#hmm which just means he would've tried it anyways

[dellovestorant]

[larothoughts]

qijiu thoughts: complicated codependence

after reading a few more shen jiu fics i figured maybe the diverging point when it comes to fan-interpretation is understanding how codependent qijiu is. like, it's not just qi-ge who won't let go of shen jiu, shen jiu 100% spitefully, unwillingly yet helplessly refuses to let go of qi-ge either. the obvious author answer to this is for sj to remove himself from qi-ge because of toxic codependence (see my rant on anti-qijiu pro-sj fics), except i don't think it's in-character for him to ever do so??

the man literally died twice because he couldn't let go of qi-ge until the very, very end. he'll never give up on him as easily as he does in fic, this man is a canonical stubborn asshole who can't let go of anything. that's his entire problem lol

(first time was obviously after lbh gave him xuan su's shards. sj, who had spent the entire time being tortured refusing to bend, cracks at the realization that qi-ge came this time and died. i forgot if him eating xuan su's shards is canon in the qijiu extras or if it's a fanon theory, but i 100% find this in-character of sj to do as a final f*** you to the universe.)

(second time was the qi deviation that caused shen yuan to take over his life. i'll go over this later, but i believe sqh, who transmigrated decades before, likely tried to nudge qijiu into reconciling and instead made it worse. so while in the og!pidw universe, sj never deviated hard enough to die; in this svsss universe, sqh trying to get sj to face his own heart demons literally caused him to die. oops. system got pretty mad because lbh MUST go into the abyss, and so had to scramble to find a sj replacement lol)

preface

much of this is my own interpretation of things btw. i haven't read the qijiu extras in a while so it's very possible some of these things don't follow canon. especially the whole cognitive dissonance part. i've always leaned towards the 'shen jiu is an unreliable, in-denial narrator of his own story, he can't admit anything to himself until he's literally at death's door' interpretation of sj's tsundereness, so that's 100% my own bias peeking through here.

how qing ding peak made everything worse

this a fanon theory i like that has merit given how long qijiu had problems: things would've been so much different if yue qi wasn't chosen by qing ding. like, literally any other peak, qijiu would've had 75% chance of having a happy ending. i feel like any peak with a halfway decent lord with basic empathy skills would have thought 'hmm yes, if we rescue the friend of this little prodigy we can ensure his loyalty to us for life' instead of 'let's dangle the chance of rescuing his friend as a way to get this kid to work as hard as he can until it's too late, then allow the failure to break him down completely so we can reshape him into the perfect successor.' though to be honest the former sect leader probably didn't expect yue qi to literally be broken down.

my thought is that the sect leader kept putting off the rescue over and over, hoping to drag things out until the inevitable happened. but yue qi, naturally wary of adults, panicked once he realized what his shizun was doing. he tried to pull xuan su without permission to force the leader into acknowledging his strength and letting him go... which then led to the entire soul-binding fiasco we see in canon. sure, the former sect leader could've lost his newest experiment, but throwing him into the caves had the bonus of making him late anyway. so a success all around everyone!

we can further theorize the character of the previous sect leader (and how his grooming of yue qi possibly led to his guilt complex and inability to communicate his honest feelings) but ultimately it was qing ding peak's teachings itself that led to yqy's inability to reconcile with sj. because qing ding is the diplomat's peak. the politics peak. the peak where people often cannot say exactly what they mean, must never overtly show favor to anyone, must control every single thing they do or say else the political fallout ruins their sect's reputation.

so it really didn't help that their reunion happened in the middle of sj committing pretty bad crimes like murdering and looting disciples. yue qi went immediately into political clean-up mode, sj misunderstood yue qi's silence as 'i will never tell you' instead of 'not now sj we need to bury these bodies in the bushes', and then later sj was so scornful yue qi's guilt-complex kicked in and he figured 'sj will never forgive me, obviously he doesn't want to hear excuses.' and as yue qi's political position grew, the less he could overtly support and protect shen jiu. the more careful he was of his words and actions, so far removed from the qi-ge sj once knew that sj can't help but lash out. by the time yqy was mentally well enough to talk about the lingxi cave fiasco (if ever), sj had already built up a protective wall of 'this qi-ge is an imposter, the real qi-ge would not have left me.' and yqy didn't know how to tell him the truth without sj's psyche collapsing in on itself. so... he just continued not to tell him.

in which qi-ge is alive but also dead, as declared by shen jiu

sj barely recognized qi-ge once they reunited. yue qi has always been the peacemaker amongst the rowdy slaves, sure, but he'd always been on sj's side. he told sj everything, things he never told the other slaves, and only really clammed up when they were facing beatings by adults in a true us-versus-them scenario. now, however, he's clamming up with shen jiu. he hates it, this intrinsically qi-ge thing that this fake qi-ge doesn't realize he's doing. more than the shiny clothes and well-fed appearance, this is what makes the chasm between them feel real. qi-ge never came back for him, because qi-ge was dead. cang qiong killed qi-ge and all that's left is this qi-ge puppet going through motions of caring for sj it obviously doesn't understand.

(this is easier for him to accept, because if yue qi wasn't mentally dead than he really did willingly abandon shen jiu in the dirt, and accepting that would make shen jiu lose his mind.)

now what to do when qi-ge is dead and he doesn't need sj to protect him anymore? logically, sj should've stayed long enough to fix his cultivation, save up funds, and then leave to become a rogue cultivator before his past had the chance to catch up to him. but sj is not logical. he's spiteful and angry and contrary. he claws his way up the disciple hierarchy on qing jing and spits in the face of yue qi's awkward overtures. he hates the other qing jing disciples, his own shizun, lqg and a bunch of the other head disciples; in fact, he hates cang qiong as a whole because they were the ones that took qi-ge away from him. but at the end of the day, a dead qi-ge puppet is still kind of qi-ge and even if qi-ge threw sj away that didn't mean the reverse was true. sj will not give even a dead puppet qi-ge up; he belongs to him whether he likes it or not (/spitefully).

so as it becomes clearer and clearer that yue qi will indeed become the next sect leader, sj begrudgingly finds himself stuck in cang qiong. one would think things would get better after the former peak lords ascend, since that meant the evil brainwashing sect leader and the resentful qiu-naming qing jing peak lord would've finally fucked off. but no, things actually get worse.

because now that the former sect leader isn't actively sabotaging qijiu's relationship (sure, he didn't mean to break yue qi's mind that bad, but even the worst broken eggs can be turned into a decent obedient successor, except shen jiu's continued existence is threatening to undo all his hard work) yue qi is more able to try and make overt amends. the problem is, by acting more like the real qi-ge, he's threatening sj's mental defense of 'qi-ge is dead, this qi-ge is a fake.'

when cognitive dissonance gives you qi deviations

the more qi-ge acts like he's honestly sorry, the more shen jiu must accept that qi-ge isn't dead. that he either chose to leave sj behind (devastating given sj's abandonment issues) or was forced to leave sj behind and refused to tell him why (more abandonment issues; does he not trust sj anymore??) worse for peak morale, the more overtly sj rejects yqy, the more annoyed the other peak lords get. doesn't sj know how bad it looks for their sect, to have their top two lords fighting like this?? why is yqy not shutting it down, isn't he a politician?

well yes, but as sect leader he now has the freedom to pick and choose when to put his politicking hat on. lqg follows sqq to a brothel and causes a ruckus in the middle of the street? scold sqq for being so overt, because they both know the best way into the brothel is through the back via code word! they learned how to sneak into brothels as street kids ages ago and sqq could have totally done so discreetly! argue with lqg but refuse to explain himself? sqq please, he can't take your side for no reason, especially in front of all these peak lords who already knows he favors you!!

and because shen jiu is facing the cognitive dissonance of qi-ge's... qi-ge-ness, he sets up tests rigged to fail no matter how yqy responds. this way he is always right! if yqy sides with sj, sj's annoyed because he's clearly trying to placate him like a child. if yqy sides against sj, he's obviously choosing to abandon sj again!!

yqy is fully aware of the trap because yqy is a trained politician capable of reading social cues (and sj hasn't changed all that much from when they were kids, he still has that same spiteful edge to him yqy is so fond of). he intentionally falls for them because (1) he deserves to be hated by sj and (2) being hated by sj keeps him from lashing out too much at the other peak lords. yqy is very used to sj's temper tantrums, it's when he lashes out at other people that things become unmanageable.

(during the latter half of their rule over cang qiong, i feel that yqy learned to stop actively chasing reconciliation. he came around for tea and present-giving, kept things civil, and still let sj get away with all kinds of terrible things. he fell for all of sj's traps with his eyes wide open and it infuriates sj, everything about this drives him mad. he doesn't want this soft, unspoken affection, because this was how qi-ge used to handle sj's tsundereness back when they were on the streets. it's another sign that qi-ge is still qi-ge, and this fact brings sj both selfish comfort and undeniable agony.)

it's an awkward balancing act that continues to sour sj's reputation with the other peak lords, but it's mostly manageable until sqh sticks his nose into their business and pushes sj over the edge.

how transmigrators ruin everything

"maybe yqy did something impulsive, did you think of that? why can't you forgive him, he tried so hard? aren't you tired of being angry all the time?" bitch no, sj has been keeping the worst of the qi deviations away for years by performing mental gymnastics around his walls of denial stOP KNOCKING THEM DOWN. Even worse, lbh arrives on the peak and shen jiu hates him. not just because he's got all the potential shen jiu had stolen away from him, but he's so glad to be here. he's making his mother proud. all while shen jiu was dragged here essentially against his will, trapped himself in this bamboo prison out of spite, and then realized the dead thing he's been looking after for decades isn't dead after all. that qi-ge actually did, for realsies, leave him at the qius. that all these overtures, the silent acceptance of his faults, everything could just be out of guilt (qi-ge is ashamed of him) and not out of a ghost reenacting its former lingering affection (the real qi-ge would've still loved him.)

the dissonance, abandonment issues, frustration and everything culminates in a devastating qi deviation. ironically, now that yqy's rule is mostly secure and sj's reputation has soured enough to start negatively affecting the sect, sj finally feels safe enough to let go. in this moment of emotional clarity, sj finally releases qi-ge from his grasp and decides to die.

that was not supposed to happen.

qi-ge's no good, very bad sacrifice

in another universe where og!sqh was too busy plotting to betray cang qiong mountain, the frosty and emotionally charged stand-off between yqy and sj continues for years. then, lqg dies. i'm torn between yqy believing sj killed lqg or not. either way, i don't think he'd be 'disappointed' in sj as portrayed in some fics. i also don't think it would infuriate sj that yqy thinks he's capable of killing lqg, because if anyone knows how much of a murder kitten shen jiu is, it's yqy. maybe he's offended yqy thinks him dumb enough to kill him in such a sloppy way. maybe he's even more offended that this turns the other peak lords against him and yqy just lets it happen.

or maybe (through my qijiu-tinted glasses) it pisses him off that yqy does tell the peak lords that they should all stand together, and the other peak lords ignore him and hate sj anyway. they're disrespecting yqy because they think he is compromised, and sj worked too goddamn hard to solidify yqy's position to have it undone by a murder he didn't even do.

(ironically, if lqg was alive he'd tell the other peak lords to f*** off for disobeying yqy. lqg's canon respect for yqy is something i feel needs more acknowledgement, likely because i feel half the reason they don't get along is because of sj's utter disrespect of their sect leader. who cares if sj is a street rat or the son of a wealthy family, no one disrespects yue-shixiong!)

now the story of sj's road to becoming lbh's plaything is a well-worn track that everyone knows. i do subscribe to the idea that sj took one look at huan hua's eagerness, lbh's vendetta, and yqy's recklessness and made the same decision he did in the svsss verse: he'd rather qi-ge be free (happy) than dead. this is a battle he cannot win, and he'll be damned if he lets lbh drag cang qiong down with him. when yqy promises him he'll save him from the water prison, sj spits in his face and tells him for the final time that xiao jiu and qi-ge are both dead. he let sj go decades ago, and now sj is letting qi-ge go in return.

sj faces the torture with the tenacious spirit of someone who'd withstood worse torture for years. in fact, he's a bit impressed by lbh taking revenge on him the same way sj took revenge on qiu jianluo. either way, even with more than 50% of his body missing, sj faces his fate in utter defiance. and then lbh shows up with xuan su.

the reveal of qi-ge's failed rescue and demise was devastating for a lot of reasons. most obviously, sj's sacrifice to keep cang qiong safe from the fallout was a failure. everything he'd done and sacrificed to keep qi-ge safe, all the scorn he'd borne as the hated qing jing peak lord was thrown away because qi-ge wanted to be a moron.

the other reason why sj broke was because qi-ge did come for him. he simply failed. and the tiny part of him that always suspected qi-ge was still qi-ge now has confirmation that all those years ago, qi-ge likely did the same. he came for him at the qius, but he failed. the only difference now is lbh's willingness to tell him the truth vs. yqy's decades-long silence. the only difference now is that yqy is actually, physically dead.

sj has been living on borrowed time ever since he looked the new yqy (fake qi-ge) in the eyes and allowed himself to be brought to cang qiong mountain. everything he did was to elevate himself into a position where no one could hurt him (and qi-ge) anymore, the same way he'd acted back when they were on the streets. now that he was in this state and qi-ge was dead, his time was clearly up. and sj refuses to let lbh have the last laugh. as much as he respected lbh for his ruthlessness, it's not enough to stave off sj's spite. he didn't let qjl control him in the end, and he won't let lbh do so either.

final thoughts

some last, disorganized thoughts on qijiu's relationship

rather than yqy telling sj what happened, i think showing him the scars all over his body would be much more impactful. sj knows how worthless words can be; he's likely prefer being able to touch each scar and check the meridians for himself. yqy doesn't need to say a word, his entire body is a testament to the torture he'd endured.

ironically, sj fixing up cang qiong as a tactician and his personal refusal to put himself in weak situations made yqy incapable of showing his care through action. all of his crises were political/reputation-based/etc. all things qing ding's teachings guaranteed yqy to fail all his speech-checks. and yqy is definitely not the type of person to engineer a false crisis just to swoop in to save sj... not because of any moral reasons, but because risking sj in any way would be absolutely unacceptable. in yqy's world, it's sj > the sect > good morals. he does have good morals, yes, but he's also pragmatic and self-aware enough to know when to put the things he cares about first.

there was a theory i read before about yqy and sj's trauma responses being to shut down and say nothing in the face of accusations, and i agree with this. saying nothing often netted less punishment than 'making excuses.' even without this coping mechanism, the mental trauma of having his mind and body broken could've easily stopped yqy from being able to even speak around the topic for years. if he doesn't talk about it and no one sees his scars, he can pretend it never happened. sj's scorn of him is forever a sign that it did happen, but that's fine, he's always made exceptions for shen jiu.

i don't really know where the uncomfortably-creepy-no-boundaries yqy towards sy came from? in the original novel sy clearly like yqy and views him in a positive, big-brother-shape light. even towards the end of the novel when yqy confesses, sy feels more guilty for being an imposter than angry that yqy failed sj. yqy even steps aside for lbh thinking 'well, at least sqq is happy now' because that's what he wanted for sj for so, so long. for him to be happy, even if that meant forgetting qi-ge.

(the no-boundaries thing is something i disagree with in general, because i think yqy's political and social training would make that very unlikely. he doesn't call sqq xiao-jiu as often as he does in fics, i think he did so in canon because he was delirious and exhausted post-drawing-xuan-su. i figured qijiu's latter years cooled off a bit as yqy realized direct overtures weren't working and went the coaxing-stray-cat route to everyone else's befuddlement.)

does qi-ge know sy is not sj? i can go either way with this. the theory that he does know but he's repressing it out of his own mental wellbeing is intriguing; but so is him assuming sj losing his memories means sy is a different person. which means he's always been happier without qi-ge. either way, i do believe yqy no longer views sqq-y the same as sqq-j. after the first few years post-qi-deviation, i think yqy is emotionally mature enough to realize sy is here to stay and that the sj he once knew (either because of his lost memories or whole-soul transplantation) is gone.

i am a qijiu shipper, but i do also like platonic qijiu. my only prerequisite for any other-ship-jiu fic is some kind of qijiu reconciliation. i honestly don't think either of them would have good romantic relationships unless they fix their own relationship first. qi-ge can't marry someone, that would remove sj from being the most important person on qi-ge's list. despite scorning him, sj being number one is one of the only things holding sj together throughout their divorce era. sj cannot marry anyone because that would give qi-ge the false impression that sj is happy and qi-ge is now free. and qi-ge is not allowed to be free. he will belong to sj for as long as sj wants and nothing is allowed to interfere with that impression. lol both of these are sj-based, but sj's always been the dominant party in this relationship. whether or not qi-ge is jealous of sj's new lover is irrelevant; as long as sj is happy, the og!sj-simp qi-ge is also happy.

i have too many qijiu thoughts and not enough time to write a fic about them, alas. i find their relationship fascinating and very integral to their personalities no matter the au or ship.

[apomaro-mellow]

Here, take a lil ficlet of Kas flirting with Steve while sharing Eddie's body.

"You're not Eddie", Steve breathed out as they stalked towards him.

"Oh I'm him alright. I am all that he tried to hide away. His shame, his fear...his desires."

"You're not real."

Steve swung his bat, sure that this was another one of Vecna's illusions. Sure that this vision of Eddie would either disappear in a mist or reveal itself to actually be Vecna. Anything other than one of his greatest regrets. Instead, not-Eddie caught the nailed end in his hand no problem.

"I'm as real as anything."

When Steve pulled away, not-Eddie let him.

"But if it makes things...easier, you don't have to call me Eddie." He stalked towards Steve. "You could call me...hmm, Kas." Then he grinned like he had just said a joke.

-------------------------------

"Kas?", Dustin repeated.

"That's what he said", Steve relayed, still reeling from the experience. "That mean anything?"

Dustin looked to Will. "Holy shit."

"Holy shit", Will echoed.

Then they both started to scream and jump and Steve felt like he was losing his mind.

Meanwhile, Eddie was sure he had lost his mind. There was no other explanation for being trapped in his own body while some demonic entity walked around in it and allowed him to get lectured by Mike and Lucas while tied to a chair.

"Do we have a deal?", Mike asked.

The deal was, 24 hour supervision, controlling what he ate, and absolutely no killing. Oh and no conferring with Vecna or the Mind Flayer unless explicitly asked to. Eddie would've agreed in seconds if it meant he could be free. But Kas thought he had more leverage than that.

"Do I get to choose my bodyguard?", he asked, just as Steve and the others came up from the basement. "Because I'd like Hawkins' number 1 babysitter."

Steve stared like a deer in headlights and then looked around as if making sure he meant him. With very little effort, Kas broke through his restraints and walked up to Steve, ignoring the shouts and how the others backed away from him. But Steve stood his ground.

"I know Eddie would prefer it this way."

What he would prefer was if a hole could swallow him up. Which was sort of his situation anyway. He was stuck in a dark hole. Problem was he was still witnessing everything first hand, right down to Kas twirling a lock of Steve's hair around his finger.

So if someone could just actually end him now, that would be great.

Hey I went and made a part 2

[teddybeartoji]

Okiee friend roommie gojo takes you on a motorcycle at midnight to random places like the riverside or some food stall or whatever. Especially when you aren't feeling good (my current mood <3). There's less to no people at night, which is perfect!... Taking a walk with him. Orrr simply sitting on his motorcycle and chatting with him while he stands front to you.. ykwim😭

HELLOO????? HOW DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE A MASSIVE BRAIN, HMM????? THAT'S SO DELICIOUS????? see, i don't think i would've really even considered roomie!gojo owning a fuCKING MOTORCYCLE???? YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH THANK YOU FOR THAT MY LOVELY

btw you guys literally have matching helmets!!!!! he immediately bought one seeing how excited you got after seeing the bike. not to be a basic bitch but how fucking sexy is a white and blue bike?????? my eyes just rolled back into my head holy shit. anyway. matching helmets matching helmets matching helmets!!!! i think he'd love the ones that have the ears on them too lmao he's a little cutie. he also bought you your own racing jacket too!!!!!!!!! i mean he has the money so he didn't even blink an eye at the thought of buying you your own gear bc like... he would never even think about having you on the bike without atleast a helmet!!!! he's not a reckless driver at all and i genuinely don't think he'd speed at all (maybe only a little on highways and only when there isn't a lot of ppl)(he would rather die than to put you in danger like that)

and he'd 100000000000000% go on late night drives with you!!!! he sees you moping and his heart sinks:((((( at first he just tries to ask about it but when you're still looking so out of it, he offers the drive. he helps you put on the helmet and then gently headbutts you after putting his on. he loves the way your eyes smile through the small glass opening and he just already feels a bit better, a bit prouder to have made you smile.

he offers you his hand as you're taking a seat behind him and he always gets so giddy when your arms circle around him. he loves it, he really does. he waits for you to get comfortable and rest your head against his back before even turning on the engine.

you have a code that whenever you want to say something, you squeeze his thighs. when you need to stop, like stop stop, you slap his thigh. he made that rule and he didn't even let you onto the bike before making you repeat it three times for like the first five times. he doesn't play around, i'm telling you. sometimes, you like to tease him for it, for being a pussy but he isn't fazed at all. he just smiles at you and calls you his precious cargo.

okay, so i like the idea of him taking you somewhere extra quiet - maybe you even already have your spot, too? maybe a more hidden part the riverside, somewhere it's certain that you'll be alone. he parks the bike and ofc offers you his hand when you start climbing off. he smooths your hair after you pull the helmet off, making a quiet like jokes about you looking fucking insane and no matter how stupid his comments and jokes are, he always gets a laugh out of you. even if it's the smallleeeest teeniest tiniest little smile.

he takes your hand and tugs you to the lonely little food stall. the person who's managing it has seen the two of you so many times and they're fully convinced that you guys are a couple btw. gojo always pays. ALWAYS. he literally gets upset when you try. sometimes at home he whines about always paying but when you actually get to the paying part he just pushes you away??????? smh he's an idiot but he's OUR idiot.

he let's you eat before asking about your day again. he let's you rant his ears off if that's what you decide to do. he leans against the motorcycle as you pace back and forth in front of him and he's so invested!!!! no matter whether it's work drama, uni drama, some sort of friendship drama or something more personal - he's all ears. he tries to crack a few jokes here and there but he keeps it low as he's gauging your emotions. yk if you're laughing a bit more, he turns the joke machine up a notch but if not... he just let's you talk it out.

btw if you're not in a talking mood at all, he probably does the talking himself to try and distract you from whatever is bothering you. he's telling you about the new parts he wants to put on his bike, he's telling you about his day, about the people he saw on the streets, about the new comic he's reading etc etc etc. he probably invites you to rest against his chest as he does so, faintly swaying back and forth. he watches the streetlamps reflect on your skin as you rest your eyes, breathing in his cologne.

and after a while he offers to go back home. he tells you that he can take the long way or the short one, whichever suits you best. it could be 3am and he wouldn't dare rush you. he is prepared to do anything to make you feel better!!!!!!!!!!! he's such a good roomie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lord-squiggletits]

I’d love to hear any comments/headcanons you have for pre-Tarn/pre-war Damus!

Those tags about him being touch starved due in part to his Outlier powers had me in my feels 😭😭 I loved that wonderful (and angsty) analysis on him.

Hmm I'm not sure I have that many but let's see if the ones I do have end up blossoming into a more robust list or not

Like most people, I headcanon Damus having an affinity for music long before becoming Tarn; I mean, his outlier power had literally nothing to do with sound at all to begin with (even once he started being able to do it at a distance), so it seems like for Tarn to have 'music lover' as one of his big traits, he would've picked it for a reason, no? Not all parts of Tarn (TM) have to be a complete pretense

Following that, because Damus' outlier broke all electrical devices/machines he touched, he became a singer because his own voice is something he can't break and that no one can take away from him. Maybe he would've tried non-electronic instruments, but he would've gravitated towards singing more than instrumental performance regardless

Also, depending on how you headcanon Cybertronian singing to work (do any of them "breathe"/push air like humans do or are their voices entirely synthesized? Is "breathing" a special mod or does it work as a function of ventilation/cooling), being empurata'd probably could've affected Damus' singing ability since he would no longer have a face/mouth to shape his sounds. Could still sing since he does have a voice box, but I imagine that, considering Damus wasn't able to touch anyone/anything anyways, losing his hands was way less hurtful to him than losing his face.

However, since his outlier ability would make him pretty much functionally disabled on Cybertron (literally everything and everyone is machines), Damus would've had a greater appreciation for physical mediums of art/function more than the average person, I think. In a society where pretty much everything is stored on datapads, computers, etc, Damus would've been a huge pen-and-paper, art canvas, stonecarving, etc kind of guy; a big appreciator of things that can survive without an electrical connection or any machine functioning. He's basically one of those people who, in human terms, would own a lot of antiquated stuff like record players, cassette decks, CDs, etc because his outlier forced him to adapt to (and then eventually enjoy the benefits/unique traits of) physical rather than digital mediums. I imagine this trait would make Damus odd among other hobbyists, since for both anatomical reasons (they're a mechanical species) and cultural reasons (history of mechanical superiority/anti-organic tendencies), most people would probably degrade physical media as less fast, efficient, flexible, etc compared to digital. Which does kind of make it ironic that Damus later became a Decepticon, but I suppose non-electrical/mechanical doesn't necessarily equate to being organic.

On account of not gaining control of his outlier until his outlaw days with Orion and co., I imagine Damus' job opportunities would've been very limited and he would've mostly had a very poor/limiting lifestyle (which also inclined him to be more interested in Megatron's writings and eventually becoming a Decepticon). Creativity isn't running well at the moment, but probably something like waste management (like being a garbage man) or some sort of manual hauling job, although Damus appears to have just been a normal 4-wheeled car alt-mode so I'm not sure he could've/would've gotten hired for heavy manual labor stuff. Perhaps he could've been a courier like Bumblebee was pre-war?

That also begs the question of how Damus compensated for his disability. Maybe to handle electronics, he could do so as long as he wore really thick gloves or something? Probably he'd also take advantage of stuff like voice commands/text to speech on electronic devices, so I imagine Damus' life wasn't completely devoid of any technology whatsoever. Do you think he'd be able to cook food on a stove top as long as he used a pair of tongs to grab it? I bet Damus had to get really good at improvising disability aids and getting basic life functions done without touching things directly with his hands, so maybe he was a bit of a tinkerer back then as well. And now I'm imagining Damus' home being full of elaborate Rube Goldberg machines that do very basic things like turn the stove to a specific temperature and turn it off after a set interval of time klsdalfjkdls

[burningfudge]

the marvels spoilers!!

- i missed carol so much 😭😭 i was so happy to see her again!! however, as a delusional caroljess shipper, this movie made me realize how much i want jessica drew in the mcu but the chances are slim

- is earth really the best choice for those skrulls to stay on after secret invasion???? the US president hates them and is also hunting them down just like the kree. but lol fury should've just asked new asgard to take them in during secret invasion instead of creating a giant mess and then ditching them

(i hope this means a certain mr teddy altman was among the skrull refugees who fled to earth but i'm just grasping at straws at this point)

- it's pretty funny that nia dacosta decided to ignore everything from secret invasion and we should too since i KNOW fury never brought up that he harvested carol's DNA. it would've made the movie much more awkward

- the khans and fury were way too funny together. muneeba was great, as always 🫶🏽 the best aunty

- the poor SABER agents escaping via FLURKITTIES lmaoo

- THE PRINCESS CAROL DRESS

- i can only imagine nakia and bruno's reactions when they find out about kamala's adventures

- carol and sam both live in louisiana now!! neighbors

- kamala and carol are so CUTE! they're twinsies ♥️

- carol restarting a sun...damn. i do wish more emphasis was placed on that since thor nearly died trying to restart nidavellir's sun

- no binary form though? :(

- the villain was kinda boring and i don't really understand the whole quantum bands connection with the noor dimension thing

- KAYT BEESHUP AHHHH

- not kate trying to act cool as if she and kamala don't have the same energy when speaking with their avenger idols (clint and carol should meet)

- but kamala channelling fury lol

- kate needs to get better security though since people keep breaking in into her apartment. first yelena and now kamala

- i don't necessarily want peter on the mcu young avengers/champions team, but i do want him to meet them. kamala found out about kate and cassie so she can find peter, an actual teenage avenger, too

- BEAST BEAST BEAST

- maria as BINARY!!!!

- the suit looked pretty cheap though, which sucks because the binary suit is one of my fav carol outfits from the comics.

- is maria in the fox universe or is it just a "x-men" universe??? anyway it's not 838 for sure since professor x and maria are both alive. however, it would be pretty funny for monica to visit 838 post-MoM since she tried so hard to help wanda and then wanda murdered her mom rip

- carol and kamala are both gutted about monica getting trapped in another universe, but america chavez can get her back pretty easily if they knew she existed. hmm, looks like kamala needs to find another young superhero

overall: 7.5/10

[someone1348]

My first Hunter X Hunter Fic! I'm so excited!

This show/anime means so much to me, It's my favorite! I've re-watched it so many times lmao! Anyway!

I'm so happy to be sharing this with you all and of course we have to start with my favorite angels 😇

The people in this: Ler!Killua, Lee!Gon

Tw: none this is adorable! (This is a tickle fic so if you are uncomfortable with that I don't suggest reading! :])

I hope you all enjoyyy!!

-K <3

____________~☆°♡°☆°♡°☆~______________

A Bad Case of Boredom

It's been about two weeks since Gon and Killua arrived back to Whale Island, the place where Gon grew up with his wonderful aunt Mito and grandmother. Things were going great! Killua adjusted to the new environment nicely and rather quickly too! Aunt Mito was very welcoming, and he really enjoyed staying with them.

They had been exploring and mainly spent their time outside, but today was the kind of day that Gon dreaded the most. It was pouring rain outside. Gon loved the rain, yes, it did great things for the grass and the wildlife. However, he hated being forced to stay inside because of it. He was used to nature, running around the open feilds, climbing trees and overall being free. The rain restricted all of that which brings us to the present.

Gon sighed as his legs bounced up and down on the floor as they hung over the side of his bed. Killua, who had been trying to meditate, looked over gently at the greenette with one eye open before he too sighed and turned to face him,

"What's wrong Gon?" He asked both concerned and curious

"The rain"

"The rain?" Killua cocked an eyebrow, now more confused than before

"We can't go outside, I love the benefits the rain gives for nature, but I hate being stuck inside with nowhere to go and nothing to do!" He complained as he flopped back onto his bed dramatically.

'Ah' Killua thought to himself before he slightly smiled "There's plenty to do inside Gon, for starters you could meditate with me and practice your ten"

That comment earned another sigh from the enhancer

"Alright fine, hmm" the white haired boy sat in thought as he tried to think of ways to entertain his best friend, a single raindrop hit the windowsill when it clicked in Killuas mind, his signature cat like smirk spread across his features as he sat up and hovered over Gon,

"I have the perfect idea~"

Gon shoot up in excitement as he looked at Killua with bright eyes

"Really?!"

Killua only smiled brighter as he nodded "Yep! It's your favorite" his voice got a little deeper towards the end of his sentence which made Gon gulp and giggle a little as he scooted backwards on his bed until he hit the headboard gently.

"Kihillua?"

Killua smirked again before he pounced onto his best friend. The two started a mini wrestling match, rolling around on the green covers, giggling their heads off before anything happened yet as they both tried to get the upper hand. Gon knew what Killua's intentions were, he sensed it in his aura and with knowing him that well, and with his boredom he was more excited than ever for this moment, but he was stubborn too and was not going down that easily.

"Give it up Gon!"

"Never!"

"Fair enough, you asked for it" Gon had the upper hand as they spoke, but Killua quickly swipped the tips of his fingers over Gon's side as Gon's arms wobbled out from under him and he fell onto Killuas chest. Killua smiled and, with one quick motion, turned Gon onto his back, holding his arms above his head with one hand as he sat over his hips.

"Someone wanted tickles huh Gon?~" he teased as Gon's cheeks flushed a quiet pink

"How did you figure it out?!"

"It was easy, one, I know you, and two, you would've never gone down that quickly otherwise~"

Gon looked away with a playful smile before they both giggled together.

"Are you ready Gon?~" he smirked as he wiggled his fingers just inches above Gon's stomach

"Kihihilluaaaaa!" Gon complained through his giggles as his legs bounced gently behind him, this time with joy

"Fihinneee Tickle Tickle Tickleee~" He smiled brightly as he let go of Gon's hands and darted them over to pinch and scribble all over his sides

"KIhihilluahaha! ThaHahat TihiHickles!" Gon squeaked and wiggled as much as he could but made no real effort to fight it

"That's the point idiot, plus your giggles are too cute, so what's the problem?~" He spoke so nonchalantly it made Gon question to himself what was worse, that or his tease voice

"NohoHo FaHaHair!" His laughter picked up the pace as Killua moved his fingers up to his ribs, making sure he got all of the in-between spots, leaving no spot untickled. Gon arched his back a little as he tried to lightly push at Killuas' hands.

"You know Gon, you got seriously injured back at Hevean's arena, I should make sure you still have all of your ribs" Killua dragged his fingers back down his ribs as Gon giggled out an excuse,

"NOhoHo! KihihilluaAhA! I heHealed! ReHehember?!"

"Hmm, I don't remember. A thorough checkup is in order, and since Leorio isn't here to do it, I guess it's up to me! Don't worry, Gon, this won't hurt a bit~" Killua smiled again as he skittered up and down the length of his ribs before starting from the bottom and going up slowly tracing each individual rib while he counted.

"Oneeee, Twoooooo, Threeeee, Foooourrr, Fivveee- hmm? What's this?~" Killua paused as he found a particularly ticklish rib on Gon's left side, where he got injured previously thanks to Geto,

"I think getting hit with that spinning top made this rib more ticklish then the others"

"WohAHAhAh!-" Gon snorted gently as he broke out into more genuine laughter as Killua scribbled and gently scratched over that rib alone "KiHIHIhilLUAHaHa!"

"Woah! You snorted! Haha do it again!"

"NOHoHo!"

"Fine, have it your way" Killua shrugged before his hands quickly made their way down to his stomach, going right under the light fabric of Gon's black tank top

"AHAHAHA KIHIHILLUAHAHAHA NOHOHOT THEHEHERE!"

"And why not?~ doesn't it tickle? I'm confused"

"YEHEHES! IHIHIT TIHIHICKLES ALOHOHOT! THAHAT'S WHY!"

"That's a good thing gigglebug"

Gon's face turned bright red as the kicking got faster as he tried to curl up on himself but couldn't

"Ohhhh I think I get it now, this is your tickle spot!" Killua spoke as if this was completely new information, causing Gon to groan a little at his antics

"KIHIHILLUAHAHAHA!"

"Yes Gon?~"

"HAHAHAHA!" Gon threw his head back in genuine laughter which made Killua giggle a little before he took a deep breath and blew a gaint raspberry directly into his bellybutton

"AHAHA KIHIHILLUAHAHAHA IHIHIT TIHIHICKLES!"

"Okahay okay!" He gently got off of him and patted his arm "you okay, Gon?"

"Haha YEAH!" He tackled Killua in a hug "You're the best Killua!"

"You're so embarrassing" He scoffed as he smiled as he hugged him back.

_________________________________________

I had a blast making this! It's definitely different from what I've done before but I hope you all enjoyedd I loved writing it!

Have an amazing day, evening, or night everyone! You truly deserve it! You are loved, you are valid, you are appreciated, and I could not be more proud of you! /p /gen /pos

-K :]

[xxchthonicreaturexx]

Hey, I saw that your requests are open, so I was wondering if you could write what spending Valentines Day with the Greasers + Tim & Curly would be like. I honestly love your writing so much. If you don't want to do it that's totally fine, it's completely up to you.

-🤍🤍

OKIE DOKIE so this was extremely late... (I am so deeply sorry) andddd I'm going to be writing requests in a much simpler way for a while until I have all of my motivation back. Please bare with me :') 🙏

Starting with...

Darry: He's old fashioned, as I've said before. He is the Valentine's master. Flowers? Check. Nice button down? Check. Dinner reservations? Check. Pretty little necklace or something equivalent? Check. Homemade chocolate cake? Check. Foot rubs after you get back home? Duh, of course.

Had this planned for weeks in advance. Definitely ends the night with the sweetest kiss imaginable after y'all just reminisced on your first date together. Everything's somehow perfect and the boys have been oddly quiet today, almost as if they were threatened to stay far away from you guys.... 🤔🤨 hmm...

Sodapop: Another smoothass romantic, however it's not as perfect as Darry's date. Soda would definitely bring the flowers and chocolate but would probably be running slightly late due to the fact his hair wasn't working with him, or Steve caught him up chatting too long. He really means well though! The entire night his attention is completely focused on you, which is pretty good considering how easily distracted this guy can get.

Y'all go it for milkshakes <3 definitely tries to sneak some fries without you noticing but it's all in good fun. and then after the milkshake is gone he FOR ONCE won't fight you for the cherry. He usually will fight tooth and nail to get that cherry, but tonight he's just "You can have it :D". You see the way his eye twitches though...give him the cherry you heartless monster.

Ponyboy: I'm going to say something you guys would NEVER guess. You ready? Love poem. GASP. Who would've guessed? Yeah anyways, love poem, but it's so good? Like better than the shit you'd write your mom in elementary school. Our boy worked so hard on it too. His garbage can is just filled with scrapped paper and rewrites of the poem. He even accompanies it with a cute little sketch. He's not the best artist, but he certainly tried and it's so endearing too.

Other than that he's kind meh. He'll hand it over, tell you happy Valentine's day and then it's just kinda? Y'all hanging out like usual? Maybe a little more cuddly than normal. That's about it. He's very casual about the holiday.

Johnny: Sweet Johnnycakes. My boy. My baby <3 he had been a bit distant the days leading up but that's just because he had been working so damn hard. Baby boy was working at the drive in, sweeping up popcorn and stuff for some extra cash just so he could buy you that outfit you had been eyeballing. Cue him leading you to the cutest picnic you've ever seen and him handing you the gift, wrapped in a pretty little bow too. His wrapping skills are definitely not the best, but you're opening it anyways so who cares?

The sweetest thing all night. His touches are so gentle and loving and the picnic is breathtaking once y'all watch the sunset together. You guys talk a lot about the future and how far y'all have come. Cutest goddamn thing ever if you're into wholesome stuff.

Two-bit: He's exactly on the line between sexy valentines and sweet valentines. It's hard to tell if he's trying to score a home run or he's genuinely just flirting with you because it's a cute holiday.

Probably gifts you some cute lingerie as a joke. As a "joke" 🙄 you can see right through him, though he does get a kick out of your reaction. A part from him genuinely being a bit of a perv he is actually very loving with you and will definitely take you out to go downtown shopping... "Shopping." We all know he'll sneak a few things off the shelf for you without you noticing <3

Steve: He's a bit of a dummy <3 genuinely forgot. Like- he tries his best but the day completely slipped his mind. Don't worry though! The boys made sure to remind him before he saw you though! He doesn't have anything planned out, but he does stop to grab some flowers and a cake. Was the cake necessary? Nah but it was a nice gesture.

Kinda similar to Johnny, you guys have a nice little picnic in the back of his truck, however his was a lot less plannes out and much more impulsive. There was no blanket or fancy drinks, but there was coke bottles, cake, and a lot of laughing, so he totally made up for it.

Dallas: Haaaa did you think you'd get out of this alive? I'm kidding. Dallas is slightly similar to Tim, but more so he's just not a mushy lovey guy. There's no huge declaration of love or some big gift giving ceremony. He will, however, put his chain around your neck and then tug on it to pull you into a kiss.

Definitely not getting away unscathed. You will have an insane amount of marks left on you, but hey man, it's Valentine's day so 🤷 what did you expect? Definitely the type to be in bed all day, though not necessarily in an NSFW way. Sure, that's a huge plus, but he's also pretty content with you tucked into his arm as he listens to your heartbeat.

Tim: He didn't forget, he just was hoping you didn't remember. Sorry to the Tim lovers, but he sees Valentine's as an extremely pointless holiday. And I mean...? He's kinda got a point but then again, it's still nice to spend the day with your significant other, soooo.... But anyways, like I said he didn't forget. He actually has a small gift for you just Incase you brought it up, though if you don't he'll pretend like he just so happened to think of you when he was out.

He's not all mushy or lovey dovey, but if you happen to remind him he will give you some of the sweetest kisses you've ever gotten for him just so he can shut you up. And maybe if you're good, he'll take you to do something fun later on in the night like dancing. Though, if you're not the type to go dancing at an actual club (is that what they're called in the 50's????) Then he has no issue swaying back and forth with you in the living room as the radio softly plays in the background.

Curly: Actually really good with Valentine's surprisingly. He saw how ruined his parents relationship was at a young age, so even though he's a hood he still makes sure to be the best boyfriend he absolutely can be. Gets you some flowers. However, by that I mean he's actually one of the guys that takes the time to go out to the park and pick the wildflowers for you. Yeah... you're not actually supposed to do that, of course, but hey. Free flowers that he handpicked? Good enough!

Begs Tim to let him borrow the car so he can take you joyriding at night. It's extremely fun, though after y'all are done burning rubber, it'll easily turn into a nice little cruise while his hand rests on your thigh and your song is playing on the radio. <3

[yukidragon]

Wondering on the thought of jack and Joseph being twin brothers? Both being very close and protective of each other and there partners

That's really cute to imagine Jack and Joseph having a good wholesome sibling relationship. It's a strong contrast to a lot of images where Jack and Joseph are at odds, including this awesome non-canon animatic by Sauce.

Now it makes me think of everyone who has a reincarnated lovers plotline with their MC to have them be twins in this sort of AU as well to pair up with Jack and Joseph. For me, that means Alice and Mary would be twin sisters.

Of course this would have a lot of implications about the timeline. Is this an AU that takes place in the past, or the present? I lean towards the latter for simplicity's sake. I also lean towards keeping Mary and Joseph as childhood friends-to-lovers like in her backstory that might or might not become canon for Sunshine in Hell. (I'm still on the fence about the reincarnated lovers storyline. I'm weak to it, but also to Jack never finding love until he meets Alice.)

Well, I've never been one to shy away from self-indulgence. In this modern twin AU, Jack and Joseph get to be childhood friends with Mary and Alice.

Of course... Ian will be a childhood friend too, but Jack and Joseph, always having each other's backs, aren't going to let Ian or anyone else get together with Alice or Mary before they do.

Then again, with how Mary confessed first to Joseph early on, even before high school, Ian would've probably never had a chance to even crush on her, or at least have the guts to act on it.

That would be an interesting bit of drama - Mary and Alice having crushes on Joseph and Jack respectively, as well as vice-versa. Mary makes a move... and Alice feels it'd be too weird for her to do anything with Jack now. Doesn't say anything about it to even her twin, not wanting to wreck things when Mary is so happy with Joseph.

It's a funny reversal really for Joseph to find love before Jack. I mean, thematically it would be more appropriate if it was the reverse, with Jack and Alice getting together first, but this is a funny AU so let's just have fun with it!

This leads to a fun bit of a love triangle, since why not? Ian is crushing on Alice, and so is Jack. They're her friends and Joseph tries to help Jack get together with Alice as well as run interference with Ian. Wacky hijinx ensue!

Speaking of childhood friend AUs, I remember one where Shaun was a childhood friend of MC, which Sauce drew on their old twitter. That would be hilarious if he was also in the mix, adding to the chaos. Nick would have to be added too in order not to leave him out.

Hmm... maybe that's something to consider another time. I'm already making this ramble too complicated as it is.

Anyway, Jack is more sly and sneaky, though very earnest in his feelings towards Alice and wanting her to be happy. He keeps trying to set up romantic moods, wanting to nudge her into seeing him romantically since he knows from being her friend that she's not comfortable with someone just hitting on her. Subtle flirting, plus arranging them to find themselves alone... only for stuff to happen to interrupt them comedically.

It'd be hilarious that Jack is having so much trouble getting together with his sunshine, things going wrong in a wacky sitcom fashion... and meanwhile Joseph and Mary are off in their own little lovey dovey world being all cute and quietly romantic.

Jack, naturally, would both be happy for his bro, but also madly jealous until he finally gets together with Alice.

Of course, this could lead to friendly ribbing from Joseph towards Jack for his struggles, but also plenty of wholesome moments of comforting and helping him out. After all, if their parents are as awful as it's implied Joseph's are in the consultant transcript...

Oh, other twin details! Jack and Joseph could be identical twins - brown hair and all - but Jack just starts dying his hair blue. Alice and Mary would be fraternal twins, with Alice having albinism and Mary not, along with a few other smaller differences between the two girls, similar to how their different incarnations have slight physical differences. For one thing, Mary is taller than Alice, though not by much. They're both still much smaller than Jack and Joseph.

Hmm... bullying seems to be a pretty big part of the backstory of Joseph, and it's also a big part of Alice and Mary's backstories. With Jack and Joseph being a team, they probably get into trouble together, defending each other, and of course their friends.

Huh. Ian would probably be counted in that if they were all childhood friends, when I think about it. I mean, before romance factors into thing, I think Ian and Jack/Joseph could've been friends. That would make Ian crushing on Alice later more complicated if Joseph and Jack both see Ian as a friend. This would especially be difficult on them if they have very few people who care about them like Joseph did in his childhood.

This does add a bit of added spice to the mix. Jack and Joseph might have some yandere tendencies, but they're possessive and protective of those they care for. If Ian is one they care for too, even just platonically, yet he's a threat... that adds in more difficulty for Jack getting together with Alice.

Though, really, I think Jack is going to wind up getting together with Alice in the end. This is both because Jack and Alice just fit together a bit better than Alice does with Ian... and I am shamelessly biased towards my OTP. Sorry Ian, them's the breaks.

Positive side though is that Ian and Alice won't go through a toxic relationship and a messy breakup first. They can just stay good friends and not have things get so twisted between them.

Of course... that does still mean there would be moments of Jack feeling jealous since Alice is still good friends with Ian. A bit more comedic drama even after the romance begins for Alice and Jack... until it gets spicy when Jack has to mark his territory and leave kiss marks very visible on Alice so Ian and everyone else know she's with him.

Really, there's so many directions I could take this twin idea, and a lot I could build onto this sort of backstory. It's definitely a much lighter AU than most of my other ones too, but I tend to skew towards sweet and fluffy whenever possible, hahaha.

Anyway, that's about all I have for now. I hope you enjoyed my ramble that went well off the rails into shamelessly gushing about my OTP multiplied by two! If you want me to circle back to this AU or any others, feel free to drop me an ask and let me know!

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur

[dukemeropide]

8 & 9? 😊

Character Dev Questions | still accepting

8. Where and when do they seem most and least at ease? Why? How can you tell? (also asked by @adeptico)

For the most part, Wriothesley presents himself as both casual and vigilant at the same time, so it's difficult to pinpoint when he's most at ease without knowing more about how he thinks and engages with his environment. As of 4.6, we have never actually gotten to see him outside of his home turf, so to answer this question, I look to his teapot lines:

Traveler: How do you like it here? Wriothesley: Hmm, I quite like the environment. The temperature and humidity are both near perfect. It's a very fitting place for a leisurely vacation. Wriothesley: You really are quite something, to possess such a cozy and comfortable haven, but still be willing to venture out into the unknown.

Traveler: Anything you'd like to do? Wriothesley: I'd like to take a quick walk around here. Would you mind? Traveler: Not at all. It's not like I can keep you in my sights all the time anyway. Wriothesley: Our combat abilities aside, I will definitely stay put if that's what you prefer. Wriothesley: However, you've also gotten to know me a bit by now. It's true that I'm not accustomed to staying in an unfamiliar place for long. Traveler: I figured you would've already explored the place. Wriothesley: That would have been true if we were elsewhere… Making sure that my surroundings are safe is essential. Wriothesley: But this is your home. We don't have to worry about danger here, right?

With this, we can assume that he feels most at ease in places he's highly familiar with. So his office in the Fortress, as one example. His office has the added bonus of being locked behind a pair of heavy metal doors, and also at the top of a spiral staircase, which gives him view of any guests before they can reach him. This is a room that he has completely under his control, that he knows like the back of his hand, because presumably no one else in the Fortress can enter without his permission.

As for how one can tell, Wriothesley himself says that he's not accustomed to staying in an unfamiliar place for long, so anywhere where he's "settled" is presumably a safe space. Inviting a person to tea inside his office probably signals his comfort, not in the "I trust you" kind of way, since he brings Lynette there during the story, and also tries to strongarm Lyney into inviting Arlecchino, but more so in the "this is my turf and I have the upper hand" kind of way. I also believe that Wriothesley prefers talking to people to learn about them, and an invitation to tea provides a controlled environment and a specific etiquette with which to do it. He's comfortable in these situations.

So naturally, he's least at ease in new and unfamiliar environments, and will be obviously restless or hard to track down until he's explored the place to his satisfaction. He seems like the kind of person who, if he ever stayed in a hotel abroad, he'd find himself not sleeping for a couple of days until the place stopped feeling strange and new ha

9. How do they manifest energy, exhaustion, tension, or other strong emotions? (also asked by @adeptico)

Wriothesley's emotions are an even keel. Like the elemental power he's been blessed with, he's cool and steady. This means that UNLESS a feeling is a strong one, it's not going to make its way to the surface. However, we do know from both a teapot line, where (at least in JP) he sounds audibly excited:

Traveler: I can show you some other teapot realms, too, if you'd like. Wriothesley: Wait, really? Wriothesley: So, as long as you wish it, you can visit each of the seven nations without ever having to step outside? Traveler: I can already see your excitement. Wriothesley: Haha, well, opportunities like that don't just come by every day.

And his character quest, where Paimon and the Traveler can see Wriothesley's anger coming out despite, as the Traveler says, how he'd been holding it in until his face-off with Dougier, that Wriothesley's stronger emotions do show on his face and this might be the only indication that they exist. Likewise, we also see a pretty significant change in his expression when he's recounting the story of his foster parents at the end of this quest (seen in this tweet), and we know from his character stories that he's still affected by this memory.

(from story 5)

But the people of the Fortress also know little of the crime he once committed. The only one who still remembers it like yesterday is Wriothesley himself. And no matter how much glory or repute he has earned, he still considers himself to be the same old Wriothesley he's always known.

So all of that is just a long-winded way of saying that despite the steely countenance of the Duke persona Wriothesley wears in public, he does have a rich emotional world that he doesn't often talk about or call attention to. Only those who have grown familiar with him will be able to notice the subtleties in his expressions that make the difference between his mask and his genuine feelings.

[if-you-like-pina-colada-s]

YO HEY ✨AGAIN✨ BROSKI CAN U SHARE WHO UR HETALIA KINS ARE AND WHY U KIN THEM? I'LL EXPLAIN WHO MINE ARE AND WHY I KIN THEM IN RETURN

ANSKXLKSNSNC HI BESTIE!! YESS ABSOLUTELY!!!

Ok ok, I have 3 Hetalia kins, so:

First we have the one and only Mr. United States of America. Honestly the main reason I kin him, I think, is because I AM American and I swear everytime he does something so painfully American I'm like "damn, lowkey I would've done that too" (my favorite foods are hamburgers I mean cmon). Now I wouldn't say I'm as boisterous as him but I am overly friendly and I love making new friends so I am pretty extroverted! I think we'd have a lot of fun together in real life, we'd share the same level of enthusiasm about the things we like. We'd ramble on and on about things like science and movies and where the best place to get good artisan burgers is at.

Next, we have Mr. Italy (North Italy to be specific). He is very creative and artsy, and so am I!! I adored that part in season 7 where he tried to explain how to make art to England and failed miserably. That's me. He's very bubbly and happy-go-lucky just like me. I bet my ass he's the art kid who gets asked to "draw me next!" To which he just rolls his eyes in response. I also think he's incredibly unhinged and would say the most fucked up shit at random moments and then finish his sentence as if that's completely normal.

Last but not least, Mr. China!! Yall should know, I am a big sister and also the oldest grandchild in the family. So I very much feel like I share the same "eldest sibling" energy with him. He's the responsible older bro who tries to look out for his younger siblings, but isn't exactly the... best sibling all the time. Not exactly parent material, he's just quite literally older brother material. Also, even though he carries a mature, responsible manner, he's still incredibly unhinged at times. He's one of the few characters with actual braincells but he'd still be totally down to commit arson! Its also said he's a huge fan of cute stuff (such as Hello Kitty) and me too!

And of course there's the things the three of 'em have in common:

I feel like all three of them are just silly goofy guys who laugh and joke about the most fucked up shit ever. They're just ever so slightly unhinged.

I also think they're very booksmart, but can't read the room for shit like me.

They're all quite egotistical, while also extremely insecure.

Not to dump my insecurities on yall but... lowkey I suspect these guys have like, MAJOR abandonment issues. They tend to keep their friends and family in a sort of choke hold. It doesn't look like they particularly enjoy being alone or left out. And REALLY take issue with people leaving them.

Again... not to dump things on yall... but they seem a little... idk, maybe a bit adhd to me? Maybe I'm just projecting onto them since I suspect this of myself. (I'm no expert and have never been diagnosed for any sort of neurodivergency. So this is all a "hmm I wonder?" sort of a speculation).

Anyway, they're just so silly goofy.

[lwde-encrusted-sideblog]

Blake: Hey Jaune? What was it like?

Shark!faunusJaune: What was what like?

Blake: When Mint showed you "Why Remora are called Shark-Sucker Fish"

Jaune: O-Oh! Well, what happened was ...

~Earlier~

Jaune: *Massaging Neo (Mints) Dorsal Fin* You really put a lot of strain on yourself! You might cause permanent damage one of these days, and I'd hate to see that happen. If you ever need a place to sleep, my dorm room's always open!

Neo stretched out, her back cracking as Jaune's hands worked their magic. Silent moans escaping her mouth.

Mint (Neo): *Thumbs up*

Jaune: What even causes this? Are you carrying super heavy stuff or something?

Mint (Neo):*Signing* Something like that ...

She couldn't reveal she stuck herself to a wall to eavesdrop on some competition. Roman insisted not to kill them immediately, and Neo was reluctantly obliged. She was on there for a while.

Mint(Neo): Sometimes I just ... Have things I need to do.

Jaune: Well ... I can't stop you. I hope you figure out a better alternative.

Neo turned on her stomach to face Jaune.

Mint (Neo): Hey. Is there anyway I can pay you back for this?

Jaune: There's no need. I'm happy to do it.

Mint (Neo): No. *She unbuckles his Belt* I'd love to see what I can do for you~

Jaune: Whoa! H-Hey! there's really no need!

Mint (Neo): Well what if I want to?

Jaune: Well ... I mean If-if you want to...?

Jaune: You should know teeth aren't my only Faunus trait?

Mint (Neo): Well now I'm excited~

Pulling Jaune's pants and boxers down let a set of pale, towering claspers slap against Neo's face. Each one was bigger than most of the chumps that tried to get in her pants, nearly eleven inches each.

Mint (Neo): Oh! Mama likes this!

Jaune: Uh? Thank- Oh!

Neo ran her tongue along the underside of his members, sending shock up Jaune's spine at the sensation, before grabbing onto them laying kisses on each tip.

Jaune: W-Whoa!

Mint (Neo): Never had someone do this before?

Jaune: Not from - ah- someone of your skill!

Mint (Neo): Then I hope you can handle me~

She took one of the dicks all the way down to the base, her nose pressing into his belly, the second dick burning against her cheek.

Jaune instinctively grabbed her hair, not tightly enough to cause pain, just enough give him some semblance of control.

Jaune: WHOA!

Neo began grabbed the one against her cheek, Coating it in the precum that drooled out of it, pumping in in opposite timing to her oral ministrations. Refusing the thrash about, Jaune stepped back a little, leaving his pants on the floor.

Jaune: OH FUCK! Mint! I- I'M!

She took both Claspers in her mouth, taking them as deep as she could, Jaune holding her head against his waist as he let loose.

Jaune: FUCK!

Salty heat poured down her throat, rewarding her for her efforts.

Mint (Neo): Didn't take you for a quickshot.

Jaune: H-hey ... I haven't been through that before ...

Mint (Neo): Hmm. Maybe I should give you some stamina training~ You've got a good chance at being better than anyone else I've had. You're still awake which is more than some can say.

Jaune: ... Huh ... Maidens ... Fuck ... If I was a virgin I probably would've cum in your hair.

Mint (Neo): Well, be grateful you didn't, because I would've bit one of your dicks off.

Jaune: Do? ... Do you need to-

Mint (Neo): Nah. It's almost lunch time, and while you were A nice treat, I Should grab some actual food.

Jaune: What? OH SHIT! I had to meet team RWBY! Uh, I'll be back later? I gotta go!

He pulled his Boxers up, forgetting his pants on the floor, Before dashing out of the Room.

~In the Present~

Blake: *writing down what Jaune said* Oh yeah! That's the stuff!

Jaune: Wait, have you been writing the whole time?

Blake: Of course! Do you know what Fanfiction could be made with this!

Jaune: Could you at least give me a cut of the profits?

Blake: I do it for myself!

Jaune: Well. Damn.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

What *are* your more-specific thoughts about what might've happened with regards to Dazai before Mori met him/Dazai and the old boss? Your tags in that timeline post intrigued me.

Oh, thank you! And hello!

Hmm, well I'll say one thing straight up: I don't have much in the way of specifics. I'm the kind of person who finds it really difficult to make theories in the absence of hard evidence (I've gotten that beaten into my skull from my time in the sciences haha...).

Having said that, there are three ideas I have about Dazai's life before meeting Mori: one which is more headcanon than anything but that I believe at least partially resolves some of the contradictions I mentioned earlier and two which are vague but I really think have to be true.

#1: Dazai is the son of wealthy mafia benefactors who was later taken in by the old boss.

This is the more headcanon-y one but it makes a degree of sense to me. If Dazai was the child of the old boss then he would've been involved more directly in mafia business but he wasn't. Fifteen implies he wasn't even around death all that much, which is likely why the old boss's death provoked such a darkening of his eye and why he thanked the GSS soldier for allowing him to witness his death. If he was the child of benefactors, he may have met the old boss and some of the higher ups, and they might've known who he was - he'd be someone relatively trustworthy without any direct relation. Also, if his family were wealthy and mafia-affiliated, they would have had to engage in those kinds of high-class social connection games - you know, gracious manipulation, get the right people on your side, never let people see you without a smile, that sort of thing. Dazai, at age 15, was already capable of this. He didn't learn it from Mori; Mori just honed what was already there. It would be interesting as well if something happened to his family, leaving Dazai to wander alone for a bit before getting picked up by the old boss, who maybe recognized him. Then, as the old boss succumbed further to his paranoia, he might've lashed out at him, he might've been behaviourally unpredictable, he might've decided young Dazai was the only one he could trust... it's hard to say. No matter what happened between them, there must've been some fondness - Dazai is notably more wary than angry or scared when the old boss attacks him in the fight against Rimbaud and then there's what Hirotsu said about Dazai understanding what Mori did - but also something happened between them or adjacent to them to make Dazai slip further into despair, enough that he tried to die multiple times.

#2: Dazai's ability and suicide attempts were triggered by a constant and inescapable lack of control.

Ok, so I don't have a lot of specifics for this one but I really think it must be true by necessity of his characterization. It's implied that abilities have triggers, which is interesting because it ties into that "abilities are trauma responses" theory I've seen around. For Dazai's to negate abilities - a defensive skill that negates often unfair advantages - it really makes me believe that he developed it because he had no power. Maybe there were lots of skill users around him. Maybe they hurt him and he couldn't get away. This is all hypothetical but the point is that constant and inescapable pain leads to what's called learned helplessness.

Learned helplessness is a behaviour that occurs when an individual is repeatedly subjected to something harsh or unpleasant with no means of making it stop - they have no control over when and how long they will be harmed. Eventually, even if you give them an out, they likely won't take it, because they have internalized the belief of "why bother? i can't control what happens to me anyways." It's one of the underpinnings of major depression and c-PTSD.

I find it very interesting that Dazai apparently took no action of his own asides from trying to end his own life until Mori showed up and gave him an out - perhaps that's part of the reason Dazai remained loyal to Mori until he chose to sacrifice Odasaku. I heavily believe Mori, like always, was the preferable alternative to an already horrible situation. I've commented before on how Dazai is not proactive and has to be pushed into doing things. Much of the time, he doesn't seem to see a point to it. Either that, or he's actually got the whole situation under his control already, which ties into the main reason I think he came from this kind of powerless background - he's a huge control freak.

It starts with Mori. Dazai realizes he can threaten Mori into being afraid of him and it works. Then he tries to control Chuuya. That didn't go so well. Very annoying. Also a little bit threatening to him. He continues to try and one-up the guy. He did manage to manipulate the Sheep and then scare other members of the Mafia into fearing him. Good. He is in control. Then he honed his mind under Mori, so that he's always a step ahead. What's more, he already knew how to slap on a smile so everyone thinks he knows more than them even when he might not. He maintains this underlying control not just in his mafia days but also with the agency, which is, in my opinion, one of his major flaws that holds him back from developing as a person.

Thing is, if Dazai just liked feeling superior to others, I would expect his reaction towards being waylaid to be more anger-based. Sure, he can get irritated, but what we typically see more prominently is actually a flash of shock, desperation or fear - think of the Q chapter (shouting and racing back to intercept Atsushi as quickly as he could), 55 Minutes (his shocked and uncoordinated attempt to lash out after being stabbed), Fifteen (his expression at finding out Arahabaki's identity) - before he schools himself back under control. It comes across less as a desire for control and more of a pathological need for it - I wouldn't expect to see this reaction in someone who had control when they were younger.

As an addendum, it's also good to note that Dazai seems to be disgusted and feel more hatred (actually rare to see open expressions of these from him) for people who control others in some way - Fyodor, Q. Moreover, his respect for Chuuya, someone who similarly comes from a background of a lack of personal agency, is to openly offer him a choice in the form of a question. It's more than just performative; he really did try to come up with backup plans so that if Chuuya legitimately wanted an out, he could have it. When you draw the through lines, I think this makes sense.

#3: Dazai was an emotionally neglected child.

Alright, this is the last one and I'll try to be more brief about it. I mentioned that Dazai had to have picked up his ability to read the room and "sweet-talk" people into telling him things long before he met Mori, but I should also note that genuine matters of the heart seem to be incredibly foreign to him - as an example, his inability to understand how Rimbaud's concern for his partner could be such a powerful motivator for his actions. The answer to this is, of course, that one is fake niceties and the other is real connection. Dazai, being hyper-intelligent, likely picked up on social fakery from a young age but did not have the offset of real concern for his feelings or well-being as a necessary balance. It's interesting because Dazai is actually very skilled at picking up on other's feelings and dispositions even if he doesn't necessarily get it - his blind spot is actually his own feelings and how other people relate to him.

Emotional neglect is characterized by the absence of caregiver interactions in nurture, connection and response to distress. The caregiver consistently responds to the child's emotions by ignoring, dismissing or demeaning them, which leads the child to withdraw and believe their feelings are wrong and unimportant. They often struggle with relationships because they feel chronically disconnected, isolated and misunderstood.

Signs and symptoms of neglect include:

Low self-esteem

Odd emotional responses and poor regulation

An inability to ask for or accept support from others

A lack of language for describing feelings

Dissociation and "shutting-down" (lack of emotional responsivity)

Distrust of others

Persistent feelings of loneliness, guilt, and shame

Purposeful sabotaging of relationships in order to avoid rejection and hurt

It is also highly associated with anxiety, dissociative disorders, depressive disorders and c-PTSD. Um. Yeah. I don't think I really need to explain too much here.

Whenever Dazai attempts to be more sincere, it typically comes out kind of awkward. He stumbles over his offer to Rimbaud of fulfilling any last wishes or favours as he lays dying in Fifteen, awkwardly asks if him and Odasaku will meet again in Day I Picked Up Dazai, and hesitates trying to find the right words to reveal the truth to Chuuya about the resetting of his code on activation of Corruption in Stormbringer. It's like he has no frame of reference for how he should act or feel. In these cases, it legitimately comes across as him just not knowing.

More than that, Dazai is very... clingy. Like. When he gets to know someone he needs to invade their space. He needs so much attention. He pokes and prods at Chuuya incessantly. He rambles away to and is always in Oda and Ango's personal space. He annoys Kunikida to no end and is ridiculously happy when the man snaps and attacks him. Pops up behind Atsushi and generally gets in his space. Needs to cause some ruckus daily and have people react to it. Yeah. It's comedic in the context of the series but also... you know... you know.

In summary, I like theories that focus on Dazai as a human being with trauma. While I've seen some cool ones that wonder if he is not human or if he's connected to The Book, they don't sit right with me since I think his arc is all about realizing he is, in fact, human, and the ways in which trauma can mess you up and make you feel like an alien or a ghost or something inhumanly monstrous when you are not.

Dazai's consistent failures to live up to his own and others' standards of humanity become a lot more meaningful to me when he is... just a very screwed up guy who happens to be smart. Get what I mean?

Besides, The Book is already connected to a character here and that character is Atsushi!

I was not more brief about this... Oh well. Those are my thoughts. If you guys had the patience to read this whole thing - WOW! I'd love to know what you think!

Thank you for the question!

[cosmolog]

Imagine No Way Home ended with this scene.

Side Note: Y/n is a superhero who can teleport and slow down or even freeze time.

This imagine was literally me writing this while listening to this song and thinking, "every time I turn around you disappear" hmm, teleportation powers, she shall have!

Peter sat on a bench in a local park, the same park in which he helped Tony fight an alien from space. He remembers that moment with sadness. That was the start of his space journey, one which led to him blipping along with half the universe.

He remembers entering that afterlife place, seeing all those people freaking out at what had just occured. Until Strange had called up all the heroes and told them of the plan. The plan that led to the end of the war, and the end of Tony's life.

After that, Peter had gone back to being Spider-Man, though it ended in him making a fake friend and the betrayal of said friend.

Then all that led to Peter's identity being revealed to the entire world. Most people hated Peter for 'killing Mysterio', but only the people who truly believed in Spider-Man had the common sense to think, 'He wouldn't do such a thing. He's Spider-Man!'

And after visiting Strange about it, all went to shit. Spider-Men and their villains from different universes started leaking into Peter's universe.

So in order to set things right, Peter told Strange to make everyone forget he existed. Which worked a treat after some lovey dovey stuff.

So now, nobody knew who Peter was. He had tried and failed to tell his friends what happened, he didn't want to ruin their lives all over again.

Anyways. Present day.

As Peter sat, his eyes drifting between all the people around him. Some kids were playing with their dog, their mother keeping a watchful eye on them, a man was reading the New York Times, a woman doing a photoshoot with a guy behind the camera, the clicks of each shot rang through Peter's ears.

Suddenly, he felt another person sit down beside him, on the other end of the bench. "So this is what you're going to do all day" The girl, around Peter's age, spoke, also looking around the place.

Peter glanced at her. "Sorry, uh. Are you talking to me?" He asked, not seeing a phone to her ear.

She smiled, meeting his gaze. "I sure am" She replied.

"What do you mean by saying this is what I've been doing all day?" He asked. "I don't even know who you are"

"Apologies, Mr. Parker. I'm bad at communicating with fellow people. I'm Y/n L/n" She answered.

"How- How do you know me. Strange casted a spell, you're not meant to know me" Peter rushed, beginning to freak out.

"Did I forget to mention I'm not exactly human?" She asked, mentally kicking herself. "I'm sort of a superhero...? I don't know what else to call it. I can teleport and freeze time meaning my body can rip itself apart only to be put back together every time I teleport" She teleported all the way to the edge of the park, where Peter could spot her waving, before teleporting back to where she originally sat.

"Does it hurt?" Peter asked.

"No...Not really" She replied. "I got these....abilities when I touched a blue box. Which was I don't know how many years ago" She replied, crossing one leg over the other. "I was pretty stupid back then"

"We could've used you in the fight against Thanos, your skills would've come in handy" Peter said. "Why didn't you help?"

"Because I didn't even know there was a fight. You were on another planet. Plus, I don't want to be a superhero like you or have responsibilities like Steve Rogers" She said. "I just want my powers to be something I can use if I ever need to get away from danger or get others out of danger"

Peter paused for a moment. "How come Mr.Stark or Nick Fury didn't find you?" He asked.

"Have a good think about that one, Peter. Teleportation is very handy if nobody else can move as fast as you" She chuckled. "Nick Fury did find me once, he tried to make me join the Avengers and I wanted no part in that, even if they offered me all that money. I don't like feeling like people own me. I don't like being used as a human shield" She said.

"Okay, I see where you're coming from but I don't do it for the paycheck, heck, I don't get payed at all now. Being Spider-Man is great, I get to do my part ensuring the safety of everyone in New York and the World. And when I'm me, I get to hang out with my friends and go through normal life things like having a girlfriend. Well, at least I had a girlfriend and a life. But it's just Spider-Man, he's all I can be now. Everyday I wake up, and it's Spider-Man who goes about his day. I feel like Peter Parker stopped existing the moment I put on that suit for the first time" Peter ranted.

Y/n nodded in understanding. "Well...I remember you. So Peter Parker does exist, I'm living evidence of that. And I believe in you, always have always will"

"How do you know me?" Peter asked, titling his head slightly.

She shrugged. "This is gonna sound weird but I've seen you before, first in my dreams, then at school. And the thing is, my memory is so incredibly enhanced thanks to the tesseract, that not even a spell from the former Sorcerer Supreme could tamper with my head. It's very interesting, most of the stuff I know now, I just know because of that blue stone. I know everything there is to know about the universe. I can go anywhere I want. So you could say the stone protected me. Well, some of it, the rest is destroyed"

Peter huffed. "Huh" He muttered.

She suddenly sat up, leaning towards him, a smile on her face. "So, do you wanna catch some bad guys?" She asked.

[mackenzielovee]

princess - rafe cameron

a/n: this was a request from @gpiggy98 I hope I did your idea justice! please let me know if you enjoy!

Summary: You've got a crush on Rafe Cameron, but being from two different sides of the island, you know you have to keep it in.

Warnings: swearing, kissing, mentions of buying/consuming drugs

my writing

The Cut is your side of the island. It belongs to the Pogues. You and your friends don't like seeing any of the Kooks on your side of the island for any reason - which is why you can never understand the feeling that happens in your chest when you pull up to Barry's and see Rafe Cameron's bike sitting out front.

You buy weed from Barry for you and your friends - mainly JJ. He smokes a lot. And JJ always sends you to get more from Barry because you push your boobs up before you go in and wind up walking out with more weed for less money. Barry's a classic man, easy to manipulate with your body.

You walk up to the porch of Barry's place, seeing he and Rafe standing there, talking. You walk up and open the door, watching as the two of them turn around to look at you. Barry smiles, but you're too focused on Rafe's smirk when he sees you.

"Hey, boys," you greet.

"Afternoon, girly," Barry's still smiling at you, staring at the low cut top you have on.

"Hey, princess," Rafe teases you.

"Don't call me princess," you tell him, purposely using your pointer finger to tap on his chest. He smirks wider as you touch him.

"Sorry," he says, "Sweetheart."

You glare, but Barry starts talking before you can shoot back a response.

"Here for your usual?"

You nod, letting out a small 'yeah', watching Barry slip off into the trailer to get your shit.

"You still smoking Barry's shitty ass weed?" Rafe asks you, taking a seat and keeping his eyes on you.

"It's not shitty ass weed," you say, crossing your arms over your chest.

"Hmm," Rafe hums, "You sure do buy a lot of weed for one girl."

You look over at him and grin, "How come you're paying attention to my orders?"

Rafe shakes his head, breaking eye contact with you for the first time to glance at the floor. You caught him.

"It's not all for me," you continue, "It's for my friends."

"Ah," Rafe looks up again, "JJ Maybank, right? Something going on between the two of you?"

You make a disgusted face at him, immediately answering his question, "Hell no. He's my best friend."

"You can fuck your friends," Rafe grins.

You roll your eyes, "You can fuck anyone."

Rafe stands now, a playful smirk dancing on his lips as he steps over to you.

"Yeah?" he asks, his voice raspy.

"Oh hell no," Barry says from the doorway, "You two gotta get a room for that shit."

You and Rafe both are staring, not being able to get enough of one another. He breaks away first, sitting down on the couch again.

Barry steps over to you and hands you your shit, then mumbles out a number to you. You hand him the cash, then say thank you quickly.

"Well, I would've charged you less if it was me you were flirtin' with," Barry tells you, smirking.

"Maybe next time," you pat him on the shoulder.

"Go smoke that shitty ass weed, sweetheart," Rafe teases you, "We'll see you here in a few days."

You turn to him, laughing lightly at his comment. He smiles, happy he made you laugh.

"Count on it, Cameron. Thanks, Barry," you nod to him, then turn around and walk toward the door.

"And, hey," Rafe calls after you, you don't turn around, "If you're ever looking for something stronger, my door's always open. Princess."

He adds the last part just to get a reaction out of you, so you don't give him one. You bite your lip to hide a smile, then walk out without even glancing at him. You hear Barry say something to Rafe once you're off the porch, but you can't make it out.

You make it back to John B's  house quickly with the weed, tossing it to JJ to start rolling up.

"Yo, thank God," JJ smiles when it falls into his lap, "How much?"

"Twenty," you reply, "I even pushed my boobs up, too."

JJ snickers, "Damn, that usually works."

Kie rolls her eyes, unable to understand why you allow JJ to use you to get drugs for him because of your body. John B comes out onto the porch, greeting you.

"Pope, you gonna smoke with us, brother?" JJ teases him, knowing Pope doesn't smoke.

"Keeping the signal clear, JJ," Pope replies, keeping his nose in his book out on the hammock.

"Rafe was there," you tell them, trying to keep your expression emotionless, so as not to give away your little crush on him.

"Asshole," JJ mutters under his breath.

Your eyes shoot up and look at the blonde boy, who's too busy focusing on rolling a joint to notice. You shrug, gaining the attention of Kiara.

"He's not that bad," you say.

"Did he say anything to you?" Kie asks, her voice sounding like she's ready to kick Rafe's ass if he had done anything bad.

"He told me Barry sells shitty weed," you mumble.

You almost regret bringing it up, always forgetting that your friends hate him so much. Every run in with the Kooks has mostly involved Topper - like the night Topper and John B fought at the beach. Rafe wasn't even involved.

"What the fuck would Rafe Cameron know about weed?" JJ snickers, "And why is he even chilling with Barry?"

"I think he does some harder shit," you speak up, ignoring Kiara's lingering stare, "That's the impression I got, anyway."

Kiara's glare turns into a smirk as you look down at your lap again, fumbling with the hem of your shirt.

"You sure do know a lot about him," Kiara says, her smirk only widening when your cheeks turn pink.

You just shrug, not really knowing what to say to defend yourself. Kie lets it go, thankfully, you just sit back and wait for JJ to deliver you a blunt. When he finally hands it to you, you hope and pray that you can smoke away a crush.

You spent the night at John B's and then hung out in the morning, taking off for your house later on in the afternoon. John B offered to drive you, but you told him it was fine. You could tell he wanted to go out on the boat with JJ, anyway.

The walk turns brutal quickly. It's humid as hell and you can feel sweat greasing your forehead only a few steps in. It's not too far of a walk, you keep telling yourself.

The sound of a car coming behind you doesn't even phase you at first. You just keep going, reaching up to wipe sweat from your neck. As you hear it get closer to you, you spin around and glance, noticing the truck. And the boy in the driver's seat.

"Hey, princess," Rafe smirks as he rolls the window down, "Need a ride?"

You stop and take a deep breath, taking in the sight of him and realizing your crush is not going away any time soon.

"Is it that obvious?" you reply, wiping sweat from your forehead.

Rafe smirks, "Get in."

You sigh and nod, then walk around the front of the truck to hop in the passenger side. You see the grin on Rafe's face and shake your head, wondering what the hell he's thinking.

"What are you even doing on our side of the island?" you ask him once you're inside.

"Heading to Barry's," he replies.

He tears his eyes away from you and puts the truck in drive, intentionally reaching out and setting his hand on the headrest of your seat. You notice him move out of the corner of your eye, but you don't mention it to him.

"You're there a lot," you state, then silently curse yourself for making such an obvious observation.

"He gives me drugs a lot," Rafe laughs, but it sounds more sarcastic to you than funny.

Silence falls over the car, as you don't really know what to say in response. You can tell Rafe feels uncomfortable with it because he starts shifting in his seat.

"So," Rafe starts up again, "Are you going to the movie thing tomorrow night?"

You steal a glance at him, and he steals one at you, so you both look away. Rafe tries to hold in a smile, and so do you.

"Yeah," you reply, "All of us are. Take a left up here."

Rafe nods his head, glancing over at you again, "All of us?"

"Yeah, all of us," you repeat, finally gaining the courage to look at him again. You smirk, knowing he wants to know who that entails, but aren't telling him. He grins at you and shakes his head.

"Maybank? John B? That nerdy kid?"

"His name is Pope," you correct, laughing when Rafe rolls his eyes.

"Okay, whatever. But you're going?" he questions.

"Yes," you reply, smiling at him when he looks over at you.

"Maybe I'll see you there," he's teasing you now, and you know it.

You don't answer him, which you know will drive him crazy, you just look back out onto the road and then point.

"Take a right up there, and then it's the third house on the left."

Rafe nods and obeys your instructions, not saying anything else about movie night. When he pulls up in front of your driveway, he shuts the truck off completely.

"You know," he starts, "You could come to Barry's with me. Hang out. Try some better shit than that fucking weed."

You laugh and shake your head as you reach over and hit him on the shoulder. He takes a risk and reaches up as you do this, grabbing your hand and taking it in his.

"I mean it," he says, his voice more serious than it was before.

You stare at him, at his eyes, and your face drops from the laughter. You can feel his skin on yours, and you'd be lying if you said you hated it.

"I can't," you say finally, "I haven't been home in, like, two days."

He looks at you, confused, then his eyes drop and he releases your hand.

"You've been with them," he figures out, "Which one are you with, then, if not Maybank?"

You look at him like he's crazy, but he refuses to look up at you again. He's just staring at the spot on the seat of the truck that has a stain on it.

"I'm not with any of them," you tell him.

You watch his eyes slowly glance up to look at you, trying to figure out if you are serious or not.

"But you're sleeping there?"

"On the couch," you tell him, then add, "Alone."

He nods his head, still not entirely convinced. You're not sure why you even feel the need to explain yourself to him, because you know it's none of his business. But, for some reason, you just really care about what he thinks.

"Have you ever done anything with any of them? he asks, his voice quiet.

"No," you say, your voice strong, "And I wouldn't, either."

"Okay."

You aren't sure what to say or do, so you just reach out and grab the door handle to get out of the truck.

"Thank you for the ride," you tell him.

"Anytime," he gives you a small smile.

You pull open the door and hop out, then look up to him again before you close the door.

"So, see you tomorrow night?" you ask.

Rafe breaks out into a grin after that. Of course, his smile makes you smile.

"Absolutely, princess," he's laughing now.

You roll your eyes and flip him off, then shut the door and start up the driveway. You know he's watching you, so you don't turn around. Just to drive him crazy.

The next night at movie night, you can't help but continue to glance around and see if Rafe has arrived yet. Pope and JJ have been acting strange ever since you all arrived, and to make it worse, John B had bailed on coming.

"Okay, what is with the two of you?" Kiara asks Pope and JJ as they keep looking over their shoulder.

"Nothing, Kie, Jesus," JJ mutters.

"Really? Because it seems like you fucked up," she snaps back. She knows better than to believe JJ when he says nothing is wrong.

"Kiara, please," Pope says, a fearful look in his eye. Kie just rolls her eyes in response, telling herself that what she doesn't know can't hurt her.

"I'm going to get something to drink," you stand, "Anyone else?"

"Coke, please," Kiara says, holding up cash in the air for you to grab.

"Boys?" you ask, but they're too busy whispering to each other, so you walk away.

The second you get a place in line, you see him. He's with Topper and Kelce, of course, but you can't help raking your eyes over him. He looks so good to you, and you're not used to that. He glances over and sees you just a second later, catching you red handed. He says something to the boys and then starts walking toward you, immediately making your stomach flip.

"Hey," he says once he gets to you, "What's up?"

You shrug, trying to play it cool, "I'm on drink duty."

Rafe smiles, and you watch as he then glances over at your friends.

"Hey, uh, JJ and... um," he trails off.

"Pope," you remind him, watching as he snaps his fingers once you tell him.

"Pope, yes, um, JJ and Pope didn't happen to mention anything to you about what they did, did they?" he asks, staring at you for any sign of deception.

"What are you talking about?" you say, staring right back.

Rafe quickly shakes his head and changes his expression, "Nothing. Just curious."

"What-" you start, but Topper comes up behind Rafe and interrupts.

"Excuse me," Topper grins, and you can tell without even smelling him that he's been drinking, "Do you mind if I borrow him? Dude, super hot girls, ten o'clock."

You look down at the ground, breaking your stare with Rafe. You don't hear Rafe say anything, but after a second, Topper pulls him away.

"What are you doing, talking up a Pogue?" you hear Topper ask him as they walk off.

You can't help but feel slightly hurt that after all of the daydreaming you did about seeing Rafe here, that that was all you were going to get. You know Topper is an asshole, but you never imagined Rafe would be, too.

You get the drinks and popcorn for yourself, the return back over to the boys, but before you can even sit, JJ grabs your arm and pulls you down.

"Why were you talking to Rafe?" he asks you, his voice urgent.

"He was asking me if I'd heard from Barry," you lie quickly, "Why?"

You want to know what the hell is going on, but you want the truth from the boys.

"No reason," Pope says, waving you off.

You send a glance to Kiara, silently telling her that something is going on. You know it must be bad if the two of them are keeping secrets from you and Kie.

"Liars," you mutter, but they're too wrapped up in themselves to hear.

You go and sit by Kie, not even noticing that Rafe and his friends have chosen to sit directly behind you guys. You feel something hit your back, and when you turn, Rafe is smirking widely at you. Popcorn lies in the grass just behind you. You glance at Topper and notice that he and Kelce are both turned around talking to girls, which is probably the only reason Rafe is trying to get your attention.

You know you can't speak, because his friends and yours will all hear. So, instead, you take some of your popcorn and throw it back, careful that Kiara is still staring at her phone. Rafe laughs and moves to the side, avoiding your throw. He throws one pieces at you, and while you're busy ducking from that one, he tosses another one. It hits you, making him laugh loudly.

Of course, that attracts attention. You hear Pope gasp beside you, and then he and JJ frantically whispering to one another. Topper turns around, too, eyeing you. He punches Rafe in the arm and mutters something, but you can't hear it. When Topper goes back to the girls, Rafe rolls his eyes and shrugs at you.

Before you can silently respond, Kiara turns and looks to you, which makes you face forward to avoid suspicion.

Once the movie begins, you relax. You finally have something to focus on other than the fact that Rafe is six feet away from you. Throughout the movie, you can feel pieces of popcorn hit your back every so often, and occasionally, you pretend to glance over your shoulder and fire one back. With all of the eyes looking around the two of you, you know you have to be careful.

About halfway through the movie, JJ and Pope get up and start to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Kiara whispers to them.

JJ turns around, "We gotta piss."

Kiara looks at you and makes a face, wondering if you found it as weird as she did.

"Are you gonna hold it for each other?" she hisses.

"Shut up, Kie," JJ replies, rolling his eyes.

You shrug at her, turning your attention back to the movie. It dawns on you that you haven't felt anything hit you in a minute, so you glance slightly behind you to see what's going on. You half spin turns into a whole spin around when you notice that Rafe and the boys aren't sitting there anymore. You turn to Kie and point, silently asking her what the hell is going on.

"Something's definitely wrong," you say to her.

You both stand up and head off into the direction the boys went, which is behind the screen of the movie. The tree they had gone to has nobody near it, so you start looking around. That's when you hear it.

"Topper, get off of him!"

"Over here," Kie grabs your arm and pulls you, heading in the direction that the voice came from.

Once you both get behind the screen, you see the boys. They're punching and yelling like crazy, and while you know you should be worried about JJ and Pope, all you can look for is Rafe. Pope and Rafe are going at it, but all you can see is Pope hitting Rafe, not the other way around. Kiara jumps in and goes to help JJ, so you run to Pope.

"Y/N!" Pope yells out to you, his voice relieved.

"Get off of him, Pope!" you yell, grabbing ahold of his shirt and yanking him away.

Pope stares at you, confusion and betrayal written all over his face. Rafe backs up, wiping blood from his lip and nose. A fire erupts on the movie screen, making the other boys stop and let go of JJ.

"What the fuck!" Pope screams at you, "Why are you protecting him?"

Topper rushes over and grabs ahold of Rafe, Kelce not far behind.

"Let's get out of here, man," Topper tells him, but Rafe holds back.

"I'm sorry," you say to Pope, but it seems to fall on deaf ears. JJ steps over beside Pope, bloody and beaten.

"Why did you do that?" Pope presses. You look around at your friends, not even bothering to look at Rafe.

"Pope-"

"No fucking bullshit, Y/N. Why the fuck would you pull me off of him?"

"Because I care about him, all right?" you shout, blowing up without even meaning to, "I'm falling for him and I fucked up, Pope."

Kie joins the boys, and you watch as they all stare at you like a complete stranger. You hear Topper crack up behind you, but the tears are already stinging your eyes at this point. You're sure Rafe and the boys will run off and laugh about this whole thing.

So, instead, you decide to take off first. You turn away from your friends and look to Rafe only for a second before you run away from all of them.

"Aww," you hear Topper snicker.

You make it far quickly, not stopping for anything. The tears are really falling now, and there's nothing you can do to stop them. You just want to get back to your house, fall asleep, and never think about this night again. You curse yourself for being so stupid in the first place. Someone like Rafe Cameron could never have feelings for you.

"Y/N!" you hear, but you don't stop until you hear it again.

You turn around and wipe your cheeks and eyes out, not knowing what to think when you see Rafe rushing toward you. You swallow, scared he's going to make fun of you.

"Hey," he says once he reaches you, "You run pretty fast."

"Well, tell Topper it comes with being a Pogue," you snap, embarrassed that your voice comes out nasally because of the crying.

"Hey, now," Rafe reaches out and grabs onto your arms, which confuses you. After what you just admitted, how could he want to touch you?

"Rafe-" you start, but he shakes his head.

"Don't you dare apologize," he says, his voice soft, "I haven't even told you how I feel yet."

Your eyes grow wide as he speaks, but you're sure he'll just tell you that you two are better off friends. How could he not?

"You don't have to say anything," you say, sounding ashamed. The last thing you want is to have the pity conversation with him.

"Yes, I do," he says, bringing one hand up to your face to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear, "I feel the same way. Honest. I never, ever stop thinking about you-"

"If you're lying-" you start, but he hushes you.

"I'm not, all right? Why do you think I hang out at Barry's so much? It's because I never know when you're coming around, and the last thing I wanna do is miss you when you do. Believe me, Barry's not that cool to hang with."

You laugh, and it somehow seems to make all the tension in the air go away. Rafe grins at you and pulls you in by the back of your neck for a hug, allowing him to breathe in your scent.

"I think we should give it a shot," he states, speaking softly against your head. You can feel his lips moving against your scalp, and it oddly relaxes you.

"Really?" you ask, practically melting Rafe's heart.

"Absolutely, princess," he smirks, giving you a short kiss on the top of your head.

You look up at him and he looks down at you, and before either of you know it, he's shoving you back against a tree with his lips on yours. Everything about him seems to intoxicate you - better than any shitty ass weed Barry can provide. Rafe's lips against yours make you feel like you're on the best high of your life.

After a few minutes, Rafe breaks the kiss and stares down at you, observing your pink lips.

"You with me?" he asks you, catching his breath.

"Hell yes," you reply, letting your lips fall in the same spot as they sat before.

With him.

[willel]

I thought Hopper and Bob were stated to be old friends from high school even though they didn't exactly cross paths. Maybe like you said, they knew each other but did not exactly talk while Bob was secretly crushing on Joyce. Hmm... I wonder how they're gonna portray that then? Because from what we know, Joyce did not exactly have a connection to Bob until later on. Are they gonna just kinda change that? If that's not the case it would mean that we're just gonna most likely see Joyce and Hopper together instead, with a little bit of Bob, also I am not sure how correct it is but the wiki says that Bob was classmates with Joyce and Hopper, which is ig interesting. I do not think Bob would be 2-3 years old younger than Hopper or Joyce though because it is said that Hopper and Bob knew each other and were friends to an extent, I think they must have been in the same year for them to meet, but I am not sure. I just wonder how they're gonna connect their dynamic together since Joyce is said to be unaware of Bob's existence whereas Hopper seems to have a more connection to Bob when they were in highschool.

I'm imagining a situation where Hopper is the kid that kinda talks to everyone but isn't exactly super close friends with anyone? The one that's always chill but doesn't get too close.

So it'd make sense if he was friends or friendly with both Bob and Joyce but Joyce and Bob never actually crossed paths/met face to face.

One hour he's skipping class smoking cigarettes with Joyce under the stairs. The next hour he's with Bob in the library as Bob is trying to help him write a paper.

Next hour, I guess he's screwing a girl in the back of his dad old car as he claim he did in season 1.

If I had to guess what they're going to do with Bob, he's going to be connected to Hopper, who is connected to Joyce. Maybe it's possible out of all the kids, Bob is the one that interacted with Henry once or twice. He created and looked over the middle school AV club after all and that seems like something Henry would be interested in.

Then again, I don't think Henry was THAT into it because Will was able to use morse code to get by the Mind Flayer's mental block on him. If Henry knew Will was using morse code, surely he would've stopped him from doing that too. Then again, he was only there for a month, so it's not like Henry could've memorized morse code that quick. It could fit actually.

Bob really cared a lot about the whole outcast thing and being bullied. And how he never stood up to his bullies and admired that Joyce did. I dunno. I can see that coming into play.

Imagine a repeat of season 2. Bob telling Henry,

Bob: If my parents treated me that way. I would stand up to them once and for all. You get me? Don't be afraid to talk to your parents.

Henry: Oh ok. -goes home later that night and tries to murder everyone-

Bob seeing the news: Oh... his parents really were terrible. His dad ended up murdering him. :C

Pfff. Random thought don't take it too seriously. But anyway.

As for the same year thing, that's not necessarily true. Take Robin for example. I think she's a year behind Steve but shared at least 1 class with him. Depending on the high school, the subject, and the student, it's not odd for there to be younger and older students together in the same class. I wouldn't be surprised if Bob was super smart and was put into some higher level classes. Not sure if the concept of "AP class" existed back then but maybe it did.

So it'd be like:

Bob - direct interactions with Henry encouraging him to defend himself, much like he did for Will

Hopper - No interactions with Henry but has interactions with Bob, Joyce, and his parents. We got a lot of Hopper exposition in the show already to be honest so I don't think we need too much more

Joyce - No interactions with Henry or Bob but interacts with Hopper . Will probably learn about her family dynamics and how she came to know Lonnie. May have very indirect connections to the Creel tragedy.

Henry - Might barely appear to be honest, might be more focused on Virginia Creel and an occasional scene with Bob or something

At the very least could make for some fun fanfiction one shots!