#cork bREAKDOWN

[corxoran]

Hi tumblr I didn't forget about you I'm just EXHAUSTED FROM SCHOOL

[sweater-equestrian]

the epic highs and lows of getting to have a new gecko but this also meaning i have to work with spray foam again to make a background 😭

[fletcherwilbury]

@febuwhump Day 19: "Please don't..."

Warning for Pain, exhaustion, child abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, bullying, overworking, parentification, emotional breakdown

[leoseazon]

three needs very badly. cigarettes a good cry and to crank my shit

[ant-diary]

I always get cork in my wine 😡

[satureja13]

'A-one, two One, two, three

On the fourth of July 1806 We set sail from the sweet Cove of Cork We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks For the Grand City Hall in New York

'Twas a wonderful craft, she was rigged fore and aft And oh, how the wild wind drove her She stood several blasts, she had 27 masts And they called her the Irish Rover'

The Irish Rover - The Pogues feat. The Dubliners (One of my favourite songs of all time)

Helm Satureja steered the 'Sea Urchin' through the jagged rocks of the coast at early dawn: "Land Ahoy!"

Saiwa: "Oh Little Goat! We're on a pirate ship! Now that's awesome!" (Yes, this is Saiwa's Therapy Game! Jack and Ji Ho finally persuaded him to try ^^')

TMI: Satureja and Kili are two of my oldest Sims 4 Sims. I created them with the 'Create a Sim' tool thing they released before the game started in September 2014. They also were part of our 'Bacalao Bay' Adventures.

First Mate Guidry: "The Vicegerent will be pleased, Captain. We obtained abundant booty for him." Captain? Tiny Can made him the Captain of this ship? Again the leader?

Responsible for a crew and their actions - again? And - as it seems - again the bumper. Here ingame between the Vicegerent and his Crew and in the real world between the Resistance and the Boys... Oh no.

Soon the sun rose and they reached Bacalao Bay.

Seems the Crew is eager to leave the ship after weeks at sea. Some of the market stands are already open.

First Mate Guidry: "You have a meeting with the Vicegerent later. I'm going to have the list of the booty ready by then." Captain Duath: "Ah, I'll do that. You can leave with the others." First Mate Guidry: "Thanks Captain. Come on Captain Whittaker! Let's find us some treats!" TMI: Saiwa's last name is 'Duath'. And Captain Whittaker is a ghost dog I found in my household manager. I didn't change his name. (That's funny because later in the 'Irish Rover' there is 'the Captain's old dog' mentioned who drowned and maybe this is his ghost ;)

Captain Saiwa went down in the hold of the ship where all the treasures are stowed. Even though they had to hand them over to the Vicegerent, who probably pays them, it was a stunning sight.

He just hopes they didn't do anything 'bad' to obtain them ö.Ö' Saiwa went over to his cabin to be alone for a while and to ponder about what Tiny Can might have planned for his therapy.

Being Captain of a pirate ship is the dream of every boy. But not for Saiwa. He's having a hard time being a leader and struggles a lot with making decisions that affect others. He has more than enough to do with himself. So what is he supposed to do? Go for whatever Tiny Can has planned? Or follow his own path? Here, he does have a choice and he can do whatever he wants to do. And after his breakdown he feels not stable enough to jump back in and take care of another crew waiting for his decisions. It was tempting, though. Is that Tiny Can's plan to bring him back to duty? Or did Tiny Can make a mistake again, like with Jack's first ingame session? Decisions, decisions...

The Therapy Game Master Post with the sessions and places so far is -> here

From the Beginning  ~  Underwater Love ~  Latest Current Chapter: 🕹️ 'The One' from the beginning ▶️ here 📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 17-22 ~ 23-28

[nym-wibbly]

Which one of TFW got the best line in Spn?

Huh. If it has to be one of Team Free Will then you've got me. They all had so many great lines. Crowley, Bobby, and Lucifer all got some stonkers, too.

The line that really seared itself into my brain from all of Supernatural was guest-character Hester's:

It really shook me! I mean, in and of itself it's a great line. But there's so much worldbuilding packed into the combination of the line with Emily Holmes's delivery. This idea that Castiel fetching Dean out of hell was the first domino tipped over, not only in Cas's personal fall ("You have fallen in every way imaginable,") but in the subsequent chaos and destruction in Heaven. And she's not wrong to single that event out as the turning point, but she turns the blame on Dean, who hardly got any choice in the matter:

"Why should we give you anything after everything you have taken from us? The very touch of you corrupts. When Castiel first laid a hand on you in Hell, he was lost! For that you're going to pay." Supernatural 7x21 - Reading is Fundamental

She says these lines to Dean, and it starts as the whole aloof, disdainful shtick we've seen from other angels speaking about and to humanity. But Hester reaches max gross load right there and then, so it finishes raw. She breaks down, shouts, loses all self-restraint and just hurls her grief, rage and pain at Dean. Moves to punish him. When Cas deflects Hester from physically attacking Dean - no small intervention, given his fragile state of mind - she whales on the helpless Cas instead, trying to claw back some control of her life by attacking what she sees as the source of her problems.

Hester's completely adrift in this new world of free will and personal responsibility that Team Free Will have dropped on her, and on all the other, surviving angels who didn't get a starring role in the Apocalypse or the war in Heaven. Hester's fallen too, they all have, and she only knows it when Inias begs her not to kill Castiel. Then she snaps completely, and Meg kills her before she can kill Cas.

That's some corking dialogue right there, and in some ways it's more of a reveal about the state of things in Heaven, post-non-Apocalypse, than all Castiel's season 6/7 power-grab arc with its exposition about what's going on up there. Hester's public breakdown is one of the few hints we ever get of exactly what Cas is so regretful and self-hating about in later seasons. Every time his storyline trips him over another failure or mistake, it adds to this guilt until he ends up just desperate to do something right. So desperate that it blinds him to the nuances of an evolving situation, sometimes.

I don't think Cas understands until almost the very end of the story, after becoming Jack's father and reaching rock-bottom in his relationship with Dean, that the one thing he always thought he got right in the first place - pulling Dean Winchester out of Hell, saving him, taking his side against an absent and uncaring God - was always victory enough.

[sinimake]

Some writing tips i use that makes writing less hard

Hope some people might find it helpful idk. Read below.

I always start with dialogues. Arguably, it is the easiest part that advances the plot the most. I write down dialogues with the barest of tags just to indicate who's saying what.

Now, add the tones, movement, and expression into the dialogues tags. Characters gotta deliver the lines somehow and you fill the space between the conversation.

When conversation is happening, internalization must occur. If you're writing from A's pov, and A and B are having a conversation, A gotta listen then reflect on B's words. You don't need to do this after every sentence but it is one of ways you set the pacing of the story. For example, B tells a shocking news to A, A take a moment to absorb the info and think. The internal thought can be from a line to paragraphs and the lenght of it sets the pacing.

Furthermore on the pacing, i personally like to equate the amount of time reader spends on reading to amount of how much they need to linger on the scene. Imagine in a fight scene, you keep the sentences short, to the point, and not complicated to deliver the fast speed of combat. When you lengthen the scene and sentences, you are putting them in a slow motion in midst. So control the pacing with your words.

Now, let's tackle settings and expositions. You can apply the tactics i use in my dialogues, but one golden rule i keep is that i write things readers can't experience first hand. If your characters are playing uno, you don't need to explain the rules in detail. What you need to do is be in the head of your primary character. Don't say winter was cold and snow was falling. You describe how character is feeling the cold on their back, snow is featherlight on their cheeks, etc.

Since we are talking about character pov, let me mention head hopping. Head hopping is where the general pov of chapter changes/hops characters in the midst of the writing. Example: we are reading from A's perspective, and then suddenly, we get a passage on B's inner thoughts, which A should not be aware of. Personally, i find head hopping distasteful. Some people can do it artfully and purposedly, like Stephen King. But if you don't have experience in that style, avoid head hopping like a plague. If the pov is in A, you only show outward emotions and actions of B.

Now you have general direction of the writing, let's add ✨️Character flare✨️. I like to think this is where you, as a writer, really shine and obtain your style. Your character is the essential core of the story, so when you write, the narrative must have their flavor. Percy Jackson series is widely liked because it is so fun to read from his perspective, his humor, and his outlook. If your character is a cop walking down a street, you show the world through their eyes. Are they double-checking dark corners? Or eyeing suspicious looking people? If your character has weird sense of humor, they will probably describe things in obscure details. Go wild with it. If your character is gen z, you can write in their cringy slangs (/j)

Now we have the skeletal of writing done. Till now, don't bother with editing. Only write even if the sentences sound shit. When you're done with base draft, you go back with a critical eye. If you're stuck on a scene, immediately skip. You can come back later with a fresh head space. Perfection is something you should worry about only in the final stage of editing.

Strange tip, but put your font to Comic Sans if you can, you will thank me later. I know it looks so jarring and ugly, but something about it makes the brain go lose on the creativity cork. I was skeptical first too, but it worked on me, and now i have 73k words in 3 months under my belt. *shrug*

And voilà, the very simplified breakdown of writing. Hope you found it somewhat helpful and happy writing everybody 😊 💪✍️

[geffenrecords]

update on my physical media collection (not including books / records ). list of everything shown in the pictures below the cut ⬇️

DVDS:

IT (1990)

it / it chapter two

ready or not

beetlejuice

glee season 1 (sorry)

glee season 2 (SORRY)

jaws

the secret of nimh

jurassic park, the lost world, jurassic park 3

the breakfast club / sixteen candles / weird science (John Hughes collection)

bill & Ted's excellent adventure / bogus journey

flatliners

the lost boys

diary of a wimpy kid

Grey's anatomy season 1 (SORRRYYY)

aliens

alien resurrection

TMNT (honestly idk why I still have this)

the outsiders

trainspotting

over the edge (matt dillon first movie)

Donnie darko

venom

Jennifer's body

jackass number 2

twilight

the karate kid

the princess diaries

fight club

star wars phantom menace, attack of the clones, and revenge of the sith

Narnia the lion the witch and the wardobe

the osbournes season 1

little miss sunshine

spiderman 1, 2, and 3

the amazing spiderman

elephant

Kung fu panda

the passion of the christ

pay it forward

original star wars trilogy

the polar express

a clockwork orange

heathers

life as a house

surfs up

scream

bowling for columbine

hackers

natural born killers

terminator 2

mysterious skin

moonrise kingdom

American idiot Greenday documentary

that was then, this is now

jackass the movie

suicide kings

the matrix

the Goldfinch

the day after tomorrow

speak

stand by me

kids

rumble fish

CDS;

the black parade (mcr)

danger days (mcr)

American idiot (green day)

21st century breakdown (green day)

in love and death (the used)

may death never stop you (mcr)

baby one more time (britney spears)

life on the murder scene dvd / cds

nevermind (nirvana)

dookie (green day)

nimrod (green day)

uno, dos, tre (green day)

nirvana greatest hits

blue weezer

selfish machines (pierce the veil)

collide with the sky (pierce the veil)

three cheers for sweet revenge (mcr)

from under the cork tree (fall out boy)

teens of denial (car seat headrest)

in utero (nirvana)

licensed to ill (beastie boys)

lost and found (mudvayne)

what it is to burn (finch)

slipknot

no strings attached (nsync)

infinity on high (fall out boy)

fallen (evanescence)

green weezer

mellon collie and the infinite sadness (smashing pumpkins)

Tallahassee (the mountian goats)

bleach (nirvana)

in the areoplane over the sea (neutral milk hotel)

the downward spiral (nin)

facelift (alice in chains)

placebo

smash (offspring)

dirt (alice in chains)

peace sells but whos buying ? (megadeth)

garage days (metallica)

folie a deux (fall out boy)

devil put dinosaurs here (alice in chains)

spit (kittie)

alice in chains

incesticide (nirvana)

hot fuss (the killers)

load (metallica)

american beauty / american psycho (fall out boy)

among the living (anthrax)

oops i did it agian (britney spears)

viva la cobra (cobra starship)

almost here (the academy is...)

kill em all (metallica)

and justice for all (metallica)

lets knife (shonen knife)

lithium single (nirvana)

ride the lightning (metallica)

homemade bullets cd my dad made for me for christmas using scans he found online :)

nirvana unplugged

killings my business (megadeth)

enema of the state (blink182)

take off your pants and jacket (blink182)

pretty hate machine (nin)

screaming for vengeance (judas priest)

fabulous disaster (exodus)

let go (avril lavigne)

hidden treasures (megadeth)

dude ranch (blink182)

there be squabbles ahead (stolen babies)

master of puppets (metallica)

the black album (metallica)

twilight soundtrack

neighborhoods (blink182)

south of heaven (slayer)

blink-182

angst (kmfdm)

adios (kmfdm)

nevermind the bollocks, heres the sex pistols (sex pistols)

hybrid theory (linkin park)

the lion and the cobra (sinead o connor)

seasons in the abyss (slayer)

reign in blood (slayer)

meteroa (linkin park)

anything is (my bloody valentine)

CASSETTE TAPES:

pearl harbor attack story

music from hungary

so far so good so what (megadeth)

the four seasons (vivaldi)

concerti (vivaldi)

hangin' tough (new kids on the block)

tchaikovsky / liszt paino concertos

bach flute sonata

mozart symphonies

cats musical

days of future passed (the moody blues)

60s surf hits

doomsday for the deciever (flotsam and jetsam)

st elmos fire soundtrack

phantom of the opera highlights

defenders of the faith (judas priest)

VHS:

a year and a half in the life of metallica (original 80s tape from my dad!)

cliff em all (also original 80s tape from my dad )

walking with dinosaurs bbc

dead poets society

the lost boys

flatliners

family values 1998 tour (korn, limp bizkit, ice cube, rammstien, orgy)

attack of the clones

aliens

the terminator

hackers

not pictured are my books (way too many and way too unorganized to actually take pictures of), and my records. im not big into record collecting but i do have;

life on the murder scene soundtrack

three cheers for sweet revenge

the black parade is dead!

kill em all

master of puppets

[corxoran]

I don't want money. I don't want fame. I don't even want love. I want Naruhodo Ryunosuke's little hips. I waNT HIM YOU DON't understand...

[flimflamfandom]

Flimflamuniverse Character Breakdown!

Have you ever been reading one of my fics and asked something like-

"Whaddya MEAN Freckle has an accent?"

"Why do they end up in Hollywood?"

"Who's Rocky dating, anyway!?"

Well WONDER NO MORE! This post is the comprehensive list for all yer Flimflamfandom character quirk questions!

Essentially all of the changes are character based, but we will be talking about slight setting differences as well.

Let's dive in!

THE SETTING:

Most of the setting is exactly the same - late 20s St. Louis!

HOWEVER -

During later period stuff (anything from 1929 onward) several of the characters have taken up roots and gone to Hollywood! This has to do with various career moves that take place over the duration of the AU

Significant parts of Calvin's story now take place in Cork, Ireland - this will be explained more in depth later.

IT SHOULD BE NOTED that by the time my AU takes place, the Daisy has picked up significantly in business.

THE CHARACTERS:

It's important to note that NONE OF THE CHARACTERS' CRIMINAL ATTRIBUTES WERE REVEALED UNTIL AROUND THE MID 70S, and by then, the shock and horror of this sort of thing were replaced with fascination.

CALVIN MCMURRAY:

1909-1939

Calvin's childhood is the same, up until the nebulous "incident" that gets Rocky kicked out of home. Because of this, Nina gets a bit spooked, and sends Calvin to finish his basic schooling in County Cork, Ireland. He completes his schooling, and comes back home just in time for the "event" at the police academy.

During his time at the Daisy, Calvin becomes very interested in writing, and begins writing for the Times Dispatch about baseball games. He eventually begins writing screenplays when he moves with Ivy to California. He writes 3 novels, 2 short story collections, and 3 books of poems, on top of 4 screenplays. He's a busy guy!

Unfortunately, sometime around 1936, he develops a form of tail cancer. He dies in 1939, just 10 days shy of his 30th birthday.

QUIRKS: -Calvin has an accent! He's a cork boy. He sounds like a Cork boy. -By the time of his death, Calvin has a son, named Finn.

IVY PEPPER:

1909-1999

Ivy's childhood and such don't change much at all. 'Cept a secret that has to do with Mitzi, but shh! It's a secret!

Ivy is majoring in mathematics at college, and she's MAJORING majoring in it. her specialty seems to be advanced algebra - ring theory, nonlinear algebra, stuff like that. She slowly starts to see herself doing less and less in the field, but she always keeps an interest in it, attends conferences, etc.

The thing that REALLY interests Ivy, though, is her theater course. She takes one as an arts credit and LOVES it! She turns out to be kind of a prodigy on stage! She does some more acting here and there, and happens to meet a producer of films in 1929, after she's changed names to Ivy McMurray. She drags Calvin out to Hollywood with her, and stars in at least a dozen films, winning awards for quite a few of them!

By her retirement from acting in the 1960s, (her last picture netted her an award, by the way) she began to help get all of her old things from the Daisy together, and turn them into a museum, called the Daisy Club Museum. She helped run and fund the museum until her death in 1999, just 2 weeks into the age of 90.

QUIRKS: -Won 5 Oscars - 3 best supporting, 2 best actress. -Contributed her skills and research to at least 3 Algebra textbooks, -Never remarried after Calvin - she was quoted as saying "He'll love me when I get where he is, too."

ROCKY RICKABY:

1904-1989

Rocky's time at the Daisy is marred by his failed romances. He swears he must be the most unlovable person on earth! In the AU, I used to have an OC set aside for him, but nowadays I keep it vague and just say he has a wife and kids. ANYHOW, after the Daisy, Rocky manages to recover a tad from his head wound, and, get this - became a comedian. He even had a circuit of all the speakeasies.

Rocky did need a job after all of that though, and ended up, eventually, in broadcasting, which turned into being a comedian, which turned into his own radio show, which turned into a television show in the early days of TV. Rocky moved out to Hollywood and accidentally bought the house right next to Ivy and Calvin's.

A man with a good reputation, even AFTER it came out that he was a serious gangster, Rickaby died peacefully in 1989, at the age of 85.

QUIRKS: -Rocky was a staunch civil rights, woman's rights, and gay rights activist up until the very end. This would often get him in trouble with networks and producers. -Really liked the Beatles when they crossed over to the US -There is a very persistent rumor that he was in the OSS during World War 2 - in fact, he was not, but he did do work for the Signal Corps making mildly funny training films.

MITZI MAY:

?-1980

Little is known of her childhood, or her adolescence before the Daisy.

Plenty is known AFTER it though!

Mitzi, unlike the others, was not headed for entertainment afterwards. She, instead, lived with Sedgewick Sable, and indeed remarried, but never took his last name. As the pressure from the depression started to ease, she managed to turn all that Daisy property (and all of the hidden away stash money) into a hotel! Mitzi became an incredibly successful hotelier, owning and helping to operate no less than 5 luxury hotels by 1956.

By 1970, she had gotten in touch with Ivy Pepper again, and asked about the Daisy Club Museum - she was instrumental in getting it started, as she still sorta owned the caves down there. She had the diea of making it a living history museum, and she also had the idea of making it like a sort of themed resort.

She died in her sleep in 1980. No one was precisely sure of her age.

QUIRKS: -No one really knows her age -She has a secret about Ivy that she's never told a soul, and it went with her to her grave -Mitzi had one known child by Sedgewick Sable - Minerva, born in 1934. Minerva became a costumer.

SEDGEWICK SABLE:

1895-1985

After the depression hit, Sable was distraught and destitu-JUST KIDDING, that paranoid buffoon hid cash in the walls. The WALLS, I tell you! It wasn't a ton, though, and they coasted by until the New Deal came around.

Work projects need work materials, and Wick was able to help provide them. With a new purpose, new drive, and tons of resources, Wick managed to get the company going again, renaming it to Sable Construction Materials, later just SCM. He even had to buy 3 Lake Freighters - the company still operates lake freighters today!

At the age of 90, Wick passed away in his sleep.

QUIRKS: -While Wick and Calvin were never close, both were HUGE baseball fans - Wick was obsessed with the Red Sox. -Wick was a surprisingly involved boss - most employees knew him personally.

MORDECAI HELLER:

1899-1983

At some point, Mordecai returned to the Daisy, to work with Calvin McMurray as a 'fix it' man. Mordecai admired the work, and stayed put until the place stopped being illegal.

After bouncing from job to job, thinking he would end up back in organized crime, Mordecai settled down in New York after finding out the man who wanted him dead had been killed in a car accident. Mordecai became an accountant and theater manager on Broadway - not a STAGE manager, mind you, just the guy who runs the theater. He really quite liked the work!

Mordecai Heller died in 1983 at the age of 84, of lung cancer.

QUIRKS: -Mordecai was a homosexual, and was well known as such. -Mordecai, a seemingly ice hearted man, actually kinda liked musicals...well. Good ones, anyway. -His least favorite show up there was Seesaw. His favorite was Pacific Overtures

VIKTOR VASKO:

1886-1978

After the Daisy became a legal operation, Viktor just...kept working there. You still need someone to lift boxes and tend a bar when it's legal, too! Viktor was actually a loyal employee of Mitzi until 1943, when he left to run a construction firm in St. Louis. He did that, and had a fairly uneventful life, dying in 1978 at the age of 92.

QUIRKS: -Viktor never remarried - but he did reconnect with his wife and daughter sometime in 1935. -Viktor's daughter went on to become a famous operatic soprano, and even served at the Met for a time. -Viktor never outed any of his former associates, even when talks of the Daisy Museum were beginning. He refused, worrying that he'd sully people's reputations.

DORIAN ZIBOWSKI:

?-1954

After the depression, it became harder for clubs to keep full time musicians. Zib was still at the Daisy until about 1932. Fortunately for him, in 1933, his old...work acquaintance? Rocky was running a radio show out of Los Angeles and was asked to help find a band leader.

After a brief stint on this show, Zib began to lead bands at the cutting edge of Jazz music - he considered becomeing an academic, but he never found the time to think too hard about the option.

A lifetime of smoking and drinking caught up to him fiercely, and he died of Lung Cancer in 1954.

QUIRKS: -He's still made outta triangles! -Zib learned to play every saxophone, and every reed instrument he could get his hands on. -Zib's final record was a live recording at the Pershing Lounge in Chicago, Illinois, 4 years before Ahmad Jamal made it famous.

THE SAVOYS:

Nico: 1900-1978 Serafine: 1902-1983

Little is known of the Savoys after their return to Louisiana in 1931. Some say Nico got back into boxing, or that Serafine was responsible for a rash of killings.

The two died peacefully in their homes, and lived to perfectly normal old ages...and yet, it seemed so suspicious when Nico died. He was just...on his back porch. With a note that was written in code...

QUIRKS: -Nico did, in fact, go back into boxing, but left for professional wrestling - the fictional kind. Serafine was, for a time, a voodoo practitioner for hire, who was well regarded in her community -Neither married, but both had several relationships

THE ARBOGASTS:

Abelard: 1886-1987 Bobby: 1898-1975 Elsa: 1900-1975

The Arbogasts lead a quiet, mostly obscure life, save for Abelard, who becomes quite the lit up theologian. He starts a cult in the woods of Missouri, and is found dead after his 101st birthday. The cult, as many do after a leader dies, fell into disarray and eventually splintered.

Bobby and Elsa dropped the funeral routine and moved closer to the city - Bobby became a school teacher and Elsa became a nurse. The two died months apart in 1975.

QUIRKS: -Elsa and Bobby were just about as in love with each other as Calvin and Ivy. -Bobby had severe PTSD from the war, and would often have episodes. Elsa hated seeing him that way, but helped him. -Abelard's Cult, "the new Thinkers", was bizarrely peaceful as cults are concerned. They never ate Fish, though...

LACY HARDT:

1904-1994

Lacy was a loyal employee of Sedgewick Sable for the first year after the depression. Eventually, though, she married Arthur Keane (an OC you can read about here), a guitarist, and moved with him to his hometown of Virginia Beach. There, she lived with him as an assistant to many prominent locals.

Eventually, the two moved again, back to Peoria, to take care of Lacy's ailing mother. This was around 1934. After Lacy's mother passed in 35, she was distraught. So, she decided to find a new hobby - writing and illustrating children's books. She got onto the idea after a phone call with Ivy, who handed over Calvin's agent's information.

When she retired, Lacy moved back to Virginia Beach with Arthur, who died a year before she did. QUIRKS -Lacy won a Caldecott Medal, and displayed it in her home office until her death -Until after her death, it was kept a secret by the McMurray family that Lacy, who was close with them, had been writing Finn (Calvin's son) notes as Mrs. Claus, as well as little stories, which eventually became her 'Rudy Sees the World' books.

THAT'S ALL I'M WRITING FOR NOW!

Again, pretty much all the changes are to the characters - the setting is, for the most part, untouched! I will be writing more about the AU when I get the chance, though!

[starfishlikestoread]

I have probably posted this before but. forever delusional about Ship In A Bottle by Fin being such a quintessential Memory song, both from the chip breakdown perspective:

You can fit everything you know In a bottle for you to show Pick your brain apart and put it in And build it again with needles and pins

Oh, captain, make up your mind Before the salt burns your eyes and you run out of time 'Cause you're popping the cork, you get lost in your brain And you lose touch with all the things that made you feel sane

and Miles trying to get out of being fired:

Oh, captain, let's make a deal Where we both say the things that we both really feel I feel scared and I'm starting to sink And I only sink deeper the deeper I think

and Haroche attempting to bribe Miles with the captaincy:

Oh, captain, oh, captain, deal Oh, captain, deal, oh, captain, deal, oh

like!! do you see my vision,,

[patrickztump]

hello fall out boy fans who sim and simmers who listen to fall out boy, i have a build for you all:

i spent the last few days creating a little home where every room is a different album or ep (soul punk and truant wave included, as i made too many rooms. oops), even the exterior has a theme. i did use a cluster of packs but it’s limited to six, and none are expansion or game packs, so hopefully everyone can place it fairly easily.

ea id: stumpymatic lot name: 412 Phoenix Valley RD

everything is based off visuals and vibes, but i do believe a large chunk of rooms will get the point across. the common thread between them all is that this is a home for plant lovers! every room, minus the basement and kid’s room, have at least a couple plants.

a breakdown of the rooms + their themes and additional photos below the cut:

basement (take this to your grave): this one was a bit hard for me because tttyg isn’t one of my top albums, so i ran short on visual references, but i do believe i got the vibe down just enough. the general basement atmosphere helped significantly. ironically i added the boneyard fish tank without any thought to the theme.

MAIN FLOOR

living room (american beauty/american psycho): this is arguably the most normal room in the house. abap to me is very bright with warm yellows and cozy greens, its summer. tried to tie into the lyrics of “the kids aren’t alright” with the bear chair and photos of (what i presume) those long gone.

bathroom (pax am days): the thing about pax am days is while it’s fall out boy going back to their hardcore roots, they are in a mature state as individuals and an band. so this one ties back to the brick walls of the basement, but classier. it’s also just straight black. because i love dark bathrooms lol

kitchen (mania): this one was hard, and i erased everything i previously typed because i had a different idea and reworked the entire room. the new version is more cohesive than the original and spacious. small references are the obvious purple wall, but also a glass ceiling over the breakfast nook for "i hope the roof flies off."

dining room (soul punk): this one is definitely more stylized and i actually love it a lot, probably my favorite room. i just picture parties where the attire is formal but fun happening in here. if you place this lot for any reason whatsoever, please let it be because i spent at least 20 minutes making the boxes off the album cover out of individual neon lights.

SECOND FLOOR

main bedroom (folie à deux): this was like mania in as much as it was kind of a bad decision, but i think i made it work. references: color (obviously), butterfly photo ("disloyal order"), baseball bat ("headfirst slide"), mirror ("pavlove"), black dress ("tiffany blews"), and of course, the gnome in the bear outfit (which i affectionately call the "folie gnome" and try to remember to place in most of my builds).

master bath (truant wave): this is all color palette vibes. i just kept picturing the cover and love a brown toned bathroom with pops of green. but also the lights over the sinks, so you can have your own spotlight.

hall bath (so much (for) stardust): again with the black bathroom theme, but this time with pops of pink and touches of yellow. plus dog art! gotta have dog art. used the string of pearls light fixture again because a) love plants, and b) bubble-like.

kid's room (infinity on high): was absolutely bless with the photos that came with this album. it's not exact by any means, but it's similar. no sheep or grasshoppers in basegame, but we have a couple llamas and some ladybugs for replacements.

teen's room (from under the cork tree): to be honest this was a struggle to find the right vibes with the wallpaper and paints, but i ultimately like it. references: made sure to use a bed with proper bedposts, yes there are 16 candles on the dresser, postcards, and more!

shared bathroom (lake effect kid): this one is like the master bath, color vibes more than anything.

EXTERIOR

landscaping, etc. (save rock and roll): of course i saved my favorite album for my favorite part of building <3 lots and lots of red, layers upon layers with the flowers. apple trees to tie back to the videos for "young volcanoes" and "just one yesterday," as well as the pickup truck, and of course a fire pit*. all tucked away within a classic picket fence – which is the entire reason i created this, had "miss missing you" in my head then thought to myself, "i do love the picket fence in the sims.." and here we are!

*the fire pit that should be functional (it's one i pulled from another build i made and it did work), just have you sims light the tiny fireplace in the middle.

(the halls are very generic, to give the illusion that this is a normal house lol)

just a photo of the dining room because i need you all to see the boxes aksjfs

a few final notes:

• place with move objects ON • packs used: – my first pet stuff – backyard stuff – romantic garden stuff – desert luxe kit – blooming rooms kit – holiday celebration pack

info again, for those who made it this far: ea id: stumpymatic lot name: 412 Phoenix Valley RD

[beenbaanbuun]

my favourite cure for a mental breakdown is telling other people i’m having one. i get immediately struck with the shame of having emotions and then quickly scoop everything back into its bottle and cork it back up again. feelings?? not round here partner! just silliness and glee! ignore the giant bottle that’s so full its threatening to crack, that’s nothing…

[vin-lord-of-squid]

oh.

oh my cod.

we’ve been thinking about it all wrong.

our perspective was off. we jumped to too many conclusions.

it all makes sense now.

side order wasn’t created by Marina. probably not purposefully, anyway. side order- now just HEAR ME OUT- side order takes place:

in alterna.

explanation under the cut.

in the YouTube video linked at the end at 5:09, there’s dash pads pointed out with the alterna logo on them. plus, the weird black glitches on the wall are the same as the loot anchors in alterna. we know what the core component of alterna is, it’s the liquid crystals all over the walls that reflect the last wishes of the humans. now think about Marina, and her odd absence. what’s her greatest wish? her number one desire?

she wants to find a world of order, beyond our comprehension, after this chaotic world… so she can choose her inner self.

look at side order. that describes it perfectly. it’s so familiar, but so alien, a world of order beyond our comprehension, so similar to our own…

but i doubt Marina wanted this.

my theory is that during Off the Hook’s world tour, they came to Splatsville with 8 and 4 (probably not). due to being close to the Squidbeak Splatoon, they’re shown Alterna. Marina is fascinated by the liquid crystal, and tries to incorporate it into a computer. but the crystal is old and corrupted. so Marina loses control of the computer and everyone is sucked in. the crystal primarily reacts to Marina, creating the world of order she so desperately craved, but also trapping her at the top of the spire and endangering her friends (kind of a “be careful what you wish for” scenario.) Acht was in Alterna due to collaborating with Octoplush and is sucked in as well. the overarching story focuses on Marina’s relationship with Pearl and how she felt hurt and scared after Pearl left (the rest of the interview is here and another person’s elaboration on why Marina feels this way that I agree with is here and here.)

basically i think that everyone looks the way they do because the crystals are reacting to Marina, like Pearl is a robot because a programmed robot would never think of leaving Marina (which Marina would never actually admit or accept she desires but mind reading crystals). and 8 has the white suit because Marina wants 8 to discover themselves and find individuality so she literally gave them a “blank canvas” as their clothes. and she. didn’t know acht was there so no change.

as for story, i think it will go the direction the earlier posts said. i will note that i think Pearl wasn’t purposefully ignoring how Marina feels or trying to hurt her, she just. literally did not notice. not because she’s cold towards Marina or anything she’s just. half blind and a dumbass. as we saw from how long it took her to realize Marina is an octoling.

anyway i think the world of side order is working against Marina and Marina is trying to fight against it to return to her friends, but she’s torn between “i didn’t want this, this is hurting my friends, this isn’t right” and “this is literally the physical manifestation of my every desire.”

and this could play with my predicted arc for Acht (as detailed in this post) because Marina could land on “I want to stay here and you all will too” and Acht is like “bitch put a fucking cork in it I’m seeing my brother again” but I’m so normal about Acht.

and Pearl will have to confront the fact that she hurt Marina, and she’ll have to resolve things with her and land in a healthier place. I’m thinking that throughout side order, Pearl will deny that she hurt Marina and try to focus on getting to Marina, only to get to her and find “oh this is partially my fault.” and because a Nintendo game won’t have years of therapy and recovery there’ll just be an emotional breakdown and reunion with Pearl profusely apologizing for ever hurting Marina, she’s such a dumbass (she is), she was so irresponsible (she was), she loves you so much (she does), she needs you too (she does).

and 8. poor baby 8. a flea on the back of a dragon, in for one hell of a ride. 8 had wanted to explore their past, overcome their trauma, and find their identity and individuality in a more hands-on way.

this is not what they had in mind.

8 is the glue holding everyone together. They relate to Acht in some ways and they love Marina and Pearl. If not for 8, all of the character relationships would collapse. Pearl would never take accountability, Acht would remain cold and hostile, Marina would stay obsessed with this world. But 8 brings out the best in everyone she interacts with (comedically, without ever saying a word.) 8 is compassionate and patient, and works to bring everyone together for the goal of escaping. and 8’s personal arc, their journey relating to themselves, is to grow beyond their past of hurt and trauma. it’s a little played out but they ask themselves “who am I? A soldier? A test subject? A friend? Glue? Do I exist independently, or only in relation to others?” the answer is simple.

they’re Agent 8. and their potential is infinite.

(that’s a big deal because the infinity symbol is prominent in the second trailer, and also 8 on it’s side.)

also 4 (if they’re there) has a journey of independence and learning to move past their abandonment as their own person.

and that’s what gives this so much potential and power. every character has an aspect with which they can relate to Marina. Acht with the anger, Pearl with the love, 4 with abandonment, 8 with trauma recovery. alone, none of them understand what Marina is going through exactly. but together, each of them understand one aspect of her suffering. and they can all help her through it.

anyway here’s the yt vid referenced earlier:

thanks for reading my rambles. please please please send asks if you have anything to say I really wanna talk about this.

[bmodiwrites]

I Guess I Have To Fall In Love With Strangers

Hi friends! I know I'm late as heck but I'm finally coming through with my contribution to Lex's Spicy Six Spring Fanworks Challenge. @thefreakandthehair is amazing & put together the best prompts! The one I claimed for this work is scavenger hunts, so I mixed in a little Nick & Nora with my Steddie. Catch it below or over on AO3 here! I hope you guys enjoy!

Steve blinked awake with a gasp, quickly coming to. His eyes were heavy as he tried to clear them. Once the crusties keeping him blind were gone, Steve took in the room around him. For a moment, he worked his brain double time to figure out what woke him when the reason suddenly smacked him across the face – the house was much too quiet, which had to mean danger was afoot.

Unlike most mornings where all hell was already breaking loose before Steve even had the chance to peacefully wake up, silence lingered in the still clean and put together space, instead. Taken aback by the change, Steve sat up to investigate a little further.

Now fully awake, Steve started to notice more things sticking out like a sore thumb. Eddie, who usually slept in well after their alarm and cuddled Steve like the octopus he’d grown to be, was nowhere to be found. The bed next to Steve was cold, even, frozen from the cool air circulating around the room and Eddie’s missing body heat.

As the clues added up, the idea that he’d been abandoned started to settle in his stomach. Steve, who was trying not to spiral into some sort of mental breakdown, jumped out of bed to truly take everything around him in. It was only then that he noticed the folded up piece of paper sitting innocently atop Eddie’s pillow. The square was chunky and uneven, like his boyfriend allowed their three year old son to do the heavy lifting. Chuckling at the thought, Steve didn’t hesitate to reach out and grab the note obviously waiting for him. He hoped it explained exactly what was happening.

After scooping it up, Steve’s breath caught in his chest. There, in the corner, was an old drawing that Steve never thought he’d see again. The simple circle that gave way to two bunny ears and two x’s for eyes was a blast from the past that made Steve’s entire being light up with excitement. Quickly, thoughts of despair were replaced with anticipation Steve hadn’t felt in so very long.

See, that little drawing was what first brought Eddie and Steve together. All those years ago when things were different, when Steve didn’t have all his shit together, Bad Wabbit, the smallest little metal band to ever exist, knotted up two humans in the best of ways.

Thinking back on that time, Steve affectionately recalled the very first time he ran into Eddie Munson.

Since he was keeping his like of the band a secret, Steve set out on Bad Wabbit’s venue scavenger hunt all by himself. Hawkins’s newest spark of a band didn’t do things the regular way, so there shows were always a mystery. No one knew where they’d play or for how long until the day of when they’d release clues to help fans find their show. The mysteriousness of it all was what first caught Steve’s attention. The skill he finally got to see after two failed scavenger hunts was what kept him coming back for more.

The guy on the radio said the hunt would be easier with a partner or two but Steve figured he was smart enough to navigate a city he’d spent the entirety of his life in, especially after many successes stashed under his belt. The first clue was obscure and off the wall, though not too much for Steve. His love for caffeine and observant nature made the answer obvious. Within minutes of hearing Bad Wabbit’s announcement over the radio, Steve headed to the town’s coffee shop, solved clue in hand.  

Upon arriving, Steve was shocked to see someone else already there, looking intently at the cork board Steve assumed the next clue would be hanging on. Stepping up to it, too, Steve tried to play it cool. Throughout all of his adventures thus far, no one else had caught his eye along the way. For some reason, Steve wanted this interaction to go off without a hitch.  

He didn’t clear his throat or awkwardly bump into the boy standing there with a questioning gaze. Instead, he reached over his shoulder and pointed at the poorly drawn bunny on the corner of a help wanted sheet tucked behind the day’s newspaper.

“It looks like we need to pay Fred a visit at the dry cleaners,” Steve said, tapping on the sign again, making the bunny even more obvious. The boy looked at him curiously, yet didn’t speak, so Steve continued. “Unless you’re looking for a babysitting gig. Let me give you some friendly advice, though – don’t work for the Wheeler’s. Mike’s a little shit.”

Instead of the laugh Steve thought his joke might get, a loud and resounding quiet stuck fast between them. Despite himself, and the fact that the boy next to him was a complete and total stranger, Steve wanted something more to happen. He craved a feeling he couldn’t name or describe, though it lingered all the same. So much so that disappointment started to settle in as the silence continued. Ducking his head after a while, Steve made a decision to keep moving, to at least do what he set out to.  Though, not before shifting a thing or two to mess up the next person looking for the clue.

Steve reached out and tore a couple numbers off the bottoms of the ads attached to the board. He kept the paper for Fred’s place clean as a whistle, though he did turn it slightly so the rabbit was harder to see. Once he was done, Steve took a happy step back. He was seconds from turning to head out when a voice finally broke through all the lingering fog.

“Did you just wreak havoc on the rest of the innocents trying to find out where Bad Wabbit is playing?”

Based on the tone of his stranger’s voice, Steve wasn’t all that sure whether this was a friendly exchange or not. He sucked in a breath then steeled himself for whatever reaction might come from the odd boy standing next to him.

Without blinking an eye or hesitating any longer, Steve grinned widely while his lips formed around an easy answer – “damn right I did.”

The stranger’s face went through an array of emotions before settling on something Steve figured to be close to enjoyment. His smile matched Steve’s and for a second, it was easy to forget that they didn’t even know each other’s names, that they were strangers who meant nothing to each other.

In that instant, Steve understood something about his life had just changed.

After sweet talking Fred for the next clue, Steve’s performance was impressive enough for his stranger to finally introduce himself.

“You’re pretty impressive, whoever you are.”

Steve looked thoughtfully at his companion, then held out a hand between them. “Thanks. I’m Steve. Or Harrington if you’re more of a last name guy.”

A soft yet calloused hand slipped into his and his stranger, that beautiful boy, said a name Steve knew he wanted remember for the rest of his life. “Hi Steve. I’m Eddie. Eddie Munson.”

Eddie Munson, as it turned out, was just in town to catch the concert. He told Steve about his life back in the city while they finished up the remaining clues of the scavenger hunt and actually getting a spot in the concert space before Bad Wabbit took the stage. Steve learned Eddie was a year older than him, though a failed class had him repeating his senior year. If all went well, the two of them would share a graduation year. ’85, baby!

At that moment in time, Steve was excited by anything similar between them, anything at all that could tie them together even tighter than they already seemed to be. Something as silly as graduation seemed so huge when Steve wanted to find things that might keep Eddie interested in him.

Neither boy knew things would escalate well passed sharing space at a concert, that when all was said and done, the two of them would build, create, and share an amazing life.

With that thought in mind, Steve dragged himself back from his trip down memory lane. He found himself brushing his finger over that all too familiar rabbit drawing, a fond smile on his face. Without having to open up the note in his hands, Steve knew the day was going to be an interesting one. Though, impatience had him wanting to find out what was in store. He allowed himself one last drag of his finger before pushing on.

After a brief perusal of the paper as he opened it, Steve determined the sheet came from Eddie’s personal journal. It was thick and heavy, familiar in Steve’s hands like the handwriting he recognized almost instantly. Eddie’s chicken scratch hadn’t gotten any better over the years, though, the sentiments he wrote down with it always did.

Gathering up all his strength, Steve drew in a calming breath. When he shifted his eyes and took in the words before him, the game truly began. For one more second, Steve reveled in the room’s easy peace. Then, the silence became too much and an eagerness to find out what happened next won out over silence and easy isolation.

Stevie –

Take your cute little butt back to the place where we first met. Instead of hunting down a clue on that cork board, find the person who holds the key to the other half of your soul. She’s got your next clue.

Boyd & I are waiting.

xx Eddie

Steve was grinning by the time he took in the last word. Without having to think, Steve knew Robin was waiting for him at their favorite coffee shop in town. Unlike other significant others who found his closeness with Robin to be threatening, Eddie leaned into the solidity of their relationship. He understood, right from the get-go, that Robin was a permanent fixture in Steve’s life, that nothing was ever going to change that. Instead of working hard to impress his parents or Steve himself, Eddie busted his ass to win Robin over. After Steve realized that, he was a goner.

Smiling even harder at the memory, Steve let himself think about THE conversation with Robin.

It’d been a day or two after that first concert he and Eddie went to together. Steve felt like he’d been floating on cloud nine since that night. Despite Eddie not kissing him, or even cluing him into how he felt, Steve’s gut feeling told him his stranger would be anything but very, very soon. Something in their interactions (and the several phone calls they’d had since leaving each other) left Steve happier and more content than ever before. Only someone important could do that.

Robin eventually caught onto the goo-goo eyed lovesickness that Steve was carrying around and bluntly asked him about it. “What’s making you so stupid right now, Harrington? You’ve rescanned the same movie three times now.”

“It’s not what, Rob. It’s a who. I think I’m in love,” Steve said as he scanned Return of the Jedi in for the fourth time.

Slightly taken aback, Robin stopped what she was doing and gave Steve her full attention. “You’re what now? Weren’t you in here the other day pouting about your disturbing lack of dates? What changed between Friday night and now?”

Sensing her shift in mood, Steve dropped the movie in his hands back to the counter in an attempt to focus. With his hands free, Steve could easily wrap an arm around Robin’s shoulder. After pulling her close, Steve felt comfortable enough to talk.

“Everything has changed, Rob. I met him at the coffee shop. I was in there hunting down Bad Wabbit – “

With a snort, Robin cut him off before Steve could continue. “You mean your mystery love is a fan of that stupid band, too. You guys must be the perfect match.” She rolled her eyes, though a smile was starting to form across stubborn lips.

“You’re just upset it’s now obvious that you’ve got bad taste. Two always beats one, Rob,” Steve said, easily clapping back with an insult he knew would wound her. Robin scoffed and tried to hit him, but Steve was faster.

“Stop trying to smack me and listen! Don’t you want to hear about the boy of my dreams?”

Aside from another loud sigh, Robin didn’t say anything else for the rest of Steve’s story. He told her about the scavenger hunt and the time they spent together after Bad Wabbit wrapped up for the night. Steve was so reluctant to leave Eddie that they spent another couple of hours talking in the back of Eddie’s van. They probably would’ve stayed in that spot forever but the rising of the sun brought reality back to the forefront, finally separating them. Though, not before Eddie sneakily got Steve’s number.  

So caught up in his retelling of what happened, Steve failed to see Robin’s manic grin until she decided to elbow him in the side. “You really are in love, Harrington. I guess this beautiful stranger is someone I’m going to have to get used to.”

Happy to have her approval, Steve squeezed Robin a little tighter to him. He rested his head against hers, happy to be in her presence and happy to be accepted. Robin let the sentimental moment go on for a second longer before she struggled out of Steve’s arms. Sharing emotion was still hard for her, despite everything they’d been through together.

Knowing that, Steve shook off the brief feeling of hurt. It was easy to collect himself and dive back into the happiness when Robin didn’t immediately start to rib him for his corny feelings.

She made it a whole five minutes, even.

“I’m glad you fell in love with a stranger. I’m starting to think it’ll be more fun for the both of us.”

And what a truth that statement had been. Over the next few years, Eddie and Robin became as thick as thieves. Where Steve and Robin juxtaposed each other in that inescapably beautiful way, Eddie shared many similarities with Robin that made it easy for the two of them to fall into stride. She understood Steve so well that Eddie reaped the benefits of that knowledge, sometimes to the point where Steve ended up the odd one out. When all was said and done, Eddie walking into Steve’s life was a blessing to Robin, too. Though Steve and Robin were platonic soulmates and always would be, Eddie brought everyone together and made them a family.

Especially after Boyd was born. Robin gave them the greatest gift by carrying him to term for them. When the idea initially came up, Robin was offended that they didn’t think of her first. Though, it took a quick conversation to clear everything up and set them on a path that none of them ever saw coming. Introducing Boyd into their lives created a tangible link between the three of them. They were a family. The type Steve never had but always wanted.

The warmth of that reminder carried him through the coffee shop door where a smiling Robin was waiting for him. Without missing a beat, she pulled him into her arms for a tight hug. Steve tucked his head into Robin’s neck, letting the all too familiar smell lull him into a sense of comfort he only ever found around Robin Buckley.

Pulling away, Steve stuck out his hand, waving his fingers impatiently. “I know you have my next clue. Give it here, please,” Steve said, trying hard not to sound demanding. The wrinkle in her brow told him his efforts had not paid off, however.

“You’re not even going to try and ply me with small talk? Where are your manners, Stevie?” Robin feigned offense and upset, all while digging into her pocket with an eager hand.

Steve rolled his eyes at her, still holding his hand out impatiently. “I know you’re doing great. You’re sitting in our favorite coffee shop with a croissant, a fancy latte, and the slightest idea of what’s going on. I’m the one hanging on the edge here, pal. Cut me some slack.”

“Yeah, yeah. Here you go, asshole. Go find your stranger.”

Steve didn’t even try to stop his laugh because Robin still called Eddie that after years of being corrected and then corrected again whenever the man himself was in earshot. It was a private joke between her and Steve that wouldn’t ever get old. With a smile and a quick lean in to give Robin a kiss on the cheek, Steve collected his note and hightailed it out of there. If he didn’t and let himself read the next clue with Robin by his side, Steve was bound to take her along for the rest of the ride. That little something in his gut told Steve this one was for him and him alone. Whatever that meant, Steve was very, very ready to find out.

Shaky fingers tore at the folded edge until Steve could flatten out and peruse the next clue.

Stevie –

Remember our first apartment? We broke that damn mailbox by the front door a billion times. Take a trip back, walk through the front door and take in all the memories. I bet you’ll find something new there you least expect.

xx Eddie

The mere thought of their first apartment made Steve’s heart race. Fresh out of high school, the two of them did whatever they could to make things work. While Eddie was working overtime and then some at the local bike shop, Steve juggled two jobs to make ends meet. The place they were able to afford was nothing to brag about but it was somewhere they got to call home. It was a room and a kitchen and a bed Steve and Eddie eagerly shared, night after night. And though they were both more than ecstatic to say goodbye to 301 when the time eventually came, Steve recalled the years there with the fondest of memories.

It was where they had their first major fight, the one that Steve never thought they’d come back from. Eddie got his acceptance letter to college in that tiny little kitchen, halfway through cooking dinner. Steve was certain the spaghetti that exploded because of their distraction was still glued to the ceiling. Looking back at that place now, Steve felt glad to have a reminder of the progression of his life, how things have changed and progressed, yet stayed so much the same, too. While the places got grander and their space multiplied, Steve and Eddie, the love they created together, never changed. It couldn’t – not when they both were so committed to it.

The eventual drive to their old apartment complex took no time at all. Each collection of buildings looked exactly the same as Steve pulled in, despite almost 15 years passing by. Steve let the car practically steer itself until he was parked out front of building 3. Their unit was in the furthest corner, the little Metallica flag Eddie insisted on still flapping in the wind. Though, it was more than unrecognizable, Steve saw it like it was brand new, like he was standing before their apartment the very first time he entered it. So many memories and thoughts and feelings flooded him as he tried the front door. When it easily opened under the pressure, Steve shouldered his way inside.

A soft gasp left his throat when he caught sight of Boyd standing there.

Their three year old son, who’d gotten Robin’s height, was alone in the room, innocently holding another folded up piece of paper. Like usual, those round cheeks pulled into a wide smile the second Boyd saw Steve. Despite having an attitude that better matched Eddie’s temperament, Boyd loved Steve. Their relationship was a lot like the one Steve had with Robin. Things just sort of worked when they were together. Steve understood Boyd the very first moment he held that little boy in his arms. Unlike his own father, Steve did everything he could for the little boy currently toddling his way over to him.

“Hi, sweetie,” Steve said, crouching down onto both knees so that he and Boyd were on the same level. His eyes lit up as Boyd smiled back at him and waved his free hand. His little fingers were covered in marker, as if whatever was on the page he was holding actually came from Boyd’s own hand.

“Are you here by yourself?” Steve asked.

Instead of answering Steve’s question, Boyd walking into Steve’s arms, wrapping his own easily around his daddy’s neck. The squeeze was tight for a moment, then a little voice echoed in the room.

“Papa’s here. Somewhere,” Boyd said, shrugging all the while. For a second, his little eyes stared at Steve, taking him in like he hadn’t seen him in ages. Or, maybe that was just how Steve felt as he looked back. Hazel eyes were hard to blink away from but Steve eventually managed.

“Do you have something to give daddy? I think you have my next clue in your hand there, baby.” Steve so desperately wanted to see what was on that paper. Yet, the last thing Steve wanted to do was tear the note from his son’s hand. After being a dad and learning the sort of patience that went along with parenting, Steve clung to his ability to keep his shit together, though only just barely.

A second later, Boyd let out the cutest little noise, almost like he’d suddenly remembered why he was standing there in the first place. The biggest grin overtook those pink cheeks, practically squishing his eyes up so that only adorable little slits remained. Then, Boyd threw the note at Steve, chuckling all the while.

 “That’s for you, daddy.”

Barely resisting the urge to scoop his little boy back into a big hug, Steve picked up the note from its place on the ground. On instinct, his thumb found the bunny on the front, tracing the haphazard drawing lightly. Steve couldn’t stop himself from smiling – whatever Eddie was planning, he absolutely had Steve on his toes, completely stumped. They didn’t have an anniversary coming up and Steve hadn’t missed any birthdays. Despite being completely in the know about pretty much everything, Steve had no idea what the next note could possibly hold.

What Steve initially brushed off as typical toddler behavior quickly showed itself on the paper in his hands. The handwriting was so much different than what Steve had been looking at all morning. Each letter that was readable was shaky and formed by someone not completely confident about the shape. Purple marker gave up the note’s author. Boyd, who’d been idly looking around the room, was now perked up, staring straight at Steve.

“Did you write this, Boyd?” Steve asked, showing his son the paper.

A little head nodded and then his son’s smile grew. “Yes, daddy. Want me to tell you what it says?”

Steve didn’t have the composure to do anything but nod, which turned out to be okay because Boyd was going to barrel on ahead regardless of Steve’s answer, anyway.

“It says – Daddy, will you marry Papa?”

As that adorable little voice spoke, a set of footsteps had Steve looking up. With tears in his eyes, Steve watched Eddie walk into the room and stop beside Boyd, a ring box in hand.

“That was great, buddy. Thank you for helping,” Eddie said. He got down onto one knee and softly cupped the boy’s cheek. “Head to the kitchen for me, will you? The drinks we brought in earlier are there.”

Boyd let out a triumphant noise and turned on his heels to run across the room without any further prompting.

Suddenly, Steve and Eddie were alone together.

“I know, I know. It’s been a crazy day,” Eddie started as he reached out to grab Steve’s hand. They were both on their knees, eye to eye. “When I decided I wanted to ask you about forever, I knew I had to do it up special. And for a while, nothing was right. You deserve the world, Steve. While I can’t give you that, I can send you on a wild goose chase with the sweetest of endings.” Eddie laughed then, his eyes crinkling. “In the end, I thought going back to the beginning was my best bet. That day, seeing you in the coffee shop, my whole world changed. You came in there without a thought or care in the world and completely shifted everything about me. I love you, Steve. With everything in me. Always have. Always will.”

Then, because his words hadn’t been enough, Eddie pushed the ring box in Steve’s direction. Tucked into the satin, safe and sound, was Wayne’s old wedding ring – sized up and ready to sit on Steve’s finger. Between the history and the meaning and Boyd being the one to ultimately ask the question, Steve didn’t stand a chance. Tears spilled from his eyes like a leaky sink.

“So, what do you say? Want to get married?”

Steve didn’t have access to his words, so he simply nodded excitedly. He’d eventually scream yes from the rooftops, shout his happiness for days on end. For now, the gesture worked. He knew it did because Eddie looked the happiest he ever had.

Before Eddie could get smart about the cheesiness or say something to ruin the moment, Steve grabbed Eddie’s cheeks and pulled him close. The kiss they shared was hot and intense and so satisfying that they were caught up in it until that little voice sounded in the room again. This time, a bit more impatiently.

“Is it time for sparkly juice, Papa?” Boyd asked from the doorframe, the unopened bottle in his tiny hand.

Both of them beckoned Boyd over, who didn’t hesitate to launch himself into their joint embrace. As their little one snuggled into their chests, Eddie used his free hand to pull Steve’s ring from the box and slide it onto his finger. The fit was perfect, made even more so by the moment Steve found himself in.

While Boyd squirmed and got excited about the fancy drink they were about to consume, Steve and Eddie stared at each other, reveling in their brand new promise of forever.