hands up in the air, exasperated. 

Steve

He didn't know there were this many beaches on Lake Michigan. 

They've checked like a dozen spots, and so far, no Corroded Coffin. No Eddie. He knows they are staying in Indiana.

Well, he thinks that's right. Maybe they changed their minds? Maybe he misunderstood? It wouldn't be the first time.

"I didn't know there were this many beaches," he admits, as they're standing next to his car at a gas station. Robin's continued cooperation paid for with a big bag of snacks. 

"It's literally called the third coast, dingus! Seriously. You thought we'd just pull up to the entirety of Lake Michigan, and what, stumble across Eddie Munson and his band of bozos?! You can't be serious."

That's exactly what he thought. He is a dingus.

"So, we're stalking Eddie Munson?! That's where we are in life now?"

"Stalking is a little exaggerated," he argues. He's been dancing around this thing with Eddie for months.

"Were we invited?"

"No," he admits and she's shaking her head, unimpressed.

This was a dumb idea. 

Eddie

He hears his name being shouted, very clearly. Twice. Which is odd, because everybody he's with is still in the van. He can hear Gareth and Goodie bickering in the back, and Jeff's nose is in a book in the passenger seat. Plus, that was definitely a woman. And women, in general, aren't in the habit of screaming his name.

So, he's hearing things.

Great. This better not be a Vecna thing. 

He swallows. He was trying to get away from Hawkins.

"Psst. Ed. Eddie. Edward," Gareth hisses, and all Eddie can see is his mouth at the bottom of the pop-out window on the back of the van. Ridiculous. 

"What?" Eddie asks, clicking off the gas nozzle in the van. He can't leave it unattended. They have a very strict budget. But he takes a step closer to see what Gareth needs. He clearly crawled over the backseat for a reason.

"Your boyfriend is here," the mouth says.

"Huh? I don't have a—"

Gareth taps on the glass, cutting his thought short, "Steve Harrington. And Robin. Nine o'clock."

Eddie slowly turns his head, and sure enough, Steve and Robin are in the middle of a hand-flailing argument next to Steve's car. He just couldn't see them before, the dispenser was in the way.

So, he did hear his name. 

He turns towards them, and watches. Then, Robin makes accidental eye-contact with him, and he waves. 

She nudges Steve's shoulder, and Steve turns around. And the grin that crosses his face is transcendent.

"Told you, Rob!" Steve declares with gusto, and then he's loping over, grabbing Eddie, hugging him.

"Uh, hi," Eddie says, nose smushed into Steve's neck. Which is definitely fine. For sure.

The side door of the van swings open, and they separate.

Goodie looks them all up and down, and then just says, "No."

Eddie laughs. He's not saying no to whatever this is, "What are you doing here?"

"Stalking you, apparently," Robin says, and Gareth's disembodied mouth laughs as Steve stomps on her foot.

"Ow!" she shouts. Steve ignores her.

"We're not stalking. We were bored, and like, I remembered you said you were doing this for spring break, and I thought, why not? Sounds fun," Steve rambles, and Eddie is very charmed. 

What was Steve's plan? Wander the 1,000 plus miles of coast?

It doesn't matter. If he drove three hours to chase him down, Eddie's not gonna let him slip through his fingers.

"We're camping in the dunes, if you wanna?" Eddie offers.

Steve's nodding while Robin's shaking her head no. Eddie takes Steve's answer, because he likes it better.

Was Steve Harrington chasing him? Is that what this is? That's crazy talk. But…

"Definitely," Steve says, pushing his hair up off his forehead with his hand. "Yeah. Definitely. We'd love to. I'd love to."

He seems nervous.

Holy shit. 

Eddie knows that move. He went to high school with that move. 

Steve Harrington is flirting with him. 

And Robin is disgusted by it.

Eddie smiles, "Let me finish filling up and you two can follow."

"Cool," Steve says, "that's cool."

Eddie steps back, and squeezes Robin's shoulder. He likes Buckley. She'll get over it, and he'll definitely owe her for wing-manning.

If you want to write your own, or see more entries, check out @corrodedcoffinfest to read takes on Spring Break prompts, or to offer up your own!

For more Stobin, pop on over to @stobinmonth to follow along with the fun!

[leafbaked]

some things from the trailer remind me of unused or early concepts from the death stranding 1 artbook. here's some of them and my thoughts! okay to reblog & expand ideas!

so lou after dying becomes a 'beached thing' or at least we're expected to 'think' she is the thing in the pod now or something. pods already spoke to the odradek so perhaps no longer being part of both worlds and solely on the beach she loses her 'baby' shape.

in the artbook we have fragiles duffle bag for equipment. we know she carries a bb in this eventually because she brings back higgs doll in ds1 to show sam. its interesting that neil appears to have an amelie bb in pre stranding if we are not being mislead, much like cliff had once and also i think neil will be cliffs commander or something similar due to the oddness of the same soldiers, etc. now, i think this is a curious connection and i just wanted to put it out there. perhaps like amelie x higgs and the 'madness' this bb x neil is seemingly 'disturbing him' as he shakes his head oddly. also his soldiers have a sort of ludens-esque 'skull face', much like higgs golden face mask later.

Higgs does harken back to his original design which i hope is shifted forward to help fit the 'out of ' order timeline/plot were sort of seeing. so perhaps him and lou on the beach or just in general a baby. It seems to be more in line with his white make up face. You can also see in the top left initial design he appears to have longer blong hair, maybe bangs? and has had a neck lace of sorts since the beginning of 'his concept'.

i'm thrilled to see them going back to their more original designs. they spoke about how in ds1 they needed them to be less fleshed out to make them more scary. now that people have seen ds1 they can go more in depth and flesh them out as bts are more background to plot now. the top right resembles what we say young tarman seeming to view?

we saw a 1 to 1 of this from mama's concept bb mobile in the art book in the ds2 trailer.

still mother original concept art vs mothers what appears a similar lighting situation. and a young sam maybe bridges i looking at a blanketed body but no pregnancy i dont think. i actually think this could be higgs somehow or someone similar that we know but dont realize. it looks very coffin like.

these i think are important. they were supposed to be the last cut scene of the game but they didn't use it. you have a bb 'as the world', bridget, a melie esque one, and then a sickly/stillmother nursing gown. but they are also very higgs esque and now tomorrow esque with the chiral tears and face paint.

while i am so pro dad! higgs or him raising her on the beach if it's lou, i am also keen on her coming into her powers like he did, suddenly and without much control. in the game he is called king midas and said to have a golden death mask . tomorrow comes out of the 'egg' with a gold facemask of sorts, and the matching make up. i also know the king midas lore includes him having a daughter that he cannot touch/kills with his golden touch and then ofc the one where king midas starves to death because he can't eat, everything is gold when he bites it....

[winters-rose-daughterofcain]

Let Penelope be a loser guys come one. "Why was she asking him to kiss her?" "Why was she the desperate one?" "Why didn't she make him work for it-" Because she likes him!!!!

Because pretty much any time not spent around Colin in episode 1&2 she's unhappy. Because he was being kind and she was relaxing around him and enjoying herself and doing well talking to people, because she's liked this boy for years and never truly gave up on him even when everything practical told her too. Because she was finally dressing the way she wanted and making a plan to get away from her family and it was actually working, she was genuinely desirable and a viable option, for once everything is going right and she also has Colin even if not the way the romantic side of her would hope, and then it all goes to absolute shit.

Suddenly she's an embarrassment and unwanted and the chance of marriage or escape or freedom has gone from slim to none, suddenly any respect or desirability she had is gone, and all because of the connection that has made her the most happy, all because people found out about Colin and his kindness and suddenly it all feels silly and desperate and like the childish dream of a 'sad, stupid girl'. Suddenly everything is ruined and she is once again a laughing stock. And she then had to go home and write about it, putting the nail in her own fucking coffin.

Because she is miserable and lonely and a young girl yearning to be loved. Because all of a sudden Colin is in her garden bribing her maid to get her alone, suddenly she's reminded that someone dose care, someone dose want her, someone dose hear and listen to her, someone still see's her as worthy of love even if (as she thinks) there is no possible way it could be the same kind. And that someone is the kind, handsome boy she's liked since she was a child. Someone she trusts, and it gave her just enough hope to try.

She asks him to kiss her because she wanted that one moment, that one memory of love and passion and intimacy with the boy she loves after having any hope of more from anyone completely dashed. She never wanted or asked Colin to grovel or beg, she just wanted an apology and she got one it literally didn't need to be more than that. He was on his knees in that damn carriage professing his love and need of her, dreaming of kissing her in a garden literally less then twelve hours after this and interrupting her dances to stop a proposal, he's a fucking loser (said with love), they both are. Let the girl ask for a kiss when she's yearning and upset and in love with her close friend god damn it.

Edit: this was like half a joke um but yeah more serious expansion here lol.

[competitioneddie]

I want to talk about The Bear and scenes where Syd is bathed in glorious sunlight while Carmy is in the dark because that right there is their dynamic.

So they're fixing this table and the light coming in from the window behind Syd puts her in perspective for us just like she was when Carmy asked her to take the plunge with him and they've come so far but they're also at the starting point again, about to do something crazy. Together.

Carmy has been struggling to reconcile running his own restaurant with dating Claire and her ties to his past. I do think he loves the idea of sticking it to his family more than he loves her. He did it. He got the restaurant. He got the girl.

Then he notices all the little things that aren't up to his psychopathic standards because he wasn't there. He runs Sydney's own chaos menu by her only after Claire tells him okay that sounds good maybe listen to Syd. And Syd says I'm not jealous and she's not. She feels betrayed. Carmy should want to listen to her. She's giving up everything, they all are, because this needs to come first. She makes an omelette for Nat and she adds chips and chives because she loves cooking more than anything else. That's her priority. She's been rebuffing Marcus so this big moment where her dad starts believing in her could happen.

Meanwhile Carmy is once again isolated, realising that he can't do everything on his own and he needs to get his priorities straight. Everyone has stepped up and had this big moment of growth, and he hasn't, because he was the prodigal son, everyone just had to trust him with this, but he doesn't know what he's doing, he only knows he needed all of them to be on board and be the best at it, and he isn't. He isn't on board. He isn't the best. He didn't make it.

This was not his dream. He dragged everyone along for this and he hasn't even been around for it and he's met with that truth, fixing a table in the most intimate way possible with Syd on their opening day. Getting stuck in the walk-in is the final nail in his coffin. He is alone. He's lost sight of his purpose. His partner needs to come first and if he can't do that he doesn't deserve Syd and the restaurant, and he did this to her.

Claire should have never happened. The universe is screaming at him. Claire should have never happened and he's missing his own showtime because he didn't listen, he wasn't there to watch Syd slowly unravel and give up everything for this crazy idea he roped her into.

But she helps him fix the table. She takes the reins when Carmy gets stuck. She sees the night through. And he sees her in all her glory and thinks, she deserves to trust me.

Carmy is so desperate to be devoted to something on a fundamental level and it was there within reach it was so so close, like fixing a table, like going through hell together, and the only thing he had to do was trust, but he has never trusted anyone in his life before. This is his big moment. And of course Syd is front and center for it.

[columbusfirefighterdiaz]

Flash Forward - 3 Years

If Eddie was honest with himself, which he very rarely is, he didn't think Shannon would stick around as long as she actually did. He did think she would at least stay around to be in Christopher's life, but after six months the only contact they received from her was a notice of a dissolution of claim. Even though Eddie knew it was over and had no desire to fight the ending of the claim, he had yet to actually tell anyone, other than abuela and tia, that he was officially a single dad. The only reason that he even told them was because he knew that he would need their help trying to take care of Christopher.

There was a long list of excuses Eddie was using to keep everyone in the dark, but the biggest one is that he didn't want people to know just how big of a failure he actually was. Obviously the hardest one to keep this new development from was Buck. Luckily for him though, his best friend had been busy with his own personal life, so they hadn't been hanging out outside of work very often. This also meant that Christopher and Buck hadn't seen each other all the much which also helped out in Eddie's favor. He knew Chris wouldn't have been able to keep his secret as well as Eddie had been, so the limited contact between the two of them was for the best, even though he hated that his two favorite people in the whole world didn't get to see each other.

The fact that Eddie has considered Buck one of his favorite people for the past three years and not Shannon was pretty much the last nail in the coffin for his claim. After Shannon left, Eddie had done a lot of thinking about his life and his relationships and finally came to the realization that he was gay. Once he finally admitted that fact, it seemed like all the pieces just fell into place and everything made sense. With his lack of sexual attraction to Shannon and his extreme attraction to one of his coworkers, Eddie should have figured it out sooner, and yes a part of him always knew he was gay, so it was mainly just him finally admitting it to himself. And so far, it was only to himself that he had admitting it to. He wasn't ashamed or anything about the fact that he was gay, but bring it up to other people would be an easy gateway into admitting that his claim was over.

Now that he had plenty of alone time and embraced his sexuality, Eddie had finally discovered his sex drive. Without Shannon around, he was able to explore all kinds of porn and even bought himself a few new toys. Eddie never had a strong need for sex in the past, but now that he knew it was mainly due to who his partner was, he was now able to lose himself in pleasure. However, as much as he enjoyed pleasuring himself, he wanted to experience sex with another man. Eddie thought about downloading Grindr or another hook up app, but there was no way he would allow random guys to come to his house, and he wasn't comfortable meeting strangers in strange places either. Plus, there was always the chance of meeting running across someone he knew which was something he was definitely trying to avoid.

To solve this issue, Eddie decided to join an exclusive sex club. Just even thinking about joining was so far out of pocket for Eddie that his nerves almost stopped him from completing his application. However, his excitement and desire quickly usurped his nervousness, so he eventually submitted his information. After he was accepted, it took him a while to find a good time to actually go. Finally a night came around where Chris had a sleep over with Denny at Hen and Karen's and he had the next 48 hours off. It happened to coincide with a night that Eddie found himself extremely pent up, which was probably due to having to spend several hours in very tight quarters with Buck during an intensive rescue.

He had always been a confident person, but walking into the club for the first time was a whole new experience for Eddie. Even though he tried to hide it as best he could, he was sure all the other club patrons could tell he was an inexperienced newbie, but that didn't stop him from leaving. Instead, he used it as motivation to move himself further into the club and check out the other people there. The other thing that Eddie recently discovered about himself was that he was way more drawn to his submissive side than he once thought, so his eyes were quickly drawn to a handsome man that was clearly a dominant that was sitting alone on a couch. Eddie tried very hard to ignore the fact that the man bore a striking resemblance to Buck as he made eye contact with the other man.

After some additional non-verbal communication between the two of them, Eddie finally made his way over to the couch. There was no need for formal introductions since Eddie had no desire to actually get to know this man, so once he was close enough, the man reached out and wrapped his arms around Eddie's waist and pulled him closer. Eddie used the invitation to crawl onto the couch, straddled the other man, and leaned in to kiss him. After years of only kissing Shannon, the feeling of the man's lips on his own was electric, and Eddie quickly deepened the kiss.

However, he didn't come here just for kissing, so after a while, Eddie scooted off this other man's lap and knelt down on the floor. While he should be self-conscious of having other people being able to watch him, it didn't stop Eddie from reaching up and undoing the other man's pants. Eddie reached in and pulled the other man's very nice cock out and licked his lips at the sight of it. He could feel multiple eyes on him, but instead of feeling embarrassed, it just turned him on even more, so Eddie leaned in, licked his way up the other man's cock, and wrapped his lips around the tip. He took a few moments to few moments to savor the taste and feel of the other man's cock in his mouth before setting a steady pace of bobbing his head. As he was sucking the other man off, Eddie quickly find another personal discovery. Along with being gay and more submissive than he knew, he also found out that he loved sucking cock.

[lazy-sixteen]

Still on my pathologic kick, anyway, character relationships we don't talk enough about but that make me insane, Artemy addition

Artemy and Capella

First off, just the fact that she can, has, and will psychically, unconsciously SOS him across town. We need to talk about that,

and like the fact it's unconscious, please image post-canon Capella accidentally summoning Artemy bc she and Khan had a fight. Giant, angry doctor on call at any moment against both their wills

Their first conversation where she tells him about curling up in her mother's coffin, "of course we're friends", presenting herself as still weak and coming into her powers vs. their conversation at the Cape, denying an emotional connection, "we're not friends", saying she can do it all on her own - I'm insane. I don't even think it's manipulation, I think she wants an adult who treats her like a child - not a reincarnation of her mother- but gets frightened at the possibility of losing even a drop of her control. The way she specifically denied seeing Artmey as a father.

Capella desperately wanting to be her mother and to have an adult's responsibilities as a Mistress and the children of the town's mother (the way she calls Artemy's list, "our children" - like they are both adults) vs. Artemy seeing how much Capella can resemble her (shitty) dad and being the one person reminding Capella she's not her mother and she is a child, and he'll treat her like one.

The role of the White Mistress based on Victoria's Tomb as "being" the town vs. Artemy specifically talking about the Town calling him - He'll always hear Capella's troubles and pain

And we're back to the psychic SOS thing, but like from a humorous standpoint she really could do the "projecting my period cramps meme"

Artemy and Khan

Okay this is shorter, because they don't interact much but their conversation after the House of Death where Khan gets mad at Artemy for letting him and Notkin go into the dangerous house makes me want to scream

Like not in a bad way - Khan has a point that it was irresponsible to let him and Notkin do that (as does Artemy in that he couldn't really stop them), but just ....

Super independent Peter Pan-meets-child dictator character's first response being "Why didn't you (an adult) stop me (a child)?" is wild

He gives very similar vibes to Capella in which they will loudly declared they don't see Artemy as a parental figures and don't want him to be one, while simultaneously desperately (and likely unconsciously) really wanting the safety net of an adult who will selflessly care for them - something they don't have due to their (1) weird families' expectations of them as future mistress/Kain, (2) their own hyper-competence and independence

Artemy and Andrey

This isn't as serious, I just think it's funny that Andrey has suggestive lines at Artemy in patho1 and patho2. Also is like genuinely pretty friendly with him in both (he'll give you Tyrwine for checking on Peter and he's outright help in his 1st Patho 1 sidequest)

Also just straight up, doesn't believe Artmey if he takes credit for destroying the Polyhedron

Like in fan depictions, I often see them not getting along, but I'm 99% sure Andrey's impression of Artemy is "My Hot and Helpful Weed (Twyr) dealer" - outside of Dankovsky, he's the Utopian who probably likes Artemy the most

Meanwhile Artemy gives off strong "i am choosing to barely register a word coming out of this man's mouth for my own sanity" vibes

Aspity and Dankovsky vs. Aspity and Artmey

Okay, mixing Pathologic 1 and Pathologic 2 here a bit which might not be fair as Aspity in general does seem more serious in Pathologic 2 (even for Daniil in the Marble Nest)

BUT the sheer whiplash of Aspity calling Daniil a prickly prick and monologuing suggestively about naked women at him in Patho1 vs.

Declaring herself Artemy's spiritual elder-sister/mother, keeping his inheritance safe, trying to save him from a cruel fate with Patches even at the cost of her life in Patho2

The whiplash is wild, I want to lock the three of them in a room and see what she does

Artemy and Taya

I love that being the co-ruler/enforcer/parental figure mix to one weird-magical little girl ruler who can magically communicate with him wasn't enough

Taya subconsciously yoinking Artemy into her dreams to play dolls or tell her stories - he hasn't slept in a week

Also I think it would be really interesting post-canon to look at how they are doing as the two big spiritual and political leaders of the Kin

[midnight--sadness]

there is this really stupid inside joke over on the shows subreddit that whenever we talk about theories regarding junhee and her baby in s3 it's a must to comment inho stole it which 😂😂😂😂...... but hold up👀👀👀 Imagine junhee's life less body, drained of all the color bcz of child birth being put in the coffin as one of the guard carries the little bundle of new born life and puts the crying little thing against gi-huns chest without a word making gi-hun confused but that's what u should do no? that's how the child recognizes his mother the first time, by scent🤭🤭🤭. and despite gi-hun being confused can u imagine the almost blissful state of mind he might suddenly find himself in? this scene almost deludes into the thousand times he imagined how he would have met his own daughter and not only that till now his hands had only gotten blood on them as he cradled the dying body of the fellow worker during the strike. sae-byeok, sangwoo and jungbae but this little thing covered in blood wailing telling everyone around that it is all the more alive and well as it clings to gi-huns chest 🥺🥺. while he tries to process the whole thing properly he looks up to see one of the guard raising the back of his gun and before he knows it he is hit on the head and passed out. and after that as gi-hun's passed out body lays on a bed covered in black sheets with a little baby sleeping against his chest, isn't this just the perfect scene for inho🥰🥰. his wife is back, his wife is alive and so is his baby. who said u couldn't relive the past and perfect it and this time his wife didn't even have to go through the process of child birth which means he is in perfect health. and now if junho comes to hospital(island) this time he won't find a inho whose whole world is blurred out like the voices around him as the doctors pester him to fill documents regarding the two life less bodies laying in one of the room of the hospital. this time junho will find his elder brother all smiling, he will find his sister/brother in law in good health and most of all this time he will be able to meet his little nephew/niece. 💗💗

delulu inho is the best inho. also i wanted to make gihun omega and u know how their bodies start reacting to having a pup and making milk but my english is good enough for that so if you could expand on that plz 🥺🥺

gihun being an absolutely delusional freak is my fav, especially when it has anything to do with him thinking he can rebuild the family he lost with gihun 🫶

let's say then, that junhee and gihun bonded during the games as the only omegas in their group. he talked to her about labor and how pregnancy is difficult but so worth it (note, i know u said when gihun held junhee's child he was wishing he could do the same thing with gayeong, but whenever i have omegaverse i have gihun being pregnant with gayeong and having her on the hospital after the strike or even the factory floor during it for maximum angst; i hope it's okay!)

so, then she has complications during childbirth and gihun tries to get the doctors to save her but they don't move a muscle. they cannot help a player, in the same way that they never helped saebyeok years before. gihun and geumja do the best they can but junhee ends up dying. upon birth, her baby was immediately placed in gihun's arms sicne guemja needed her hands free to try to stop the bleeding.

they are all crying as the guards come to take away junhee's body. gihun is left holding a newborn, gently shushing it and rocking it softly, wanting it to the stop crying. the baby - a little girl is immediately shooted by gihun's movements. his scent was the first she smelled, his voice the first she heard, his face the first she saw. they are attached to each other now.

gihun has thought he would stay in the player dorms but then a few guards arrive, telling him to get up and come with them. he tries to fight but he is still holding the baby and so he follows them up to the front man's quarters. there, inho greets them and drinks the sight; gihun, covered in blood and sweat and still flushed in the face, the restless baby in his arms... it truly looks like he just gave birth.

inho sets up a place for them to rest, where gihun can take a shower and the baby can get cleaned up and they can both be put into clean clothes. gihun is waiting for inho to do something to the baby but he never hurts them, instead holding her reverently and making little cooing noise.

gihun does start lactating after spending so much time around the baby and she instintly seeks him out when she is hungry. inho is so infatuated with it that he can barely contain himself. he and gihun haven't properly sealed their bond, but they will as soon as their daughter settles down for the night

[abarbaricyalp]

Hi! How about 19 or 23 for the hand-holding prompts?

Well, I was going to put those together, but then the mood got a little too serious for 19 23: Holding hands under the table

There was not just Sarah and the boys.

There wasn't another immediate Wilson sibling, despite Sam continuously trying to trick Bucky (and convincing Sarah to play along every now and then) into thinking there was a lost brother. But both Paul and Darlene Wilson had siblings, so Sam and Sarah had a ton of cousins and whatever the next generation would be to them. Darlene's family, the Blakes, mostly lived on the other side of New Orleans. The other Wilsons lived down the coastline, towards Texas. Paul and Darlene had settled on Delacroix as a kind-of mid-point between their families.

Sam talked about long summer trips that always had to be a Thing as far as planning went, because wrangling two young kids for hours in the car was not a two-way-one-day kind of affair. He talked about weekends spent in New Orleans, or showing his cousins around all the bayous of Delacroix. He talked about threatening to run away to the pine forests of the Louisiana-Texas border when he was a teenager, because he'd spent so many summer weeks exploring them as a kid.

Bucky hadn't met any of them, except for the odd cousin who drifted through town and came to say hi to Sam and Sarah. Time went on and families grew and big gatherings were less likely to come to fruition. Besides, Sam was busy and it's not like Bucky could just go to the smaller functions with Sarah. (Well, he could, but he wasn't going to. That would just be...imposing, probably)

But there was Paul and Darlene's Celebration of Life 25th Anniversary and almost everyone had said they'd be there. And despite the fact that Bucky got such bad cold feet the night before he slept on the boat to avoid being even more overwhelmed, Sam still told him to come. Please. It was always the please that got him. He'd deny Sam very little in the world, truth be told, but once that please was out there, he was a fish on a hook.

Sarah kept saying not everyone was there but Bucky couldn't believe that. There were so, so, so, so many people. The same creeping dread that had plagued him the night before was back, curling at his stomach and keeping a flush high on his face.

He wanted to make a good impression, but that was difficult even for the best life partners. The fact that many of these people probably already had an opinion of him was making it much worse. The fact that it was Sam and Sam deserved the sun, the moon, and all the stars was the real nail in the coffin. Everyone here should know that and instead, there was Bucky on his arm instead.

It was interesting to keep catching Sam's features in other people's faces. He knew Sam took more heavily after his mom. Many of the Blakes had the same gap in their teeth and his high cheekbones. But someone had come up to him almost immediately when he arrived--an older woman that Sam didn't seem to recognize, but hid well--and grabbed his face as she said in a watery but proud breath, "Oh, you look just like him. I can't believe it."

And then she'd disappeared and left Sam blinking at nothing.

It was interesting too to see how many of the younger generations of Wilsons did look like Sam and Sarah as well. All tall and regal in a way Bucky didn't think should be genetic but apparently was. It was the hidden features where Paul came out on Sam's face. Their eyes, namely. Apparently they glinted the same way. And the crooked set of their mouths. "Oh, trouble," one of Sam's aunts had said halfway through a scheme of his and a cousin's. "No, no, no. Paulie used to make the same face. You go sit down. Have some cake." And she shooed him off, away from some strange beer bottle bowling pin game construction.

Sam talked like Paul too, Bucky learned from other people at the event, the handful who talked to him when Sam wasn't beside him. Sure, on the TV, for sure. But also just as he meandered around the party and cajoled stories from people or pitched into his own epic tales. (No, he had not actually caught a three foot long fish recently, nor had he battled a horde of aliens in Oregon the other day. There were, like, six max)

Bucky picked up stories about Paul and Darlene too. People telling him about silly things Sam had done in high school that his parents had as well. The way Sam was carrying on their memory in everything he did now. One man from the church swore him to secrecy and gave him Paul Wilson's old sermon's book, which was filled with lectures he'd given, but dozens and dozens of stories he hadn't shared. Lots of them pertaining to Sam.

"I just knew," the man said, patting Bucky's hand on the journal, "One day I'd be able to give this away to someone else to take care of. You can't give it to him." This was imperative in the deal. "But you must remind him of what's in it, always. And you can't die," he added seriously, teeth clicking together with the force of his words. "I was gonna give it to his friend from the military, but he died before he came back. I wouldn't have ever gotten it back. Sam would've had it. You can't let him have it."

This was more responsibility than Bucky was expecting. Sarah had told him to distract the kids and make sure people didn't take half the strawberry pretzel cake in one go. (Three different people were culprits for this and Bucky had to stop a whole different, younger, person from taking a quarter of it at a time.) And it was a responsibility he didn't fully understand. Still, Bucky nodded, just as seriously, and put the notebook in his backpocket. He'd have to stash it in the truck later because his backpocket was for Sam's hand, but Sam was helping set up the slideshow inside, so he was safe for now.

(When he'd asked about the man, Sam had said he was his godfather. He and Paul had been closer than twins growing up, but had drifted apart as Sam and Sarah grew up. Still called now and then, but not regularly. Sent the same birthday present every year, but it was never late)

Thankfully, the meal was inside. Not thankfully, Sam, Sarah, and the boys were, of course, at the front of the hall and Bucky could only hide behind Sam's shoulder for so long.

The slideshow full of images of Paul and Darlene as kids, as young people, and their life as a couple and a family played on the stage. There were so many pictures, Bucky didn't think it would have to loop over. Sam explained why there were some gaps, where albums or cameras had been ruined in storms or other catastrophes. It only took a few moments for Sam to grab Bucky's hand beneath the table.

His fingers were shaking and, when Bucky looked up at him, his throat kept bobbing as he swallowed and swallowed and swallowed.

"Sweetheart," Bucky whispered, leaning forward to be close enough for only Sam to hear. "Are you alright?"

"Don't sweetheart me right now," Sam breathed back, eyes squeezing shut for a few seconds before he opened them again. His waterlines were wet, eyes shining. "I'm fine. Just...don't let go of my hand. Please."

Bucky nodded, took the opportunity to kiss Sam's shoulder, and sat back in his seat. He put both hands around Sam's, one to tangle their fingers together and one to trace nothing designs into Sam's skin. Sam squeezed his hand in acknowledgement and then loosened his hold again.

Many different people spoke. People from the church, people from the foodbank, which Darlene had helped run apparently, their friends, their family. Someone talked about sleeping on the Wilson's couch for two weeks while she figured a safe way out of town, how the Wilsons didn't know her from anyone but opened their door to her anyway, that she named her daughter Darlene.

Sam squeezed his hand and Bucky squeezed it back, moving his thumb along the length of Sam's fingers, back to his knuckles, and up the next one, slow and constant and firm.

The last person to speak was a woman Sam knew, but who Bucky hadn't gotten to talk to. She had just been finishing her conversation with Sam when Bucky had found him again earlier, stuck around long enough for Sam to make his introductions before she was pulled away. She knew Paul and Darlene from around town. Wouldn't say she was a best friend, more a busy body, but she kept an eye on them, so lovely and young as they were, perfect little children too.

"And that's where I'd like to end the speeches for tonight," she said. "With their children. Sam, Sarah, your mama and papa wouldn't have asked for a better legacy in life. Watching you grow up, in the face of joy and adversity, with grace and poise and dignity and elegance. The world was better to have your parents in it, but the world is just as good since you are both here too. We all know of our hometown superhero, but you both, and your parents, were super long before there were any aliens and wings and suits involved. At celebrations of life, I do love to look at the future of these memories. Paul and Darlene are in the best, kindest, strongest hands. This entire room is their future, but you were everything to them and now you are all that they are too."

Sam's throat moved again, but before Bucky could understand what he was doing, Sam had turned and collapsed against Bucky's side, face against Bucky's shoulder. His hand was shaking so badly, it was making Bucky's arm twitch. Bucky kept holding onto him, having to stop smoothing over his hand so he could wrap that arm around Sam's shoulders, hand against his head.

Sam cried silently against his shoulder, warm tears soaking through Bucky's shirt quickly. Bucky adjusted his hand so he could hold Sam's more firmly.

"I've got you," he murmured softly. "It's alright. You're alright."

"I miss them so much. I just want them to know I love them."

Bucky pressed a kiss to the top of Sam's head and stayed there. "They know, Sammy. Of course they do."

"They made me. Of course everything I do is them. I'm who I am 'cause of them. And no one else knows their name."

"Baby, look at how many people came out to celebrate them. They know. They all know."

"It's not enough. I'm not doing--" Sam voice stuttered off and he clung onto Bucky's hand even harder.

"They love you, Sam," Bucky said softly, kissed his head again. "And they're proud of you. Everything about you. You are a miracle."

Sam swiped at his eyes quickly, took in another stuttering breath. "How many people are looking at me?"

Pointedly, no one was looking at him, but that was a terrible answer. "The cornbread just refreshed, so everyone's fighting over the biggest pieces," Bucky said instead. "No one's looking at you."

"Mrs. Miriam can't cut an even slice, even if angel wings were waitin' for her afterwards," Sam said. Bucky let the posturing go without comment. He wiped his eyes again, sniffled, and then cleared his throat.

No sooner had he sat up than one of the cousins' little ones came tripping over and climbed into Sam's lap while her mom shouted at her to leave him alone. "Mr. Sam," she said seriously. "I want to fly. How do I do that?" She waved a bat plushie for emphasis.

Sam laughed, watery but stronger. "Well, you have to eat your vegetables," he said seriously.

Instantly her nose scrunched. "Even the okra?" she asked.

"Especially the okra!" Sam cried out in affront.

"Okra is gross," Bucky agreed with her conspiratorially.

The girl thrilled with vindication and launched into a story about how she broke her arm leaping off of a tree (another thing that must be genetic because Sam and Sarah had done that too) and Sam caught his breath while listening to her. He squeezed Bucky's hand again.

Bucky squeezed it back and did not let go.

[midnight1nk]

would you like to ramble about thoughts on the one Four scene we had in the movie?

my time has come......

(literally, probably expect a college thesis if there was an ask letting me ramble about 4/goop!4/heterochromia 4, puzzlevision+/the showgrounds/etc. I would be so hooked)

First thing's first, a fact about me: like anyone would, I have a collection of favorite characters, right? Well, I have a subcategory in what I call "saviors in blue" ↓

my boys 🥹💙 actually I picked some traits here and there for my oc as inspo. so anyway we gotta talk the specialest of boys, our blue meme guardian 4!

oh, where do I even start? 4, throughout the whole arc, was such a sweetheart. Lending a supportive hand to Karen, just giving comfort in general. And y'know he would spoil Beeg4 rotten, with ice cream. He may not be a fighter, but he has to try. Then the explosion happened. Dude, I'm telling you, I SPIRALED in devastation bc I knew something was wrong when the team didn't do it ragdoll style and the music stopped for a bit. I mean yall know that already. Coma 4 and goop!4 happened during the wait. Then the movie comes along, I see the Castle pop up on screen, and:

HE'S OKAY 😭💙

bandaged but okayyyy. Honestly, it's way better than having him be fine without any elaboration.... and ig coma 4 bc I would be on the news if it happened, even if it would be interesting to see how the show would go on like that.

Can we talk about the bandages? Let's talk about the bandages.

I suspected that it had technically been a few days after the "Enough is Enough" episode, so 4 probably was recovering during that time. Also hc that the true reason the lights are off at the Castle was so 4 doesn't have to exert himself and start to get a headache from his head injury. Look, I may not be a medical expert, but I don't think that the collision is the only reason why he needed those bandages. Sure, at best, he would have a head and back injury. I could excuse the arm sling if the fall was that bad. BUT I can't be the only one who sees this, right?

The fact that:

wrap around his head covers exactly where his lobotomy scar would be — it makes sense for his head injury

sling on his right arm is the same arm that broke free from IGBP corruption

bandaid placed on top of his logo and his cheek, both on the left — I mean... yall should know who I am by this point. anyway his perfectionist side needs healing/the goo's forced to be involved in the healing process :))

(sidenote: i think, i may be stupid, but i think 4 got a gash from "Enough is Enough" across his right cheek/jawline but doesn't in the movie. pretty sure that's dirt. yeah probably but it looks different to me ok?)

We were probably right of him constantly had to heal himself from his past injuries and the explosion was the final nail in the coffin, not literally though.

so anyway goop!4 might be canon— *gets run over by bus*

There's a reason why I brought up the bandages first, and that's just so we can talk about 4's advice, my favorite part about this scene. Like we already knew, 4 isn't the type to fight to fend for himself/until it's absolutely necessary, but he's willing to be there for people. And it would be within his character to be standing while he's still recovering. After all, he didn't know WPNZ, but he must've known something was wrong for Karen to come to the castle without her kids beside her. The lament of a mother, wanting to drink her sorrows away. She needed someone to lift up her crushing troubles, so despite whatever pain he had, his friends always came first. (...and I'm already starting to tear up again thinking about this scene fuck)

Taking 4's speech, as in 4 the character by itself, what he says comes from a place of familiarity. He knows what it's like to protect loved ones at all costs. What does it mean to sacrifice, to keep them happy. The way he does it, he creates content for YT. Makes sure his friends are happy and okay. Perhaps he realized it or not, simply 4 being there matters a lot for the rest of the Crew. As said in "SMG4 doesn't meme for 1 second", the Crew even admits that they appreciate his presence and humor as a part of their lives. No matter what happens, 4 will try to be there for them.

He would truly do anything to not lose his friends *head in hands*

There's another layer to the same familiarity: Luke talking directly to us through the screen. Long ago, Luke wanted to follow the passion that made him happy (animation) and it was actually Kevin who supported him. Their parents eventually came around, but if it weren't for Kev, the SMG4 show would've been discontinued before the Waluigi arc. Glitch would have never existed. And Luke is forever grateful that his brother was by his side, supporting him with what was considered at the time a risky choice. All it takes is one person's support to make a difference. 4's scene is a retelling of Luke's story and hope that anyone could be that person for something else, to be happy. Siblings, friends, parents. All it takes is one.

It has a very IGBP kinda vibe and mixing these layers together, it really got me in my feels, hopefully the Team would do more stuff like this. Man, how can you hate 4? no seriously, how? I can never understand it, let's blame reddit for that.

so anyway, heterochromia 4 :D

thanks for letting me ramble!

(just a sidenote here uh, I'm SO sorry it took so long to answer. tumblr literally deleted my draft when I was post it, my ramblings were too strong 😔 /lh)

[coff-in]

COFF-IN ITS ME AGAIN DEVIOUS ANON IS JUMPING BACK INTO THE GRAVE :D I missed you and I come offering new food (mostly bc I thirst for Andrew lord help me)

Childhood friend reader who is basically a third sibling (maybe even the oldest) to the Graves siblings! She's a literal girl-next-door, about 2 when Andrew was born, and due to being in the same neighborhood/Reader and her parents being relatively sociable, Andrew and reader were kinda mashed together from a young age and just told to play. Maybe Mrs. Graves dumped Andrew off at reader's house often bc she didn't want to handle him and hey, since he gets along so well with the neighbor's daughter, may as well use them like free babysitters. Reader is super sweet to Andy from early on and takes care of him like an older sister would. When Ashley joins the team, even better! It's not just his baby sister, it's *their* baby sister. Reader ends up being their closest and basically only friend through childhood and middle school and just about calls Andrew/Ashley her siblings-in-honor. Hell, her parents are probably more parental to Andrew/Ashley than their actual parents. I just think this is fun because I think this is a dynamic where I can potentially see Andrew floundering about in the friendzone/siblingzone because reader kinda considers him her brother and not a dating option but he wants to date her and seeing her find other guys drives him up the wall. Man probably casually walks reader around school to class and keeps his fingers in her belt loops and glares at any guy within a 20 ft radius when reader isn't looking. This is also one dynamic where I can potentially see Ashley *encouraging* Andrew to date a girl, because she wants them to be reader's priority just like in childhood and that won't work out if she gets a man, so if Andrew can snag her, she'll never leave them. This can be fluffy, but I can also see this going darker if Andrew and Ashley after escaping quarantine kind of show up at the reader's door and she's so happy to see them until she realizes that her childhood friends kinda...yk, are cannibals and murderers and will be going after their parents soon (assuming they didn't tell her about Nina). It's a reasonable reaction, but also they're like "...so you still love us, right?" and if reader hesitates even a second, she's kinda taken hostage in her own house. They wouldn't hurt her, they just...well, she looked like she was thinking about leaving, you know? The dynamic skews so toxic because they would absolutely guilt-trip the hell out of her and tell her that she's their last hope of continuing on and is she really going to condemn her siblings-in-honor/maybe boyfriend and sister-in-law to death?

notes from coff-in: DEVIOUS ANON I MISSED YOU!!! i hope you've been doing well and good :3 i'm so happy and honored that you missed me (i'm honored whenever anyone here gives me praise tbh). i also understand your need for andrew, haha! i'll let you in on a thought of mine: i've been thinking of a (relatively) normal younger sister/twin sister that seems to look up to ashley than andrew because ashley's a girl like [reader], so she's able to help her with girl issues like periods, bra/underwear shopping, soothing her mommy issues, etc and andrew is a bit jealous that baby sis likes or hangs out with ashley more than him but he's also embarrassed about this jealousy because he knows (subconsciously or consciously) that it stems from a want to be the person baby sis relies on more... but that's just an idea for later :3 welcome back to the coffin, devious anon, we're happy to have you here!

[fem] reader-insert, pseudo-incest

teehee :3 andrew's in love :3 he loves [reader] :3 he loves you :3 andrew loves you sooo much :3 he wants to kiss you so badly :3 andrew thinks about you every time he jerks his di--

sorry i had to get that out of me... know that renee graves (or should i keep calling her mrs graves??) would take the chance to dump andy onto [reader]'s family. she would STILL have the AUDACITY to say "oh raising you was so easy, i thought i could handle another one..." knowing damn well that it was a DIFFERENT FAMILY raising andrew. to be "fair", renee is 15 years old when she had andrew, she's bound to make dipshit decisions and take them for granted (like how tf do you ask your "disappointment" son for money then call him a freeloader, like what???)

i think being raised by [reader]'s family would highlight the abuse andrew and ashley face even more to them. also having [reader]'s family raise andy as one of their own children next to [reader] just barely manages to fulfill that taboo aspect of their relationship, you know? it's wonderful! like yeah, they're from two different families but andy sometimes slips and and refers to [reader] as his big sis (ashley does it on purpose) and when they take care of leyley, andy can't help but to think how leyley is their baby sister and they're like... mommy and daddy, you know?

i honestly can't really add more to this, the meal you cooked. THE MEAL YOU HAVE BLESSED US WITH, DEVIOUS ANON!!! IT'S SUPERB, IT'S DIVINE!! i'm riding your meat right now, get over here

ashley is doing that thing where she whispers in andrew's ear while he sleeps "you want to date [reader]. you want to keep here forever. you want her to never leave us." she's so silly, i love her. it would be so fucking sweet to if [reader] also saw andrew and ashley as her siblings also. ashley is being neglected/left out by her friends and [reader]'s like "hey guys, we should let ashley have a turn" or "hey ashley, do you have anything to add to the conversation?" and ashley's just, AUGH SHE'S SO SHOCKED, and like... i'm holding her gently in my hands i love her (THEY SHOULD KISS!!! RIGHT NOW!!!)

and the darker route... teehee :3c like... how would she ever find out? for all she should know, her psuedo-sibs/friends have returned from their awful quarantine and wanted to come over to say hi and stay with her for a bit! yippee!! but also the angst is so yummy, having [reader] tied in the back of their stolen car when they go to the new graves' residence and [reader] really thinking "do i turn them in? what if they come back to hurt me? would they hurt me either way?? maybe this is their last murder... yeah! they're just going to kill their parents and then everything will go back to normal!" poor poor [reader]... nothing is going to be normal again... AAAH HEHEHEHEH >:3c

thank you thank you thank you!

----

coff-in