#i apologize that this makes no sense actually

[moonstruckme]

hi maeeee!! can i request a poly! marauders where maybe reader is fighting with only one them and the others are shocked when they find out and try their very best to fix it even though things are quite tense? thanks maeeeee ilyyyy💐💐💐

Thanks for your patience with this one angel! It's not as angsty as I planned when I started writing it, but I hope you enjoy it <3

poly!marauders x fem!reader ♡ 1.8k words

It’s James who finds you this time. You’re curled up in a corner of the couch, pretending to read whilst secretly feeling sorry for yourself. Your boyfriend sits next to you, touching your shoulder so that you turn to him for a kiss. 

“Still upset?” he asks after a peck. 

You ignore the complicated, knotty feeling that makes itself known in your chest. “Not at you.” 

“No, I know.” James smiles a little, gifting you another kiss. “I’d be coming in here with my tail between my legs if you were. I’d hate to be on the wrong side of either you or Rem’s wrath.” 

You stay quiet. You wouldn’t go so far as to call what you’re feeling wrath���that seems a tad dramatic to describe the low flame of vexation you’ve been burning for your tallest boyfriend—but you don’t feel like opening yourself up to the subject with James. You’ve already heard it from Sirius this morning. 

“Angel.” James gives your shoulder a cajoling squeeze. “Come on, when are the two of you going to get past this? It’s very awkward sleeping in the same bed with two people who are quarreling, you know.” 

“We sleep exactly the same as every other night.” 

“There’s underlying tension,” he counters lightly. You roll your eyes, and James laughs. “Oi, don’t get cross with me now, too. I’m just telling you about my lived experience.” He leans his head on your shoulder, all sweetness and treachery. “You’re really not gonna forgive him? You know he’s gonna stick you with Sirius in the divorce.” 

You huff a laugh. James grins up at you hopefully. You know there’s some sense to what he’s saying; one of you has to be the bigger person eventually. It had started small, a stupid disagreement, but you and Remus are each stubborn and petty enough to not want to admit where you were wrong. Now you’re more angry with him for being angry with you than for anything else. 

When you think of his coldness to you—never mind the fact that you’ve been cold to him in turn—that flame of vexation burns a little brighter. 

“I don’t know why you’re over here trying to convince me,” you tell James. “I won’t have any problem forgiving him if he actually apologizes.” 

James sighs. You look down at your book to avoid his disappointment. 

“Okay, then. But he does feel really bad, so you know. He’s in the bedroom with one of his headaches, and he asked if you were still upset with him.” You look up. James levels you with a weighted look. “Could probably really use a cuddle, if you two were on good terms.” 

James is at least only somewhat smug when you abandon your book to go to the bedroom. You pass Sirius in the hall, who gives you a smile and a firm peck on the lips, likely having just left Remus himself. You enter the bedroom expecting to see the curtains drawn, lights off, and your poorly boyfriend in bed, but instead Remus is standing, well lit by the daylight streaming in through the windows, book tented on the bed still made from this morning. He appears as though he was just on his way out. 

“Erm, hi,” he says, brows pulled together in the middle. He looks to be studying you. “Are you alright?” 

“Fine,” you answer, bemused. “Are…are you?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” 

The door clicks shut behind you. You startle at the sound, not having closed it yourself. Then, you watch as a resigned sort of irritation comes over Remus’ features at the same time as it settles into you. 

“Pricks.” He moves past you to the door, jiggling the handle. “It only locks from the inside, you twats.” 

“Love you too,” comes Sirius’ voice. “You can come out after you kiss and make up.” 

“And say you’re sorry!” adds James. 

Remus scowls. 

“Open it,” you tell him. 

“What do you think I’m trying to do? One of them is holding it shut.” 

“Let me try.” 

“Be my guest.” Remus steps back, letting you have a go at the handle. By putting everything you have into it you manage to twist it, but you can’t get it open even an inch. 

“Don’t hurt yourself, gorgeous.” Sirius sounds smug enough to make your face feel hot. “James is holding it on the other side here, a few more minutes and you’ll make him break a sweat.” 

You let go of the handle with a huff, turning and stalking towards the bedroom window. You start moving the desk out of your way. 

“Would you really rather climb out the window than be in a room with me?” asks Remus. You look over your shoulder, and he’s sitting on the bed, side-eyeing you with his back propped against the pillows. 

“It’s not about you.” You shove your hip into the desk, budging it enough for you to get at the window latch. “They lied and made me feel all guilty just so they could lock us in here.” 

“What’d they tell you?”

You try to get your fingernail behind the latch. “It doesn’t matter.” 

“Sirius had me thinking you were quite upset.” 

“Yeah, and probably that I was asking after you, right? James told me you had a bad headache.” 

A chuckle. “That was enough to make you come in here looking so flustered?” 

“My mistake,” you huff, but it turns to a short whimper when your nail breaks. “Christ, you’d think they’d make these easier to open. What if there was a fire?” 

“Don’t go out the window,” Remus says calmly. “You’ll ruin your tights.” 

You work another nail behind the latch. “I can’t just let them win.” 

“Mm. That’s a bit of a problem for you, is it?” 

A bitter coolness settles over you. You turn, crossing your arms. “Something to say?” 

Remus picks up his book, cornering a page. “Just making an observation, is all.” 

“Remus,” you say sternly. “Don’t act like you’re any better. You could’ve apologized at any time.” 

Your boyfriend levels you with a look. “Would that really have made a difference?”

“Yes!” 

“Honestly?” He looks like he doesn’t believe you. “All I have to do is say I’m sorry, and you’ll forget about all of this and be completely happy with me?” 

You shake your head, bewildered. “…Yeah. I mean, I would want to know that you understood how you hurt my feelings, but yeah. Really, it’s not that complicated.” 

Remus’ expression softens. “I do understand that, dove. Do you understand how you hurt mine?” 

“I…” You find you can’t quite look at him. “I imagine it’s sort of similar. Because I’ve been cold to you.” 

“And because you wouldn’t hear me out,” he says. It doesn’t sound like I told you so, not smug so much as gentle. “But it was a small thing to begin with, wasn’t it? I’m ready to be past it.” 

You frown at him. “It’s not about the argument for me. I’m already past that, it’s just everything else.” 

Remus considers you. “Would you come here, please?” 

You swear you wouldn’t go if he didn’t sound so kind. But you find yourself with your legs curled underneath you on the bed in front of him, Remus coaxing your hands into his. 

“I’m sorry I hurt your feelings,” he says sincerely, looking you in the eyes. “It was a silly argument, and I shouldn’t have been so stubborn.” 

You chew the inside of your cheek, sizing up whether he means it. “I…also could have been less stubborn,” you admit begrudgingly. Your tone softens. “I’m sorry I hurt your feelings, too. I didn’t mean to.” 

“I know, sweetheart.” Remus’ touch coasts from your hands up your arms as he pulls you closer to kiss your forehead. “Are we okay?” 

“Yeah,” you say, mollified. 

He smiles at you. “Hear that?” he says towards the door. “You can let us out now.” 

There’s no response. 

Remus frowns as you get out of bed, going to try the handle. The door comes open, revealing and empty hallway. 

“Pricks,” Remus mutters. 

You find your boyfriends in the living room, James flicking through channels on the telly while Sirius reads the back cover of your book. James notices you first. 

“Oh, hello.” He grins at you as Sirius looks over. “All sorted, then?” 

You’re half tempted to pretend you didn’t make up just to spite them. When you look over at Remus, you suspect he’s thinking the same thing. 

“That was sort of mean, lying to me like that,” you say to James instead. 

He looks a bit contrite, but Sirius says insouciantly, “You were never gonna do it by yourselves, babe. We weren’t ready to start divvying up the furniture because you wanted to have a row.” 

You kiss your teeth. “I think I might be having a row with you now.” 

“What, us?” James’ eyebrows rise above the frames of his glasses. “What for?” 

“You lied to us both to make us feel bad,” Remus reminds him, “and then locked us in the bedroom.” 

Sirius isn’t impressed. “Well, it wasn’t really locked, was it. If you’d gotten desperate, you could’ve taken it off the hinges. Or just checked again after a couple minutes.” 

“She broke her nail trying to get the window open.” 

You hold up your torn fingernail as proof. Sirius coos, reaching for your finger and bringing it to his lips while you scowl at him. 

“Sorry, lovie. We had a plan to bring you food in a couple hours,” says James. “We were even going to let you out for bathroom breaks if you needed to go.” 

“Really, you wrapped it up much quicker than we were expecting,” Sirius praises. He’s still holding your finger, drawing his thumb up and down the side in easy, consoling strokes. “We thought you’d ice each other out until supper at least. I’m quite proud of you.” 

Remus scoffs. 

“Oh, come now.” Sirius grins. “Give us a kiss.” 

You roll your eyes but turn to Remus, extricating your finger from Sirius’ grasp to meet him in a chaste kiss. 

The other boys cheer. “There we are!” James tilts his face up expectantly. “Now one for me.” 

You and Remus exchange a look. 

“No,” you say coolly, “I don’t think so.” The two of you go to sit on the far side of the couch, away from both Sirius and James with you curled against Remus’ side. He looks a tad smug as he puts his arm around you. 

“Oi!” says Sirius. “Look what you’ve done, you’ve made James pull his sad puppy face. What do you have to say for yourselves?” 

“You lied to us,” you say again, slowly, with emphasis, “and locked us in the bedroom.” 

Sirius scoffs. “So dramatic.” 

“Oh, that’s rich.” 

“Will it help if we say sorry?” James asks meekly. 

Remus looks at you. You shrug. 

“Maybe,” he says. “You’re more than welcome to try and find out.”

[onlymimiwastaken]

Warrior Penelope stuff cause I've been listening to too many EPIC genderbent covers, and I wanted to give my take on it (also cuz I kinda want to draw it one day)

- Ares as Penelope's patron, absolutely! But Ares was never too worshipped in Greece, not even in Sparta (no one kinda gave a shit about him except for during war and thought he was kinda gross). So my lore take version thing is that ATHENA wanted to be Penelope's patron (she had already an eye on Ody kinda) but Ares saw his chance, got to it first and became attached to Penelope without wanting to admit it, also because she saw the good and useful in him. Athena still watches over Penelope (especially after her and Ares platonically break up, which she finds really stupid) and is the one who does her best to protect Ithaca while she's gone. She's by Ody's side while he misses his wife and is mostly the reason why the Suitors hadn't taken over yet.

- To get Ares to realize his mistake, Athena tricks him into helping Telemachus defeat Antinous in Little Wolf because free bloodshed, only to end up sensitized by Telemachus because holy shit, my friend's son is here almost dying to this ASSHOLE who thinks he's so much stronger than MY friend the queen and even me like who tf does he think he is. Athena makes Ares fucking rational for once. And maybe even Aphrodite, as well, gets some damn sense in his mind like "they love each other like you and I and my girl is doing her best to get home you're going to apologize rn"

- ctimene holds a claymore double her height with no problems

- penelope is more "cold ruthless" than Odysseus, in a way that she's still poised (until the end or when she's really brought to her knees which is disturbing) while doing merciless stuff. She's emotionless a lot more (just on the surface)

- Ares was the one to give Penelope the idea of going to war instead of Odysseus, for obvious reasons. And Pen is really a mastermind among the Greeks ofc

- Ares and Pen fought in their My Goodbye version because she "held back her power while her friends got devoured" "she didn't even fight Polyphemus, didn't even TRY to kill him" "hid behind her wits to get things done". Because when fighting Polyphemus, she knew that if she tried to kill Polyphemus while he was asleep, they'd be stuck in that cave forever (like in the real Odyssey). And knew that fighting while her friends got killed would slow them down and probably get more people dead. And when they ran away, she didn't go back to kill the Cyclops even if she could've because of yes, mercy, but also because she would've awakened all the other Cyclops and sailing away was faster, better. Ares deemed this cowardice. Crazy thing, since one of the most important things to him is courage.

- Ares overstimates Penelope's power. Like, yes, she's exceptional, but still HUMAN. With her limits. He hasn't dealt with a human personally in years so he doesn't understand this, so his expectations are ridiculously high, which ends up breaking Penelope.

- During 600 strike, Penelope can actually breathe underwater and not hold her breath for such a long time and be fine because she's half naiad (yes, they are fresh water nymphs but still). Also this may make her even stronger around water (to a certain degree, she's still very mortal)

- calypso is pansexual

this is already a lot, ill add more when i think about it lol (also if i realize any of these ideas don't make sense)

[simplegeneral]

While I loved to watch season 3, a lot of things kinda cut off my vibes, and one of them was Raishan, I do think she is a downgrade.

For starters, their meeting was a mess, its kinda what I expected, but just because Keyleth says no, they all agree with her, not even Percy, a notable pragmatic voice in the campaign, even stands up to try to say something.

They only start thinking about the benefits of allying with Raishan, AFTER their meeting, instead of you know, WITH her. They just keep passively-mostly-aggressively kinda working with her anyways?

And this meeting makes even less sense as they are reaching to the final of the season, with Keyleth going to... apologize? To a mass murderer? That gotta to be one of the most contrived and nonsensical conflicts I ever saw, an infinite downgrade compared to Vax and Vex just uncovering her plot.

Keyleth just started acting as if Raishan was just misunderstood, poor girl (I mean, I feel for her, ngl xD), but no, that's an brutal 180º on Keyleth's character, with barely any sense, all Raishan did was to put Vox Machina in trouble after trouble that mostly they escaped due to plot armor.

I also overall didn't liked Raishan attacking Keyleth just for the lols, she in the original was pragmatic, and keeping faithful, would mostly likely just accept Keyleth's apology and move on with her plan. Then Vox Machina would stop her, because they went after her for no reason in the campaign, Raishan was a non-threat, but well, villains gotta be defeated, one way or another. (Kinda wanted to see Raishan in c2).

The ending was alright, I just thought that she exchanging bodies with Thordak was a bit of a lazy premise to end up defeating her with her disease.

I understand this all could be from smahing hours and hours and hours of campaign into 20 minutes episodes, but some of the changes, I thought Raishan in the original was a better character overall, she was the villain I love to see, a mastermind, she is not too evil, just maybe too pragmatic, willing to do anything whatsoever to achieve her goals.

TLOVM Raishan is probably really wondering Vox Machina's mental sanity, as much as she wonders what is left of Thordak's. They keep giving her mix signs of cooperation or conflict. Poor girl is just lost, and I love she just keeps trying her best, despite the very confusing signs they give her.

She ends up being kinda of a very compelling anti-hero, that I actually liked more about TLOVM Raishan than the original.

I'm not even going to try to pretend that the Thordak - Raishan Dracolich thing wasn't rad as fuck. Because it was. It was rad as fuck. But I can't help but feel it undercuts a bit of what made Raishan cool in the stream.

She is the only female dragon in the Chroma Conclave. She is the smallest member, physically the weakest, and diseased besides. But she turned out to be easily the most dangerous and deadly dragon of the bunch, just through her smarts and her magic.

(Spoilers for Campaign One under the cut.)

While everyone was still spent from Thordak's defeat, she hit Vex, Vax, and Keyleth with a spell that literally called down meteors that did 101 points of damage, even after all three made the save. The group had to wait until the next session to find out if Vex was still even alive. In her last solo battle, she used invisibility to deadly effect. Cutting her off from her spells was the only thing that gave them a chance.

And what makes Raishan dangerous in TLOVM is her...stealing the body of a much bigger and physically stronger male counterpart. Okay.

This doesn't eradicate Raishan's original cool factor. She is smart enough, knowledgeable enough, and deceptive enough to pull off the body swap, after all. But in the stream, she was such a dangerous, unstoppable foe all on her own that I can't help but see her TLOVM incarnation as a downgrade.

[joons]

okay no wait, I'm so curious your thoughts on the elvis mythology! I'm trying to think of an example haha. anyway, thank you for that food for thought. your takes on elvis are so interesting and kind of a different perspective than I normally see

Thank you! That means a lot because I do love going into his psychology and thinking about how he thought about things. And I love being able to engage with Elvis stuff from all different angles!

I can think of a few - like there will be people who were close to him who make such absolute statements about him: he refused to wear blue jeans, he hated eating fish, he loved eating peanut butter/banana/bacon sandwiches, he was afraid of germs, he wouldn't sleep with women who were mothers. But not all of those are true for him 100% of the time, or they seem to be big outliers where no one else has reported anything like that. And as you read more, you can see moments where he behaves differently than these big eccentricities that people pin on him, and you have to think about why that might be. You pick up little clues that you can put together to figure out what he meant. Did he have an almost pathological dislike of blue jeans because they reminded him of his childhood poverty, or did he just tell one of his band members that because he had made a brusque joke about the guy wearing blue jeans in front of a bunch of people and wanted to find a way to apologize without apologizing? Was he covering up behavior he was ashamed of, or was he revealing the real shame that drove him to look his best and make sure his entourage looked their best too? Did he actually have an aversion to women after they had given birth (unlikely, since he had relationships with several mothers), or did he want to give Priscilla a reason for avoiding her that she couldn't work around, knowing that she always went overboard trying to change herself to get his attention and getting rid of things she thought were coming between them (his spiritual books/Larry Geller/etc.)? Was this just one of a long line of excuses he made for not truly being in love with her and not wanting to try anymore? Did he actually eat the same sandwich every day, or did he just make a big deal about it one time because it was Lisa's birthday and he wanted to fly her somewhere special? And the other stuff he did eat every day, did he do it because it was one of the few things in his life he had control over, and could extract comfort from, or did he do it because, as he told Larry, he wanted to make himself sick of it so that it would no longer be a temptation? And how much of these conversations are either hearsay or someone putting words in his mouth to absolve themselves of something that bothered them?

The long and short of it is that people have sometimes reported things he said or did without any surrounding context, or it gets stripped away when it's reported elsewhere, and we are left with these moments that don't make sense or tell us anything about him unless we see how he dealt with them throughout his life, around different people, and see him as a whole person and not the Elvis Image that he tended to embrace when it suited him and resent when it hurt him. A really great moment that I think shows how Elvis tended to approach things is reported by Steve Binder, where he said Parker was telling Elvis absolutely not to do something, and Steve felt like Elvis just kind of shut down and mumbled "yes" until Parker left, and then Elvis' eyes flashed and he turned to Steve and said, "Fuck him," and did what he wanted to do. He was a people pleaser! A huge one! He valued loyalty above honesty. He was willing to lie to people he cared about if he felt that it would avoid a confrontation, and sometimes that tipped into a selfish "I want to do things my way," and sometimes that tipped into a selfless "I want them to have everything I can give them." And he waffled between those extremes because of his own low self-esteem and loneliness. I'm! Screaming! About this! At all times! He is an unreliable narrator, he's such a bubble of emotions that pops with the slightly scratch, he's so complex that you are not sure if he wants the bubble to be an opaque shield or a transparent boundary that you can slip through. He was testing people all the time to know if he could trust them with his heart without expecting him to be the Elvis Image, telling them things that were an invitation and a challenge and an insult and a declaration of love all at once, and so much of the problem we deal with now is that people are still completely uninterested in these depths. I???? Love him??? And the things he can help us learn about ourselves??? Just by trying to see him as he really was????

I don't know, I just get very overwhelmed!!!!

[chaifootsteps]

One last thing (apologies!), but I just wanted to say, that as someone who loves all things vintage from the 20’s and 30’s, it really bothers me already how inaccurate Alastor’s microphone setup in the leaks seems to be, among other things. Radio setups were in their infancy at the time, and microphones were big, wire-heavy things. If this time period is going to be referenced, they should have at least done some research beyond general ‘visual aesthetics’. So lazy.

I’ve been saying for a while now that pilot Alastor lost all his sense of setting in the final series, and this is further taking the biscuit. No more references like the stock market crash, picture shows or period-appropriate quips? Oh well, at least he had a diddy little moustache in life. I suppose that makes him slightly less generic amongst Viv’s generic humans (she has NEVER been able to draw/design human characters very well).

- Taxidermy Anon 🦌

Oh, 100%. They were these big, heavy things and so cool looking. I'll never understand why Viv didn't give him that much, or why she doesn't seem to hold even the slightest bit of actual love for the period Alastor came from -- why she has so little love that she stripped that pilot trait from him -- I'll never understand.

[cher-rei]

love song ♬– chapter 6 [ J.M ]

pairing: jamal musiala x fem!oc

summary [please read]

genre(s): strangers to lovers, football romance, fluff and angst [love song playlist]

[w.c: 3.7k] masterlist

notes: hold your applause! thank you, thank you 🤭 I fear, ya'll aren't ready for this

previous chapter | next chapter

as the sun rose over the quaint town, noelle settled into her cosy corner of the bnb, surrounded by stacks of books and notes for her thesis. the others— florian, aaliyah, sophia and kai had departed earlier that morning for some alone time for a few days, which left her to her studies.

a blessing in disguise. it was time to lock in without any distractions. just her and her laptop, trying time make sense of whatever was on her screen.

the chill in the air was refreshing, and noelle savoured the silence, sipping on some tea (yes tea, and not coffee) as she worked. her focus was interrupted by the occasional chirp of the birds outside, all thoughts of the tournament out the window as she remained focused.

there was about a week before the quarter final match against spain, and as highly anticipated as it was, noelle needed to get her priorities straight. but just as she was hitting her stride, the doorbell rang. her curiosity piqued, perhaps expecting an unexpected delivery.

instead, she found jamal standing on the porch, his hands shoved into his hoodie pockets accompanied by a warm smile. “hey, I hope I'm not interrupting anything,” he said, eyes crinkling at the corners.

her heart skipped a beat, flashes of their last encounter on the pitch at the denmark match replaying almost immediately. she could still feel the warmth of his body radiating so close to hers, his softened gaze looking down at her as they casually conversed.

her heart swelled but she was quick to regain her thoughts and mutter out a quick apology. “uh, no– definitely not,” she stumbled with a faint smile and absentmindedly fixed her hair. “what brings you here?”

jamal's lips tugged up ever so slightly at her flustered state, catching a glimpse of her hands tucking into the sleeves of her sweatshirt. he shrugged, his shoulders flexing underneath his hoodie. “I heard you were stuck here alone today. thought maybe you’d like some company?”

noelle's cheeks flushed— something that happened quite often when jamal was around, but she couldn't hide the smile spread on her face. “stuck here alone” didn't sound so bad when he phrased it that way.

“that's sweet of you,” she said and stepped aside to let him in. “but I'm actually on a deadline. this thesis isn't going to write itself, unfortunately.”

jamal nodded sympathetically, his eyes following her every move, his legs doing the same as she stepped into the kitchen and offered him some hot chocolate. “I know the feeling. coach has been breathing down my neck about strategy for this spain match.”

noelle laughed and put the kettle on. “I'm sure you'll handle it. you're practically a football genius. “

jamal's face scrunched as took off his hoodie, leaning against the counter to watch noelle. “genius is stretching it, but I'll take it.”

their conversation continued while noelle reached up to get two mugs from the cabinet but her fingers barely grazed the handles, which left her to stand on her tiptoes, straining to reach. see, normally this wouldn't be a problem.

because sophia and aaliyah would know to keep the mugs in the lower cabinets, but ever since she's been on her coffee ban they've done everything in their power to make sure that noelle had no way of getting any caffeine.

they went as far as hiding the coffee away from her, offering to make her tea in the evening just to keep her out of the kitchen. and now, she was left to look like an idiot.

jamal noticed her struggle and stepped closer, his chest brushing against her back. her muscles tensed immediately at the feeling of his body so close to hers… again. she couldn't shake the feeling, her knees begging to give in at his body towering over hers.

without saying anything his hands wrapped around hers, their fingers intertwining as he lifted the mugs down.

“thanks,” she muttered, trying to sound nonchalant despite her racing heart. she turned to face him and flashed a tight lipped smile, their body's still centimetres apart.

“you're welcome,” he said and placed the mugs on the counter behind her. “but next time ask for help, no need to strain those delicate muscles.” he teasingly and gave her upper arm a light squeeze.

she narrowed her eyes at him, her hands gripping onto the counter behind her. he was looking down at her so casually, standing this close to her as if it was normal for him. was it? she was well aware of their height difference but having him look down at her with that look in his eyes— her head barely reaching over his shoulder.

it was different.

“so what’s with the mug-hiding?” his question snapped her back to reality. “sophia and aaliyah trying to drive you crazy?” he asked, quirking a brow.

noelle swallowed. hard. “uhm… I'm on a caffeine ban.”

jamal's eyes widened and he took a few steps back to head back to where he was originally standing. when his back was turned, noelle let out the breath she was holding and tried to snap herself out of her thoughts. “that's harsh. what's the crime?”

noelle smiled wryly and continued with making the hot chocolate. “excessive caffeine consumption. they're trying to save me from myself.”

jamal grinned and took the mugs from her with a grateful smile and followed her into the living room to where she was previously sitting on the couch. as they settled in the living room, jamal handed noelle her mug and she covered his lap with the blanket she was previously sitting under.

somehow, their comfortable conversation drifted back to her thesis that jamal was extremely interested in for some reason. he believed that it was a strange topic to write on for a final assignment, because the feeling and overall idea of love was subjective.

the fact that she was focusing solely on romantic love was even more riveting that he couldn't help but ask her questions. and each time that he would, noelle would quirk a brow in silent approval and admiration.

“I've never thought of love as a phenomenon,” he said, his lips slightly pouted.

noelle grinned. “exactly! it's a complex and subjective experience. I'm trying to understand the commonalities and differences.”

jamal leaned in, his voice low and curious. “and what do you have so far?”

noelle's heart skipped a beat at his proximity, something that he never took into account when around her. it was in no way healthy for her to feel this way— she never dealt with with overwhelming foreign emotions.

“well,” she started just above a whisper, her eyes focused solely on his. “love seems to transcend rational explanation. it's often described as an intense emotional connection, a sense of belonging…”

the atmosphere was thick, the silence enveloping them in way that her lungs were constricting just at the sight of him. his eyes were shimmering underneath the warm lighting, the rain pattering against the windows comforting.

when she realised what was happening she hurriedly pulled back, clearing her throat and set her mug on the coffee table. jamal watched as she put some distance between them, something inside his chest aching slightly but he shook it off and leaned back into the cushion.

“okay then, what does love feel like to you?”

the question caught him off guard but a laugh still slipped from his lips. he took a moment to think, his brows furrowing as he concentrated on the question. “I'm not too familiar with the romance scene. my first and last proper girlfriend was sometime in high school.” he turned to look at noelle with a sheepishly smile.

“lasted about a month.” he laughed at the thought and noelle was in shock, something he said before sticking with her.

she pursed her lips, the question burning on her tongue. “proper girlfriend?” she repeated, her voice laced with curiosity.

jamal nodded. “well, you know, someone I actually took on dates, held hands with… the whole works.”

noelle raised her brow, that wasn't the question she asked. “implying that there were improper girlfriends?”

“yeah, I've had my share of spontaneous kisses and something more on a night out and but nothing else. never got that far.” he simply shrugged after that, making it clear to noelle that he wasn't the fling type.

she sat for a moment to let the information sink in, his behaviour and attitude towards relationships making her lick her lips in thought. “you're the date to marry type?”

jamal's eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled, the thought of marriage barely crossing his mind on any other occasion. “I don't think I'm lucky enough for that,” he stifled a laugh. “I just really value connection.”

noelle nodded slowly, it making sense for the type of person he was. he had a small circle of close friends and valued nothing superficial. private boy with a private life, his focus solely on those dear to him and his career. which was extremely attractive to her, his intentions were always so genuine with everything. it made her heart race.

“but to answer your question I could say that love is like the ultimate penalty shootout. sudden death. you're all in, there's no going back.”

noelle's laughter filled the room, and jamal couldn't help but stare in awe, his lips slightly parted. she went on about how she loved the analogy, perhaps she didn't understand it but it made sense. but jamal understood it. he was there right now. in the middle of that penalty shootout.

metres away from the goalkeeper and the net, the slight breeze in the air gentle and crisp as it hit his flushed face. he could hear his heart pounding, the chants from the supporters deafening but his focus was solely on her and the ball at his feet.

jamal's eyes never left noelle's as she laughed and spoke, her words weaving a spell around him.

“do you want to watch a movie?”

jamal froze for a second, a dazed and confused hum leaving his lips. he didn't hear a thing she said. noelle suppressed her laughter and reached for the remote beside her, waving it in the air. “do you want to watch a movie?”

obviously, he said yes, a bit too eager at first but he didn't care. noelle tossed him the remote with a smile and hopped off the couch to get some snacks, jamal's eyes following her.

“just scream if you can't reach,” he called out and she shot him a glare, causing him to let out a hearty laugh.

when she got back her jaw dropped at the sight of the movie on the screen, the title blaring at her and she immediately shook her head in protest. “no way. this is not happening.”

jamal on the other hand was adorning the biggest smile, opening up the blanket for her to sit. “we are most definitely about to have a scream marathon.”

he gestured to the clock on the wall. “it's not even past lunch yet, it won't be half as scary I promise.”

she blinked at him for a few seconds, the disbelief in her eyes shunned by the desperation and excitement in his as he looked up at her, his hand gently reaching for hers to settle her down beside him. the snacks were set down and he tucked her in with a smile but her eyes were still narrowed.

the opening scene started and noelle was comfortably warmed up with her back against the arm rest, her legs crossed so that they didn't quite reach jamal’s for a multitude of reasons. it was still light out, it at least as light as it could be out in herzogenaurach in the middle of a storm.

every light in the house was off, the curtains were drawn shut, the only source of light illuminating from the tv screen. the movie started off slow, noelle and jamal's commentary easing the atmosphere.

“yes, please carry on talking to the serial kil— oh shit, it's actually her boyfriend! that’s a lot of duct tape— and he's dead. that's just lovely.”

it was about halfway through the movie that her legs began to cramp, a silent curse leaving her lips as she knocked on her thigh to suppress the pain. unfortunately it didn't work because he noticed, his expression laced in confusion.

“are you okay?”

she smiled and threw her head to the back, the pain spiking up all the way to her thigh. “leg cramp,” she admitted and sat up to loosen the tension but jamal was quick to take both her legs and throw them over his lap.

her heart was caught in her throat, eyes wide in shock while his were on the tv, his hands working wonders as the year massaged her calves.

the pain was gone in a matter of seconds, and he looked at her with a smile. “better?”

her eyes widened, still surprised by the sudden intimacy and the concern that she was making hIm uncomfortable. “uh, yeah… thanks.”

noelle's eyes lingered on his hands, still wrapped around her calves, his fingers gently kneading her muscles. the warmth of his touch spread through her legs, soothing the lingering ache. her gaze drifted to his face, his expression relaxed, focused on the movie.

she felt a flutter in her chest, her heart racing with the sudden intimacy. his hands on her legs, his lap cradling her feet, his fingers gently tracing her skin, created a sense of vulnerability she hadn't anticipated.

noelle's cheeks flushed, her mind reeling with the implications. she hadn't expected jamal to be so... comfortable with physical contact. his hands, strong and gentle, seemed to know exactly how to ease her tension.

as she watched him, his eyes never leaving the screen, noelle realised he was genuinely unaware of the effect he had on her. his concern had been genuine, his actions instinctive.

the tension between them dissipated, replaced by a sense of tranquillity.

"comfortable now?" jamal asked, his voice low, without looking at her.

noelle nodded, her voice barely audible. "yeah..."

he smiled, his eyes still on the movie. "good."

the silence between them was no longer awkward, but companionable. noelle's gaze drifted to the tv, but her awareness remained focused on jamal's hands, still gently holding her legs.

as the movie continued, noelle's thoughts wandered. she couldn't remember the last time someone had touched her with such care. jamal's gentle massage had awakened a deep sense of longing within her.

the storm outside seemed to fade into the background, replaced by the warmth of his touch. noelle felt herself melting into the moment, her guard dropping.

after the first movie, which was surprisingly enjoyable, the second was immediately put on without any disturbance or protest. teasing comments were thrown at noelle about her liking towards the movie and her reluctance at first.

she threw her hands up into the air in defence. “whatever, say what you want but sidney is a badass. I'm just here for her.”

jamal titled his head to the side challengingly, his touch lingering on her bare skin. “oh, so I just happened to be here?”

noelle's eyes sparkled with amusement. “well, you're just the mandatory companion.”

he chuckled, loving the banter. “so that's all I am to you? mandatory?” his eyes sparkled with amusement, his hand creeping achingly higher when noelle nodded, her smile etched into his mind.

his hands drifted up her calves, sending a shiver up her spine. “mandatory? I think I can upgrade my status then.”

her smile faltered, her eyes locking on to his. the air thickened with tension, their banter taking on a flirtatious edge that always caught her off guard. “upgrade?” her voice was barely above a whisper, her attention and every nerve in her body focused on his fingers trailing on her thigh.

“to essential… vital even,” he prompted with a smirk, the knot that noelle was in on the verge unravelling.

the word hung in their air, heavy with implication. her heart raced, her mind reeling with sudden aching for the situation. their thoughts swirled with desire, and something more. noelle felt vulnerable, exposed, yet drawn to him like a magnet.

jamal’s touch seemed to burn her skin, leaving trails of sparks whenever he touched. his eyes sparking with amusement now held a deeper meaning.

as the movie's suspense built, their anticipation and unspoken words grew, but not for the plot twists. but for the moment that jamal's hand might brush higher, the moment their lips might meet. noelle's breath caught, her chest rising and falling with each ragged inhale.

then his eyes dropped to her lips— pink and plush and driving him insane. so why couldn't he take the shot? lessen the space?

suddenly, the moment was interrupted but the sound of noelle's phone ringing making her jump up in shock. it was faced down, and almost perfectly, the phone on the movie began to ring, sidney picking it up immediately with the infamous “what's your favourite scary movie?” sounding through the living room.

jamal burst into a fit of laughter and threw his head back at the coincidence, the warmth of his hands leaving noelle's upper thigh as it was now covering his face. her heart was pounding once again, her cheeks flushed but she got the phone and angrily answered only to hear sophia's voice on the other end.

“why are you breathing so hard? wait– who's laughing in the background?”

noelle’s face burned with embarrassment as she tried to compose herself. “I'm just watching a movie…”

sophia’s tone turned suspicious. “what movie?”

noelle glanced are jamal, still chuckling, his eyes shining with amusement. “scream.”

sophia's voice dropped to a whisper, noelle picturing her reaction perfectly. “with jamal?”

she hesitated, unsure if she wanted to out herself at a time like this, especially after what had just happened. she drew a hum, “yeah, he just dropped by to keep me company.”

that wasn't a lie.

“and that's why you're breathing like you've just run a marathon? noelle braun what the fuck!”

noelle was quick to try and interject but sophia was calling out to aaliyah at whatever place they were, the excitement, shock and desperation evident in her voice. jamal's laughter subsided but he held her gaze and mouthed “busted” at noelle, making her eyes roll.

the second she heard aaliyah yell her name she dropped the call. this was not happening today, she didn't have the mental capacity for the shit she was going to get.

their marathon continued shortly after, but this time with less conversation. it was after 6 in the evening and they'd just gotten their pizza and settled back into the living room, their silent glances and brushing knees adding to the ache in their stomachs.

the dim lighting of the living room amplified the tension between them. noelle's eyes fixed on the screen, but her awareness was consumed by jamal's presence.

his arm, slung casually over the couch, seemed to invite her closer. his fingers tapped a slow rhythm on the cushion, sending shivers down her spine.

her breaths came in short gasps, her chest rising and falling with each nervous inhale. she felt jamal's gaze on her, his eyes burning with an unspoken intensity.

as they watched, their knees touched, sending sparks through her entire body. her pulse quickened, her heart pounding in her ears.

the movie's suspense built, but noelle's anxiety stemmed from the proximity to him. every shift in his position made her hyper-aware of his body. his hand drifted closer, his fingers brushing against her shoulder. noelle's skin tingled.

she fought the urge to lean into his touch, her body screaming for contact. the ache in her core grew, a throbbing reminder of her desire. jamal's tapping slowed, his fingers hovering above her skin. noelle's voice trailed off, her eyes locked on jamal's. the air thickened, heavy with anticipation.

his gaze never wavered, his fingers inching closer to her skin. “you okay?"

noelle nodded, her pulse racing. "yeah..."

the movie continued, but they didn't notice. their focus was on each other.

jamal's hand drifted down, his fingers tracing the curve of her shoulder. their knees touched again, this time intentionally. jamal's leg pressed against hers, sending shivers through her entire body.

the moment balanced on a knife's edge, ready to tip into something more.

fuck it.

sucking up her pride and inevitable fear, noelle turned her head to the side to look at jamal, but he beat her to it. her eyes widened in surprise as jamal's lips claimed hers, the sudden contact sending a jolt of electricity through her entire body. she pulled away, her instincts momentarily taking over, but regret flooded her the instant their lips parted.

jamal's eyes, dark and intense, locked onto hers, his face inches from hers. noelle's heart pounded, her pulse racing with anticipation. without a thought, she leaned back in, her lips brushing against his. this time, she was ready.

their lips met in a tender, exploratory kiss, the tension between them igniting. noelle's hands drifted up, her fingers tracing the contours of Jamal's face.

jamal's arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer. the kiss deepened, their lips moving in perfect sync. noelle's legs shifted, her body gravitating toward his. she straddled his lap, their faces inches apart.

their lips parted, and namal's eyes blazed with desire. "noelle..."

her name was a whispered prayer, a plea for more. she couldn't believe was she was doing, never in a million years would she have thought that she's be taking the lead in a situation like this.

the world around them melted away, leaving only the thrumming tension between them. their tongues danced, the kiss growing more intense. noelle's body pressed against namal's, her breasts crushed against his chest.

jamal's hands roamed her back, his fingers tracing the curve of her spine. noelle's skin tingled, her senses on fire.

their lips parted, gasping for air. jamal's forehead rested against hers, their ragged breaths mingling.

"noelle..." he whispered again, his voice husky.

she smiled, her eyes locked on his. "yeah?"

his lips curved, still out of breath. "I am in no way normal about you."

she pulled away and covered her face with her hands, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment . “oh God, what just happened?”

jamal was breathless, unable to believe she was straddling his lap, his hands gripping at her waist. “I think you just ravished me.”

“shut up,” she said and jokingly slapped his chest. “you're not exactly helping me regret this less.”

his eyes crinkled in disbelief, a heavy scoff leaving his lips. “regret it? I'm framing this moment.” he titled his head to get a better look at her— hair undone, cheeks flushed, her shorts riding up, and her t-shirt sitting on her frame in the same way one of his would.

he wanted to frame her.

he continued to rub circles on her bare skin, his fingers relishing in the feeling of her body heat while she continued to ramble about how she messed up, spewing out apology after apology until jamal's lips met hers again, this time for a shorter tender kiss.

he pulled away with a smile and looked into her eyes, glossy and innocent. “I could get used to that.”

noelle playfully pushed him away, the heat returning to her cheeks and creeping up her neck. “for a guy who just got attacked— pounced on, you're pretty smug.”

he chuckled. “I loved the enthusiasm and the look in your eyes.”

a hum left noelle’s lips as she regained her confidence and became more comfortable with the situation. she lazily wrapped her arms around his shoulders, caressing the nape of his neck as they talked— the movie long forgotten.

“no seriously,” jamal said with a chuckle. “I've never seen anyone go from zero to sixty like that before.”

noelle buried her face in the crook of his neck in embarrassment, the replay of the scene in her mind making her excited. “I'm a fast learner I guess?”

her breath tickled his neck, another jolt of excitement. “I think you're a natural.”

she pulled away with a cute smile, and nodded. then she got the remote and spoke into it like a mic, the gimmick making jamal laugh. “how do you feel about having just taken my movie night virginity?”

jamal's laughter filled the room, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "oh, I feel utterly responsible," he said, playing along, his voice dripping with mock seriousness.

noelle's grin was mischievous, her voice husky as she continued her mock interview. "and what do you plan to do with this newfound power?”

his chuckle was low and seductive. "well, I think I'll just have to make sure you never watch movies with anyone else."

her eyes sparkled, her lips curling into a sly smile. "exclusive movie rights, huh?"

jamal nodded, his eyes locked on hers. "absolutely. I'll make sure to keep you entertained."

"I think that can be arranged."

as they continued their playful banter, jamal's fingers traced the curve of her spine, sending shivers down her back.

noelle's mock interview was forgotten, she leaned in, her lips brushing against his. "you're really good at this," she whispered.

his smile was soft, his eyes shining with affection. "good at what?"

her voice was barely audible. "making me feel... comfortable."

jamal's arms wrapped tighter around her, holding her close. "I could say the same about you."

their lips met again, the kiss tender and intimate, the connection between them palpable. as they broke apart, noelle's eyes sparkled. "we're keeping this on the down low right?"

“obviously!” he answered in shock. “have you met our friends?”

[blitzsicedcoffee]

Because my life revolves around Helluva Boss right now, I decided to count the types of hellborn at the Apology Tour party from the Frames before the song.

Why? I don't really know. We could glean whether they're just Verosika's friends. We could guess that he's "been around" all the rings.

So underneath will be my inferences.

First Frame (Overhead shot):

6 succubi that aren't part of Verosika's team

3 sharks

3 hellhounds excluding Vortex

1 Baphomet

3 imps

Second Frame (Stolas still walks, sulking):

3 Hybrid imp/succubi

3 Sharks

6 succubi excluding Verosika's team

1 Imp

1 Hellhound

Third Frame (Verosika enters):

4 Succubi excluding Verosika's team

4 Imps

Fourth Frame (Blitz grabs tablecloth):

1 Unicorn? Where does she even come from??? I think she's actually a shark tbh but just looks like one.

1 Imp (dennis)

2 Succubi

Fifth Frame (Darts):

2 Baphomet

2 Succubi

1 Imp

1 Hellhound

Sixth Frame (Burning the off brand Blitz merch):

1 Baphomet

2 Succubi

1 Imp

Inferences:

One thing that is staunchly lacking is anyone from Envy. Now, besides Glitz and Glam and Ronaldo, Viv and team have been very cryptic about the ring of Envy. Which makes me think they have some sort of plot plan for it.

OR everyone's hunch that it's just completely underwater is right and it would make sense that Blitz doesn't fuck anyone there cause he can't go there.

Another thing to notice is that there are a LOT of succubi. I'm sure people have talked about it before. But either these are sex workers who caught feelings, or he dated a lot of Verosika's friends before they dated. OR, they're just all Verosika's friends which she invited.

There are a lot more Hellhounds and Baphomets than I expected. Not many, but more than I thought. Maybe he hooked up with the Baphomets when he was visiting Sloth to visit Barb in Rehab? Not sure why else he'd be in that ring. As we know that Loona's appointments are far and few between. And seeing his sister who doesn't wanna see him would definitely give him something pent up that he'd want to stress release.

I don't know what to make of the Hellhounds part. If anyone has ideas, lemme know.

The last thing I noticed most is that the party isn't actually that full. There's a LOT of repeated people. And a lot of people in relationships of their own already which, why would you be still coming to this if you were in a new relationship?

Either you really wanna go to a Verosika party. Or your partner is not an ex of Blitz.

Anyway, feel free to add on. It was fun counting them all and seeing all the character designs again lol.

[zhuoyichenpretty]

aww yeah ep 20 GOOD

I guess I do (very casual, broadstroke) episode commentaries now, halfway through the show lmao. Spoilers below!!

Bai Jiu BETRAYAL?

Wen Xiao WANTED?

Zhuo Yichen DETECTIVE-ING?

Ying Lei BACK?

*crowd cheers*

The dots are connecting like crazy with the big bad's whole inner core crusade and also with the simultaneous demon case like I did not recognize Ao Yin as the demon Li Lun first released eight years ago but oooh do I enjoy that minor payoff.

Love the repeated use of the demonic-spell-restraining sigils now that we've been introduced to them, though I wonder why the Bureau doesn't ever seem to make use of them. Maybe they don't deal with enough powerful demons to need to paint those in their own (very empty) dungeon? Or perhaps just plot convenience.

Anyway I kind of wish in the Chongwu Camp dungeon PSJ fought a little bc she's so cool in action and their bailing was a little abrupt, but it makes sense that they'd have an immediate getaway plan. Also this is an ep 19 comment but that line Mr. 3-Face Mask delivered about PSJ being fated to always be betrayed by her little brother(s) HURT. So good.

Back to the Bureau, I do love me a good framing, and I'm also happy to get a tiny bit of the episodic demon-murder-case style back. WX was v clever to hide out in Situ Mansion, and (small detail but) I appreciate that the others catch her up on the Bai Jiu thing onscreen. As an aside, I also like that the actress for WX got to be double-casted even just briefly. Seeing some of the actors get to play around with portraying various extremes in characterization and costuming is a ton of fun.

And then yay Bai Jiu backstory at last~! It's crazy how much that blood moon fucked up everyone's lives eight years ago huh.

Everything ZYC says to him is on point (and honestly, ZYC is really quite adept at comforting others, he just sucks utter ass at it when it's his fault and he has to apologize lmaooo) but of course my favorite scene in the whole episode is as follows:

The very slight shine in the waterline, the bittersweet smile/grimace as, deliberately or not, ZYC's words indirectly echo everything about the circumstances between the two of them right now??? Whew. They did that for me specifically.

Anyway, this was a good one to chew on for me, packed with plot movement enough that I didn't feel unsatisfied with just one episode. I'm glad that so far it seems like the release schedule bears in mind what episodes should be watched in pairs for maximum effect (eps 16/17, 18/19 specifically) and which ones are okay to stand alone for the day, but I also don't want to speak too soon haha. We'll see how ep 21 fares.

Also since this is a ZYC stan account (lmao) I have some obligatory ZYC thoughts that I haven't managed to fit anywhere else. I've been meaning to comment on this for a while now and was reminded by this episode: I love the fact that ZYC actually smiles quite often. I think it's a bit surprising every time he does because he so easily fits the archetype of stoic broody action hero, but it really is just an archetype he's fit himself into, and it's never clearer than when they flash back to smiley baby!ZYC (how freely and purely he used to give those smiles away...).

On the other side of this is also how caustic and biting he can be with his words, whether sarcastically or otherwise, and how clearly his face telegraphs his emotions in general. I love that he actually emotes quite a lot and isn't cold and unaffected in the least, just pouty frowny and awkward.

The last piece to this for me is probably his age (which I very much appreciated being established super early on) and how convincingly TJR portrays him as young and inexperienced and extremely earnest. He's so sincere in everything he does that it really doesn't take much to move him, which also (imo) makes his arc less overdone.

We all know from the start what direction his development will likely go, how he'll learn he's mistaken about ZYZ and how he'll grow to have a more nuanced view of the world as he creates more bonds with others. But he's so emotional and emotionally aware that it doesn't really take much push and pull to get him there. And actually, it's not untread ground to him—he is moreso thawing, in part returning to the open-hearted nature that he had to very abruptly shutter away rather than fundamentally changing as a person. I think to me, that makes his character more compelling to watch because his cynicism about the world is perhaps the least sincere thing about him. It's entirely learned, and not by choice. Relatable.

[nowimjustastranger]

From a scale 1 to 10 how likely is stcmo!Ford willing to punch your other au Fords?

I had to think about who stcmo Ford would hate the most out of the bunch and why, so this was a fun exercise! Thanks for the ask!

Canon Ford - 10

No matter what era canon Ford is in, it's on sight for Ford 419"3 lol. He's gonna hold a grudge till the end of time because of that one conversation they had.

It's Not a Race to the End Ford - 6

Admittedly, Ford is trying to be a good brother but like, projecting your issues onto a young version of your brother who's injured and scared is a big no-no for Ford 419"3. He would be introducing his fist to his counterpart's face when they meet for the first time.

Break the Mold Ford - 4

Ford is good to his brother but still struggles with his inflated ego and his sense of a higher propose. This leads to fights that escalate, hurting the brothers and everyone caught in the crossfire. Ford will always apologize if the fight was his doing (and Stan if he was the one to blow things out of proportion) and they'll actually talk to each other. To 419"3 Ford's shock and horror, it's William's influence that has the boys so willing to communicate properly.

Infinity Falls Ford - 1

Nothing means more to Infinity Falls Ford than family. He practically dotes on Stan, making sure his twin wants for nothing. He's still arrogant and has a massive ego, but it's aimed at the world around him rather than his family. Honestly, he's a kind of a welcome mat when it comes to Stan and the niblings. But with Infinity Falls Ford so family-oriented, Ford 419"3 wouldn't swing even if given the opportunity to do so and get away with it presented itself (even if he is a stuck-up bitch to other Fords).

[dearcat1]

Hmmm... So I was reading the comments here and vet!Jon coming back to a dying mother is fascinating the hell out of me. Mostly because we have Jon, who is wary of motherly figures but desperate for family. I feel like he shows up mostly for his siblings. I mean, even if Rhea hadn't died, I think his siblings would be his focus. But he does show up, maybe a little earlier than Daemon, looking for his younger siblings only to what? Not find them and find a dying mother instead.

I mean, can you imagine the maester's POV in this? A dragonrider shows up, claiming to be Lady Rhea's son and looking for his younger siblings. Maybe he sees enough of Rhea in him to be like "maybe? I think so. Either way, let me show him to his mother (?). Lady Rhea should know." And so he guides Jon to Lady Rhea because what other option does he have? There's a huge dragon backing this 14 y/o up.

This entire scene's angst potential is living in my mind rent-free.

Rhea who is already in pain and dying, is confronted with her lost baby. It's a gift and a torture all at once. She gets to see him one last time, apologize, and give him the heirship she might have always thought he was owed but she will never get to know him, spend time with him, or bond with him. He is more an idea to her than a person and she will never get the opportunity to change that. Maybe that's why she gave the older twin Jon's name and maybe that's why she was considering giving him the heirship. A small way to give back what she felt her eldest lost.

And Jon? Jon is probably watching this woman fall apart and thinking ....what? He came here for his siblings and she is the one with the answers he needs but this woman is sobbing. Does she look enough like a Stark that he can see Arya in her? A fierce warrior woman, brought low and in pain? Does he comfort her? Does he hold her as she cries, wishing she was Arya instead? The emotional hit is going to be HUGE.

Then Daemon shows up. Daemon, who is coming to pick up his twins and who has choice words for his supposed wife right up until he is thrown into the chaos of reality. The woman is dying, the maester says. And at this point, the maester probably heard enough to confirm that Jon and the twins and Rhea's children. These are heirs to Runestone, of the lady's blood. Allard is so far down the line of succession now. (It's kind of funny, actually. But we'll go to Allard later.) So the maester probably says something like your wife is dying, and your eldest is with her. Because I highly doubt the maester thinks Rhea hid royal children from the Targaryen. He maybe thinks they knew but hid them to protect them or something, since the eldest boy was apparently kidnapped. Except Daemon enters the room expecting Jon the younger, only to see a whole 14 y/o there. So either his twins are much older than rumored or he has 3 sons.

So Daemon comes into the room, expecting his dying wife and an 8 y/o, and is hit with the grief of knowing he lost a decade and a half with his children, not a little less than a decade. And with his wife holding onto his teenager and the teenager's obvious distress, Daemon doesn't even get the small catharsis of accusing Rhea directly. He gets to find out he has 3 sons just as Rhea is confessing and writing the succession of Runestone into law from the sidelines, doing his best to handle his own grief while supporting his baby.

The impotent fury this poor man must be feeling. The pain, not only of knowing his teenager was lost to him for so long but of seeing him in pain and Daemon doesn't even know him well enough to support him. But things don't make sense because this one was apparently stolen to Volantis, so what about the fostering? What does any of this mean? Was his son kidnapped all this time and Daemon, clueless, fighting a war while he should have been scouring the Free Cities for his own son? His flesh and blood? And his eldest has a dragon, Daemon saw him when he first came in. A huge dragon that was somehow hidden from them. What does all of this mean? How much of a traitor was Rhea? Did she herself send his son away? Or was it Allard? That greedy would-be usurper? (At this point, Daemon probably thinks Allard and Rhea are the devil in disguise.)

Rhea dies, without having to answer for her crimes, with her secrets safe in her chest. And neither Jon nor Daemon gets long to process that this woman is gone before Allard shows up. Fucking Allard who is coming to what he thinks is going to be his castle, only to be told that Rhea has 3 heirs. And yes, he might have gotten rid of 2 and ensured his ability to hold the castle for at least around a decade. Maybe he even thinks he could pull a Bernard Stark. Except, no. He can't. Because the eldest, who he never even knew existed, is 14 y/o and present when Daemon accuses Allard of not only treason but also trying to get rid of the twins to keep the same castle vet!Jon is now heir to. I don't care how much fast-talking to save Allard in Lady Lynda's Rheagar does now, vet!Jon will see this man executed for treason. Sure, he'll keep Lady Lynda and her baby in the castle, protect them to the best of his ability, and provide a good life for them. But Allard is a dead man walking. Especially once Daemon is like: give me my sons and I will let you live. Only to find out they're gone already.

Worse yet, now in comes the maester and tells Daemon (who is still reeling from all this insanity) and Jon (who is probably halfway into a breakdown and half holding to his sanity by a thread) that the twins have been kidnapped. Now Daemon not only gets the angst of desperately trying to reach his babies in time, but he also gets to have a full-blown heart attack when he sees his eldest climb into a dragon bigger than Caraxes with no saddle. No protection. No nothing. Poor Daemon is going to need so much therapy.

I don't think enough people respect just how brutal Jon can be when he needs to make difficult decisions. The man is brutal. And yes, we have this mindset that Jon is bad at politics but he isn't that bad. He is just more military leader than a politician because that is what he has needed to be. But he is stupidly good at making allies, and allies that are fiercely loyal to him. I forget the quote but I remember a part in the book where someone was talking about Jon and said something along the lines of: It's not Jon Snow you need to fear, it's all his friends coming to his aid.

My point is, that in the books, Jon makes some harsh decisions - sometimes sacrificing his honor - because he believes they're necessary. He hates to do it, but he does. In the books, he exchanges Manse's baby with Gilly's because the Red Priestess was sniffing around and talking about King's blood. He is fully aware of what that could mean for Gilly's baby when he sends her away with Manse's child but he does it anyway because he doesn't want to see what the Red Priestess could do with King's blood. And in the show, he gives back the castles to families that betrayed Rob and when Sansa confronts him about it, claiming it's a political mistake, Jon's response boils down to they will be empty soon enough. It's brutal! This man saw two basically children kneel before him and beg for mercy and pretended to give it to them. He sent them back to their castles to act as canaries in the mines, knowing full well he was condemning them to die. He sacrificed these 2 traitor families as a warning system to find out if the White Walkers breached The Wall so he could keep more people whose loyalty he was sure of around him.

What I mean is, this Jon would see Allard as a threat to younger!Jon and Raymar and he would not lose any sleep over getting rid of him. And he has such an easy solution to do it. Maybe they can't reach for Otto on this one, but vet!Jon spent time in Volantis and heroically escaped only to see his mother die and rescue his siblings. His street cred is probably high as hell, there would be songs written about him. But also, he gets to lie with a straight face. "Oh yes, I came back because I knew my siblings were in danger so I knew I had to risk it, I heard the warlocks talking about the twins. They said Allard had assured them they could have them, even sent them into a fostering so they could easily kidnap them without any attention falling to him." vet!Jon would do it and sleep like a baby. Allard can say he didn't all he wants, there's enough proof he hid the twins and that it was him who had them sent for fostering. And if Viserys tries to refuse? Hmm... Good luck stopping vet!Jon, because he's used to beheading traitors. He'll do it himself if he has to. Daemon can watch the kids for a week while he handles the issue. Or better yet, Daemon and vet!Jon can grab one twin each so vet!Jon can both make sure they're unharmed and deal with this situation himself since the King won't. Or maybe he'll just demand a duel and be done with it. Sooner or later Allard is going to be called to KL.

Goddammit @syndrossi, look at this monstrosity. How very dare... I am having so much fun, though. Also @kk88888gh, take your share of the blame. This idea has consumed my life.

PS: About the idea of Viserys comparing Jon to Jaehaerys... The way Otto would lose his mind the first time he hears it. Jon - black-haired, looking more like Rhaenyra's children than Alicent's, and with the biggest dragon except for Vaghar - getting compared to Jaehaerys the wise by the King? PUBLICLY? Otto will cry.

But also, the PR nightmare. Because in Resonant we can have Daemon (with the reputation he has) and his little family, looking more like what a Targaryen family should look like in the eyes of the people than declining Viserys and his mess of a family. Daemon's bad reputation alleviates that unflattering comparison somewhat. But here you have Daemon, returning with Caraxes and with his heir showing this amount of promise? I think it hurts both the Greens and the Blacks. It definitely hurts Viserys. Depending on how active vet!Jon is, he might end up looking more like a King than Viserys does.

That said, in this scenario, with an almost of age heir/PTWP, does Viserys seek to marry Daemon quickly again or does he prefer a Laena/vet!Jon match? Age difference and everything, I wonder who Viserys would make Jon marry because if he jumped at re-marrying Daemon, I don't see Jon escaping his matchmaking. Or does he wait for Jon, hoping Rhaenyra will have a daughter soon? The irony of Viserys spending so much time hoping for a son only to now beg for a granddaughter... Or, if Laenor dies before either Jon or Daemon marries, which one does Viserys go for once he matchmakes Rhaenyra again? Jon or Daemon? A prince that was promised or the progenitor of the fire-proof babies?

PS: it's @zerousernameideas, I just somehow messed up the blog I was reblogging with... Insert shame face here

So I have another "what if" prompt that is very out of left field. Jon gets brought back as his 14 year old self in the 8 year old body (same as Rhaegar) only he's not the only version of himself that the got Summerhalled. They managed to grab 19 year old war vet Jon who is transported into the actual conception child Rhea and Daemon would have had. Rhaegal and Ghost come with (he doesn't get an emotional support twin so he gets 2 service pets to compensate). He's the one who stops in and saves the twins and inadvertently helps sell Daemon's fiction that the twins are true born because he is literally an older version of Jon.

This ask predates Restoration AU, I think, which is funny because it's sort of a reverse Restoration AU? Two Jons but in Resonant era, and one of them the same age as Winterfell!Jon in Restoration, while the other is the nineteen-year-old vet version.

I don't think the math quite works out for 19-year-old Jon to be the consummation baby of Daemon and Rhea's marriage unless he's a few years younger in the Dance era, and Daemon wouldn't have abandoned a trueborn son (nor would early marriage Rhea have hidden him). Maybe it works if he's 14, aka born 3 years into Daemon's marriage with Rhea, when she was much more embittered against him, though again we have to handwave that Rhea was willing to hide an actual trueborn son when Jaehaerys himself was still alive!

The logistics of Rhaegal suddenly appearing in the world would certainly be...interesting. Vet!Jon would have to be pretty clever with his explanation there! Once the Volantis shenanigans are known to him, maybe he can claim that he was kidnapped by them as a child and only recently escaped/returned to Westeros.

[felicjana050896]

Ok, I saw more leaks, so.... link to the previous post:

and new ones below:

I won't write much about them, only:

1. In the leak about Alastor, we see him making a deal with Rosie and this deal was made before his death, so it is likely that he killed overlords for Rosie, not for himself, he already had a deal with Rosie from the very beginning of his stay in hell.

2. Rosie tells Alastor that she has to do something for her and then his soul will be hers, what could it be? I would say that killing these overlords, but that makes no sense, Rosie already had to have Alastor's soul to be able to order him, Alastor immediately agreed, so Rosie could have ordered him to do the stupidest and simplest task, just to get his soul as quickly as possible, it wasn't a fair deal, no deal with demons is fair, including Rosie.

(There was a small mistake here, but I correct it, unfortunately I wrote it yesterday at 22:00/23:00 after work, so my brain was no longer able to grasp the English language and translated it incorrectly into my native language, so I apologize, but Rosie says here: "and until you complete this task your soul will be mine", so UNTIL, not AFTER, until Alastor completes some task Rosie gave him, his soul belongs to her, so this favor he wants from Charlie it probably involves him wanting Charlie to help him fulfill some task Rosie has given him, a task he cannot do on his own, so he can free his soul from Rosie)

3. Which brings us to the third point, when Rosie clearly knew (maybe even caused it with her magic to have Alastor with her in hell) that Alastor would die the next day, shot by a hunter, he wanted fun on earth and fun in hell when he will die one day, and fate, or rather his deal, has turned against him, quite fair...

4. And four and last, Alastor will be caught by Vox..., he will be in captivity..., my one-sided Radiostatic is happy in my heart 😂

And Alastor and the mustache..., I never imagined him like that 😂 , he looks a bit like a typical sneaky but at the same time stupid cartoon villain and on the one hand he makes me laugh, but on the other hand I strangely like it, it's hard to decide which is truer 😂

Plus what I noticed at the very end is Alastor licking blood from his finger at the very beginning of the video, apparently he wasn't a cannibal in life, only after death, but in this video he clearly licks human blood, so are they going to make Alastor a cannibal from the very beginning? Is licking blood just a fetish of his and he doesn't eat meat himself?

And one more thing I saw were drawings of Al with a wound on his chest, probably caused by Adam (by the way, Alastor with his shirt unbuttoned and his sleeves rolled up ;) ), and on the left there was a shadow of Charlie and the sketch was called "CH-ALASTORSHIRTOPEN", which means that Alastor will unbutton his shirt in front of Charlie so she can see his wound, it could mean that we will actually have a plot like in fanfic where Charlie takes care of Alastor's wound 😁

[blushblushbear]

Scale, Seth and Haru husband headcanons pls?

ngl I think all 3 of these dudes would have a weird adjustment period to being husbands, though frankly I think Scale would maybe have the easiest time (well-- MAYBE Haru, but okay---)

Scale

I think the biggest change from boyfriend to husband is going to be him questioning if he should continue his assassin work

He's not going to set down his knives quickly or lightly but like----

he has a spouse now

he doesn't want them becoming a widow/widower

OR EVEN WORSE GETTING CAUGHT UP IN HIS BUSINESS??

bruh, he would DIE

I highly doubt he'd actually end up quitting but there WOULD be some changes around here

for starters--- he has a better divide between his personal and professional life

This is maybe me watching too much venture bros but I really do like the idea of Scale adopting a sort of on the clock/off the clock mentality ("That's my business-- but we're not at the office right now, ya see")

also he gets WAY more protective

your home is probably laced with all kinds of booby traps

and he DEFINITELY makes you run drills

like fire drills but instead of fire it's enemy assassins

Aside from the stuff pertaining to his career, he's actually a very sweet and loving husband

Not necessarily a 'I made a home cooked meal in my apron' every night kind of loving but more a 'I stopped by that place you like and got us dinner' type

also def kind of nerdy husband but less about magic or dnd and more about weapons and armor (though don't get it twisted, he'll get down hard on some dnd)

lots of quality time whenever he's home

lots of texts when he's away

lots of cuddles on the couch and falling asleep in each others arms

he knows your favorites and brings flowers when he's been gone for a while

you're his home <3

and frankly he's very protective of that home

Seth

okay honestly

Seth is probably the one who has to step up to being a proper husband the most

at the start he's definitely bad at this whole 'being a good husband thing'

but all it takes it you getting visibly frustrated with him a handful of times and he realizes he needs to up his game

his life is REALLY different now, but if he gets to spend it with you it's worth it

and for what it's worth he's actually really good at apologies

and also good about being sincere about them too, it's not just fluff to get him out of trouble

he's also very protective of you but he's not as 'DECLARATION OF HIS UNDYING LOVE AND PROTECTION AGAINST THE LIGHT OF THE MOON' as Scale is about everything

also is actually really good at listening to you vent/share work drama

also always offers to send your annoying co-workers to hell

you say no but the offer still stands

is only really good at barbecue and baking so anything too far past that you're gonna have to order in or cook for the night

also I don't know if he'd suggest this first but if the subject of having date night comes up he's actually really really about date night

likes to take you somewhere nice or fun or both

also will try to convince you to adopt a hellhound

this will be a forever conversation in your marriage, just letting you know now

Haru

so look

I'm not saying Haru would ever cheat on you

actually far from it

BUT I WILL SAY that going from a long ass life time of tom catting around every night to a committed long-term monogamous relationship is going to be a major life change for ANYONE

including Haru

that being said that's actually kinks you worked out early in your relationship

I do get the sense that Haru low key misses his old life a bit, but knowing you has changed him too much and he could just--- never go back ya know??

and frankly he wouldn't want to

but again that's like--- also stuff that was dealt with during boyfriend stage

actually honestly, once you're committed to each other, he legit doesn't see you as anything other than his mate

married or not his attachment is the same honestly

marriage isn't JUST a human thing but it's more of a you thing that a Haru thing

as far as he's concerned you two are as good as married already

all though who could pass up a party to show you off and celebrate your union???

so yeah-- you'll have to bring it up, but Haru is down to marry you right away

so I think with Haru, YOU'RE going to have to change your life the most due to marriage

he's kind of the leader of a whole group of people

he's not going to make you come live with them, but you ARE gonna have to at least be next door

that's gonna be the biggest marriage hurdle depending on who you are

though if push comes to shove he is willing to find a successor and run away with you

but low key please don't make him do that cause his people need him and he loves them and also he'd feel guilty about it FOREVER haha

but yeah past that married Haru is not much different from boyfriend Haru except he's a little bit more clingy/up front about pda etc cause HEY that's his SPOUSE, he's allowed

he also does REALLY LOVE calling you his spouse in front of anyone and everyone as many times as he can

[juju-or-anya]

A character I deeply hate in *Game of Thrones* and *A Song of Ice and Fire* isn’t Daenerys, nor Cersei, nor even Sansa (and that’s saying something, as she annoys me quite a bit). No, the character I truly despise is Robert Baratheon.

Robert embodies all the traits that make me think: "I hate men" or "Men disgust me." His entire personality revolves around being a womaniser, a drunk, an overweight man obsessed with the ghost of a dead woman. Lyanna Stark has been in her grave for nearly twenty years, and she still can’t rest in peace because of his sick fixation.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. While Robert wasn’t the mastermind of the Rebellion, he was certainly the one who fuelled it. He didn’t do it for the good of the realm or out of any sense of justice; he did it because he couldn’t accept that maybe Lyanna didn’t want to marry him. She preferred to be another man’s lover rather than his wife, and instead of accepting that, he unleashed a war. Lyanna, though raised as a noble lady of the North, had a will of iron and wouldn’t have allowed herself to be kidnapped without a fight (not that she really had a chance to avoid it—after all, she was a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl facing Rhaegar, a twenty-four-year-old trained warrior—but I think you get my point).

And let’s not even talk about his reaction to the murder and rape of Elia Martell and her children. Robert laughed cruelly when he heard that innocent children, some barely toddlers, had been brutally killed and celebrated that a helpless woman had been raped and murdered. He was happy about it.

Of course, I’m not idealising characters like Lyanna, Elia, or Rhaegar. We can’t sanctify or demonise them because we don’t truly know them. Everything we know about them is filtered through the perspectives of others, some positive, some negative. They’re “told” characters, like Lily and James Potter in Harry Potter, whose backstories depend entirely on others’ memories. But who do we actually know enough about? Robert Baratheon. We know he’s the kind of man who would order the murder of a pregnant girl across the sea—a girl who’d already lost her family and home because of his rebellion. Robert did all this, not because Aerys was a tyrant, but because he was obsessed with the memory of a woman who never loved him.

As for his supposed "love" for Lyanna, he never showed any intention of respecting her, being faithful to her, or actually loving her. He was only in love with the idea of having a beautiful, strong, wild wife he could mould and subdue to his will. Before he was even engaged to Lyanna, he’d already fathered a bastard daughter; and only a few weeks after her death, he had Gendry. So much for his “great” love for Lyanna—he was already fathering children with other women within weeks.

What’s worse is that half the story seems determined to paint him as "the good guy." Give me a break. The realm didn’t entirely collapse during his reign only because of Tywin Lannister’s ambition and the competence of the royal council, who worked tirelessly to maintain stability. None of this was thanks to Robert Baratheon, who barely managed his responsibilities while the realm barely kept itself afloat despite him.

For all these reasons and more, I deeply hate Robert Baratheon.

Edit: I'll stand corrected, because a comment corrected me and they's right. The real hero who kept King Landing stable enough for there to still be a King Landing was Jon Arryn, that man deserved a raise and the biggest statue in the world, as well as putting up with his idiot king.

Edit 2: Re-reading my post, I realized that I made a somewhat fatphobic comment when I talked about Robert's physique and if anyone feels hurt, I truly apologize. I will not delete it, because it will be evident and give me a reason to improve, we are in constant deconstruction and I do not want to delete something bad that I could have said and pretend it never happened, how will I learn if I do that?

[ghostbite0]

i keep saying ill shut up about this subject but reblogging this because i feel like its an important addition and id love for people to see it!

right off the bat i would like to apologize if you felt i was vaguing your comic in any way-- i remember seeing it ages ago and enjoying it and sharing it with some friends who like giyuu and mitsuri. as i mentioned in my original post none of my rant or what triggered this discussion was targeted toward anyone-- what really sparked the convo was frustration that i kept getting the same requests and i was getting irked by all the infantilizing of giyuu on tiktok (which is notorious for mischaracterizing the kny cast) and the blatant misogny i keep seeing in fandom spaces

i admit i dont know what else to add-- i feel you explained everything well and it all makes sense

you make a great point of how these things may not make sense to others-- personal hcs can be that way sometimes, and i ultimately feel we should be respectful of them so long as they arent harmful or enforcing any stereotypes or anything like that. i feel the comic you mentioned has never been a disservice to either character and i apologize profusely if this whole discussion made you feel targeted or hurt in any way D:

its also worth noting that people who are older siblings may adopt older sibling mannerisms to people who are older than them if said person is actually a younger sibling. you'd be surprised how your birth order can impact you! mitsuri is an older sister to multiple children, and giyuu's the baby of his family, so it makes sense. i wouldnt say this dynamic means theyre siblings or anything-- i dont personally see them as being older sister or little brother by any means--, and mitsuri absolutely is not babying him nor should be portrayed as a source of comfort for him in the sense of female figure being the male character's tissue and stuff-- it's just, to your point, something that happens, and thats okay!

ultimately at the end of the day people's headcanons are their headcanons and, again, so long as they arent harmful, its ok to have differing opinions and differing viewpoints/interpretations!

I’m not super into KnY these days but I follow you and seeing yours and EVERYONE’S thoughts about the woobifying of Giyuu and how using Shinobu and Mitsuri as mother/big sis figures to him is a mischaracterization of him and his relationships was positively refreshing.

I don’t have much to add other than the fact that turning Shinobu into a mother figure when her trauma involves her forcing herself to grow up insanely fast feels disrespectful to me. Yes she is a medic and caretaker but she is that as her JOB, not her core personality (which is more vengeful and angry/frustrated, imo).

So thanks to you and all your followers for putting that stuff on my dash!

ahhh it was really fun to see the pov of someone who isnt as invested in demon slayer! makes me feel less nitpicky and insane haha

i really appreciate your addition to the convo! i completely agree that these interpretations feel like a huge disrespect to shinobu’s character and mischaracterization of giyuu!

with this i think ill stop talking about it, at least for now. everyone has provided really wonderful feedback and im super glad im not the only one bothered by it!

[florallylly]

something along the lines of princess protection program of 2010s dcom fame. steve harrington prince of a small italian-adjacent principality forced to flee the country when a military coup takes place.

blah blah he's placed with the buckley family in hawkins, indiana. what i Think would be funny is if all of this is going on and the upside down is still happening.

like steve is obviously not disclosing his identity to anyone except for robin and the buckleys. and like this would cause a lot of shifts in the canon timeline but in my Head . just off the cuff no draft no braincell just gut instinct.

thinking of a steve harrington who relies on tropey examples of what he thinks american "commoner" school is like. he comes off kind of ditzy and a bit out of touch, but he's also hot and charming so he's pretty much a hit.

maybe steve and robin having a really bad first meeting and in retaliation robin comes up with some convoluted story about steve being her out of control drug addicted cousin who got kicked out of private school and sent to hawkins as punishment. or like some type of story along those lines but unfortunately it just makes steve more compelling.

eventually eventually they become the platonic soulmates that they were always destined to be and robin moves to the little italian principality and is finally able to regularly flex her italian skills

ALSO buckley family characterization something found family and the buckley adoption of steve harrington like... well yes....

BUT back to the upside down happening.

like i kind of want steve to arrive earlier, but i think narratively it would make most sense for steve to be the new kid in 1983. he lives with robin, but they're not really on the best terms because steve just so naturally fit in with the jocks and popular kids from the get go. and like. he's a spoiled kid who honestly robin is projecting onto because her dad is away fixing STEVE'S country like... it's a little his fault.

the timeline goes on as usual except like? idk how the barb and nancy party would work out while living with the buckleys, but perhaps it would have been held at tommy or carol's in this world.

i think it would be Hilarious if robin didn't find out about the upside down until season 3 like she did canonically, but in my heart i know that if steve came home all fucked up like he was after literally Any of the Seasons (???), she would not have been able to sit still. like regardless of the level of dislike that's someone she's been living with and Kind of Enjoys being around (reluctantly). so robin would be in the know sooner or perpetually pissed bc steve is remarkably persistent in keeping his mouth shut

maybe could cause more conflict in s3 with the russians and possibly knowing his identity but ALSO possibility for some type of robin buckley slayage a la her father like.... if that sentence made sense to anyone then it made sense to someone

but i think i think the funny thing is nobody else knowing steve's backstory or situation, just kind of assuming that robin's initial bitter story about steve being a reformed drug addict was the truth. Lol and weird dynamics with eddie munson bc uh oh... is this gonna affect sobriety or like his comfort or smth .... moment...

but mr buckley coming home and finding steve and being like :P hey you can go home now :P and steve breaking down crying like he never thought he'd be able to see the halls he grew up running down again. or see the ocean from his childhood bedroom again. or talk to the same neighbors he's talked to since he was five years old.

and everyone sans robin being like wow didn't know like. fuckin chicago was that meaningful to u ... damn... were u a fugitive or smth bc u had a car and a license.

the prince reveal would have me clawing at the walls gnawing my leg off i think ... eyes rolling to the back of my head i have no way to truly verbalize this

[steddiehyperfixation]

so you don't get lost (steddie ficlet)

written for @steddielovemonth day 17 rating: T cw: alcohol tags: first kiss, clubbing, college au, platonic stobin prompt: Love is about a hand reaching out to you so you don't get lost

“She’s totally into me, right?” Robin asks as they wait for their drinks at the bar, her smile a mile wide, and it’s been a minute since Steve’s seen her smile like that. 

“Yeah, totally,” Steve agrees. The girl Robin’s been talking to all night is drifting back over to them even as they speak, the two of them like magnets since they first traded smiles on the dance floor earlier that night. 

Robin glances back at her and bites back a wider grin. She bounces on her tippy toes and whispers to Steve, “If I make out with her it’s not gonna make you feel awkward, is it?” 

Steve shakes his head. “Go ahead,” he encourages. 

It had been a group effort to get Robin out tonight. Her university friends had enlisted Steve to help drag her out of the mopey funk she’d been in since getting broken up with two weeks ago, and it had taken an hour of Steve hyping her up while she kept crying off her attempts to do her makeup before she finally managed to make it to the club. He’s just glad it had been worth it. 

“I don’t even know if I remember how to do this,” Robin mutters, a little nervously, as she and Steve grab their drinks and rejoin her friends on the dance floor. But it turns out, she has nothing to worry about. The two girls resume their orbit around each other, and the second the next beat drops and the lights strobe, the other girl finally pulls Robin into a heated kiss. Steve watches this, and he smiles fondly. She deserves it. He’s happy for her. 

And he’s totally not jealous. Not necessarily of Robin, obviously, or the girl she’s kissing, but simply of the fact that they’ve so easily found a hot drunk stranger to make out with at the club and he…hasn’t. He can’t even remember the last time he’s had a decent kiss, much less scored at a club, though not for not wanting to. 

Steve finds himself glancing at Robin’s friend Eddie, the tatted-up metalhead Steve’s felt a pull towards since the first time they’d met. He thinks about kissing him every time they’re out together, and maybe there was a time when Steve would’ve just gone for it, a time before he’d taken a few too many hits to the ego and developed doubts and insecurities, but now the thought just makes him nervous. Eddie makes him nervous. 

He feels that nervousness now as Eddie catches him staring and he shakes those lovely dark curls out of his face and smiles at him. It bubbles in his stomach, flutters in his chest. Steve downs the rest of his drink and looks away. The alcohol floods heat through his veins and blurs his vision, but the ever-present thrum of anxiety just from being in Eddie’s proximity still isn’t dulled. He bobs numbly to the music, avoiding looking at anybody at all now, only staring at the floor or the wall or some super fascinating point just above everyone’s heads, sure he looks like an absolute freak. 

It goes beyond just wanting to kiss Eddie; Steve’s not stupid, he knows the only explanation for this sheer amount of nervousness he feels around him is that he’s got an actual, proper crush. Because not only is Eddie super fucking hot, he’s also sweet. Steve is an outsider in this group and he knows it, the college dropout who only tags along because Robin insists on it, but Eddie never makes him feel like that. It’s always Eddie who makes sure he’s included in conversations, always Eddie who makes a point to loop Steve into the context of inside jokes and stories whenever Robin is too distracted to. Steve craves those interactions, gets a thrill every time Eddie so much as speaks to him. So he doesn’t only want to kiss him, he also just wants Eddie to like him, wants him to see him as a friend at the very least. But it’s not like they’ve ever even hung out outside of a group setting, and sometimes Steve fears Eddie’s just being nice and he doesn’t actually see him as anything at all. 

Steve’s drifted so far into his own head he doesn’t realize his group is on the move, pushing deeper into the dance floor and leaving him behind. 

“Steve!” Eddie’s voice calls out to him and snaps him out of it. Everyone else has been taken by the crowd, but Eddie hangs back, reaching his hand out to Steve. 

Steve takes it, swallowing down the way his heart pounds as Eddie’s fingers curl around his hand. Eddie pulls him through the throng of jostling, sweaty bodies, and even though he maintains a tight grip on Steve’s hand, he still keeps looking back at him like he’s making extra sure Steve doesn’t get lost. Warmth blooms in Steve’s chest. Maybe he’s just drunk, maybe he’s just delusional, but all of the sudden he feels so very very cared for. 

“Thanks,” Steve says, nearly shouting to be heard over the music. 

“‘Course.” Eddie smiles as he turns around to face him. They’ve caught up to their friends now, but he’s still holding Steve’s hand. “I’d never just leave you stranded.” 

Of course he wouldn’t. He never has before. Steve just smiles back and squeezes Eddie’s hand. 

They’ve only just let go of each other when Robin and her girl, still kissing clumsily and staggering about the dance floor, stumble straight into Steve and knock him off balance. “Woah!” Eddie reaches for him again instantly, looping an arm around Steve’s waist to keep him from toppling over or careening into the crowd. 

“Ah! Sorry!” Robin giggles before she’s whisked away again. 

Eddie laughs. “Good for her, right?” 

“Yeah, good for her,” Steve says, watching his best friend spin out of sight, and when he looks back he startles at how close he and Eddie are, suddenly very aware of Eddie’s arm around his waist and his hands on Eddie’s chest. 

“You okay?” Eddie asks, his grip on Steve tightening like he means to steady him. 

“Yeah, thanks again.” Steve regains his footing, but he doesn’t pull away. There’s something there, he thinks, in the way Eddie’s always reaching out to him so he doesn’t get lost, literally and figuratively, in crowds and conversations. It could just be friendly, it could just be nothing, but for the first time, Steve lets himself hope. He even thinks about leaning in right now, but then he thinks about it too much, and he doesn’t. 

Instead, there’s a weird moment where they’re both just staring at each other. Eddie’s got this confused little smile on his face like he’s waiting to see what Steve will do, and when Steve doesn’t do anything, Eddie’s smile abruptly becomes more playful as if he’s trying to break the tension, and he starts theatrically swaying them to the music, even though it is most definitely not the swaying sort of beat. Steve laughs, his racing heart making it come out giddy and giggly, especially when Eddie drops his waist to grab his hand and twirl him around. 

Eddie pulls him in close again then, and this time Steve doesn’t think at all. In fact, it’s unclear which one of them leans in first; all Steve knows is that their lips finally, finally meet in the middle and he finally, finally gets to tangle his hands in Eddie’s hair, and it’s sweet and it’s hungry and it’s absolutely perfect. Steve holds onto Eddie and he gets lost in him. 

When Steve meets back up with Robin outside after the club closes, they exchange a celebratory, congratulatory high five, the both of them with matching kiss-swollen lips and dates set for next week.