#he just wants to be a fun and immersive dm. he knows hes in a game hes not actually hurting or killing u its for the fun of the game

[technicolorxsn]

thinking abt leshy inscryption again

[flodaya]

okay I have collected my thoughts and i am done screaming in dms

mild spoilers so read at your own risk

i have not read the script ever and i am so glad i didn’t because as a movie the story worked really well

it was fast paced and kept you entertained

my biggest complaint is that the timelines are a little messy and the jumps can get a little too confusing

though on the other hand i did like how they chose to parallel some scenes of their youth with the present

all of three of them are such fucked up people but..... why do i still have a huge soft spot for Patrick and Tshi, idk man, if teenage Art wasnt such a little snake i know Tashi and Patrick could have been such a cute romance

they definitely had the best chemistry too imo, that scene of college Tashi and Patrick in their room ???? SO HOT i was gagged

(sidenote: i need to get back into yoga)

Z, Mike and Josh are such talented actors and portrayed their roles so so so well

i also love how you really cant root for any of them, they are all equally fucked. up and unlikeable but i will still say Art is the biggest SNAKE because he was the whole reason the mess between the three of them even got so out of hand

the sauna scene? oh damn, the homoeroticism in this movie can not be understated

also thank you @ Luca for canon bisexual Patrick <3

i am obsessed with love triangles that are actual triangles and not just two men fighting over a woman, these three were all obsessed with each other and so attracted to each other in every sense of the word

the ending is really something, it's one of the main reasons i want to watch it again because i need to relive it to fully comprehend what happened there

WHEN PATRICK DID THE RACKET THING AT THE END I SCREAMED i knew it was going to come back

the directing and cinematography was STUNNING, i had some shots that felt strange (eg. when we were the racket or the ball?) but then you got shots as if you were watching from underneath the court which were so visually pleasing

as many have said the score is beautiful, it fits the entire vibe so well, you really get immersed in the world of this fast paced tennis competition

i'm bad at giving star ratings so i'll just say i enjoyed it a lot, it was a really fun time and i'm so happy Z's first movie in a leading role was so good (malcolm and marie did not happen)

[swords-of-a-soilder]

I've sleep on it here's my beef

If you wanna log in to participate in a event that fine, I get for some CC's purgatory 2 isn't lore (I mean it clearly is, but some players are choosing not to involve it in their lore.) But when you've made the discussion not to take part in the lore you can't ask about it on screen.

I literally got confused when someone told me bad had a reason and to check there lastest reblog, thinking the book gave them the reason and apologising, this fully left me thinking that the residents where told to return home until I was discussing with someone else and realized I fully misread that (I need to wear my glasses more TBh)

But this play apart of the problem because what I except was a lore reason and I went looking for it, just to find out later there is no lore reason bad just calls himself vactionbadboy halo when he wants to log in.

Look I get playing purgatory for fun, I get wanting to log in to see your friends, Tubbo did it, and Pac did it; but the difference with them being they made up a reason to be there (the boat didn't leave) is a completely valid reason.

I can see them going home and then later being drag back to the boat by the incompetent egg Island workers, but jumping back and forth to the island in the middle of purgatory is problematic.

If you don't want to take part in the lore then don't, don't ask questions about what's happening lore wise (on stream he can always inquire in dms ) , don't do things on the Island that messes with other people's lore or breaks the immersion make it easy for the actual people who care about the lore; Ie: fan fiction writers, artists, role players (I am all these things) to pretend you're not there!

This sounds dumb but I genuinely, when lore is happening take note of every little the to go "how can I explain this in lore, how could I enhance this in lore" to help with my fan art or fan works.

Genuinely I have a list of game mechanics,(chat, tabs list, death messages) and have written ways to explain them in lore, so you can imagine my annoyance when someone who isn't supposed to be involved ask questions fresh of a lore event.

I think the confusion to add to it is that Phil has been trying to do more improv on the spot right now rp; like leaving cuucurhoo the notice of the eye guy and keeping his webcam on until a big event ( and I love him for that, genuinely I love lore so much because it feeds art and fan fiction)

But I feel like im being taken a fool when someone who isn't technically supposed to be there asks questions about something they're not supposed to be awear of and even bounces of it like they're in lore "yeah it looks like we're going to war with you guys." we who? You're supposed to be Vacation halo, you aren't in purgatory right, if so how did you get home?!

Get what I'm saying? It sucks because everyone else so far seemed to-do A decent job of staying out of lore if they want to visit some committing to not coming back to the island at all (cough* bolas *cough ) .

If you don't wanna take part in the lore don't complicate the already existing lore, it annoynes me greatly.

I don't mind the attenting events so much, it's the fail rping of discussing something you shouldn't know not long after it happened. (Metagaming)

[theworldbrewery]

thinking this morning about the pressure DMs often feel to entertain their players. to not let them see 'behind the curtain,' to never let on when they reuse set pieces or move a key piece of info from a place the party declined to visit to a place they're on the road to. to hide how shallowly the plans are sketched out, conceal anything that might break the immersion of the game.

to always have something prepared. to be the best improviser of the group, the most knowledgeable of every rule.

thinking about this especially in the context of starting our Sci-Fi Jane Austen game this past weekend, where the GM outright talked about the framework of the game, its underlying expectations, and how we were meant to work within them. When he told us what he was thinking would come in the next session, and opened the floor for us to suggest the plot developments that led us there.

not sure this is a coherent thought, just yet, but I don't think this problem is unique to D&D, nor do I think it's caused exclusively by actual play games priming people's expectations, but I do think there's something going on between those things--the way the design of D&D puts so much in the DM's hands, the way actual play games model how to play when you are trying to entertain an audience...

idk. there was a moment in my game when I was really stressed because the party was on a quest and decided to stop pursuing their quest in favor of saving some village, and as a consequence of their decisions an essential NPC died by mindflayer. She was supposed to help them restore a magical artifact that one player was really invested in.

and i dreaded the fallout of that player trying to brute-force a resurrection, or a Speak with Dead, to try and learn the secrets of restoring that artifact. because mechanically and in terms of plot it was no longer possible to do so, and I was so afraid of that player getting frustrated when they couldn't do what they wanted.

and the day of the next session I spoke to her and said that I know she wants to find a way around it, but I'm telling her above the table that it just isn't possible. she won't be able to get what she wants with the resources I know she has. they chose a different path; this isn't a video game. please don't spend all session trying to get around this.

and the relief I felt, to admit that. to speak above the table about the game, be honest about its nature as a game, and ask for what I needed in order for the game to be fun. but it meant, on some level, breaking immersion. asking her not to do something I knew her character would otherwise do.

and she didn't, and the game played on, and it was fine.

[mariadotcom]

pennhurst - the start of going down (P. I)

hey guys, it's been a while since we last had some (or nay) interactions but life have been getting crazier by the second. i apologize since i left the blog untethered and filling with spiders and moths, but i'm (partially) back and hope you like this little romance, thrilling horror or something i've been working on on my free time. if not, dm me and i'll hear ya! xo maria

prompt: y/n is an immigrant from south america, she owns a bodyshop and there's where she meets sam and colby. as the friendship between them blossoms, other things arise as well, perhaps some of them should've remain buried. ghosts from the past, a difficult romance and a carrousel of ups and downs between them form a storm - but the living aren't the problem alone amidst this tempestuous story. WARNINGS: none, i guess. but strong language, NOT for minors, and i am a mess so god knows - and popular demand tells - when will i post the following chapter.

we promised we'd be back in full blast but not to exaggerate much and get ourselves - especially colby - hurt. since chemo ended, he's been more active and i, as friend who's been there through good and bad, think he deserves a time doing what he loves, performing his job oh so gracefully.

usually, i'm off-screen and i'm glad about it - helping the boys carring their stuff around and exploring places with friends on my days-off. this time around the only differencial would be colby's health on watch; sam was being careful and watching over him more than any of us would, despite that being expected. although something was off, i could feel it. the way colby would glare at people sometimes, with tears in his eyes. he'd be saying the most deep and thoughtful shit, but usually was hitting harder. "say what you feel to the ones you love, y/n" he'd say and i'd anwer "i love you, colby. it's never enough how much...". we met when they moved to Vegas at a bodyshop i own. they trusted their cars with me and we ended up bonding and becoming friends, colby was more standoffish at first but he came around once he learned that i was to be trusted - at least a bit.

the cancer news hit us all like a brick to the head, a cold rush of familiarity through my veins. it was all so new yet so similar. gladly, the treatment and the operation were enough, and he was never alone. not a single second. sam was alway there for him and so was i, whenever they chimed me in. anyways, on the welcome-back trip, sam thought a trip would do him good whereas i thought an exploration would serve better. combining both, for colby, was the greatest so that's what we did. sam chose the location through some people he met along the way of the chanel, i was so excited to finally know the spot i barely focused on colby and what was he saying.

"....then we could try to explore the place ourselves. what you think, y/n?" he said while scrolling through his phone. it wasn't sam and colby's first visit there, but it was mine and they wanted me to have a good time and full immersive experience. "huh?" i questioned "this whole thing is about YOU, colbert. you should be the one 'thinking' of something."

"yeah, yeah. i just want to make sure we all have fun, you know?" his pale blue eyes stared at me for a second and, as usual, i stared back. i couldn't get enough. "y/n?" he called.

"sure, colby. i'll do whatever you want me to..." i stated focusing on the pile of e-mails stacking in my inbox.

"isn't it time for you to take a vacation? some time off?" colby asked seeing how busy and overwhelmed i was. i sighned, he moved from one couch to another to sit closer. "c'mon you could stay some time with us, ditch the company for a few days..."

i cut him off before he could finish his line of thought "colby, you know i can't. the company is expanding.... i need to focus" i rolled my eyes and rested my head upon his shoulder. we watched as sam entered the room, sweaty shirt signaling he just came back from the gym "hello, lovebirds," he said jokinlgy "what are we discussing?"

"how y/n should get a few weeks of vacation" colby gently backed up, laying my head on the couch as he stood up to greet sam and the grocery bags i just now realize he had been holding for a while. "you're obviously in need of some of it, y/n. why don't we make this trip a bit longer so you can take AT LEAST a few days more to reset?" sam suggested.

"but i...." "you can't run no company if you're worn out, dude" sam cut me. "besides, it is YOURS. you're the boss! c'mon, we'd love to have you for a couple days more, right colby?"

"yeah, besides you still owe me a movie night!" colby stated. it's been months since i've been promising the movie night with thrilling and horror movies, just colby and i, to talk about how he has been feeling lately and other stuff. it's always a pleasure be around such a good friend. [wish we were a bit more than that].

"you know what, you two!" i started with and angry tone, eyes still closed, still laying on their couch. "you're right...." i cooled down. "i need to get some rest. i'll take 3 weeks off and nothing more but please, you both are in charge of me"

"couting now?" colby joked.

"no, robert, couting monday..."

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°\/°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Friday afternoon after my last meeting, i was still rushing around, making sure every inch of the bodyshop was clean, organized, ready for monday morning's routine of receiving and fixing cars and guaranteeing excellence to costumers. my CEO (and godfather, altogether) made sure they'd be fine without me for a couple weeks and he'd only call in emergencies. i was hoping for little to none, but leaving for the first time in years was still frightening.

i saw the old toyota corolla make a corner, if there were a better picture than that, colby's glass were not really dark-stained so i could see through it. he was wearing, shockingly, a dark green shirt, black and green jacket and i could swear i saw someone on the backseat for a split second. knowing him, i'd be either surprised or scared the second i set foot in the car. gathering my stuff from my office quickly, i found my old devotion notebook. i remembered that work has been draining me so much i forgot i am too a sensitive religious person - but not the convetional one. the door was pushed and the fragrance that followed screamed his name, i didn't even had to turn around to recornize him but his words affirmed what i thought. "are we going?" colby questioned. "mhmm" i replied. "let me just check my e-mails one last time...."

"oh fuck no!" colby shouted, running around the table and taking the laptop from me. he then locked it inside a drawer and kept the keys. "i'll give it back to you in a week or two, when we're far away from this office." he said firmly.

after a moment of silence, he said "you deserve this...." "hey! we're traveling! it'll be fun! plus, your family can handle everything else."

"and we'll call if we can't." my godfather/uncle Victor entered the room, his arms crossing in front of him once he stopped beside colby. them both being tall made a shadow fawn over me, intimidating a little. "we will miss you, but you haven't stop since forever. get some rest, kiddo" my uncle Victor said. "and you make sure she stays alright! i'll need her back!" he warned colby.

"sure thing, sir! i'll bring her back in one piece in maybe 3 weeks." colby said gathering my stuff and pulling me to the car. "maybe? it's a definitely, gentleman." Victor said. we both giggled making our way to his car.

"every time i come around to pick you up, i feel like we're 16" colby joked as i looked around in the car. [who the fuck was inside]. he arched an eyebrown confused to as why was i snooping around. "yo, you good?" he asked. i shaked my head 'yes' but there was some sinking feeling something was off.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°\/°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°° the flight was scheduled to sunday morning, this way we'd be in pennsylvania by noon or so. it was still saturday morning when the first nightmare hit, it was still dark outside and the guest room in sam and colby's place felt degrees colder than usual. i guess it was so intense i screamed and sam woke me up, worried. colby followed him suit behind with flustered cheeks and heavy eyes.

"what's wrong?" sam asked, sitting in the bed beside me. his weight made the covers safer, calmer. my thoughts coming down from a high as soon as he pressed his warm hand on my forehead to see if i had a fever. "you're not hot or anything...." sam said and colby giggled.

"yeah she's definitely hot, jus not your type, bro." colby corrected and sam's cheeks brigthen up red, you could barely see through the soft and dim yellow light from the tiny lamp that stood beside the bed. "you know i don't mean that...." sam started. "you're... you're pretty hot you know. i'd rather say beautiful but..."

"romeo, i guess she just had a bad dream, right?" colby leaned on the doorframe. his white ripped tee a little too ripped and sam's soft grip on my face slowly became a light caress. "i guess i'll leave juliet to go back to sleep then." sam said giving me a concerned look. "okay?" i nodded.

"i'm sorry" i muttered, my voice coming back to me. "didn't mean to wake you up, guys" sam rolled his eyes and lightly pinched my cheeks. "stop being a dumbass..." he said getting up and making his way out. "i'll be in my room. if you need anything, CALL! don't scream. you scared the shit out of me" sam said as he made his way to his bedroom.

it was colby's turn to say something. do something. but instead, he just stood there, leaning against the door while i sat on the bed, still processing what was the nightmare about. only flashes flooding my memories, little by little. drowning my thoughts. "can i come in?" he finally asked after what felt like forever in silence. "mhmmm" i hummed.

different from sam, colby was more straight forward with whatever he wanted. this being said, it wasn't hard to agree that he, in fact, went under covers and laid beside me. "robert, what are you doing? are you insane?" i coiled beside him. my dressing wasn't very modest to welcome him in bed with me as i was using a big tee and panties. "as if i never laid next to another woman. get off yourself" he complained.

i sneakily grabbed my pajama shorts from my side of the bed and put them in under the blankets, by this time, colby had rolled over. his face turn to me but his eyes closed - perhaps privacy or just him trying to fall back asleep. i facepalmed breathing loudly trying to erase the feeling of uneasyness from my body after the terrible dream, but colby's hand on my tight and his firm grip startled me a bit. "c'mon, lay down. it's 2:30 in the morning... i'll stay here with you" he muffled in the pillows. "c'mooooooon" colby whined.

"i just...it was so vivid, you know.... these buildings, the feeling i got...." i started but my as soon as i did, my heart went racing. colby sat, his eyes barely opening, one arm around me and the other caressing my leg. "are you okay?" he asked, his hand moving upwards trying to soothe me. "sometimes reals can feel so real, right? but don't stress over it too much, i'll stay here." he said calmly. "maybe we can call sam and...."

"ugh you're such a whore, brock" i laughed as i laid in bed, him doing the same. "thanks, by the way..." he raised an eyebrown, eyes fast closed. "for the what?"

"for staying."

°°°°°°°°\/°°°°°°°°

the day went smoothly and sunday noon was approaching. pennsylvania sounded near althought a 6 hour flight separated the two states and increased in a rapid speed our hunger. i slept through most of it since the nightmares became a thing over the weekend - minus the screaming, thankfully - and sam became my personal caressing pillow. his soft words, as soft as his hands, lulled me to sleep seconds into the flight. colby was an aisle down to us and never stopped chatting with the pretty petite blonde girl sat next to him, when i finally woke, they seemed more acquainted then when the flight was getting ready to take off.

"they kissed" sam filled me in, first thing when i woke. "wow, really?" "mhmm, colby's like that now" he said turning a page from a book he was reading. "yeah i guess he always had been, but it's more of a show off about it now" i replied adjusting my messy cruly hair. "i'm glad i'll always have you, never normal sam" joking, i said. he just elbowed me lightly, giving the most warm upside down smile.

"how are you?" i asked noticing he'd been refusing to look at the notifications on his phone. he just glared. "i mean, this number must belong to SOMEONE. won't you answer?" sam sighed. "it's kat. we.... i...." his words started to crample together but luckily the pilot interrupted him with the announcement of landing. both of us releasing the air inside our lungs we weren't aware we'd been holding. "hey... i know it must be hard. i'm always here to hear you.... and maybe crack joke about it though." i reaffirmed. sam held my hand and gave it a caring kiss, leaving it as a thank you note with everything he wanted to say but couldn't right now.

the plane landed, we got our bags. sam and colby rented a car and decided this could make a video: traveling with friends, living the now, doing what they like and going old fashion - no hardwire equipments, no electronics by the dozens, no mediatic pressure and no place for nothing but good times. it came late, but it didn't fail. colby surprised sam and i at the restaurant. we were peacefully eating like dinosaurs when a pair of hands gripped sam's shoulder tight - not enough to hurt him, but enough to have him startled. sam and colby's friend, nate, stood behind sam and i while we ate.

nate is a cool guy, very chill and funny. he's always down to whatever the boys propose him to, thus incouraging me to do the same. although we have a good time together, sometimes and only sometimes, i have a glipmse of myself and feel a little unconscious. the many women approaching them - being for fame, recognition, looks or whatever - are gorgeous, the kind of girl you'd see on tampon commercials or maybe a lame movie with only hot chicks using ridiculous clothes to perform complex tasks. i'm just normal and - for a while - it's good being average, but oh boy, how i wish i was....

"hey, gorgeous!" nate complimented me as he plopped on the empty chair beside me. "how have you been, girl?" he sassed. i rolled my eyes, smile growing wider. "i've been good, nataniel." i teased back.

"what's with you and names?" colby asked downing a bit of his drinks. he had a halfway fresh oranje juice glass that i insisted he'd take instead of whatever processed shit he'd prefer. "you see, COLBERT," i emphasized before continuing, earning everyone's smile "it's funnier that way. plus, i get to tease you all about fictional names that suit you fine" i gulped my juice myself.

"well, we should think about a nickname for you to call it your own, then" nate threw his arms around my chair and said, leaning over a bit. "maybe we should call you...." as soon as nate was forming a thought, sam's phone rang. it was the person responsible for our tour and stay, so we went quieter so sam could figure whatever out. we couldn't help ourselves to kick one another under the table and whisper sweet nothings to each other while making dramatically silly faces - or copy whatever sam was saying in a husk tone, just to ease up the mood. "yeah, sure. i guess it'll be a great idea!" sam said. "i guess we can share some rooms, there's no problem with it...." finally, we fell dead silent to hear what he was saying and when sam noticed, he put them on speaker.

"i'm sure you can all share, but wouldn't it be fun if you got separate rooms?!" the person on the other end asked with a malice in their voice. you could tell it was a sllightly older man and if it wasn't from previous experience, you barely couldn't differ the amount of cigarretes he'd smoken before. "i mean, it's a haunt tour but we have buildings able to accomodate you 3 perfectly nice, and the area is still new to renovations so you guys could do some recording if you'd like"

"actually, josh, we are in a group of 4 now. a friend decided to join us, is that an issue?" sam asked. "not at all, sam! we love to have you and any friend of yours as guests! is colby coming?" the man asked "surely he is!" colby answered affirming he was part of the group listening. "well, then it'll be awesome having you guys!" "it'll be awesome staying with you, josh! see you in a bit" sam hushed and ended the call.

"well, i hope you're in for a ride," sam said. "we have the place to ourselves and...." "yeah, but where is the place? WHAT is the place?" nate asked, finally tackling our doubts. "we're going to pennhurst asylum."

author's notes: thoughts? call the roaches and complain. (kidding, leave it here under NOTES or message me)

[steveharringtonsstrugglemeals]

Ok that last post I reblogged got me thinking... DM Steve. Somehow he gets roped into DMing a few campaigns for the Party and he's 100% the type of DM who acts tough but is setting up his players to succeed. Not like Eddie — he's genuinely a really tough DM, even if he does want his players to do well. Steve is all about fostering his kids' confidence and making sure they have the chance for some fun escapism after all the shit they've been put through. He's still gotta be a dick about it though — just like how he gripes about giving the kids free rides, he acts cocky and then complains when they break through traps which he carefully designed to have hidden weaknesses that match they Party's strengths. He's great at picking up on pieces of the kids' personalities in their characters, and using that to make sure their adventures are meaningful. Most of his NPCs are basically just versions of him, because he's not the most creative he claims — but really because he just can't resist using the characters to tell his kids he's proud of them.

And this feeds into his "rivalry" with Eddie: Steve already knew that his campaigns weren't the most complex or immersive, he just doesn't have that level of detail-oriented planning skill. It doesn't matter, he was just doing it as a favor to his friends, right? But then the kids start school and all of a sudden they won't stop gushing about Eddie Munson and how grueling his campaigns are, how he gives each of his NPCs unique voices, how he's the coolest and smartest person they know. And yeah, it kinda chafes against all of Steve's insecurities. Even playing DnD, he still manages to be the dumb jock, right?

It takes a while, but inevitably Eddie finds out that Steve has DMed in the past. Steve immediately gets defensive about it: yeah maybe he wasn't the Party's first choice for a DM and maybe his campaigns weren't exactly masterpieces, but the kids enjoyed them! Eddie, on the other hand, is close to fainting over the idea of Steve Harrington, of all people, as a Dungeon Master.

[reader-insert-girl]

I don't have an a03 account so I couldn't comment there, so I've just sent you my feedback! Sending this separate ask as we don't want tumblr to flag the language LOL. I hope it sends through and if it's more convenient for you, I can DM you from my sideblog, or if this is fine I'll just continue to give my feedback this way! Thank you again for writing my request! 💖

GIRL!!! You did not send me a whole essay of praise like damn. Lord help me, I'm spoiled. 🥹 Also, feel free to slide into my DMs like Jasper slides into... we know where, if you want more discussion/back-and-forth, I'm game either way.

Oh, yes, the series is named exactly like that. Jasper's the "Tiny", and I guess you're the other half 😉 It's also amazing to hear it has the intended effect, like immersive and evocative enough. And that it made your day better. ^^

Haha, sorry for the choice of swimwear, I was just going for something "a tiny slip and you'll see the whole package" vibes and anything more than a speedo is kinda meh for that. Same for the "grown out of" sized bikini top because she's really a "look at me! but only *he* can touch" teasing little gal. And I guess towards Jasper, too, "I dare you to touch (and then not be able to stop)".

Tbf, I don't necessarily think it's his hand is small but rather, he's trying to hold something too big 😉 Also, stop reading my mind! You've guessed like two of the things I'm planning to put into the next part(s)! No fun. But if you want a little help, those are related to: 🤑💸🎁 and 🥰🥰🥰

I mean, considering a lot of other stuff I've written, these ones are on the milder side from me so I think 20 to 100 is right. But fine, 250 to sonic boom then? 😂😂 But it means what you probably think it means, we gon' get closer to what he watches. And that's what I was thinking about not forgetting the leashes. And why scared? Didn't *you* mention it first, lol. 😈

Don't apologise for the rambling! That really helps showing just what an effect the story can have. And, tbh, I'm that kinda rambly person so it's a miracle my stories are getting out coherent while one hand typing iykwim 😉😂

Oh God, this got long but anyways, thank you for the feedback and the excitement and the kind words and ugh, I may not be able to stay away from Jasper for too long either lol. 😘🤗

[autumnaaltonen]

Answering frequent Research Division questions from my inbox for clarity's sake:

"How many chapters are you posting for The Research Division/When will you complete The Research Division?"

I don't know. I initially predicted posting no more than 10 chapters, but that's been thrown out the window. We're probably looking at 20-25 now.

"Why are updates so slow?"

Originally I was aiming for bi-weekly updates, but that was naive of me to assume given my academic workload. I am in a double bachelors and teaching certificate program, so writing only occurs when I both have the free time and when I am in the mood. However, I hope to never keep the fic stagnant for more than a month.

"Will Y/N get turned into a vampire?"

I haven't completley made up my mind yet, but probably not. Thing is, the reader being immediatly turned in the beginning, or sometimes near the very end of Hellsing fanfics is a trope I don't vibe with. In the Hellsing-verse, being a vampire is generally not a fun experience. You have to die a virgin, you don't get to consume food or beverages, you're pretty weak unless sired by a true vampire, and you don't get a pleasent afterlife (if any). Other than the superpowers and anti-aging, becoming a vampire sounds like a shitty fate to me.

"Will there be smut?"

Uhhhhh...yes. I'm going to say yes. I've never written descriptive smut for a fic before, so I'm not the most comfortable with it yet. When it does happen, it will likley be clunky, so please bare with me. But yeah, there will be smut. Eventually.

"Do you hate Walter?"

No, I do not hate Walter C. Dornez. He's an important character in the series, and his whole love/hate relationship with Alucard and Integra is very interesting and endearing. He's also a total badass. However, for the reader-character I'm writing, I need to create a loyatly to Sir Integra that goes beyond our meta-love for her character and the Hellsing universe. Walter seemed like a good source for such loyalty, as he threw away all of his hard work for the sake of killing Alucard, the very reason Hellsing exists. It sets a bar for Y/N to jump over, making her an important part of the story, rather than just another Mary-Sue doormat.

"How did Y/N become a vampire researcher/what is her past?"

I left this topic purposely vague as to better the reader immersion. I picture Y/N as someone pushing near 30, if not already in her early 30s. So with that in mind, it would make sense for Y/N's passion for vampires to begin at an early age, likley somewhere before high school. However, given that most Hellsing fans are out of high school, I wanted to give my readers the freedom to imagine their own motivations for becoming Dr. Y/N Y/L/N. Whether that be through a vampiric encounter or simple curiosity, it's up to all of you.

If anyone has anymore questions, feel free to either send an ask or DM me, I'm always open.

[sastielsfandom]

SPN but it's just a game of DND AU. Coming from someone with incrediblely limited knowledge I've randomly picked up even though they've never played a game, or managed to finish watching a campaign yet, but has many ideas. So, with that, here are more thoughts.

Also, little background information, this is just the idea that Chuck Shurley invited some of his friends to a DND campaign, and most of them, if not all of them just stuck with their actual names because it was easy and less confusing that way. Sam and Dean are the most frustrating and fun characters to have because they have such bad rolls at inconvenient times but are so creative about their solutions no matter what's thrown at them that it's enjoyable even when things don't go according to plan.

The original campaigns true big bad is Azazel, which later gets changed to Lucifer, and so on and so forth, until the big bad ends up being God. (Chuck was going to do it a lot earlier but they never got the rolls they needed for it. But also, when it seemed like it was finally going to happen, he was petty and made it so that the big bad was God's sister.)

It wasn't supposed to be a long campaign, at least not as long as it went, but Chuck had ideas and people joined. So, it continued.

Link to the original post if you want to read it

Now some other things I thought about while I was trying to sleep.

Chuck is a genuine writer and actually took these ideas and used them in a book, with everyone's permission. They're supportive, but that doesn't mean he's not going to be made fun of for adding that into the campaign. His retaliation? Inviting Charlie, knowing fully well she'll manage to out meta him. And she did!

There's some ongoing bits. Like Sam asking if he could roll to get a dog nearly every session, and when he finally managed to, the way he got it was by accidentally hitting it with his car. The other players, and Chuck included, weren't sure by the looks Sam was giving if they were going to have to find another DM after Sam murdered theirs.

Dean makes it a point to describe whatever he's eating in character as if it's important lore. And will sometimes even bring actual food to truly immerse himself, and shares depending how many people are playing that day.

Castiel makes others roll to see if he'll understand their joke or reference and they go with it. The first time it happened Chuck was so confused but it was funny, also Dean has the worst rolls when it comes to it which is why Castiel never gets his jokes or references. Sam would rather explain over a roll sometimes though.

Dean has tried many times to roll and seduce Baby, but has failed every time. Which everyone is thankful for. Even if it doesn't stop Dean from being like that with his car.

Dean kept flirting with a lot of NPCs and Chuck tried to deflect it a bit by making some of them monsters and gave that info to the group, but it backfired because then Sam flirted with the NPCs.

Sam will listen carefully about the lore that's presented and loves twisting it so it technically would work. One example is when Dean needed to be on holy grounds to get away from the racist truck, Sam presented the idea and Chuck makes him roll for it. He rolled high enough especially with creativity that it was granted. Another time was when Sam painted their faces with blood to appear as a mask. And him and Dean were funny enough with the bit they didn't even need to roll for it.

Also, I think it would be funny if that reason Sam and Castiel didn't get to talk much at times was because Chuck didn't want to deal with the flirting. It kept sidetracking everyone but it wouldn't have anything to do with the campaign because they wouldn't even be in character! So Chuck just quit putting them together unless he had to for a bit. But that only fueled them, hence the soul fisting, will you, boy? Sharing Sam's trauma, Netflix in Sam's room, raising a kid together, they had fun with it. And Chuck pretended to hate it but they got creative with it and were pretty funny about it. That and were good at pulling at the heartstrings. And it's why later in the campaign he kept putting them together more and more often.

Oh and Castiel didn't know he didn't get an official goodbye to Sam, he wrote a speech as they got to the end and there wasn't anyway he wasn't going to do the speech. So he just said it facing Sam and that's why when Cas was all emotional Dean wasn't because Cas was facing the other way, he didn't have anything to bounce off of!! And so when Dean's character died he made sure Cas was there and turned his back with a long speech to Sam as a way to poke fun.

Sam didn't appreciate either because they both made him cry. And only one actually made it in the campaign. (They said it was only fair for the amount of times Sam made everyone cry during the campaign.)

Jack is incredibly comedic. Looks at Jack eating the Occultum, but also likes to balance heartfelt moments, childlike naivety, profound perspectives, while also giving fantastic one liners that make people break character.

When Jack randomly mentioned it'd be interesting if Jack became God, that became everyone's mission. Chuck included.

There's been times outside of the campaign where he's accidentally referred to Cas or Sam as father or dad. He doesn't get to live down those moments and the next session is always sappier when he makes those slips.

Oh, and Rowena was a really fun add. She made a really tragic character but played her with such confidence that it was easy to forget. So moments where she's vulnerable, with no alternative motives, really shine. Also, she helped Crowley come up with his character and accidentally called him Fergus and for some reason he added it. So when she joined way later in the campaign she said he didn't use it enough so she would. And had the perfect excuse as why, because she's his mother.

[mmmthornton]

Abbott Elementary D&D Episode WHEN baby?

What can I say, I'm a simple lesbian. I see a show with a great group dynamic and I gotta think about what they'd be like at the tabletop.

Plus, I'm...responsibly imbibing and putting off work so HERE WE GO!

Jacob becomes determined to start some kind of gaming club at the school, but he hadn't actually DM'd before so he asks the other teachers if he can do a "practice run" first and bribes them with takeout and beer to let him run a game for them in the gym in the evenings. Surprisingly Barbara has come around to it NOT being a tool of the devil thanks to her and her husband watching Stranger Things together ("If it can help those kids beat a demon and learn to appreciate family in the god-forsaken 1980s, it can't be all bad"). Melissa says she could learn a new game since its no fun card sharking the same five people at her local bar, and Gregory is pretending really really hard that he's not EXTREMELY excited about this because he's always wanted to play but never did as a kid. Ava laughs until she cries when Jacob first asks if she wants to join then flips when Gregory will be there..."and when those craft beers go right through his skinny hipster body" she wants to be there to see his "wild" side. Janine knows nothing about the game but is excited about a new extracurricular activity and thinks its a great way to bond with the kids, and Mr. Johnson wasn't invited but shows up with Coke and a Costco-sized bag of Smartpop because he KNOWS whats up.

Barbara : Definitely a Cleric. She is willing to physically fight Jacob though if she has to "choose a god" from the pantheon, so to keep the peace AND the immersive experience they agree Not To Go Into It but its enough that her healing and spells are faith-endowed. Early on though, she gets some REALLY good rolls to hit when they're surrounded by enemies and she becomes more of a "warcaster" in addition to healing. Lots of buffs and she gets into the idea of a powerful warrior who gives holy blessings with her presence. Probably should've chosen Paladin from the getgo with how she ends up playing, but she makes Cleric work for her.

Melissa : Definitely a Rogue. Okay, I promise all my thoughts aren't basic but also listen to me. The whole concept of the rogue network is SO up her alley. She almost seems like she's not even playing a character at first, but then JACOB surprises her with his NPCs and the two of them roleplay thieves cant as a sort of south philly slang. I think Jacob would be an AMAZing DM so he's ready to meet her where she is (not really invested at first, kind of skeptical on the whole thing), and draw her in by accurately using terminology and making the world feel gritty, lived-in, and familiar - and Melissa LOVEs it. She starts to really get into the fiction of this fantasy world and take the threat/plot hook seriously. Gets yelled at by the support for jumping into fights and going unconscious because she's not a tank class; maybe multiclasses into Barbarian or at least takes a feat or two so she's not going down every fight.

Gregory : The archetypal wizard; old, beard, pointy hat, the whole deal. I hear you thinking "Why not human fighter?" but no. Gregory will not do human fighter, he's been waiting to play D&D for like twenty years and hes researched EVERY aspect of every class. Could be a minmaxer, but moreso is just WAY overthinking the choice so finally Jacob just gives him a premade, high-fantasy, Gandalf-ass wizard named something like Geoffrey Jankins or whatever. Gregory spends a lot of time making his : [ face, worried that he's already destroyed his chance of "having fun in a tabletop game with work friends" because he's THAT kind of person. Once he relaxes, he starts to feel a lot more kinship with his wizard character; he's got a backstory in the premade sheet where he's trying to find a spellbook that was stolen from him that contained years of his hard work and research. Over the course of the game Jankins kind of works with the others the same way Gregory did as he warmed up to them as a substitute, and in the end has the Real Emotional Moment in-game as he realizes what his work was keeping him away from (the relationships with the others in the group being his found family). No one leaves that game with a dry eye.

Ava : Elf Bard, College of Swords. She refused to make a character when Jacob mentioned it involved adding numbers because she's too hot for math, so she got another premade that he knew she'd enjoy. She's actually pretty stoked on the idea of a Creative and Powerful Artist who's dripping with charisma enough that she actually gets the ins and outs of the spell rules really well and is very generous with her Bardic Inspirations ("even to Gregory's old-head-ass"). She does however seem to only use Cutting Words on her own team, specifically Janine ("Jacob! How could you let her use that spell?" "In my defense I didn't think she'd even read the spell sheet!"). I say College of Swords because the worst thing about being a bard is having to share the spotlight with someone else, so she decides she wants to be the hero AND the sexy song vixen who makes the ballad about it.

Janine : Some kind of Genasi or fey druid. She wants to connect with the nature in the world and tries to channel a kind of Pan-from-mythology-meets-Steve-Irwin-depicted-by-Simone-Biles character. Her character motivation is she wants to write a guidebook of the animals - both common and magical - that they come across but keeps absolutely failing her rolls. She rolls a one and slaps a Mystical Enchanted Forest Deer in the face, launching a fight that the party is NOT prepared for. IS very good in a fight; she'll transform into an owlbear and headbutt an enemy away if one of the other party members are in trouble. Only remembers how to use like, three spells total and doesn't tell Jacob that she has no clue how things like spell slots or materials work so she just doesn't track it / makes up a number when asked how much she has. Jacob catches on pretty quickly, but side eyes into the camera to let us know he's deliberately letting it slide because she keeps rolling badly and could use the break.

Mr. Johnson : Makes his own dwarf warlock who's ABSOLUTELY minmaxed to hell. The overall playstyle of the group though is more laid back, but he's after a harder core play experience and only drops in sometimes if he hears there's a boss fight. Can do things from the book that are completely legal but have Jacob looking up obscure status effects and rules to try to keep up. Would probably make a good DM, but says he's more of a Warhammer guy.

Jacob : Obviously the DM, but I imagine that once the kids get into the game one of them might want to take a turn DM'ing. Jacob, gleaming with pride, would be happy to pass the DM screen to the "younger, brighter, woker generation". He joins the party as a ranger ("...which in the fifth edition classic is not the most capable class however with updates and features can be utilized in very specific cases for role-play and battlefi-" "For f*cks sake Jacob just take a shortbow proficiency and lets get on with it"), and spends most of the time that they're playing being extremely proud of his student....until the kid catches him on a technicality on his animal companion range.

[birdylion]

Okay so it was actually really good that I wrote my own adventure, as the one in the book is based on an existing short story, which one player brought up almost immediately in the pre-game discussion about how common a certain knowledge was. I was so relieved about having my own adventure, let me tell you.

The game then went really well all in all. My players solved the case and brought it to a satisfying conclusion about 15 minutes before midnight, which was perfect timing.

The case I put together was pretty straightforward, only slightly more complex than the one in the rule book: More people, but still just one location. That was good, because it meant the players could linger in the scenes and act on their own accord without me having to rush them. I'd estimate we had a total of 4 hours game time, with 1 additional hour of preparation: going over characters, going over the core rules.

I think I'm really going to write the case up and put it on ao3 so that others can use it as inspiration or just plainly play it.

Overall impressions of the game:

The character creation is really simple and pretty straightforward and can be done in mere minutes. On the other hand, it lacks depth and while you can inject some life into the characters, you can't really build strong profiles or specialists. Depending on your preferences, that's a pro or a con - we thought it's well suited for oneshots, but we're not sure about the long-term potential of character development in this system. But most of my players love rule systems where they can be very specific and do niche stuff. For me as DM it was very useful to quickly build NPCs

The idea is that associated investigators solve the "minor" mysteries that come up during usual Folly/police business and are basically invisible against the backdrop of the main storyline. That means unless you're going AU (which is always possible), the cases will always be rather small scale mysteries if you play it as oneshots. I think the argument can be made that you could theoretically link several mysteries into a campaign, but again as you're playing apprentices and associates, you're not going to be on, say, Peter's power level and not on his level of epicness. In fact, the rulebook says that Peter's stories often work because he's at the right place at the right time, or knows the right people, which you can't count on for an RPG mystery in which you need to have clues that the players can follow from beginning to end. So a case file for the ttrpg is more likely to be the grunt work of police work.

I think the game gets much of its strength from just ... spending time in this world. Be specific about places and people to create an atmosphere, and it's going to work well

We came to the conclusion that it's a nice and easy system for a short/oneshot mystery game, but your knowledge of the books/of the world plays a major role in your immersion and what you get out of it. We had 1 player who knew the books really well, and 2 who knew them casually but weren't fans. They all had fun following the clues and solving the mystery, but in mystery games, you tend to if not play, then at least think meta, i.e. you think about what a possible solution could be, even if your character has no clue. And that part is more interesting if you as a player know the lore of the world. In other words: if you as a DM want to play with the rich worldbuilding of RoL, I'd suggest doing it with people who love the world. If they just don't know it as well, make sure that the case is engaging on its own. (Somehow, I managed to do both sufficiently in my case. I don't know how, but it worked.)

All in all, really nice way to spend an afternoon and evening! We won't be doing a whole campaign - after all we have another one running together, in an other system - but it's a really easy system to get into, and as such an easy system for casual play and for short and quick adventures. So we might be doing another oneshot again when the opportunity arises.

Today I'm DMing for the first time in, oh, about 10 years. We're playing a oneshot of Rivers of London ttrpg with a bunch of friends (as well as eating raclette and celebrating the new year). In a burst of over-ambitious creativity, I decided to write my own adventure instead of using the intro one from the book. Let's see how that goes. I'm a bit excited, a bit nervous, and mostly looking forward to spending a good time with my friends. Also I do think that the case is quite interesting.

[dearhargrove]

Hi! First I want to say that I love your stories and writing style! I was immersed in your Billy Hargrove x reader season 4 one-shot. It was just what I was looking for after finishing the season! Second I was wondering if I could make a request for a Billy Hargrove x female reader?

If not that’s okay but if you do then can I request that the reader is just like El and has the same powers but she also has Pyrokinesis. Billy and reader are together after meeting each other and they understand each other better than anyone else. Instead of Billy dying at star court mall she takes his place to keep him and El safe. So going into season 4, Billy has been feeling so much guilt over your death and feeling so broken that vecna has chosen him as his next target instead of max. Vecna uses you to torture billy and almost kills billy in the process. But what nobody knows is that you’ve been alive this whole time but stuck in the upside down. You’ve been able to survive so long because of your pyrokinesis ability. As billy is about to be killed by vecna(he’s so heartbroken he doesn’t know if he wants to continue without the reader) the reader shows up and saves billy and they start running to the opening to escape vecna. ( As this is happening Max and the others are looking for a song on maxs walkman that will help billy and she realizes that Billy’s favorite song is your favorite song California Dreamin by The Beach Boys). You can finish it however you want and change or add anything that will help you with the story line. You can definitely DM me if you want and I just want to thank you for taking the time to read my request! Hope you have a good day!

Stuck

→ summary: Losing you was probably, no, definitely Billy's biggest mistake - and he's made a lot of mistakes in his life. Whenever he sees Max and her friends, he thinks back to you saving all of them, in a 'mall fire' as it was known to the public. When the murdering starts again and he travels with the others he doesn't inform anyone when he starts hearing the clock too. After all, death meant being with you in the end, right?

→ request from the lovely @velyssaraptor

→ warnings: whole lot of wounds, sad billy :( , violence, swearing, Vecna, reader has powers (same as El & fire control/create)

→ spoilers season 4 !!

→ word count: more or less 5,8K

→ a/n: this idea… genius. Like this request is perfection, y'all. Anyway I'm hoping I'll be able to meet the expectations of… everyone that's reading this right now. have fun and enjoy <3 sadly, I don't think I've managed to write it that well and missed out on a few opportunities for good moments but firstly I didn't want it too long and second I'm stupid. Overall I deeply apologize if this didn't match your expectations at all :( still, please enjoy if you can!

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navigation

-

Billy likes to think back to the day he met you. You were sitting on one of the lounge chairs at the public pool, seemingly Babysitting your younger sibling and his friends.

You wore a swimsuit in a plain color that suited you well. Sunglasses were sitting on your nose and when you had caught him staring, you reciprocated the look - until breaking it with a small laugh.

He'd later on asked you for a date and you went out to watch a movie and eat afterwards. He still remembers thinking you'd be at least a little like everyone else; going to sleep with him after the date. Instead, you had kissed his cheek and told him to 'work for it'.

From that moment on, he's been totally whipped for you.

And he still is. Even after seeing you die, seeing the life leaving your body while you looked into his eyes, black goo flowing out of your body in worrying amounts.

You'd died a painful but heroic death. Yet, he couldn't just tell everyone of how important your death was. That you had saved the whole town was a secret and had to be kept one. It maddened him - he wanted everyone to know that his girl saved everyone. That she was the reason everyone continued living without worrying.

At first it was really hard for him. Hell, it still is. But the first few weeks were spent in denial, crying and drinking copious amounts of alcohol. He knew you would've scolded him if you saw him like that. But he couldn't help it, after all he was barely alive anymore when you left.

So, when the killing started again he knew from the beginning that it wasn't this random Eddie Munson everyone blamed. He couldn't say why, but there was a certain feeling he had when the Mind Flayer had him possessed. It was like the drop of a rollercoaster but worse.

Which brought him to where he was now. Walking through the woods of Hawkins with Dustin, Lucas, Max, Robin, Nancy and Steve. It was still weird seeing his 'rival' like this - being some kind of parental figure for the teenagers while also fighting a bunch of monsters from another dimension.

"Alright he should be here." Dustin declares when they arrive at Skull Rock. And, indeed, there sat a boy with curly brown hair, eyes big and scared. He wore a denim vest with little souvenirs stuck to it and his pants had chains and a bandana on it.

He put the walkie-talkie next to him, gulping down the water they had gotten for him. "Am I dreaming or is that Billy Hargrove?" He asks, suspicious. "Yes, it's me get over it." Billy grunts and leans against a tree, hands in his pockets. "Oh, someone's cranky…" Eddie says under his breath before focusing on the others.

Billy zoned out while they were discussing their plans, only listening when they started walking again.

"So if I'm right this should lead us to one of the gates." Dustin says and holds up his compass. There's no reaction from the group apart from Steve giving him a thumbs up.

They get going, quickly arriving at… Lover's Lake? Billy has only been here a handful of times and it was always with you. You had loved it here, the calming view and peace was amazing.

You spent the night stargazing while he admired you, thankful for being able to be with you.

He's ripped away from his memories when Max touches his arm, giving him a worried glance. He smiles a little. After the events at the mall their sister-brother relationship had gotten worlds better and by now there were only short moments of bickering instead of full-blown fights.

"I'm alright," he half smiles and she nods, still worried.

They keep walking through the trees before they're standing on the shore of Lover's Lake. Their hike had taken longer than expected and the moon was shining brightly above the calm lake. "So. What do we do now, Henderson?" Steve asks and Billy looks up. "Uh, I'm guessing the gate is somewhere… in the lake. We gotta get on there." He motions to the water and Billy smirks lazily, water was no problem for him - since he started surfing really young he knew basically everything about rip currents and the dangers of water.

"I can go." He volunteers and the group turns to him. "Yeah, we have a boat here. Wait," Dustin walks a few steps to the boat, paddles lying in it. It looked stable and could fit at least three people. "Who's going apart from Billy?" Max asks and Steve, Dustin, Robin and Nancy raise their hands.

"I think that'll fit. I'll give you the compass," he passes it over to Robin who looks a bit overwhelmed at first but takes it without complaint, "when the needle starts spinning like crazy you should be at the gate. Or above it." He explains and gives them all a stern look.

"Don't go in there. We know way too little about Vecna." The moment he says the name Billy is distracted by an unpleasant, distorted clock sound somewhere near. He furrows his eyebrows and turns to look for it.

"Do you hear that?" He asks but when he turns to the others, there's no one. "Guys?"

"They aren't here." He knows that voice. He's spent the past six months missing that voice. "(y/n)?" he's breathless, his heart racing. Was he having some kind of hallucination? "You left me. You left me to die." you say and he finally turns to see you. Your hair is a mess, smeared with a black substance and there's some blood on your shirt.

"No- baby, I didn't leave you, I didn't want you to die I wanted to save you!" He sobs and comes closer to you. His hands shake when he reaches a hand out to touch your cheek. Your eyes, once full of warmth and love for him, were cold.

"I hope you feel guilty for what you did to me. For killing me." you raise your voice and a pained cry comes from Billy. He falls to his knees and tries grasping your hands. "(y/n)..." his whimpering doesn't seem to faze you and you pull your hands away.

"You murdered me!" you yell and he flinches, wincing.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" he wails and curls in on himself. "I can't live without you, please, come back to me. I can't do this anymore.." he whispers the last statement, sadness and guilt burning at the back of his throat.

The tears run freely down his cheeks and when he looks up it's not you that's standing there. It's something with… tentacles all over it and it's nose seems burned off. Billy scrambles back, scared.

"What- what are you? What did you do to (y/n)?" The creature laughs and comes closer to Billy. "No. What did you do to her? You're at fault for what happened." The monster speaks and Billy swallows around the knot in his throat, averting his eyes.

"Don't ignore me. Come with me and I'll end this pain. I'll bring you to her." it smiles - or so it seems, it's hard to tell - and extracts a hand. He considers it for a while, but then he hears your voice shout 'no' from somewhere. Frantically he looks around, yelling your name in hopes to find you.

The monster isn't happy about that and he growls before turning to Billy. "You're coming with me, whether you like it or not." And then Billy's back to the others, Max shaking his shoulder and crying while Eddie has his eyes open wide, shocked.

"Billy!" His sister cries and hugs him. Billy is completely out of it, eyes slowly looking around before taking everything in. What the hell just happened?

-

The moment Vecna finds you is the moment your time is most definitely over. When you saw him torture Billy like that it was hard to get into the mind of your boyfriend along with Vecna (you'd heard your friends call him that and it stuck with you).

But when you did, it was to see him actually considering giving himself to Vecna. It had broken your heart when he curled in on himself on the floor - pained cries coming from him.

You slump against the house wall that you were hiding in and for the first time in the Upside Down, you cry. The tears come fast and you hold a hand to your mouth to keep the sobs in.

You missed him so much. His curly hair, perfectly styled, and his stupid smirk he wore whenever he flirted with you.

You even missed the stench of cigarettes most of his furniture carried and his stupidly expensive cologne.

When and would you ever be able to see him again?

-

Billy leaned against a tree, one arm thrown over Max's shoulder who was dozing off. The group decided to exclude him from the boat 'tour' so he was stuck babysitting the kids.

Dustin and Lucas were discussing some things regarding Vecna and the Upside Down while Lucas was watching Max.

Lastly, Billy took the small pendant on his neck between his index finger and thumb. Your first anniversary you'd gotten two necklaces - for you and him. It was a small round pendant about the size of his thumb with a music note engraved onto the front of the silver metal. On the inside was a small picture of you and him in his room.

Your head was laying on his chest and he was making a silly face while your face was scrunched up in a laugh. The picture was accidental because the camera slipped out of your grasp and captured the moment before it hit you on your forehead.

He smiles fondly at the memory of you having a bump on your forehead for the next two weeks.

It made sense to him now - what 'you' had said. It was Vecna, Max had explained that. And yet he couldn't help but believe it's words. He was responsible for what happened to you. How could he have put you into so much danger?

He sighs and lets his head fall on the tree behind him. God, he thought, when is this gonna be over?

-

After the first incident it happened nearly regularly. At first a bad headache and sometimes even nosebleeds and then - the clock.

It was always you coming to haunt him.

But the worst was yet to come.

No one exchanged a word when Steve drove to the graveyard where you were buried. Max had made it a weekly thing to come here and tell you about what happened or just listen to music on her walkman while staying silent.

Today, she'd wanted to come again. She urged Billy to tell her about what happened to him and he caved because Max was Max and he couldn't say no to her.

So there he was, sitting in front of your tombstone with his legs crossed.

He didn't know you were there too, flickering in and out of the Upside Down every once a while. Hearing his and Max's voice was like a dream come true and you sat down at the stone, leaning against it and closing your eyes.

"Uh… Max made me do this so I don't have anything… prepared." You heard him nervously admit and you smiled. He's so cute.

"I don't know, I feel like there's so much to tell you." You imagine sitting back in his bed with him, his head in your lap and his fingers fumbling with the necklace.

"There's a new thing from the Upside Down and we all got back together. I think you would've liked to see us all together. We got a new one, kinda. His name's Eddie. He's friends with Dustin and Mike, they play DND together."

Tears leave your eyes when he tells you about everything, especially when he gets to the part where he starts to blame himself for you being gone.

Before he could continue he stops and you, too, hear the clock sounds.

You jump up and hide a few feet away when Billy is pulled into the dimension with Vecna. You can't make out what they're saying, so after a while you get closer.

"...come with me." Ends Vecna and Billy stays silent. "Come with me and forget about her. Forget about your pain. She's here, too. You can see her then." The monster proposes. "Is she really here?" Billy asks and it's the moment you realize he wants to go with Vecna.

"No!" You run out of your hideout without a thought and scramble to stand in front of Billy. "I may not be able to win against you but I won't let you take him." Vecna laughs and raises a hand, vines wrapping around Billy.

He falls unconscious when a particularly vicious vine knocks him out and you nearly growl. You raise your hand and Vecna is being pushed back by an invisible force. "Oh, I can do that too, don't try me."

You scoff, "Show me." It's tiring, the way he can fight all of your advances.

You're barely awake anymore when he puts a hand around your throat, cutting off air.

"No one fights against me and gets out alive." Vecna says and just before strangling you completely you drag your eyes to Billy. His face is scrunched up in pain and you struggle against the creature's hand. You wouldn't let him die like this. Not when he doesn't know the truth.

It's in a few seconds in which you set Vecna's body on fire, take Billy with you and run somewhere to hide. It's another second when California Dreamin' starts playing and another portal opens. You can see Billy high in the air, headphones over his ears. Your friends are gathered around him and Max tries reaching for his legs to get him down again.

Billy's eyes are rolled back, only the white being visible. You shudder and realize you have to get him out or it's going to be too late. Taking his hand you lead him towards the portal, making sure the monster doesn't see you. Billy is more unresponsive than you'd like, limply following you.

When you reach a rock big enough to hide behind in front of the gate, you stop. "Billy?" He moves his head in your direction, seemingly only taking you in now. "(y/n)?" His voice is breathy and his eyes are starting to droop - the vines have really gotten to him. "Yeah, yeah it's me!" You could sob from relief, but the usual sounds from the Upside Down are still present and you need to save him.

"You gotta get back. Max and the others are waiting." You explain and lift a hand to his cheek, caressing his pale skin. He pulls his eyebrows together and takes your hand. "But- you. You have to come back with me." you look down and try to find the right words.

"I'll come back. But first I have to win against Vecna. He can't come back anymore." Billy looks shocked, "No, no come back. We can plan it- we can talk about this but don't leave me again!" He's clutching your arms, keeping you from leaving.

"Billy… there's nothing I'd rather do than go with you. Come home. But I can't. I can't keep letting him win." A lone tear rolls down his cheek and you wipe it away, "Promise. I'm coming home after." You hold out your pinky, waiting for him to do the same.

"I can't…" he sobs, and your heart breaks a little more. Leaning your forehead against his, you look him in his eyes. "Promise. I'll see you soon and we can- we can do whatever you want. But you have to get outta here now."

He tries protesting again but this time you stand up, slowly pushing him towards the gate. "I love you. Remember that." With that you guide him backwards until he's through the gate, the circle leading to your home closing again.

A sigh escapes you and you turn back, walking towards Vecna. "Let's kill this asshole." You think and straighten your shoulders.

While Billy falls back down and is immediately pulled into Max's arms he can't help but feel like it's worse than before. Yes, you're alive. But you're currently risking it all again and he can't save you. Again. "She's alive." He whispers and stares blankly ahead. Now he just has to trust you. He definitely does, but still. Leaving you alone when it's something so dangerous makes him feel like he just lost you all over again.

"Who?" Max inquires, briefly checking for any injuries he might've gotten. Billy mutters your name before his eyes roll back and he passes out, the exhaustion of the situation taking over.

The friends look at each other, baffled. It's Steve, who speaks up. "Do you think he's serious? I mean, couldn't it be that it was Vecna who he saw?" He pushes his hair back and leans against the tombstone, a shiver running down his spine at the thought that this was a burial for someone who was alive.

"He could be right. He got out of there before we played the song, or very quickly at least. If Vecna had gotten him he wouldn't have gotten out this easily. We should believe him." Her eyes are focused on her older brother, his blonde locks falling over his forehead and generally being messed up through all the chaos.

"Let's get him home and then ask him. There must be something he knows." The others agree and they heave up Billy's body and bring it to the car.

-

Walking around the corner you see the large, looming house. It's covered in the black vines and bats are flying around it. The always-there thunderstorm is raging and the sky switches to red every few minutes.

Stepping forward you open the front door, the inside cold and unwelcoming. Walking through the heavy tension gets more and suddenly a dark voice speaks up. "I've been waiting for you." It speaks and you stop walking, standing in the middle of the foyer.

"Where are you?"

The monster doesn't show itself seemingly preferring to stay in the shadows and, literally, leave you in the dark.

"You don't need to know." you scoff and the voice comes closer. "I'm impressed by how long you've survived. When you sacrificed yourself back then, I was… confused. Why would you do that, I thought. And then I realized. I had never had anything like those friends of yours. Them being able to fight against me like that was impressive to say the least.

You may know why I wanted to get Eleven." He waits for a reply from you, but you stay silent.

"She sent me here." Confusion clouds your brain - how? "Oh, it was easy for her. I wanted to help her. Wanted to free her from Brenner's experiments and imprisonment. He would've let her die and I wanted to help," his voice gets angry and you realize the reason it was your friend group that was always tormented by this dark power.

"Yeah. I've been after her since she escaped and I realized I could use this to my advantage. It wasn't my plan when you arrived, but seeing you're just as talented makes it easier to forget."

This time, you can feel his presence behind you.

"You know, it's senseless to bring her here. What will you do when you get her? Kill her? Wouldn't that be too easy?" it's provoking, but you need to know. It wouldn't make any sense to chase her for so long, just to simply kill her.

"You're right. I want her to have to suffer what I have. I'm alone here. I'm alone and I have to watch the pest that humans are invading nature even more. She will suffer just as I did. And that's where you come into play. Trust me, there was a reason I didn't kill that lover of yours. I know what you two planned and I know his weaknesses so don't try me."

Your mouth goes dry and you step away from him, clenching your hands into fists. "Well… he's not going to wake up. Unless… you bring me the girl. He'll live. But not for long." His voice is menacing and tears gather on your lash line.

"No… let him go!" You yell and spin around to try and find him. "You can't do this to me! Not him!"

Vecna laughs, amused at your pain. "As I've said. The girl. You'll know when the time is over."

And with that, he's gone. You're left alone with your anger, sadness and betrayal. How were you going to fix this? Soon, he would go after more innocent teens and you couldn't let that happen. Not when you could keep that from happening.

When you leave the house a plan starts to form in your mind. If Eleven was able to open another dimension and trap him here there shouldn't be a lot that keeps him living. In fact, the only thing that does is the killing. Closing all the portals would make him weak and in turn you'd be able to kill him.

You mentally pat yourself on the shoulder for the plan before you realize; closing the gates could mean you'll also be trapped here. Not just him. The destruction of Vecna won't mean the end of the Upside Down but the end of the crossing between the normal world and this one.

You search for the safe place you'd found and sit down, using one of your powers to find Billy.

You enter the small hut that once belonged to Hopper, bed still intact. On it lies Billy, sweat shimmering on his face.

Max, Lucas, Dustin, Steve and Eddie (as you'd learned) are gathered around the couch, discussing something. When you get closer, you start understanding their voices.

"No, I think this time we won't be able to help. If there's one person that can kill Vecna it's (y/n)." Dustin says and gestures with his hands. So they know about you. "You're right, but if she kills Vecna… won't that mean all the portals will close?" Max asks, bringing up your earlier concern.

You sit down in front of the couch, one hand holding Billy's. "Yes but no. Vecna may be connected to the portals, but are they connected to him? All the other things are, like the Demogorgon, Mind Flayer etc. They will die with him. But the portals are on their own. She'd have to close them herself, kill Vecna and open one again before closing it when she's here."

You smile at Dustin's incredible talent of quick understanding and his IQ. There's silence for a little before Eddie speaks up. "The lights," he points to the small lamps scattered around the room and how they've started flickering.

Your concern grows and you scoot a little closer to Billy. His sweat gets worse and his eyes move around wildly under his eyelids. You lay a hand on his cheek, knowing this is your time to leave. You mumble an 'i love you' before getting up and leaving, throwing a last look at the group of friends.

Coming back to your reality was like a breath of stale, dust filled air. The weird white particles invade your nose and you cough before getting up. If you had the chance now, you'd start now.

Closing portals required more strength than you expected but with the help of a memory of Billy or your friends it worked out. One by one you weaken Vecna, the last one being closed when you hear him.

"What did you do?" His voice is awfully quiet and you shake a little. "I'm going to kill you for what you did. And you're going to die slowly, painfully."

He throws his head back and comes closer, looking down at you. "Oh, really?" a nod from your side before both of you lift your hands at the same time.

The invisible force hits you immediately and you're pushed back a good two feet before regaining yourself.

You grunt, pushing all of your effort into tearing him apart. He copies you, the bats around your two bodies going wild.

When your legs start cramping you cry out of pain. This wouldn't be a waste. You'd make all of your sacrifices worth it.

A scream tears from your throat and you push yourself harder, a red glow coming from its chest. It starts growing, his powers lessening and you are able to move back forward.

"You can't… kill me." He grunts out before you use your other hand and overstep your limits. Your hands cramp and your feet leave the floor, Vecna slowly falling into dust. His warped face is the last thing you see of him. It's before you pass out that the sudden quiet and peace engulfs you.

The group is gathered at Eddie's place, watching with wonder as the gate heals itself and closes before vanishing. Crazy laughing and high fives are heard when the realization sets in: you did it. You killed Vecna and with that all the craziness that came with it. They celebrate, Dustin trying to contact Mike and Will.

When they come back to Hopper's old hut they see Billy - awake. He's confused, rubbing his forehead after wiping the sweat away.

"She did it." Is the only thing Dustin says before everyone cheerfully explains the situation.

Eddie throws himself on the couch next to Billy. "Quite the girl you've got there. She killed an interdimensional monster and rescued pretty much all of… the world!" He makes an exploding Motion with his hands and laughs.

"Yeah. Just hope she'll come back soon." Billy smiles sheepishly, folding his hands. "Dude. There's no way that if she did this she won't be able to come back here. Guessing she's asleep or something. That had to be exhausting, man!" Eddie stands back up and goes to converse with their friends, leaving Billy with his thoughts.

Yeah, it had to be exhausting for you. He was hoping you'd make it home soon, then he'd be able to finally care for you.

-

Waking up in the Upside Down is definitely the worst experience. You're glad no weird Upside Down bug crawled in your mouth and that there's none of the crazy bats anymore.

"Let's see…" your orientation has never been the best, so instead of finding Eddie's house you go the way you think is right - to Hopper's cabin.

Finding it was harder than ever and your stomach growls loudly a few times during your hike. You take in a deep breath, getting ready to come back home.

You lift your hand, some reminder blood from yesterday still on your skin. The air shifts and something more tense sets in. Dark particles start swiveling before the red, slimy skin builds itself back up. Your chest heaves with exhaustion and you're sure you're going to collapse the second you're through the portal.

When it's done, or when it's big enough for you to pass through you take everything in one last time. You mumble an ironic goodbye and step through, the gooey substance sticking to you like a second skin. When you're out, it's only seconds before the gate disappears, with that closing.

You fall to your knees and suddenly a bunch of shoes are in your view. Looking up, you see Dustin and the rest of the party (well except the ones in California). "Hi, guys." It's more of a joke and before you know it your arms are full of weeping teenagers.

Looking around you see Billy sitting on the couch, looking fond, yet still exhausted. His hair is matted to his forehead and a bruise is forming on his underarm.

You send him a small wave before focusing back on the teens. "I'm proud of you. I saw and heard how you solved this and- incredible." Especially Dustin looked flustered and the rest of them started talking all over each other.

Nancy, Steve and Robin stood to the side, content with having everyone back together. Eddie, who you so far hadn't talked to at all, looked a little lost but endeared nevertheless.

His hair was wild and unruly, brown curls falling past his shoulders. His eyes were big and his hands full of rings. Attractive, admittedly. From what you've seen, a great friend, too.

When they slowly let you go and stood back up Billy came to stand in front of you. A wave of his cologne invaded your senses and you took his stretched out hand, getting up with his help. His arms wound around you and you buried your face in his muscle shirt clad chest.

"Welcome back, doll."

-

After all the excitement died down a little Billy helped you to his car, his arm around your waist.

He was steadier by now because he rested mostly for the past days. You did too, but your body wasn't back to full health yet and it would probably take some time still.

He opened the car door for you and you chuckled. "A real gentleman, aren't you?" He exaggerated a nod and bow before moving to the driver's seat.

His music was more quiet during the drive, still heavy bass and loud guitars but you could hear yourself think for once.

"What… if we moved together? With Max, I mean." It's probably random for him, considering you had never spoken up about it before. Admittedly, you've been thinking about this for a while - especially after getting stuck in the Upside Down.

His eyes went wide and he averted his glance from the street for a second, "What do you mean?"

"Well. Neil is coming back tomorrow from his… I don't even know what, and it's just going to get worse, isn't it?" He nods hesitantly and stiffens at the mention of his father.

"I just… The Byer's house has been free since they moved and it's a nice place. Joyce called me a few days before I- you know, and asked whether I knew someone that'd be interested. But obviously no one wants a house where someone went missing, right?" He agrees with a hum and you continue.

"This would be a big- huge step for us but I can't keep seeing you and Max in danger because of him. I really can't. Joyce offered the house for an affordable price and if we both start working again it would easily be manageable. So. What do you say?"

After a few minutes of silence which made you a little jittery, he answered. "Honestly, it's a nice idea. Definitely not something we can just chicken out from but even if it doesn't work out a safe home would be great. And there are tons of jobs now that Starcourt isn't open anymore." He stops before smiling and taking your hand.

"We'll just have to tell Max and she'll be the one to decide, hm?"

Telling Max was filled with nerves and your rambling, but she agreed quickly. She had only been to the Byers house a few times, but it would do as a new home.

Your parents weren't happy with it at first, considering they still saw Billy as trouble. When you elaborated more they slowly accepted it and were relatively helpful with the move.

Neil and Susan on the other side freaked out. Of course Neil wouldn't want his son to leave - who would he let his anger out on?

Susan was unsure, not wanting to be left alone with Neil and his endless anger. In the end, it didn't matter what they said and everything was settled quickly.

Now, now you were happy. Sharing a home with two of your closest friends - or even family - was amazing. You did have trouble sleeping at night, the terrors of the Upside Down still haunting you, but with Billy it was alright.

Living alone was hard but after a while everything became a routine and slowly but surely it became a home.

[itsthewritergal]

I don’t bite - Eddie Munson x reader

TW: Bullying, insecure Eddie (if you squint!!) that’s all I can think of but let me know :) 

So this can either be read as a stand alone or as a part 2 to Freak

Enjoy :) xx

“Awh look the freaks sit together” One of the cheerleaders laughed as they walked into the chemistry room,

“I’d stay away, you might catch something” Jason smirked looking Y/N up and down, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat

“Says the guy who cried when his mum couldn’t come to his basket ball game” Eddie mocked with a sarcastic grin 

“Did he really?” Y/N said turning to Eddie with a smile on her face

“That’s right isn’t it Jason, full on breakdown” He smirked, challenging Jason to say something else

“Freak” He spat turning around and taking his seat with the other jocks, Eddie leaned back in his chair with a satisfied grin on his face

“You’re pretty cool Eddie” Y/N babbled the compliment before she could even register what she was saying 

“Thank you sweetheart, you’re not bad either” He grinned “Well for a freak of course” He added with a chuckle, 

“Are you sure you don’t mind me joining tonight?” She asked, 

“Of course not, like I said the more freaks the better” 

Y/N quickly silenced herself as the teacher walked in, Eddie sat beside her watching intently as she wrote down almost every word that came out of the teachers mouth. He was enamoured with her already, shaking his head he tried to block her out of his mind but it didn’t work. His gaze just kept returning to her. 

Eddie walked Y/N to each of her classes, sitting next to her in every single one she had with him. By the time they finished their last class of the day Y/N was consumed by excitement at the thought of watching the game which Eddie seemed so obsessed with. 

“Do you need any help setting anything up?” Y/N asked 

“I’ve got it” Eddie said gently, as he began setting up the table before everyone else arrived, Y/N stood in the corner of the room watching Eddie intently. 

“You can sit down, it’s ok I won’t bite” He chuckled pulling out a chair for her to sit on 

“Thanks” She said quietly, Eddie disappeared for a moment and then came back with an intricately designed chair 

“What’s that?” Y/N asked 

“It’s my dungeon Master throne” Eddie grinned “The drama department made it but never used it so I claimed it” He said 

“It’s amazing,” Y/N smiled 

“I’m glad you like it” Eddie said sitting himself down next to Y/N, he took in a deep breath “Just remember if you don’t want to stay just say the word and I’ll stop and drive you home ok?” He said suddenly feeling insecure in the little game he loved so much, 

“You’d stop the game for me?” Y/N said sitting crossed legged

“Sure” Eddie said, although he knew if anyone else had heard him admit that they would have almost definitely lost their minds, especially Dustin. Y/N thanked Eddie with a blush spreading across her face. 

“Hey guys!” Dustin grinned pushing the door wide open “Y/N, you made it!” He beamed 

“We were scared Eddie would scare you off” Lucas laughed

“Would I ever scare off such a pretty young maiden” Eddie grinned putting on his Dungeon Master voice, “Now let’s begin” He said. 

Y/N listened intently as Eddie began setting the scene, it reminded her of the stories she wrote in her spare time.There was a part of her which was obsessed with the way the words just rolled off of his tongue, it was almost magic the way he immersed everyone into his own story. It was just incredible. 

— — — 

“So what did you think?” Dustin asked as the others began packing up 

“It was fun! I really enjoyed it” Y/N admitted with a grin  

“Eddie’s an amazing DM isn’t he?” Dustin said, 

“He’s certainly got a way with words” Y/N admitted turning over her shoulder to watch Eddie as he chatted to Gareth and Jeff who both looked as though they were in deep conversation 

“It’s not every day he lets someone into the inner circle, he must think you’re pretty cool” Dustin grinned, Y/N knew what he was insinuating but didn’t believe one word of it 

“I don’t know about that” Y/N admitted 

“I do, he’s a pretty amazing person when you get to know him” Dustin said “You’re right there” Y/N agreed, 

“You ready to go?” Eddie asked coming up behind Y/N, and slotting himself in next to Y/N so that their shoulders were touching 

“I can walk, it’s ok” Y/N said quietly

“I’m not letting you walk home alone, I’ve got you” Eddie said with a kind smile 

“Thank you” Y/N said as Eddie walked her out of the school after waving goodbye to the rest of the guys. 

Eddie hadn’t ever driven so carefully in his life, ordinarily with anyone else in the car he would’ve still driven like normal but suddenly with Y/N sitting in his front seat he felt a wave of concern over her wellbeing. 

“I really enjoyed today” Y/N admitted quietly as Eddie turned down the radio 

“You did?” Eddie asked a smirk appearing on his face

“Yeah I did, I mean apart from all the freak stuff obviously, but I really enjoyed it” She said 

“You’re not a freak, I know what those people can do to someone like you, but you’ve got me now” he said sincerely 

“You know you’re pretty good at story telling” Y/N said changing the subject, 

“I am?” Eddie said 

“Yeah you are” Y/N grinned instructing Eddie to turn into her road. The moment he parked the car Y/N sat for a second “I don’t suppose you want to come in? Mum’s making dinner and I’m sure there is enough to feed the whole town, plus we can get started on that Chemistry homework” She said 

“You want to invite me in?” Eddie said choosing his words carefully 

“Please,” Y/N said with a smile “I mean obviously you don’t have to, I know we’ve only just met and I just was think—”

“It would be rude not to” He cut her off gently, 

Y/N took Eddie’s hand and pulled him into her house, Eddie felt completely out of place in the perfectly decorated house, which reminded him of a story book. 

“It isn’t much and we still haven’t unpacked properly but its feeling like home” Y/N explained 

“Y/N is that you?” Her mother called out 

“Yeah, I’ve brought a friend over” Y/N replied 

“Hi darling” Her mother said walking into the living room “I’m Tammy, Y/N’s mum nice to meet you” she smiled at Eddie, it was the kind of treatment he wasn’t used to getting 

“Mum this is Eddie,” Y/N said noticing Eddie’s hesitation 

“You’re both home late, did something happen? Did you get lost on your way home?” She asked 

“No, Eddie invited me to join him and his friends playing this D&D game” “What’s that darling?” She asked, Eddie felt his throat get dry, this was the part where Y/N’s mum told her she would never be allowed to see him again 

“It’s this super cool fantasy game, Eddie writes all the stories for it!” Y/N grinned as she pulled Eddie into the kitchen and handed him a glass of water, her mother followed them 

“That sounds fun! Perhaps you could write some stories for it too” She suggested 

“You’re a writer?” Eddie asked 

“I want to be” Y/N admitted 

“It’s all she’s ever wanted” She laughed “Then you have to help me write the next campaign!” Eddie grinned 

“Maybe” Y/N said shifting on her feet

“Why don’t you two go upstairs, dinner will be ready soon” She said gently 

“Thanks mum!” Y/N said leading Eddie through the house

“You’re mums pretty cool” Eddie smiled as they climbed the stairs 

“She likes you,” 

“You sure?” Eddie said nervously 

“Trust me, she likes you” Y/N grinned. 

Taglist :)

@whitewineandpizzapuffs @planet-naptune @thefandomplace @sebby-staan  @poguesinablanket @witch-and-a-half @nojamsonmytoast  @seanh-boredom  @wanniiieeee @louweasleymalfoy @missryerye @big-galaxy-chaos @barnestatic @devilsbooksworld @lovesanimals0000 @navs-bhat @saayanaaa

[cuddlyscribe]

Hc of Naruto and Sasuke reacting to their s/o either calling them pretty or a cutie 💜🖤

thank you once again for your patience while I got this out! this is really sweet and wholesome and was so fun to write, I hope you still enjoy ❤️

tag list! (DM to join!) ➜ @gera-gera-chan @arysha-brs @birds-have-teeth @clemmywrites @simply-trash5 @dahlias-love @helloyellowsheeps @the-tiniest-one 

Ohhh the sweetie Naruto, he gets the brightest-eyed expression when you call him any pet name really

He was cuddling up close to you one night while you two were watching a move, totally enraptured by the film and just completely immersed

He had the sweetest face on too, just so innocent and excited

You called him such a cutie, and he slowly turned to you with the widest doe eyes you could imagine

He jumps up and declares that you are in fact, the cutie, and that he loves you very much!!

Compliments always bring out the best in Naruto, it instantly makes his mood even better and he can't stop smiling

Call him cutie or pretty in public and he will get this big ol sassy smile on his face because he's so proud that he's your handsome boy 🥺

This boy is just all smiles, he isn't afraid to tell everyone else what you called him either

Wants everyone to know he's a cutie!!

Sasuke is Sasuke is Sasuke 😔🤣

You can use all the compliments you want on this man, he will not bend

He will still give you a small smile whenever you call him cute; hearing it from you makes his heart flutter

He won't outwardly react as much as Naruto, but since you know him so well you can see the teeny little smidge of a blush on his cheeks when you call him pretty

Sasuke gets a little shy about it too, even in private. He'll poke your forehead and tell you to shut up, but he's smiling the entire time he does it

In public, Sasuke definitely gets redder in the face. Especially if you say it in front of his colleagues

He won't stop you or be embarrassed, but he's still not used to being as open with his relationship

His eyes get wide and he tries to hide his face somewhere, and it's the most adorable thing ever

[bylertruther]

thinking out loud here, but i'm still not over just how much will has been able to grow into himself even despite all of the outside forces in his life trying to prevent that.

in a pre-season one flashback, we see will wanting to go to a baseball game with lonnie even if he doesn't actually like the sport, because he wants to spend time with his father. he's hesitant to say anything negative about lonnie trying to force him to like "normal" boyish things and doesn't stick up for his own interests. jonathan then encourages him to like what he likes regardless of what anyone thinks and tells him that he especially shouldn't be listening to lonnie who we know has abused will for being gay. it ends with will saying that he genuinely does like the clash, being given jonathan's mixtape, and happily headbanging along to the beat. it's a step in the right direction and i feel that it, and the way that will is so unapologetically will and thus surrounds himself with all that he loves, proves that his brother's support worked. will knows that he can like what he likes, that he doesn't have to conform to other people's beliefs of what he "should" like, and that there are people who will support him and his interests.

in season two, we see that will is struggling now with the last part of this ordeal: other people's lack of support in him and his interests. will continues to be a nerdy artsy little dweeb, but he's struggling with feeling like an outcast. it's worse now because of the whole upside down stuff: now, instead of just being a fairy or a nerd, he's mostly zombie boy. at school he continues to get bullied and his friends and family's support has changed. instead of being comforting, it's now smothering. they treat him like a baby, like he could shatter at any moment, and that makes him feel like a freak. that's what upsets him. he doesn't want to change himself, he wants to change how people view and treat him. he doesn't resent who or what he is, he resents how others treat him as a result of it. it isn't "why am i this way?" it's "why do you all have to treat me like that? why must you make me feel bad for something that isn't bad? why don't you believe in me or see me?" and it's that treatment which leads him to calling himself a freak--something we haven't seen or heard him do before, and this is because now he feels like he has no one (except for mike) that sees him for who he was and still is. and again, jonathan offers will support. he reassures will that he isn't anything Bad, that he's cool and his Otherness is what makes him even better and cooler. that conforming is bad, because when did anyone "normal" ever accomplish anything? he manages to somehow find a silver lining in will's feelings of being excluded/other / changes his perspective on it and makes him feel better. he also then takes what will said to heart by giving him more space to be independent and letting him go trick or treating on his own; aka, he quits treating will differently and treats him as he would treat anyone else, which means the world to will because that's what he wants: equal treatment. it isn't his otherness that makes him feel like a freak, but the way that people treat him that does.

in season three, will is undeterred in his efforts to get the party to play games like they used to. he trudges on even when they keep saying no and sets up his game anyway. he dresses up for it, plays music for it, and really throws himself into being the dm, trying his best to immerse them all in this and have fun for once without caring to be "cool" or "grown up". will is treated as being childish for this, but he's really not. he doesn't give a fuck about being cool or what he should or shouldn't be doing at his age, as if games have an age limit and you're supposed to suddenly drop all of your interests for more boring things when you become a teenager. he continues to be himself unapologetically until his best friends make a joke out of him and his efforts. at the end of the season we see will donate his dnd books, but he isn't throwing this away forever or ashamed of it. he just has no intention of joining another party and so he won't need them in the meantime and wants to give them to someone who'll actually use them. he even tells mike as much by saying he'll just borrow his stuff if they still want to play. we're reminded of how he hasn't given up on dnd in season four, too, which shows him painting their party and telling mike about them playing games for the rest of their lives (something that mike tried to use against him in their fight, which again... will didn’t shrink away from. he said yes, yes i do want that, and left mike to sit in his shame for it). he hasn't given up on his interests, he's just done trying to beg them to partake in them with him.

and thennnn in season four we undoubtedly see will being even more open and more himself, even if it presents differently than we've seen it before. he picks alan turing for his hero presentation that he has to give in front of the entire class. he spends so much time on a secret "for his crush bc he's been acting weird" painting that's for mike and literally puts a cute heart on his shield lol. he's been acting weird and different to the point where el picks up on it and thinks he has a crush and so does jonathan when he actually spends sober time with him later on. this is the first time that anyone has clocked will on screen, which means he's been acting differently/more openly than he has before and it's obvious to those that observe him and know him. he clearly wants to tell mike about his feelings, but is too scared and doesn't want to hurt him or his sister. (and this was told to us by the duffers.) he's dropping domers on mike time after time in each and every heart to heart, many of which are secretly alluding to his sexuality or his feelings for him. he sings neverending story without caring. he tells mike they could all commit fraud in vegas so that they never have to work and could just play games for the rest of their lives. he literally confesses his love for mike and pours his heart out while gifting him the painting but then slaps el's name on it because he needs to get it out but doesn't want to hurt his friendship with mike. and then when jonathan confronts him in the kitchen he tells will what he's always told him year after year: that he will always be there, will always support him, will always love him, and that there isn't and never has been anything about will that could change his love for him. and will knows what jonathan is talking about here. it's no longer about sports or being babied. he knows that jonathan is talking about his feelings for mike/his sexuality. and he doesn't shy away from it or deny it. he accepts jonathan's love and says he'll always be there for him, too. he lets jonathan see him and the relief of that fucking breaks him because for once he has someone to help shoulder the burden of keeping it a secret, even if just for a moment.

like... i just don't have the words to describe how much i love will. will, who could very easily internalize the hate that people have had for him his entire life, but doesn't. will, who could very easily believe that his otherness, whether it be trauma or sexuality related, is something that makes him Bad, but doesn't. instead he feels better for it when he's with those that know and love him, who don't treat him any differently than anyone else. will, who is strengthened by love. will, who has been hurt and refuses to hurt others. will, who has been through so much more than he ever deserved, but has come out stronger because of it.

i just... i love him! so much! so, so, so much! his story is heartbreaking, but so inspiring, too, and it'll continue to turn around next season when he sees that he's surrounded by people who love him more than anything and don't think any differently of him for any reason, no matter what; when he realizes and truly believes that he is and always has been their equal, and that there's nothing that could ever change that.

[thebooktopus]

The theme of the month is "April Showers"! Week Four continues with more fics from past years of @hpdrizzle fest, which is claiming now for 2022!. This is part TWO: all Drarry! Find Part One (for... everyone else) here! Today’s list includes several guest recs from @the-starryknight, identified by the 💧 emoji AND from @sugareey-makes-stuff, identified by the 💦 emoji!! Big thank you to both of them for their contributions this month!

This series has been so fun that I've decided to continue it! April Showers... bring May Flowers!! Have a rec you think belongs in this series? Send me a DM!

🌧 Eye of the Storm by @mxmaneater // E // 25K // forced proximity ✅ banter/bickering ✅ only one bed ✅ enemies to lovers ✅ resolved sexual tension ✅✅✅

Even if he managed to finagle a way out of this airtight cabin with no doors to the outside, he wouldn’t be able to get past the hurricane that surrounded them. He had no doubt that the storm had been created magically as a barrier, and he was willing to bet that the wards preventing his wand usage extended to the far reaches of this weather anomaly.

💧 And One to Play by @tackytigerfic // E // 21K // "I remember rushing off to read Tacky's catalogue all at once, just immersing myself in their stunning way with words. The world and magic-building in this fic is outstanding and makes for such a fun read, like diving into our known Hogwarts with so much more added to it. Plus this Draco is hot as hell and razor-sharp smart. Treat yourself with a read or reread of this one!" -starry

"Look, Potter. We know what triggered this mad wind magic of yours. For the moment, let's put aside all the...physical—shall we call it, attraction?—between us."

🌧 The Oceans They Did Rise by @thisisdisapparater // M // 18K // well, if I didn't already desperately want to visit NZ, this fic would've won me over. sweet fic about finding yourself in faraway places.

Around him are flowers blooming in the bright spring sun, and he can't help but compare them to the wet and dreary brown leaves that covered the autumn ground in England when he left. Everything here is coming alive and Harry can feel it invigorating him.

🌧 Three Stripes, a Muffin Top, and Those Pink Shoes by @maesterchill // E // 15K // I loooove this fic. it’s complex and complicated, our beloved boys are older and established and working through some stuff but it’s so lovely - the glimpse of this life is gorgeous. something about them continuing to choose one another just always feels so special. 

According to the Muggle newspapers, it was the hottest June day in 40 years. The heat bounced off the flagstones sending up wavy illusions. The wind had long since vacated the country, leaving the grass and trees standing silent as if too hot to move.

More recs (including some art, podfics, & guest recs!) below the cut!

💧 what the body wants is coolness by @lastontheboat // T // 13K // "if you've ever wanted beach quidditch, delightful gryffindor/slytherin dynamics, and an endearingly snarky Drarry, this fic is for you. J's got a wonderful way with writing these characters -- of writing reluctant affection and fantastic group dynamics -- and this fic shines with his skill." -starry

They had left behind a cloudy day in central London, but Brighton was living up to its name – a brilliant blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds had Draco immediately reaching for his jumper’s sleeves to roll them up. He looked over at Harry, who had already pulled off his windbreaker and was in the process of slipping off his shoes. As soon as he had freed his feet from their confines, Harry dug his feet into the sand and wiggled his toes just below the surface.

🌧 Impervius by @ravenclawsquill // E // 10K // THERE WAS ONLY ONE UMBRELLA!!!!! 🥺 bickering, sheep, and a quaint b&b. what more do you need?!

"After a long day out in the rain with no lunch? Yeah, I am. We can't all be like you and exist on a diet of oxygen and negativity."

🌧 Let Rainwater Wash Away by @carpemermaidtales // E // 6K // ooooh the banter and the chase and the resolved sexual tension - this fic has it all, folks.

The storm had hit so fast that Harry didn’t even have time to cast an Impervius Charm before he was completely soaked through, his shirt clinging to his skin uncomfortably and his tie slapping wetly against his chest as he ran. There were too many Muggles around him to risk a drying charm, and he didn’t have an umbrella with him — he’d left it in his office at the Auror Department.

🌧 One Dark and Stormy Night by @doubleapple // E // 5K // quick culmination, fury turning to lust outside in the middle of a thunderstorm. 🙌

Oh," Malfoy mimicked, mocking him, quiet now but still furious. He got right in Harry’s face, as they stood nearly nose to nose, staring at each other, rain cascading down in the darkness like it would never stop.

💧 Sunkissed by @shealwaysreads // E // 5K // "My little history-loving heart isn't sure if I ought to rec the setting (magically preserved ruins) or the smut (beautiful Bella-brand loving fire) first. Perhaps both -- the setting and premise here shines with the warmth of the sun Bella describes, and the smut... my god, this fic will make you eager to read more and more of Bella's fiery, slow-build, scorchingly drawn-out explicit fic." -starry

Draco claimed grey skies did more for his complexion than sunshine, though Harry knew that was a lie through and through. Sunlight on Draco’s hair made it shine like a halo, ironic as that was. And while moody skies highlighted the depths of his grey eyes, a cloudless blue sky made them glow.

🌧 After the Storm by @motherbookerao3​ // T // 4K // this fic has me feeling just like Harry at the end, snug as a bug, all wrapped up in love and sweetness.

“Harry?” The figure asked, raising their voice over the rolling thunder and never-ending rainfall. “What are you doing out here? Was there a wasp drowning that you had to risk hypothermia for?” They crouched down, holding the umbrella over Harry’s and sliding the hood off their head.

💧 Fuck You/Thank You by @lqtraintracks // E // 2K // "Sweet, scorching, undeniably sexy Draco and Harry in their 40s, with an unusual take on Quidditch (Harry as a referee!) and an unforgettable shower scene. I love Draco & Harry's banter in this fic; the way the established relationship still feels fresh and fun makes for a fantastic read." -starry

The rain dwindles to a drizzle. Of course it does now that the match is over, Harry thinks, his feet sloshing in his boots as he trudges to the locker room himself. Thunder rumbles soothingly in the distance, the lightning hiding behind vast easterly clouds, making brief halos around them and nothing more.

💦 Don't Look Away by @maraudersaffair // E // 1770 // "Ummm, what is one supposed to expect when two Aurors are on stakeout in a car during the summer? The banter is hilarious, perfectly depicts all the unresolved sexual tension that been going between them, and thankfully they do something about that." -sugareey

The sun was playing games. It had a grudge. There were no clouds, no humidity (thank Merlin), but everything was baking. The streets glittered like snake scales.

Art and Podfics!

🌧  A Full On Rainstorm by @whileatwitshire // G // comic

🌧 A Ghastly Night by @ano-ka-ba // T // art

🌧  Birds Against Draco by @latibaris // G // art

🌧  Rainfall by @saras-girl, podfic by @semperfiona // T // podfic, 30 minutes

There’s something about a rainstorm that makes everything look more beautiful, more dramatic. The lake looks dangerous in a storm, the grass lush and water-darkened and the stones of the castle rain-slicked and lashed, dripping, like something from a landscape painting.

🌧  Stormy Sunday by @llap115 // G // 445 + art 

🌧  Then Comes a Mist and a Sweeping Rain by @faithwood, podfic by @semperfiona // E // 2 hours, 10 minutes

Draco noticed it only then: the sound of rushing water was loud in his ears. The raindrops were thick and heavy, falling in rivulets. Draco glanced up quickly to see the cloud had doubled in size and darkened; it was almost black, except for the occasional flash of light within.