#i get some criticisms like pacing alright

[epickiya722]

Of course, Izuku can't have his moment without some people having an issue about it.

Not surprised, anything involving Izuku Midoriya someone is going to hate and has been for almost 10 years now.

Here's the thing that honestly has pissed me off about the fandom. And you know what, I know some of you are going to think I'm a bitch about this, but at this point? I don't care. I'm now at a limit that has been pushed.

When it comes to Izuku Midoriya, some of you seem to forget that he is an individual. This is still HIS story he's telling.

Look, I got my ships, but damn it. Sometimes, I want these characters to still be perceived as their own characters.

Katsuki showing up this chapter was enough for me. Yes, he is a big part of Izuku's story, but... I feel like it would not be right for him to be more included in AFO and Shigaraki's ultimate defeat.

Last time I checked, Katsuki was only a temporary OFA user... FROM A MOVIE. His journey didn't completely evolve around One For All. Izuku's did.

When Katsuki was having his awesome moments fighting AFO when he was a kid and a baby (AFO), I ain't seen no one going "Oh, Izuku should be by his side, BakuDeku" or anything like that. No, y'all was cheering Katsuki on and seemed satisfied that Izuku served as support.

That's all this fandom ever does is see as Izuku as support for Katsuki, just he always has to have his story evolve around Katsuki and nothing else.

He's the main character, but with some of you? He's not allowed to have his own moments to shine. He's not allowed to think about anything else but Katsuki. He's not allowed to put down the villain he was meant to face unless Katsuki is there to take the shine away.

Be honest, that's how you feel, isn't it?

Like, damn, Katsuki already won the last how many popularity polls!! When are y'all going to rest and let Izuku Midoriya be front row and center in his own damn story?!

I don't hate Katsuki, but I'm starting to dislike a lot of his fans.

Same for Shoto.

Look, Shoto also being more involved like how some of y'all wanted for this chapter would make no fucking sense to me. His fight was always meant to be against Dabi. His story involved his family. Izuku wasn't there fighting Dabi, so why in the hell should Shoto share some of the big moment when Izuku takes out ShigAFO?

How would that be fair for Izuku?

Some of you didn't even like Izuku being involved with the family drama and later he wasn't for the big fight because the Todoroki Family Drama wasn't for him.

As with Katsuki, Shoto is still a supporting character. He's a big one, but oh my gosh!!

I literally just woke up and the bull I'm already seeing is ridiculous, it is.

Sometimes, I feel like some of you who think they know the story haven't been paying attention at all. Some of you, I feel have that "this character should have been the main character" mentality so when Izuku does MC things, you go into some frenzy over it. Some of you, I feel should take off the damn shipping goggles and for once realize that these characters are still individuals and percieve them as such. Horikoshi, if you read this... don't make any ship canon. The fandom can settle for fics.

Ten years... for ten years... as much as some of you demean Katsuki for his actions, you act just as he did towards Izuku. Treat Izuku like some damn punching bag. You don't even have to like the story, I don't give a damn.

He gets moments to shine, it's a problem. "No, this character should be---" Just stop!

I'm not saying Horikoshi's writing is perfect. I'm not saying you have to like Izuku. I'm not even saying I'm an expert on BNHA because I'm still learning the story, too.

But what I am saying is, and it's going to sound bitchy, is that y'all are so blinded and muddled by your criticism and shipping that you're quick to make judgments. You're quick to rush and not sit back and really try to understand what's going on and your hatred or indifference towards Izuku is just doing a disservice to not just the story, but to yourselves. The way some of you think will ruin the experience for you and some of you sound like jerks, for real.

Like, every character is important to BNHA in some way, yes. But what about Izuku Midoriya? Doesn't his importance matter, too?

Or is he just some character for you to hate on or some character you only value for shipping purposes?

Feel how you about this chapter (even though it was just leaks and not the officially out chapter, let alone THE WHOLE DAMN STORY!! BNHA AIN'T FINISHED YET!!), I don't care.

But oh my gosh... do better, just do better.

It isn't just this fandom. It's all fandoms. There's this trend now of "criticizing" the main characters or saying "they're not really the MC" or how their value as a character for shipping purposes.

This can apply to any character, but right now I'm focusing on main characters.

When it comes to main characters, you should understand them most of all to understand the story and a lot of you or at least the loud minority have failed drastically.

[nipuni]

Alright, time to share my opinions about Veilguard!! I have both criticism and praise so bear with me as I jump from one extreme to the other 😆 spoilers ahead of course!

The game has a very rough start with the dialogue being formulaic and rushed and the characters overexposing. It feels like a heavy handed attempt at summarizing all of previous games' lore for newcomers or in case you forgot but it's so overdone it feels coddling and trivializes a lot of previous events. Luckily this gets better once all of the introductions are out of the way, though the excessive hints and clarifications continue until the end sadly.

The locations are absolutely incredible and very diverse!! This is a highlight of the game for me. There is so much detail and care in every map and there are so many of them. My pc is struggling to reach medium settings and yet everything looks stunning. The verticality of the maps is so imposing and the graphics have a very dreamy quality that I love. I also enjoy the maze-like structure to the maps, it's more linear but makes everything look a bit more intentional. The color and light direction was amazing, all the visual development really!! it has to be one of the prettiest games I've ever played.

When I started I have to admit it did not feel like I was in Thedas and it all felt a bit theme-parky, if that makes sense. A lot of previously important and established world elements that made Thedas what it is were overlooked or made irrelevant. But the more I played the more it started to feel a bit more similar to Inquisition, for better or worse depending on what you feel about Inquisition. But!! this also feels like a selectively sanitized version of Thedas compared to previous games. In it's attempt to stay safe and uncontroversial in some aspects it loses a lot of substance and it changes the tone. The surface level politics, ignoring previously established major societal issues and a tell-don't-show approach makes the world seem more simple and shallow with no grey areas to explore. ( the humor also falls flat and out of place often too, and WHY is everyone always smirking, enough!! godlike beings are destroying the planet please this is not the time for Marvel banter aaaa )

The pacing at the start is a bit of a mess. It is so fast it felt like jumping from one world shattering discovery to the next with no time to process. The characters also seem to underreact to important information and major developments. It felt like the game was rushing me through all this to get to the part of the story it wanted to tell me while I was still wrapped in my shock blanket trying to catch my breath lmao. I really like all the key story points they touched upon, I just wish they dwelled more on them to give them more narrative weight. ( though blaming every bad thing to ever happen on the Elves was certainly..a choice )

I think the writing could have used more subtlety in the first half and more boldness in the second 😆 but I loved the thematic parallels between Rook and Solas and how every quest informs the main storyline. I do wish Rook was given more impossible choices and put in more difficult situations that forced them to lie or betray their own to better drive the point home though ( listen I just love a Trolley problem!! we need more of those, I'm the Trolley problem's number one fan!! ) I feel like they missed the chance to put Rook in Solas' role and be as vilified and hated for it as Solas was despite their best intentions which would make Rook's regrets stronger and in turn make their escape from the fade all the more impressive and give them a better understanding of Solas to either use against him or earn his respect. The line 'they called me the Dread Wolf, what will they call you when this is over' from the trailers was so good I was waiting for this!! But everyone just loves Rook no matter what!!

But I feel like I stated too many negative aspects in a row so moving on to some things I enjoyed!

The characters were very lovable to me. The romances weren't as long or impactful as I would have liked but I enjoyed all the companion quests. Emmrich is a delight and his quest is so wild and fun. I loved learning about Nevarra and I was awestruck by the Grand Necropolis. The mourn watch was so interesting, it showed a whole new side of Thedas' lore I knew nothing about! and I loved Manfred! Davrin is so charming, he became a favorite. I loved his quest too and learning more bits and pieces about the Dalish was great, I wish we got more. Seeing the Wardens through his quest also made me enjoy them a lot. Assan was very cute too and I'm glad he was treated as an animal and not turned into a goofy Disney sidekick too much lmao 😭 Lucanis is hilarious. The fantasy Spain/Italy was a bit silly and off at times but he is very sweet! and I love the Spite possession, that was so fun I'm glad they kept him that way! Bellara is adorable, her first backstory quest made me cry and I just love a nerd! I wish the second part of her story was written better however, and she sort of devolves into 'it's hard, I wish it was easy but it's hard' dialogues too often sadly. Anaris and the Forgotten Ones' portrayal was underwhelming and anticlimactic which was disappointing. Harding is also very cute and her Titan plotline was the most interesting to me, I bawled my eyes out in her quest!! I love the dwarven lore of this universe I'm so happy we got more of it!! ( she also fucking died in my playthrough?! I was devastated what the hell 😭 'whatever it takes' WEUEUGHHHG I'M SO SORRY) Neve was a slow burn for me because of my choices in game slowing that relationship down ( saving Treviso I mean, perdón amor 🙏 ) but I love detective novels and she is such a badass I ended up loving her. Taash was unexpected, I didn't think they would be so young. The coming of age story was sweet, though I found myself cringing a lot too at the handling of it I have to admit ( and the Lords of Fortune in general, and the Antaam...and que Qun..listen- kajshfgf ) but I also enjoyed learning more about the first expedition and the Qunari in general despite the messy writing and choices. I also loved Antoine and Evka! and Strife! And I haven't even read any of the novels they are in 😆 also Mila!!!! and her dad oh my god and Felassan haunting the narrative!! speaking of haunting, I would have loved for Cole to be in the lighthouse too I think it would have worked well 🤔 especially with the whole 'reading Solas' secret diary' thing the game had going on lmao

Everyone seems to get along except for a bit of friction that is quickly resolved at the start, which is hmm missed potential? I would have preferred more tension personally. I enjoy the drama! gives me more to work with and gives you a better grasp on everyone's personality by contrasting values. I think they wanted to speed run a found family trope for the new hero to establish some emotional stakes early on but it ended up making everyone seem like a group therapy session instead. The group meetings also have everyone either state the obvious or repeat the same opinion or conclusion to each other, I would have loved these meetings to have more bickering, have people get mad and storm out and also get to listen to different takes on a situation. Make Rook struggle more to take the reins and keep the team functional, learning how to be a leader.

Speaking of Rook! ( who in my case has a northern British accent that I loved so much 🥺) They seem to have a very established personality. I was expecting more of a blank slate but I'm lucky that the personality they went for kind of matches what I would normally choose in a first playthrough. Though the lack of range in the choices is irritating and takes away some replayability and role playing potential. Rook is very supportive and selfless, I wasn't expecting this tbh! But it all made my Rook turn into the team's weird supportive necromancer mom so it worked out in the end I guess lmao. I can't wait to draw her!!

I was so overwhelmed by the amount of information we got about Solas and his past!! I was expecting answers but not these many and not for them to be such an integral part of the plot!! The game feels like it's about him more than anything else. His arc is the best written out of all. He is mentioned in every conversation, he's the main advisor and the narrative foil, you get to talk to him often, you work for him and with him and go into his memories it all feels so surreal to me lmao I love him so I'm delighted ngl! but also making the other Evanuris so cartoonishly evil makes Solas into such an obvious choice of an ally, god of trickery or not, that it sort of takes the decision out of your hands and makes some dialogue options and companions' opinions seem almost nonsensical. I have no idea how this game would feel to someone who absolutely hates Solas' guts honestly. I suppose I will find out soon enough 😆

About Solas' story, I loved it! I somehow also feel that I knew it already, all the speculation and theories that Solavellan fans were crafting for years were so accurate that it was all very validating. Even the wildest ones! Solas as the Maker, the elves spirit origin, Mythal giving him a body, the war with the Titans, the origin of the Blight, Solas being on your side as advisor, I can go on, we knew!! Also I have to mention this I'm sorry but they made him look so hot!! unbelievable. And the bloodied teary eyed pathetic look in the end ouurghhh I'm cheering and clapping!!

The romance conclusion was so lovely 😭 the Loki and Sigyn ending we deserved to such a mythological epic!! and open ended enough for all of us to cook!! and we got to see him fight and transform into the Dread Wolf!! and whimper and cry!! and bleed and love!! that's all I ever wanted, incredible we were really spoiled what the hell I still can't believe it 😭 GDL acting was brilliant as usual! the visuals were also incredible and exactly what I had in mind when I imagined where the story may go, the eclipse, the giant wolf, the glowing eyes, the Elvhenan ruins, the statues, even the hair lmao it all aligned exactly to what I've been painting all these years but better I was thrilled 😭

Solas backstory with Mythal also offers players that didn't romance him a chance to see him act out of love and show a side they wouldn't be able to reach otherwise and I think it was smart! also very tragic and sheds more light into all of his choices and words and his relationship with Lavellan too and the parallels and reversals and uughh thoroughly enjoying the emotional distress 👌

Pleasing both the Solas lovers and haters at the same time was always going to be hard with him being such a polarizing character by design and the world states being so different but I think they did a good job! at least from my side of things.

I think my favorite part besides the Solas related stuff was the Blight. I loved how horrific and gross and threatening it was! I've always loved the concept of the Blights and I'm glad it was such a huge part of the story in this game. I also loved Treviso!! has to be the most beautiful city in Thedas ahhh and the Necropolis!! the gardens!! Vorgoth!!! Kal-Sharok!!! I can't believe we got to see it!! and a Titan!!! the giant floating face of Ghilan'nain in the clouds??? and the huge archdemons and dragons!! oh and that warden dragon trap in the shape of a griffon?? and the giant blight tendrils!! the siege at Weisshaupt was outstanding!! and the floating panopticon castle situation in Minrathous uughh there is so much I loved.

OH I also enjoyed the Varric arc even though I saw it coming since the trailer it was still played well and it was touching 🥺

The ending felt a bit jarring to me in tone though, a bit too cheerful considering...the horrors. Over half the continent destroyed and most of the problems Thedas had before the game are still there. Veil in place and all 😆

But I had fun!! I'm nitpicking really, the conclusion to Solas' story feels very satisfying to me which was my main worry so I'm happy. It is a good game!! with a sort of soft reboot feel to it and aimed at a younger audience which is probably what they were going for? You can sort of feel the struggle the team went through during production in the way the target audience seems unclear sadly. I also can't help feeling like this is an ending, so much was revealed and resolved!! but maybe I feel that way because that is what I felt after Shadowbringers / Endwalker in FFXIV once my favorite part of the story was wrapped? They can always pivot to a new continent and expand on the world and cultures we know almost nothing about, but that is always harder to sell so I have no clue where they will go from here 😵‍💫

Anyway I'm still processing a lot of stuff that I will probably talk (and draw) about later, this is already long enough!! for now I'll look up how to get the artbook because the art direction of this game is fantastic!! I would love to hear your thoughts too really, I'm curious about the experiences of players who made different choices and with different tastes to mine!!

[wr0wn]

bit of a stupid question so ignore this if you'd like, but do you ever feel like it's pointless to make art knowing there's better artists out there that can draw what you want to draw better than you? im going through art block because of this thought process, just seeing another experienced artist's work, no matter how proud i am of my own work, makes me lose all interest in creating anything myself

At this point in my life, drawing and creating is part of my body, just like my dark hair or blue eyes. I love and am obsessed with drawing.

It's my way of expressing myself, even if all I do is draw one silly character over and over again. I love the process. Sometimes, I don't like the result after I'm done with a piece. And that's alright. I'm growing and moving forward at my truly slow pace. :)

I do, too, have art blocks, and I do burn out, but I know it'll pass.

I get jealous and disappointed when I look at other artists.

But I'm not them. I don't draw like them. I don't want to draw like them. We are different, and we carry different ideas into our small community of people.

Creating art is never pointless when you express yourself. It's beautiful. You don't have to be good. It's not a competition.

You can love it regardless of your skills at the moment. You should love it. Make 'being an artist' part of your personality. It's lovely!

Learn some love and patience. To yourself and your skills.

I'm learning too. Because I'm really negative and critical when it comes to my own skills.

All good things take time :)

Sorry if it isn't helpful at all 🙏

Please keep creating.

[shiukongisaprettyboy]

Day 29 Threesome + Toji

————

holy shit.

also I WAS WORKING ALL WEEK I FINISHED THIS TODAY

legit i posted it as soon as i finished it 😂 so it’s not edited or proofread tbh

please comment and reblog criticism and stuff like that so I can be a better writer!

WARNINGS: Dirty talk(kinda), threesome, hair pulling(i love it), whiny shiu mentioned(my favorite), and Toji being rough and filthy as shit. Poly relationship, mentions of edging. mentions of blood(one line)

_______

Fucking hell. You could barely get your thoughts straight. your mind grasped at half way thoughts and blurs of feelings, but they all slipped away from you. In all fairness, you weren’t totally surprised that your mind was just a tad foggy.

With Toji Fushiguro nailing you from behind, could one blame you for being a bit out of your mind. And the lack of air coming into your lungs wasn’t helping things. Shiu Kong had his hands in your hair, holding you in place as he fucked, hard but somehow gently into your mouth.

The two were completely opposite when it came to intimacy with ones they loved. It made sense to assume that they would mix like oil and water, but you’d be wrong. Toji, while he was harsh and rough with you, Shiu was gentle. Well.. gentler.

Shiu was gentle, yes. But. When he got into the moment, and was nearing his edge, a bit of him slipped out that would surprise most. He got rough, pulling hair and biting your neck, hard enough to draw blood often enough. You loved it. And as he would bite your neck, you’d pull his hair, making him

not only bite harder. A few times a low whine had escaped his throat.

Toji pulled you closer, and Shiu slid deep into your throat. Toji was going at a beastly pace with strong hands gripping your hips as he slammed into you.

“Feel good? Yeah I bet you do, getting railed at both ends, greedy slut.” Toji grunted out as he rearranged your insides with his thick cock. Shiu huffed out a laugh as he worked your head in time with his thrusts into your mouth. You moaned around Shiu, feeling drool drip down into the soft covers that the three slept in. Well, three when Toji and Shiu were home.

Shiu twitched in your mouth, and his hold on your hair tightened. “Come on sweetheart, be a good girl and let me fill your mouth, doll.” Shiu moaned out, his hips faltering as he came, letting out a deep moan. He pulled out to let you breath and swallow.

Toji, who watched this all go down, grabbed Shiu’s chin and pulled him into a deep kiss. You moaned as Toji thrusted deeper as he moved closer to Shiu. Oh these two, you stared up at them, as Shiu’s came dribbled out of your mouth. Toji broke the kiss, to focus back on you. “Are you almost there? I’m surprised you lasted this long..” Toji taunted, his voice cutting through your mind.

God you were close, but Toji was so good at leading you to that edge and just letting you drop back, unable to come. You felt Toji pick up his pace. “Alright, come on, I’ll let you come. Just gotta do it before I do.” He smirked down at your pathetic face. You moaned out as Toji nailed you, in your sweet spot. He knew your insides better than you did.

You felt yourself building up again. Toji smirked down at you, before flipping you into your back. You choked out a yelp at the new angle “Good to see that face, beautiful.” Toji smiled down at you, his scar creasing. You leaned back and captured him into a deep kiss as you came. His cock was kissing your insides at such a perfect angle. You gripped the sheets as you bit at Tojis lips. He broke the kiss to let out a groan as he filled you, his eyes closing as he rode his high.

You dropped onto the mattress, eyes shutting as you caught your breath. Shiu had at some point gotten up to get a washcloth and 2 bottles of water. He now sat in the arm chair, a smoke hanging from his slim fingers. Toji rose up from where he sat, cleaning the both of you. He grabbed the smoke from Shiu’s grasp, bringing it to his lips as he smiled down at the shorter man. The two exchanged silent words as you drifted off into your mind.

“Doll?” Shiu murmured, holding the smoke out to you. You sat up, taking it between your fingers to take a deep breath of it. The smoke filled your lungs. You handed it back to Shiu so he could put it out.

“Well.. I have work tomorrow. If you don’t mind.” You said, smiling softly at the two.

“Of course.” Toji flopped into bed beside you, closing his eyes as he wrapped his arms around you. “Stop talking and sleep.” His way of saying he loves you two. The both of you had learned and had quickly become fluent in Toji. Shiu huffed, pushing his hair back, as he fell onto the bed beside you. You felt their warmth and their presence, and you felt sleep harness you. “I love you both, really.” You murmured out, and heard the two men speak the same as you fell asleep in the arms of your lovers.

——————

I sure am a slut for after care ✨💕

——————

[anonymousewrites]

Nature of the Human Soul (Book 1) Chapter Six

Platonic! Hazbin Hotel x Teen! Reader

Father Figure! Alastor x Teen! Reader

Chapter Six: Memories of Life and Death

Summary: Everyone says the wrong thing, and (Y/N)'s mental health pays the price.

            (Y/N) closed their eyes and put their hands over their ears as Angel’s show-and-tell video played. It was, of course, nothing short of one of his acting scenes with more of him than (Y/N) ever wanted or needed to see.

            “Ya know, this performance won me a ‘Sex-x-x-i’ award,” said Angel proudly.

            “It’s, uh, very…honest?” Charlie averted her face.

            “Ew,” said Vaggie. “Okay, enough of that! Angel, what the fuck?”

            “What? You said it was Show n’ Tell day!” said Angel. “I’m showin’ you my best film, and I’m tellin’ you that it scored me a win over that bitch, Tiffany Titfucker.”

            “Ya know, that’s not a very convincing interrogation scene,” said Husk from the bar as he cleaned glasses.

            “Alright, dickhead, what makes you think you have any right to insult my work to my fuckin’ face?” said Angel.

            “You’re really gonna sit there and act like these scripts ain’t hot garbage?” said Husk, raising a brow.

            “Fuck you,” said Angel. “This is classy art!” He pointed at the screen on an incredibly inappropriate scene.

            Pentious covered his eyes with his head flaps, and Niffty grinned happily as she watched.

            “That’s bullshit,” said Husk. “You get drunk and bitch about them all the time. Everyone likes to bitch to the bartender. I know everything about you and these motherfuckers at this point.” Angel rolled his eyes, and Husk decided to make a point. “That one.” He pointed at Pentious. “That one is an insecure buffoon whose lonely ass watches you idiots sleep. Princess is a bleeding heart who wants to solve everyone else’s problems ‘cept her own.”

            “What? No, I—Pfft, no, no,” denied Charlie nervously.

            Husk just continued on to Vaggie. “This one judges everyone and everything because she hates herself.”

            “Aargh!” Vaggie hated how accurate it was.

            “That one.” Husk moved on to (Y/N), whose flowers flinched nervously. “Is sick and tired of being thought of as some innocent kid by everyone here and might go crazy if anyone tries to put that role onto them.”

            (Y/N) smiled sheepishly. Unfortunately, they really did feel like that.

            “And Niffty.” Husk made a face. “You don’t even wanna know what her deal is.”

            Angel cackled. “You weren’t kidding. Haha, wow! Kitten’s got claws! Meow~” He grabbed Husk’s face teasingly.

            “And you!” Husk pushed Angel back. “Don’t get me started. I see right through you and all this bullshit and how fake you are.”

            “Oh, me? Fake?” challenged Angel. “Wow. I had no idea. Guess that’s why I’m an actor. Dumbass. And—” His phone went off, and Angel’s face fell before he grabbed it. “Hold that thought.” He walked a few paces away. “Hello? Uh, yeah, I’m-I’m…” His entire attitude had changed, growing nervous and hesitant, completely unlike the usual Angel Dust the hotel dealt with. “No, no, I just, I—No, I’m not, but, uh, yeah…I’ll be right there.”

            He turned off his phone and looked back at the group. (Y/N) furrowed their brow in concern as they saw a familiarly fake smile spread across his face. They had worn that smile themself. It had weighed more than a thousand tons on their shoulders.

            “Well, uh, looks like Val needs me for an, uh, emergency shoot,” said Angel, trying to seem excited and eager.

            “Uhuh, sure,” said Husk, seeing through it.

            “You know what?” snapped Angel. “Fuck you! I don’t give a shit what a drunk ass bartender thinks a’ me! So why don’t you just crawl back to whatever cave you came out of, porn critic.” He gave Husk the middle finger and walked towards the door.

            “Angel, you can’t leave yet!” said Charlie. “We haven’t finished our exercises for the day.”

            “I’m sure you’ll manage without me,” said Angel.

            I don’t think he can say no to Valentino, thought (Y/N), frowning.

            They knew Angel had a contract with Valentino, and they saw the exhaustion in him whenever he returned to the hotel. They knew that if he could, Angel would rest more often. But he couldn’t. And (Y/N) really wished they could do something about it. After all, if there was one thing they despised more than anything else in this whole Hell and Heaven and Earth and everything, it was those that took advantage of others. The very thought summoned a murderous rage (Y/N).

            They knew what it felt like to be used and abused.

            The roses on (Y/N)’s head quivered and wilted as they felt themself on the verge of really, truly remembering (reliving) what they had gone through in life, and (Y/N)’s chest tightened.

            “There isn’t much time left for the hotel to prove itself,” said Charlie, her words drawing (Y/N) out of their mind successfully.

            “Dollface, it’s my job,” said Angel forcefully. “I know you want to fix everything, but unless you can fix my boss, there’s nothing you can do.” He slammed the door shut and was gone.

            “Uuuuugh, why is this so haaaard?” groaned Charlie, curling up in front of the door. “What am I doing wrong?”

            “I don’t think Valentino wants Angel to be redeemed, even if it’s possible,” said (Y/N), frowning.

            “But I do,” said Charlie. “And I really believe in him! But he always has to go to work and can never really commit…What do I do?”

            “Well, I mean, you’re the princess of Hell,” said Vaggie.

            “So?” said Charlie.

            “So, you don’t really use the power that comes with that, which I love about you, but maybe you can…I don’t know, command a little more authority?” suggested Vaggie, smiling encouragingly.

            “But that’s so mean!” said Charlie.

            “I don’t know much about the Vees, but I’m sure they’d deserve it,” said (Y/N), and Husk nodded in firm agreement.

            “It’s not mean, exactly,” said Vaggie, trying to get through to Charlie in a way she’d understand. “It’s, uh, aggressive kindness!”

            Wow. (Y/N) and Husk looked at each other, unimpressed by that “persuasion.”

            “Okay!” Charlie brightened, apparently having been convinced by the idea of “aggressive kindness.” “I could be so aggressively kind to Angel’s boss that I convince to let Angel spend more time at the hotel!”

            “Sure, whatever gets you there, babe,” said Vaggie, smiling at Charlie as she walked out the door happily.

            “Is killing Overlords not on the table?” murmured (Y/N).

            “No,” said Husk. “At least, not for you.”

            “Fine, fine. I’ll do it another time,” said (Y/N).

            Husk shrugged. “As long as you know you’ll win, go for it.” He didn’t care if Valentino got what was coming to him.

            “Do not encourage them to kill people!” said Vaggie.

            “It’s not people. It would be Valentino,” said Husk, and (Y/N) nodded in agreement.

            Vaggie sighed, but she couldn’t disagree.

l

            When Angel returned, (Y/N)’s anger returned full force. He was clearly exhausted and uncomfortable, and whatever he had to film, it was long and, possibly (likely), painful.

            “Eugh, I need a drink,” said Angel, slumping across the bar counter. “The hardest you can make.”

            “Hm. You look like shit,” said Husk, putting a glass down and pouring a drink.

            Angel straightened and put on his overconfident act. “Pfft. Not possible. Just a long shoot, nothin’ new.”

            “Are you alright, Angel?” asked (Y/N), frowning.

            “Of course!” said Angel, but he quickly chugged the drink Husk had made him. He slammed the glass down. “I said a strong one.”

            “Excuse me,” scoffed Husk. “Didn’t realize this was a ‘drinking to forget’ kind of night.”

            “Oh, I forgot. You’re the wise old bartender who’s seen it all!” Angel spoke confidently, but the look on his face was clearly not. “Get the fuck over yourself and pour me a real drink.”

            “Look, if you got a problem, you’re not going to find the solution at the bottom of a bottle,” said Husk. “I should know, I’ve been looking there a long time.”

            “Oh, sure, and where should I look, huh?” said Angel, scoffing. He wiggled his eyebrows. “In your bedroom, maybe? Under the covers? Maybe we can go and look together.”

            “Angel, we’re actually worried,” said (Y/N), walking over. “We want to make sure you’re okay and take care of yourself.”

            “I’m fine,” snapped Angel. “I don’t need any help.”

            “Cut the act,” said Husk. “We can both see through it. You’re just lying to yourself and being fake.”

            “Call me a fake one more time, motherfuckers!” Angel snapped, leaning forward towards (Y/N) and Husk angrily.

            “Angel—” began (Y/N), reaching out slightly.

            “Just leave me alone!” snapped Angel. He slapped their hand away. “Ya know what?! Ya’re all fucking lucky to be talkin’ to me! And you—” he glared at Husk “—would be lucky to fuck me! Ya know how much I’m worth?!” He was clearly spiraling. “Ya know how many people would kill to have Angel Dust come onto them?! Fuck you!” He spun on (Y/N), who flinched back. “And you! Just leave me alone! Stop trying the nice act on me! Acting like you’re innocent and nice when you’re just as much a sinner as us! Just fucking stop!”

            (Y/N) flinched back as Angel stormed out. Their chest constricted, and they were overwhelmed as words from their past came to the surface. (Y/N) stumbled back even as Vaggie came around the corner. They could vaguely hear Vaggie asking Husk what had happened, but everything was faraway, like (Y/N) was underwater.

            (Y/N) pulled away from the group, and as the edges of their vision blurred, they stumbled away, farther into the hotel.

            Away. Need to get away.

            (Y/N) collapsed in a darkened corner of the hotel.

            “Don’t act innocent. You’re a filthy sinner, and if you don’t start obeying me, you’re going straight to Hell.”

            (Y/N) curled up, putting their hands around their knees. Unbidden, roses and briars bloomed around them, creating a protective barrier that couldn’t hide (Y/N) from the words echoing in their mind.

            “I saw you in Church. You weren’t paying attention. Can’t you do anything right? Do you want to burn for all eternity?”

            (Y/N) squeezed their eyes shut and put their hands over their ears, but nothing could block out their memories.

            “You’ve brought this on yourself. You refuse to atone for your sins, so I must deliver you from yourself.”

            (Y/N) flinched, and phantom pain blossomed on their back.

            “You are a sinner! You bring sin into this household! You must atone!”

            (Y/N) curled farther in on themself.

            I’m fine. I’m free. None of them can hurt me again. I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m fine.

            “I’m fine. They can’t hurt me. I won. I won. I won.”

            “Sinner. Filthy. Dirty.”

            “No, no, no, you were the filthy one. You hurt me.” (Y/N) murmured. “They hurt me, and I punished them.”

            “Wrong. Mistake. Abomination.”

            “I did the right thing. I did the right thing. I did the right thing.”

            “You have to atone.”

            “Can’t hurt me. Can’t hurt me. Can’t hurt me.”

            (Y/N) tried to breathe as their entire body ran hot, lungs too tight, the air too stuffy.

            And then something cool wrapped around them. (Y/N) tensed, but they were too exhausted to open their eyes, too scared to see the people they were so desperately trying to block out. So they just let the comforting temperature wrap around them, settling around them. It stilled their thoughts, delivering them from their own mental hell.

            (Y/N) let out a tired breath and held themself tightly. Whatever was settling around them felt like no enemy, and (Y/N) would take any bit of comfort they could find.

            They had never gotten any before.

l

            Alastor lurked within the shadows of the hotel, gazing over (Y/N)’s small, protective barrier. He loomed above, perfectly able to act as he wished, ready as ever to drive fear into all. Instead, Alastor let the shadows rise and settle around (Y/N)’s shoulders. Their breathing calmed, and Alastor pulled back farther into the shadows, satisfied.

            He could’ve frightened them. He could’ve driven them farther into their own madness. He could’ve pushed them and their magic to the brink to see if they had the strength to survive.

            But Alastor hadn’t. He’d heard the same words he’d spoken to himself so, so long ago. And he’d done what, perhaps, a different, faint version of himself would have wanted.

            Perhaps (Y/N) and he were not as different as he assumed.

            Instantly, Alastor retreated into the shadows. He would prefer to think over that new realization on his own. It presented quite a few considerations Alastor had so far avoided in his life.

l

            Much, much later in the evening, (Y/N) braved a return to the lobby to attempt to steal a drink before retreating to their room again.

            “Hey, kid?”

            (Y/N) froze and turned. Angel was standing across from them, rubbing his arm nervously.

            “Oh. Uh, hi.”

            “Listen, kid.” Angel stepped forward. “I’m, uh, I’m sorry. For earlier. I shouldn’t’ve said what I did. I was being stupid. You’re a good kid. And even if you’re in Hell, you’re betta than most of the sinners in the Hellhole.”

            “It’s okay,” said (Y/N), shifting uneasily. “You weren’t feeling well. I’m sorry for pushing.”

            “You, uh, cared,” said Angel. “It was nice of you. So thanks.”

            “You’re welcome.”

            Angel smiled slightly. “Are we okay?”

            (Y/N) nodded. “We are.” Angel wasn’t who (Y/N) had escaped. He was their friend.

            And whoever had helped them was their friend, too.

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[say-hi-intrepid-heroes]

alright let’s go over the junior year clues we got in the rick perry documentary thing (disclaimer: i’ve definitely missed stuff, but i think i got the big things, feel free to reblog and add with stuff that i missed though)

[at the bottom of this post I've typed out the decipherable words that plan out some combats and NPCs from Rick's screen. it's the most interesting thing but it's super long so it's at the bottom under a cut]

We get a blurry look at some minis. I’m seeing at least the PC’s minis, as well as what looks like Baxter the Gryphon.

There’s some major shots of this battle. Includes a Baby mini, the Hangvan with some kind of laser canon on top, a stingray-esque monster that is likely Night Yorb (see below), something that looks like maybe an ice elemental or the crystal (see below), and some large bugs and shirtless people. Clearly set in the Red Wastes. Detailed info of the planning for this battle below.

One of the shots had reference boards in the background. One is clearly for the Hangvan (see earlier screencaps), but the other is unclear. It looks like it includes some sort of tennis or tennis-adjacent sport.

Confirmation that Mordred Manor is a set piece.

Finally, one shot showed Rick’s computer screen with some critical info about planning. I’ve put what I’ve been able to decipher below the screencaps. and under a cut, as it’s very long.

EP. 701 DEFEATING NIGHT YORB CHASE (RED WASTES) Hangvan, Night Yorb is giant flying Manta Ray thing? Rainbow road, being chased by night yorb while trying to throw crystal into portal. Crazy gun on rough [roof] that gorgug made, I can’t get a lock on it. Just need one last final thing to defeat night yorb. Red wastes, chasing the night yorb around, flying bats teleporting onto rough [roof] of van, NPC allies, Balthazar, two other cars they are in contact with, tiefling bakers or sidekicks are reveals Stormchaser twister, trying to get a lock onto it, Night Yorb is escaping the world. Maybe night yorb gets away, why didn [didn’t] you get it? And Balthazar died? Murph invented the Night Yorb. Don’t fuck with the Night Yorb. Exploded out of riz’s chest, needs to be dumb as hell. it’s the jabberwocky, it burbled, hugely terrifying, Horrifying cursed thing. Unending night for two months. Dragon sized, bigger than the Hang Van, 30’ wingspan Stars and moon. While the night yorb flies it is night and not day. Not malevolent force, but everything on earth will die Have giant ghost busters canon, Honey I shrunk the kids cannon Driver, mechanic, gunner, navigator (using SW 5e mechanics) Hang Man - Fabian motorcycle Tether is attached to night yorb, either magic or harpoon Night Yorb could out pace them. Could smash van. Cultist of the night yorb appearing on the road, mad max style ”The night yorb is our god” Red Wastes Cultists: Riding skeleton horses, classic fantasy cultists, Manta ray night yorb masks Sword and Sorcery vibes, MUSCELY, oiled, black leather, rings Shadow of Night Yorb Tether must be reeled in over 4 rounds Success Meter - 4 rounds or it escapes Pop up cultists in the middle of the road 4 maps Straight away, gully bridge crossing, rap popping up, giant portal It’s going to another world but if it gets away thats just as bad Ayada [Ayda?] thing built in. Chekov’s gun. Gun has cool helix of energy that is getting cranked in. Gun is on the back and on the hood is a binding circle that Adaine does. Cultists are making the portal. YORBIES if they catch it, it gets bound into the paint of their van Gun is gorgug’s stuff and circle is adaine 6 cultist perusing them, 4 or 5 at the portal, 1 or 2 back up Single person traps, Vulture with cactus MINIS: Night Yorb - Giant shadowy manta ray, inky black dripping, made of liquid, different underbelly, deep indigo or bone white. Made of shadows, dripping aberration, flat plane, long tail, two weird eyes coming off front on stalks. Second set of PCs TERRAIN: Red Wastes! NOTES: favorite crazy dnd monsters, beholder, [unclear word, bu…ette] Fungal Black light portal battle! Dr. Strange battle set, pseudo pods of elder pod night yorb, day glow run fragments, purple stone castle night yorb temple, floor is octopus made of shadows. Starting mid battle. [blank sections] PROJECTION: Counter here of some kind?

POTENTIAL LOCATIONS Basrar’s icecream shop? Mordred Manor Seacaster Manor [crossed out] Strong Tower Luxury Apartments SAT Prep class [screen cuts off]

EP. 704 DENTENTION [detention] STEALTH CHASE SEQUENCE/ QUIET LIBRARY/ Aguefort chase sequence? Combine sets interrupted by having to make it past a hall monitor Underwater? Books suspended floating, everything is affected by water Don’t wake daddy? Start in Library to get to Aguefort’s office Hallway Classroom Bathroom Lockerroom [blank sections] DYNAMIC ELEMENT: Water

CONCEPTS Dicks! SPIRITUAL GUARDIANS - Full service on minis, summons, etc Psycadelic fungal giant, black light, trippy, beautiful Revisiting old set [screen cuts off]

[fyi everything past this point was very blurry, so I could only decipher pieces here and there]

EP. 706 OUTDOOR CONCERT COACHELLA Music feature? Flaming [?], giant [?] [???] Fig and Gorgug on stage [???] Lighting effects, [???] Floating stage or something [???] Demons? PROJECTION: Lasers?

NPCS/ VILLAINS/ MONSTERS/ ETC. PORTER CLIFFBREAKER is secret servant of nightmare king tactical battlefield combat that [?] 2-3 times larger than PCs LED buried inside him [???] Porter was [???] basketball player [screen cuts off]

[the rest was too blurry to make out anything other than a blank section titled ROLE PLAY/ NEUTRAL BOARD and a section that seems to be for EP. 708 and says EXTRA with some blurry words after it]

[homesickturner]

Homesick - Ch. 1

plot : childhood best friends Gracie and John are separated when join joins the war. Both are dealing with their own problems…will they cope with such distance between them. Most importantly, will the friendship (or more than..) stand the test of the war?

Dara speaks : hi hi! I’m overjoyed to finally be releasing this first chapter 🥹 I just could not keep these two to myself anymore 🫶 pls comment if you enjoy…any constructive criticism is welcome also. My asks box is wide open for any and all thoughts you have after reading this chapter so please send them my way !! The idea for this series came to me while listening to my favorite song ever homesick by dua lipa…give it a listen if you have not it’s too good!

warning : will be historically inaccurate at times for the sake of storytelling. Mentions of anxiety.

Gracie and John grew up together. Their parents often say that it was not often throughout their lives that one was seen without the other. Once they reached hugh school, things certainly changed although they still remained very close.

Gracie has been an exceptional student for all her young life and had future hopes of become a nurse. John and Gracie spoke often of their future plans and although there was a chance they may end up hours and hours from each other they knew they would be alright.

“So John,” Gracie spoke up, John sitting opposite her at the dinner table at her home. “I was thinking of doing some traveling before I head to Washington in the fall…where is it that you confirmed again?.”

“Gracie-.”

“Don’t worry though it’ll be way before college so we’ll have time to work and-.”

“I’m joining the air corps,” he blurted out, setting his knife and fork down.”

“You’re…what. John you’re going off to the war and you didn’t mention it.”

“No Gracie because I knew how worried you’d be-.”

“Damn right John.” She shot back, a hurt expression clouding her face. The girl was lost for words. “I’m coming with you-.”

“Like hell you are,” he scoffed. “Quit talking crap Gracie.”

“John! I was going to be a nurse anyway at least this way I’d be helping.” She pleaded.

“Gracie..you don’t want to see what some of the nurses do in the war,” John said softly. “You have so much going for you, go to college and have fun-.”

“While you’re getting shot down out of your fucking plane John!.” She shouted back at him, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Grace I’ll be ‘aright. I’m not letting you throw your future away for me…for this stupid war.” He insisted.

“John you’re my best friend. I can’t let you go out there.” She stood from the table and began pacing the small dining room. “If I do, I’d bet money that there’ll be a letter landing on my lap in Washington in a few months because you’ll-.”

“Gracie,” he yelled, strolling to where she was in front of him and laying both hands firmly on her shoulders. “Please…you’re breaking my heart. You gotta let me go.” He choked out, getting the slightest bit emotional seeing her eyes filled with tears.

Gracie felt like the life she’d planned had been ripped from beneath her. Some may say, she indeed had the world at her feet, everything was in her favor. Her family were wealthy, she had friends and she was headed to one of the top nursing programs in the country. Gracie never in a million years expected to hear that news from John. She was so crushed, so angry that this war was going to take away her favorite person from her and maybe never give him back. Gracie knew that boy better than she knew herself, so she knew that there was no changing his mind.

Although she was deeply upset, she knew John and had every belief he was doing this for the right reasons. Gracie knew that John had a big heart and truly just wanted to do what he could in such a horrific situation.

She wished she could be mature and think clearly about the situation. At the end of the day, Gracie was 18 years old and about to potentially loose her best friend to this war. So, she certainly was not thinking clearly.

As much as Gracie tried to persuade him, John’s decision was made. One week later he and Gracie stood at the Wisconsin harbor to say their goodbyes.

“Please don’t do this,” she whispered quietly into this ear, both her arms wrapped around his neck. “I can’t loose you Johnny…you’re my other half.”

Gracie couldn’t believe John was finally leaving her. She wasn’t sure she could live without him. Unfortunately for her, she was about to find out.

“It’ll be alright Gracie, I promise you. Just trust me alright?,” he muttered to her softly, he hands rubbed her back slowly.

John knew no matter what he told her, she’d worry. He knew that they were two halves of the same coin, and they balanced each other out perfectly. John brought out her wild side and Gracie kept John’s feet on the ground when he got overexcited. They certainly brought out the best in each other.

He might have been going off to war, but the only thing he was worried about was how Gracie would cope when he was gone. She’d always been an anxious girl, and it has only worsened in her late teens. In recent years, her friends and family realized that it was only John who seemed to truly help her. They would watch the nerves and worry melt off her face and her body relax when John and Gracie were in company togther. When she was with him, it was as if all the voices in her head were quieted and she felt herself again. John could only hope a constant stream of encouraging letters would keep his Grace happy.

As they broke apart John kept his hands on her shoulders. The two kept their eyes locked for a few moments, the words that were not said danced in the air between them. The moment neither of them ever thought would come had finally arrived.

Gracie watched as John turned and slowly began to walk away from her, and into the unknown. Right before boarding the boat, he turned to her once more as she called out to him.

“John?,” she asked. “Yeah Gracie?,” he called back, a small smile forming on this lips. “

“Please take care of yourself Johnny….and I’ll be waiting for my letters.” John could see her eyes lighting up as she shouted out to him.

“I will Grace, I promise I will. You’ll have plenty of letters don’t you worry.”

Gracie watched as her best friend boarded the boat. Moments later he appeared on the top deck, finding himself a spot next to the railing and stood waving to Gracie. A smile graced her lips as she watched him waving to her, and she would laugh when every so often he would do a salute. John noticed these laughs, and did them twice as much when he noticed she enjoyed them.

Gracie’s heart broke as she watched the boat sail away slowly. She stood and waved the John until she couldn’t see him anymore. Once the boat had sailed far enough, she let some tears finally fall down her cheeks.

[eddiexmunsonlover]

One Step Away From You (Chapter 5)

BSF!Eddie Munson x PlusSize!Fem!Reader

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Chapter Summary: It's your 18th birthday and you celebrate by going to get a new piercing with Robin, and a small get together with your friends at Steve's house. This is just a mostly fluffy, light, and fun chapter after all the angst and heaviness of the previous ones. WC: 7.1K Warnings: MDNI. Explicit language. Underage drinking. Brief mentions of toxic parents, alcoholism.

Saturday, October 12th, 1985

“A-Are you sure you want me to go with you for this??” You can hear the panic in Robin’s voice over the phone, making you smile as you imagine her pacing around her bedroom with a white knuckle grip on the phone.

“Yes, Robbie. I want you to come with me.”

“But it won’t be like, weird? Given my… ya know”

“Robin, you know that doesn’t bother me. Besides, who else could I possibly ask? Not Steve or Eddie… for obvious reasons. Nancy and I aren’t close enough for me to ask her. You, however, are one of my closest friends.” 

You hear her release a short exhale before she responds.

“Okay, as long as you don’t think having me there will be weird.”

“Oh my god Robin, it won’t be weird as long as you don’t make it weird!” You laugh out and smile when you hear a small laugh in return, breaking through her anxious energy.

“Okay, okay. I promise, no weird stuff.”

“Good, I’ll pick you up in 15!”

You roll over to your bedside table to hang up the phone, huffing before you get out of bed to get dressed. You throw on a pair of leggings and a baggy t-shirt. You glance in your mirror, deciding to keep your hair in a bun and go barefaced, knowing you’d have time to come back and get ready before your party at Steve’s later.

As soon as you walk out of your bedroom door, your mom flashes you a smile and comes to wrap you in a hug. 

“Happy birthday, sweetie” she speaks softly through the embrace. “Finally 18!” 

She pulls back and notices the purse on your shoulder and keys in hand. “Where are you heading?”

“I’m just going out with Robin for a bit, I’ll be back before my party at Steve’s later.”

“Alright, you wanna open your gift first before you go?” 

You spot the gift bag on the coffee table and nod before beginning to pull out the stuffing paper, mind wondering what she could’ve gotten you. 

Maybe a new pair of boots? Some new guitar strings? Some new cassettes or VHS tapes? 

Your excitement falters when you spot the neon colored clothing. You force the smile to remain on your face, choosing to avoid an argument as you pull the neon green sweater out of the bag and hold it up. “Do you like it?!”

“Oh yeah, for sure!” You try your best to feign genuine excitement, unsure how effective it actually is.

“Promise you’ll actually wear it? Wouldn’t hurt to dress more like a girl…”

“Yes, mom. Thank you!” You answer quickly, flashing a smile her way before neatly folding the sweater and putting it back into the bag. That seems to satisfy her as she hums in agreement before turning to walk back to the kitchen.

As soon as the gift is back where you found it, you quickly leave the trailer. Groaning and rolling your eyes as soon as the front door shuts and you saunter down the steps to your truck.

Can’t even keep the nitpicking at bay for my birthday, let alone give me a gift I’d actually like.

Your mom’s not all bad. She does a lot for you and you know her heart is mostly in the right place, but her executions of showing care and concern for you often have the opposite effect, coming out critical and scrutinizing. 

You shake off the interaction, not wanting it to hamper on the good day you plan to have as you back out your driveway to pick Robin up. Smiling as you look over to Eddie’s trailer before pulling out of Forest Hills.

It’s been almost 3 weeks since the night on the playground when Eddie forgave you, allowing your close friendship to resume. You had intended to take it slow at first, let you both take time to warm up to each other again, but after a few days it was almost as if nothing had happened. Like no time at all had passed, let alone almost 3 years. You can’t really say you’re surprised considering how close you and Eddie were before the move, but you hadn’t expected your friendship to go back to ‘normal’ so quickly. You and Eddie fell back into the comfortable rhythm of your friendship, your usual banter and inside jokes quickly resuming. 

You’d even started joining the Hellfire table at lunch in the past week, though you haven’t accepted the invite to join the club just yet. You’d hung out a few times at his trailer too, listening to albums that’d come out in the time you’ve been gone and playing songs together on your guitars like you used to, only now you shared a joint while doing so. 

You sigh in content as you drive down Hawkins backroads to Robin’s house. You’ve been happier in the past 3 weeks than you have in the past 3 years. Everything feels like it’s finally come together.

You eye the brick building in a stretch of businesses on the outskirts of Hawkins as you park the truck. Tattoos and Piercings displayed in big orange letters in the front window. A mixture of excitement and nervousness fills your stomach as you turn to Robin with a smile. Forcing back a laugh as you see her nervously biting her bottom lip as she warily eyes the shop.

“Come on, let’s go!” you encourage as you hop out of the truck. Robin shortly catches up to your quick strides as you cross the street.

“W-What if the piercer is like, a major creep? Maybe we should have done like a background check or something first…” 

“Well what do you think I have you here for? I need a protector… for my hoo haa’s” you tease her playfully, a devilish smirk pulling at your lips as she looks at you wide-eyed. “Robin, everything will be fine. You don’t have to come back with me if you don’t want to.”

She shakes her head quickly, taking a deep breath as she faces the shop door.

“Nope, we’ve got this. I got your back, or well uh…” Her eyes briefly glance down to your chest before quickly looking back to the shop. “nevermind.” 

She opens the tattoo shop door, letting you go in first. For a Saturday business is slow, only one other customer inside getting tattooed. You approach the front desk where a middle aged man with shaggy hair greets you. You tell him what piercing you want and give him your ID, quickly signing the waiver for piercing and aftercare information and handing over cash for payment. With all formalities settled, he leads you and Robin to a room in the back of the shop.

“Alright uh, just go ahead and remove your shirt and bra.” He states, turning his back to you as he gathers his needles and cleaning supplies. Once you’ve taken off your upper layers and wait for him to begin, you look next to you to see Robin’s back is also towards you, standing rigidly as she faces the wall. Eyeing the seemingly very interesting cracks and chips in the wall’s red paint. You snicker at the sight.

“Rob, you can look ya know. You promised you wouldn’t make it weird.” 

“Right, right.” She says quickly as she turns around, eyes refusing to meet you or your exposed chest, deciding to now stare at the wall opposite of you. You shake your head at her as the piercer turns around and walks toward you.

“Alright, I’m gonna mark with a pen where I’ll pierce, then you can look in a mirror to make sure it looks alright.” 

He does as said, marking both sides of both your nipples, ensuring they look even before backing away so you can check for yourself in the mirror. Satisfied at the placement, you nod at him before sitting on the laid back chair.

“Good, now go ahead and lay back and I’ll get started.”

“Have you uh-pierced many nipples before?” Robin asks with a high-pitched squeak as she watches him bring over his tray of supplies.

He gives her an exhausted look before answering, “This ain’t my first rodeo, hun.”

She purses her lips, nodding her head at his answer as she continues looking around the room at anywhere but you.

“Alright, I’m sure you can imagine this is gonna hurt a bit.”

“Uh, Robin?” you ask as you extend a hand out to her, “Gonna need some support here.”

“Oh, right!” She answers after a moment, quickly taking your hand as her eyes finally meet yours, refusing to stray further south as she mouths a ‘sorry!”.

“Take a deep breath aaaand exhale”

As you exhale, a sharp pain spreads through your left nipple. You yelp out something like a mixture of a loud moan and scream, quickly grabbing Robin’s hand tightly. Curiosity gets the best of her and she finally looks, eyes going wide and mouth falling open at the sight.

“First one done, best to do the second one right away while you still got the adrenaline kick.” He states as he maneuvers to the other side of you, forcing Robin to shimmy over to the side he just occupied.

“Give me another deep breath”

You squeeze both Robin’s hand and your eyes shut as you take another inhale and exhale, a duller pain spreading through your other nipple. After some more deep breaths, you’re greeted with the news that you’re all finished.

You sit up fully, wiping your eyes as you stand and walk over to the mirror. A big smile creeps onto your face as you look at your newly pierced nipples. You’ve never felt particularly confident about your breasts. They aren’t big but they aren’t little either. You never felt like they were anything special. Ever since you first saw an image of a woman with her nipples pierced in a tattoo magazine your older cousin had a year ago, the image and idea of doing the same to your own hasn’t left your mind since.

As you eye yourself and your chest in the mirror, the new addition to your nipples gives you the boost of confidence you hoped it would. You turn around to face Robin.

“What do you think? Do they look good?”

Her head moves like a bobble head, nodding and shaking in every direction as she stares at your chest before looking up to meet your eyes.

“Uh yup. They look great” She muses, putting extra emphasis on the ‘p’.

You carefully put your bra back on, taking extra caution not to hit or snag the new barbells adorning your breasts. 

After a few minutes you and Robin are back in your truck and pulling onto the road. After making a quick stop for at the gas station for slushies, you head down the route to drop Robin back off at her house before Steve comes to grab her for help in setting up for your party.

Between sips of cherry slushies and singing along to Easy Lover by Phil Collins and Philip Bailey, Robin speaks up.

“You know, I think this whole ordeal has really added another layer to our friendship. Brought us closer, you know?” You smirk in response to her comment, and to the reaction you know your next words will elicit.

“Oh yeah, I mean now you’ve seen my tits and you now know what I sound like in bed.” you muse nonchalantly, failing to hold back the shit-eating grin plastered on your face.

“OH MY GOD” she groans loudly, covering her face with her hands as you cackle in satisfaction.

~

Eddie’s already waiting for you, leaning against your truck with a lit cigarette in hand as you shut your front door behind you.

“There’s the birthday girl!” he yells with a bright smile on his face. You roll your eyes but are unable to hide the blush on your cheeks and soft smile as you approach him.

“Happy birthday, sweetheart” he hums softly as he wraps his arms around you in a tight embrace. 

“Thanks, Eds” You return the embrace, never tiring of the feeling of his body against yours, long arms wrapping around your frame. You gladly ignore the soreness of your chest as it presses against his. You let yourself inhale his scent, the faint smell of apples from his shampoo, cigarettes, and musky cologne flood your senses. You sigh softly at the intoxicating smell and feeling of him against you before you break from the embrace.

“Ready to party?” He asks with a cheeky smile.

“Hell yeah, hop in” He jogs over to the passenger side as you turn the ignition. 

Within 10 minutes, you’re pulling into Steve’s driveway, parking next to his car. Thankfully, it happens to be one of the many weekends that Steve’s parents are out of town, leaving the house to all of your friends to have a nice little get-together for your birthday. It’s nothing short of a miracle that you, Steve, and Robin managed to get a Saturday off together too. You can only imagine what they had to do to convince Keith to cover their shift.

“So this is Harrington’s humble abode huh?” Eddie mumbles with a hint of sarcasm as you begin walking up the driveway.

“Best behavior, Munson. Remember?” Eddie scoffs in response.

“I am always on my best behavior, thank you.”

“Who are you trying to fool?” you tease back playfully as you open the front door and let yourself in.

You look around the empty living room, eyeing some liters of soda sitting out on the kitchen counter. As Eddie looks around curiously, you notice shadows and hushed voices near the sliding glass door to the backyard. As you open the door, you’re immediately greeted with a chorus of shouts, “Happy birthday!” 

You hate being the center of attention, but you can’t help but smile and laugh as you look at the smiling faces of your friends, Steve, Robin, Dustin, Mike, and Lucas all waiting to celebrate you. You step out onto the back porch with Eddie following behind. 

“Thank you, guys. This is so sweet!” You gush as your eyes look around, catching the Happy Birthday banner and table filled with snacks and drinks. You go to greet your friends one by one starting with Steve who already has an arm outstretched for a hug. You gladly abide, giving him a hug as you thank him for hosting and the effort he’s put in, leading him to scoff lightly in response.

“Of course, Y/N. I’m glad to.” 

You move to hug Robin, who hesitates for a second as she eyes your chest.

“I said don’t make it weird or obvious” you whisper through your teeth, staring at her wide eyed. She moves into action, quickly pulling you into a hug a little too eagerly to make up for her hesitation. “Don’t make it hurt either, goddamn.” you wince before you both laugh. 

You move on to the younger boys whom Eddie has already joined and squeeze their shoulders lovingly.

“I’m glad you turds are here too.” you tease as you smile brightly, spurring groans and eye rolls from them.

“Okay, that’s offensive.” Mike states matter-of-factly before breaking out into a smile. 

You wish Max would be here to celebrate with you all. You invited her, but when she heard of who all would be here, she quickly fumbled her way to an excuse, a commitment she made to her mom. You don’t hold it against her, but still, as you look among all your friends, her absence is noticeable. 

After a little while of mingling and snacking, Steve suggests a game of soccer, corralling all the boys out into the backyard. You and Robin sit at the edge of the porch, watching as the boys run around the yard, snacking on chips, and listening to your mixtape playing on the stereo.

“So uh, how do they feel?” She asks quietly. You peek a look at her as you pop a chip in your mouth. 

“They fuckin burn is how they feel.” you sigh, watching as Dustin begins to accuse Steve of playing dirty.

“Burn?! I-is that normal?” She nearly chokes on her chips, causing you to laugh as you shake your head.

“I don’t know, Rob. I’m sure it’s fine” you shrug as she looks lost in thought and you’re sure, anxiety. 

“Hey Y/N! Why don’t you come join us!” Dustin shouts out to you.

“Yeah, you too Rob come on!” Steve adds as his chest heaves slightly, hands on his hips.

“No, absolutely not.” Robin states plainly.

“Eh, I don’t know”

“Oh come on, don’t be chickenshits!” Dustin exclaims, causing your eyebrows to raise as you give him an ‘oh really?’ look.

“I think I’m totally fine with being a chicken.” Robin states unphased, looking at you. You share a look with her before standing up.

“Hold my beer.” You say as you begin walking out to meet the boys in the yard.

“But you’re not even drinking a…” Robin begins as you walk away, completely lost, joke flying over her head and landing somewhere in the front yard.

You fall into a 3v3 game; Steve, Eddie and you vs. Dustin, Mike, and Lucas, despite the latter's complaints of it being unfair. You’re not athletic and never considered yourself a fan of sports, but you find yourself having fun and laughing as you kick the soccer ball around and between each other. Not to mention you joined this game with a mission, make Dustin eat his words. Having Steve and Eddie on your team helps, their tall stature and long limbs aiding in bypassing the younger boys’ attempts to intercept the ball. When Steve kicks the ball toward you, you don’t hesitate. Kicking the ball as hard as you can, going airborne in Eddie’s direction for him to secure a goal. Only Mike’s big ass head gets in the way. You have to turn away to try to stifle your laughter when you see and hear the soccer ball audibly thunk! against the side of his head.

“Ow!” he exclaims dramatically, hand holding the side of his head. You bite back your laughter as you face him, the snickering laughter from everyone else doing little to help.

“I’m sorry, bud. You were in the way!”

“In the way?!!” he shrieks in response, leaving you to only shrug apologetically. 

“Alright, walk it off. Don’t be dramatic. Here, we’ll even give you the ball!” Steve attempts to mediate, his offer seemingly settling Mike as the younger boys get back in formation. It does little to help though, as Steve shortly reclaims the ball for your team. 

A moment later you’re all huddled close with the ball stuck being kicked around in the middle, waiting for someone to manage to kick it out. In a moment of an innocent mistake and careless obliviousness, Dustin accidently pushes back against you and elbows your chest as his attention and body follows the movement of the ball. 

Your face scrunches in pain and your hand shoots out to grip the back of Dustin’s shirt. The rest of the boys go on unfazed, the distraction allowing an opening for Steve to kick the ball out of the circle. You take a deep breath before opening your eyes and meeting Dustin’s wide-eyed gaze, knowing he’s in deep shit. 

“Oh, you better run.” You whisper with a sinister smile on your face. You loosen your grip enough to let Dustin pull away and get a head start as he sprints off before you set off after him. After Steve scores another goal for your team, everyone watches in amusement as you briefly chase Dustin around the yard. You may be a bigger girl and not the most athletic, but you can still run pretty damn fast when you want to.

“Who’s the chickenshit now?!” you yell out teasingly as you begin to gain distance on him, holding back your laughter as he screeches out “I’m sorry”s. When you’re close enough, you wrap your arms around his midsection, lifting and spinning him around in circles as he screams, before you put him down and give him a good noogie. After you both regain your breath, you wrap your arm around his shoulder and give it a light squeeze before you walk back to rejoin the group.

“Well I guess that’s a good point to end it on,” Steve begins as he laughs softly. “a 6 to 2 victory!” 

“A proper victory for the birthday girl.” Eddie smiles at you. You give him a bashful curtsey in return, making him laugh before you all return to the porch to lay back and relax.

You and Eddie sit next to each other on one of Steve’s outdoor loveseat chairs, smirking as the younger boys bicker about the soccer game. Eddie lights up a joint, taking a hit before passing it to you. Extending his arm to rest behind your head.

“Listen, you little shits lost fair and square.” Eddie states with a self-satisfied smile.

“Yeah, well I’d wonder who’d win if the two oldest and tallest people here weren’t on the same team.” Lucas pushes.

“Yeah, a rematch of sorts” Dustin adds in agreement. Causing you to laugh as you exhale your hit.

“That’s about as much running as you’ll get out of me for the next month so, maybe next time fellas.” You state simply with a smile. 

The conversation thankfully changes topic as you and Eddie continue sharing his joint. You let your head rest back gently against his arm as you relax from your physical exertion, letting the small touch ground and soothe you as you look around, watching your friends happily. Steve steps out of the house with a platter full of hamburger patties and hotdogs ready to be grilled. You smirk at the image of Steve standing at the smoking grill, in Dad at a cookout mode.

“Only thing missing is a ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron.” you quip toward Robin, whose eyes follow yours before breaking out into a giggle with you.

“Oh, I’m definitely getting him that for Christmas.” she hums in amusement.

Everyone is buzzing in conversation and light-hearted laughs with each other as music plays in the background. The beginning of a particular song catches your attention. Lucas’s eyes turn to meet yours at the exact moment yours turn to look at him as Let’s Groove by Earth, Wind, and Fire begins to play. Neither of you can resist the temptation, standing from your seats to sing and dance along together. Smiling and laughing as you break out into a half choreographed dance you’d done many times before. 

In the years prior, you’d loved babysitting Lucas and Erica the most. Beyond Lucas’s well-mannered but playful attitude with you and the similar sass as you that Erica embodied, going through Mr and Mrs. Sinclair’s collection of funk and RnB records was one of your favorite things. That, and the 3 of you spending all afternoon coming up with your own dances to the songs, often mimicking moves you’d seen on Soul Train. Everyone is all smiles as Dustin decides to join, doing his own rendition of the robot dance as he slots in next to you two.

Eddie watches the scene from his seat. It’s honestly heartwarming for him to witness first-hand the relationship you have with the younger boys. How you handle their attitudes and join in on their antics. Watching as you take on the fun but sassy older sister role gives him hope he can have a similar close friendship with them too, given his own still new but growing friendship with the new members of the club. 

At first, he tries not to let his eyes linger on you too much, not wanting his desire for you to be so obvious. But your body is calling out to him, pulling his eyes back to you as he watches your hips sway, the jiggle of your thick thighs, and with the way you shake your ass Eddie swears he’s going to die on the spot. He’s all of a sudden getting hot, and the already cooling temperatures from the quickly setting sun can’t be to blame. The slightest movement in his jeans sends him scurrying inside for a ‘bathroom break’ as he pleads to the gods there aren’t any more dance songs on the rest of your mixtape.

When the song ends and the boys sit down to take a breather, you venture over to Steve who is intently focused on the hot dogs and burgers sizzling on the grill. You take a sip from the can of Cola you carry before clearing your throat.

“So uh, how’s your wieners looking, Steve?” You hold back a laugh as you see the spatula he holds go still and his head slowly turns to look at you, giving you a ‘really?’ look as you stare at him with a coy grin. You hear a snicker from Dustin before he joins in.

“Hehe yeah, Steve. Are they nice and juicy?” he asks, sending the other boys into a giggling fit as Steve groans.

“Ah great, look at what you’ve started!” he says to you dramatically in a serious tone, but the slight upturn of the side of his mouth doesn’t fool you, breaking out into a full blown smile when you poke his side. 

You stand there with him, teasing him with comments like “Oooh, nice flip there” every time he turns over a burger. Shimmying and singing I Can’t Go For That to each other when it starts to play, a tradition of sorts started during numerous car rides before.

When Eddie returns from the bathroom, he spots you and Steve at the grill, standing particularly close, singing to each other. He can’t deny the ping of jealousy he feels at the sight. Suspicions of what kind of friendship you and Steve have exactly continues to brew ever since he first saw you in the Hawkins parking lot with him. He decides it’s time for a drink, grabbing a can of beer from the 6 pack he brought out of the cooler and resuming his previous seat. He’s thankful when the boys pull him into a DnD conversation that keeps his eyes from lingering on you two.

When the burgers and hotdogs are done, everyone digs in. The early evening hour and soccer game working up everyone’s appetite. After the food is all settled and everyone involved in conversation, you feel a light nudge at your side from Eddie, who greets you with a smile.

“Drink for the birthday girl?” He asks, a cold unopened beer in hand pointed toward you. You hesitate for a second as you eye the can, never having drank alcohol before. Growing up with your Dad had been enough to keep you away from it.

“Come on, you’re in a safe place with friends.” Eddie gently probes.

“Yeah, you know the spare room’s open for you too, don’t have to worry about going anywhere.” Steve adds. 

You notice that Steve and Robin are already sipping on their own beers and with one last look back at Eddie you decide to let your guard down. Nodding at him as you take the beer from his hands and open it.

“Hey, can I have one too?” Mike asks enthusiastically, “I mean what safer place to do it than here?”

“Nice try, Wheeler. I don’t think so.” Steve quickly answers before taking a sip from his own beer. You hear the boys’ groans in the background as you take your first sip, Eddie’s eyes watching you before your face turns and you stick out your tongue.

“Ugh, that tastes like shit!” You’re met with laughter by the 3 older teens, “How the hell do you drink this?”

“Oh come on, it’s not that bad.”

“Well it certainly isn’t good.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve got some rum and pineapple juice inside. I could make you a sweet drink?” Steve offers as he’s already rising from his seat to go inside.

“As long as it tastes better than this!”

And that it does. You hum in approval at the first sip, barely noticing the faint taste of alcohol over the sweet flavor of pineapple juice.

As the sun finally sets and a cool breeze flows through the air, the group moves out into the back yard where Steve has set up wood for a bonfire. Steve, ever the Dad of the group, comes prepared with supplies for s'mores. Insisting there had to be some kind of dessert considering you didn't want the traditional cake and candles, not wanting your friends to make too much fuss over you.

You bask in the warmth of the bright flames, aiding in the warmth already flowing through your body from the alcohol as you move on to your 2nd drink. That warmth grows as you look around at your friends circled around the campfire, smiles on their faces as they roast marshmallows that end up sticking to their lips, and Lucas dramatically telling his best rendition of a ghost story to the group. 

What a perfect day. This is everything you could ask for for your birthday. Nothing extravagant. Just quality time with your favorite people in this world. 

You let your eyes linger on Eddie as he watches and laughs along to Lucas’s story. Watching the flickering warm glow and shadows that the fire casts on his face. You admire the dimples in his cheeks and his plump, pink lips. His warm chocolate eyes as they look to meet yours, feeling your eyes on him. You blush and smile back at him, hoping the alcohol in your system and warmth from the fire are good enough cover for your red cheeks as you tune back into Lucas’s story. 

After a while the younger boys opt for going inside to set up their blankets and pillows in the living room and watch tv before bed.

Now on your 3rd drink, you’re feeling what you assume people call ‘tipsy’ at this point. 

“Goodnight, Dusty bun! Goodnight, Mikey! Goodnight, Lukie! Don’t let the bed bugs bite!” You call out lovingly after them as they walk the short distance back to the house.

“Dusty bun, huh?” Eddie asks curiously with a cheeky smile.

Steve almost excitedly spurs into telling Eddie about Dustin’s girlfriend in Utah, and their favorite song from The Neverending Story. You smile as you watch them interact. You’d initially been worried about having the two together, once being on opposite ends of the social hierarchy at Hawkins High. But given Steve’s personal growth over the past few years, you knew it was a matter of time before Eddie warmed up to him and saw him for who he is now, not the “King Steve” he’d known before.

You fish out a cigarette from your pack and light it, sinking into your chair as you take the first inhale. Your eyes shoot open as you hear the opening bass line to one of your favorite songs, Eyes Without a Face by Billy Idol.

“Oh my god I love this song!” you practically whine, standing up from your seat to dance along, eliciting a laugh from Steve. 

“Uh yeah, we know. You only insisted on playing it every time we’d go for late night drives this summer.” He smirks as he takes another drink from his beer.

“Uh yeah, because it’s one of the best songs ever!” you insist as if it’s obvious before you move a step away from the fire, hips swaying with the beat. Drink in one hand, cigarette in the other.

“I will admit it has grown on me.” Robin adds looking at Steve before smiling as she watches you. 

I’m all out of hope

One more bad break

Could bring a fall

You sing along as your body moves with the beat, putting your cigarette in your mouth to let your fingers play along to the bass line and guitar solo on your air guitar. You can really feel the alcohol now, the way your limbs feel both heavy and light at the same time as you move through the cool breeze, the giddy and sentimental energy flowing through you.

“Oh Robbie, come join me!” you plead, motioning her to you with your free hand. You’re lucky she’s just drunk enough to agree and join you in her best attempt at dancing along. Eddie and Steve watch with bright smiles, Eddie’s heart warming at the sight. 

He didn’t think his feelings for you could deepen any more, but here you are once again proving him wrong. Watching you be so carefree and playful, the way you passionately sing along to every word, the sway of your hips. He can’t get enough.

It’s all gone too soon as the song ends, leaving you pouting before you pull Robin in for a hug. The alcohol also working to numb your nipples, you discover.

“I love you, Robbie. Thanks for coming with me today.” You mumble in her ear as you embrace her tightly.

“Anytime.” she whispers back, returning your embrace.

“I love all of you guys” you say as you turn back to face the two boys sitting by the fire, only slurring your words slightly. “This has been the best birthday ever.”

You give a lopsided smile as you walk to Steve’s side and wrap your arms around him.

“Thank you, Stevie. So so much.” you mutter into his side as he laughs softly, rubbing your arm.

“Anytime, hun.”

You stumble slightly, losing your footing as you pull away from his hug. 

“I’m good, all good!” You slur as you steady, putting your arms up and giggling.

“Maybe it’s time we call it a night, the fire’s starting to die anyway.” Steve suggests as he sees how much the alcohol is hitting you. You groan and pout in response but ultimately agree when your body continues to sway as you stand in place, Steve asking Eddie if he can take you inside.

“It’s the first bedroom on the right up the stairs.” 

“Come on, princess. Let’s get you to bed.” Eddie says softly as he wraps an arm around your waist to support you, fingers lightly digging into the soft flesh there. You smile, giggling to yourself at the pet name as you put your arm around his shoulder, letting him lead you into the house and up the stairs.

As soon as you catch sight of the bed you plop face down on it, sighing in pleasure as you nuzzle your face against the soft pillow, eliciting an airy laugh from Eddie. You turn on your side to peek at him.

“Who you laughing at?”

“You, silly. You gonna sleep with no covers on?” He asks, motioning to the comforter you’re laying on top of. You groan in annoyance before standing up, quickly flipping up the comforter and crawling underneath and settling back in. You watch as Eddie takes off his vest and jacket, laying them on the end of the bed before going back downstairs to get you a glass of water.

You sigh and find yourself staring at the wall as your body sinks into the bed. You think back over your good day spent with your friends, and finally having your first drink to celebrate your 18th birthday. You aren’t sure what triggers it, but your mood quickly takes a turn as you begin to hear inklings of your mom’s voice in your head. Warnings and cautions thrown at you over the years about drinking, about your Dad. Pressures to be responsible and not follow in your father’s footsteps.

You need to be careful. Alcoholism runs in the family, you know.

You don’t want to end up like him.

The thoughts weigh on you heavily, worry and guilt quickly overtaking your mind. You’re so consumed by it you don’t hear Eddie’s footsteps coming up the stairs, only taking in his presence when you see his jeans enter your vision as he stands in front of you, putting the glass of water down on the bedside table. At first he thinks maybe you’ve fallen asleep, until he looks down at your face and notices the look in your eyes as you stare off in the distance and the frown set on your lips. He quickly squats down to be face level with you, eyes searching your face as his hand reaches out for your shoulder.

“Y/N, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” 

You take a shaky inhale before you look at his worried face.

“W-We’re not gonna end up like our Dads are we?” you ask quietly, sadness seeping through your tone as you look deeply into his eyes.

He looks at you confused before it hits him. 

“Hey hey. No.” he reassures you, softly rubbing his hand up and down your bicep. “Just because you let yourself have fun and drink a bit with your friends doesn’t mean you’re going to be like your Dad, okay?” He watches as your expression begins to soften, taking in his words. “And you tell that little voice in your head to fuck off alright?” You give him the exact reaction he wanted, breaking out into a smile and giggling at his words. 

He always knows how to make you feel better. His reassurance and touch helps to calm your worries, but as you look into his eyes, guilt hits you again at your own words. Your insinuation that Eddie could end up like his father. You shake your head at the realization.

“That was a silly thing to say, I’m sorry.” Eddie watches you as one of your hands reaches out to his face. His breath hitching as he feels the pads of your fingers graze his cheek, moving strands of hair out of his face and tucking them behind his ear. “You could never be like him, Eds. You’re too good.” 

Eddie stares into your eyes for a moment. Your words, your touch, the look in your eyes as you stare into his has a grip on his heart, squeezing it as he’s overcome with it all. He struggled to believe those same words when he told it to himself, but hearing them fall from your lips is different. Helps him to believe it’s true. That, and the way you always saw him, when all anyone else in town saw when they looked at him was Al Munson. Casting a shadow over him. A shadow you’re familiar with. 

He smiles softly at you before looking down at the floor, taking a deep breath and gulping before he speaks.

“I know you uh- said no presents but I’ve got something for you.”

He looks up to meet your eyes again, taking in your curious look before he reaches his hands behind his neck and unclasps his necklace, holding it out to you. Your mouth falls open at the gesture, eyeing his red and black guitar pick necklace he’s worn for years that’s now resting in his hand, outstretched toward you. Your heart flutters at the sight.

“E-Eddie, your necklace?”

“I want you to have it, so you’ll always have a piece of me with you. Honestly should’ve given it to you a long time ago but, better late than never.” He offers you a shy smile. 

You quickly sit up and wrap your arms around him as you try to stop your bottom lip from quivering at the sentimental gesture, the alcohol making it much harder to do so. There’s so much you want to say, so many thoughts running through your head but none of the words meet your lips. You’re left speechless as Eddie returns your embrace before he pulls back and stands up, putting the necklace around your neck and clasping it in place. You look down at the pick now resting against your chest, your thumb caressing it.

“Thank you, Eddie. It means alot to me.” you gush as you look up at him, mimicking the wide smile already on his face.

“No need to thank me, sweetheart. Looks better on you anyway.” 

You roll your eyes at him before resting your head back on the pillow, fingers still lingering on the pick around your neck.

“Alright, I’ll let you get some rest.” He sighs before walking to the end of the bed. When he reaches for his vest and jacket, you speak up.

“Wait… why don’t you just stay in here with me tonight?” He stares at you for a moment, mouth hanging open slightly as he thinks of your proposition. “I mean, unless you want to sleep on the floor with the kids in the living room. Come on, it’ll be like old times.” 

He caves in a little too quickly, giving you a nod and a soft smile as he moves his vest and jacket to a chair in the corner of the room. He turns off the bedroom light before walking over to the other side of the bed. You’re ashamed at the little wave of excitement that rushes over you when you hear the metal clink of him undoing his belt buckle, undressing down to his boxers before he climbs in under the covers next to you.

You settle into the bed facing each other, sighing in content as you get comfortable. Though you aren’t touching, you can already feel the warmth radiating from his body inches away. It isn’t long before you’re slipping under, dozing off into a deep sleep as one hand grips the guitar pick hanging from your new necklace.

Eddie’s fingers twitch at the close distance to you. Watching you through the faint moonlight shining through the window as you drift off to sleep. Though it’s not the first time you've fallen asleep next to each other, it’s the first time you’ve done it in years. The same thoughts and temptations he’d held at each sleepover before haven’t changed now. 

He wants nothing more than to caress your bare skin and pull your body against his. Rest his head on top of yours and inhale the scent of your shampoo as his hand softly rubs your back, soothing you to sleep. 

He lays there watching you, wondering if he’ll ever get the chance to do it. Wondering if he’ll ever have the guts to tell you how he feels and make you his. If you even want him like that. If you even see him as anything more than just your best friend.

He sighs before settling into his spot in the bed, deciding that being here with you like this is enough, for now.

[imagine-a-sanctuary-like-this]

Some early thoughts on Arcane S2

Just a few thoughts on the 1st Act of the new season. No strong commitments or opinions just yet, it's still early on in the story. I'll start with what I especially liked, then cycle into things I'd have liked to see done differently.

Animation

Visually, this season's a step up from the last. I've especially enjoyed the differently-stylized into sequences to each episode (the charcoal-like funeral, the overlords' last supper and the Grey, respectively). I've read some complaints about the music-video-esque treatment of the fights, but I enjoyed that. The music's not my thing, but it fits the steampunk/sci-fi-fantasy aesthetic pretty well.

Vi/Cait

Good to see it become canon! I also like the tragedy they seem to be setting up, and I do like how they wrote their relationship. Again, have read complaints about them getting together and breaking up too quickly, but I think it makes sense - the kiss is a pay-off to almost a season's worth of build-up. The breakup is the result of the gap between the characters' beliefs, conditions and natures. There's always been tension between them, and they're not perfect for each other, so them getting together all at once would not have been believable. Also, since Act 1 sees basically everything uprooted and thrust into chaos, it makes sense for them to make impulsive decisions trying to find comfort. Sure, they're probably not deeply in love, they've known each other for a short time, but they've clearly liked each other for a while. I don't really get where the people that think it's rushed are coming from.

Cait's arc set-up

I really like where it's going! The arc they seem to be setting up looks like it'll be about the effects of grief on perpetuating hatred and violence, which fits right in with the story. I do wonder if they'll attempt to take Cait to the 'extreme' and then bring her back in a sort of redemption arc. It seems like that might be difficult to do after some point. But I'm excited to find out where it's going.

Jinx, Isha and Sevika

Not much to say here, I like how Jinx's family themes continue even after Silco's death. All kinds of nice parallels going on. I like it.

Alright, now for the stuff I'm not so positive on. There's quite a bit, but simply because it is easier to criticize than to praise, especially when S1 has set a very high standard.

Too many plotlines

I've seen people talk about pacing issues, and I do agree, but to me the more fundamental problem (which is the cause of the first) is that this season's juggling too many plotlines. Just the ones that come to mind:

(1) Zaun vs Piltover, undercity uprising (2) Mel and the Black Rose (3) Ambessa's Noxus interference (4) "The Arcane is waking up" (5) Vi, Jinx and Warwick family drama (6) Victor's becoming (7) Vi and Cait relationship drama (8) Singed

My hope is that these will be bettered by uniting some of the plotlines. Victor and the Arcane will probably end up one storyline, same with the Black Rose and Noxus. Still, the story feels over-loaded with STORIES, and not in a very water-tight writing kind of way, but rather in a 'there's too much going on' kind of way. I'm afraid that they will not have enough screentime to set up, develop and pay off all of these, while also doing justice to the character arcs. I might be wrong, we will see.

For now, I feel like they should have cut one of the plotlines above to make more space for the story to breathe. It's also a little thematically messy. There's usually at least a loose thematic connection (family, using magic/science for good/bad, dangers of the arcane, oppression), but sometimes it feels too loose. Again, I'm sure some of this will come with time as we get these 'looser' plots developed, like the Black Rose, Noxus's political interests, etc. Hopefully, they can pay it off right.

A consequence of so much going on is, yes, some moments are not given enough time. This was most evident for me in the Jayce/Viktor goodbye scene. Perhaps it is meant to be underwhelming and this will be relevant later, but as it stands, it's rushed. I've seen someone given another good example, Jayce and Heimer's reunion scene - it should have been tensed with residual conflict, but there's kind of... nothing.

Another consequence is that some characters screentime feels insufficient for their story importance (e.g., Jayce, Viktor, Ekko), while others', excessive (Maddie, the enforcer dudes). Isha's screentime is fine, since she works as a parallel to Powder, and Salo's is also alright because of politics plotline. I've seen some leaks about Maddie which I will not detail here, but I'm not sure that they justify her abundant screentime.

Scale of conflict

I quite dislike the seeming shift away from the core Zaun vs Piltover conflict towards a more 'global' feel. Makes sense for S2 to have a bigger scope, but this is a little too big for my liking. Both the Arcane waking up and the Noxus stuff is very global, and since the show is more about Arcane than about world politics, I would've preferred to have seen the latter cut down in favour of more screentime to the former, as well as main characters from S1.

I also quite dislike the 'let's put aside our political differences to save the world' direction that this all seems to be winding up to, because it kind of puts the more interesting, interpersonal conflict on hold, and takes what I'd consider the 'easy way out' of the moral difficulties of the conflict. I do not know if this is what they will do this season, but it feels like they're edging towards that with the Jayce, Ekko, Heimer and Victor stuff (and possibly the Grey?).

Viktor and Agency

Once again, with so little screentime it's difficult to tell, but the set-up seems to suggest a certain direction here, which I can't say I like. It's unclear whether Viktor is controlled or mind-addled by the Hexcore, but I do dislike the seeming lack of emotion. If he's controlled, it kind of takes away from what S1 was building towards. I do like that Jayce is pushed to use the Hexcore on Viktor (he chooses to do it, despite promising to destroy it), but I feel like the fallout would have been more compelling, especially in terms of Viktor as a character, if he'd seemed more in-control.

They seem to have chosen to go with something else, and I don't doubt they have an idea for his arc, but I wish there'd been more of the original League concept in Arcane's Viktor. As it stands, all the desperation from S1, the anger and helplessness, have sort of... gone, without a good conclusion (I don't really consider Sky's death a good conclusion). Or at least, without one for now. I thought that S1 had been building up to the Machine Herald stuff. Maybe this is an intentional subversion. I've never found Viktor's character to be very compelling, but he was at his best when pushed to desperate measures by his dying body.

This is a matter of personal enjoyment, but I do genuinely hope they bring some emotions back for him, and I really hope he is not controlled by the Hexcore.

[sparrow-in-the-field]

I finished watching lady baseball show last night and I have a lot of thoughts!! Some of them controversial?? Perhaps lol. Let's see!

First and most importantly, I really enjoyed the show! Anything critical I say is said with love lol. Overall it was a good show!

I loveddddd Clance. Clance and Max's friendship was everything to me (probably a post of its own but straight/gay friendships hold such a special place in my heart). I love them, they were so so so good I want to protect them at all costs. Clance was so wonderfully witty, she was cracking me up the whole show.

I also adored Lupe and Jess. If it was up to me Lupe would have been the mc of the Peaches. She was such an interesting and complex character who exhibited growth throughout the season and I loved every scene with her. And she's hot but that's not the point.

Jess too! I would have loved more time with Jess, I also ate up all of her scenes. And she looks like a butch version of my wife so she was also hot but again not the point. I'm not saying for sure that some Jess/Lupe fics could be coming, but... I'm not not saying it either.

Alright my controversial (or maybe not idk) take: I wasn't a big fan of Carson/Greta...whoops. idk I just didn't think they had great chemistry, it felt like a lot of telling rather than showing. They were supposed to really like each other but a lot of their scenes together they kinda just seemed annoyed/mad at each other 😬 idk sorry to my fellow lesbians I have failed you.

My conspiracy theory is that if the show was supposed to be multiple seasons then Greta/Carson was never meant to be end game and it was actually Carson/Max end game but idk that's probably not realistic with the times but I mean. At least they seemed to actually like each other don't kill me lol

Another big reason why I think Greta/Carson doesn't work well is because their relationship isn't reflected in the game. A huge component of sports shows/films is the sport being a reflection of real life, especially the relationships of people involved (see for more: my obsession with tbitb coxstroke). Baseball is the perfect game for this because it has an incredibly important dynamic/relationship within the game: catcher and pitcher. It absolutely baffled me that they didn't have the main couple be the catcher and pitcher (cough Carson/Max, cough). And tbh? Maybe not romantically, but Carson and Lupe's dynamic was far more interesting to me than Greta and Carson, because I got to see how it matter on the field. Greta and Carson barely played off each other in the sport, it was mind boggling to me.

On a similar note, I loved whenever the show was focused around baseball. I feel like they kind of lost that in places, and whenever we'd get back to an actual game where we'd get to see them play I'd be like "man I love this!" What can I say, I love a good sports film!

Sometimes the pacing of the show felt off to me. Like certain plot points they'd squeeze in and resolve pretty quickly even if they felt like a big deal, while others felt drawn out longer than they needed to be. Idk, writing a first season of a show is probably hard so I get it, just something that bugged me in a "I see so much potential, it just needed a little more tweaking" way.

As a fan of the og movie too, it was cute to see the little nods they made to it throughout the show. I kept having to explain them to my wife cuz she hasn't seen it lol (like when they started singing in the last episode my wife was like "...what is happening" lmaoo)

I think those are my main points. Anyway I enjoyed it and I'm sad it's over. Mwah I love you lesbian baseball show, I wish you had lasted longer so I could find out if my conspiracy was right. The end.

[paingoes]

Destroyer - Moonshine

(Masterlist)

dont tell the others, but this is my favorite chapter by far

(Content: fainting, nausea, overexertion, alcohol, crying) 

==================

Things were ramping up quickly. The missions now came almost back to back, the temporal limitations of space the only obstacle to their continuity. Delta was out in the field at least once a week. Not every job was as dramatic as the deadly laser light show had been, but they were hitting critical targets for the Empire. After the display at the mech site, money suddenly flowed in. Life aboard the Thorn grew a bit more bearable for the soldiers, now getting reacquainted with the affluence that followed the Empire. Simon had been given better tech to train with and was putting it to good use. Delta snapped the heads off of the dummies without a second thought, perhaps dangerously overtrained in his responsiveness. All the excitement was getting to him. He clenched his fist to destroy the next test-dummy and the next thing he knew, he was on the floor.

“Alright, that’s enough for today,” Simon tilted him onto his side, in recovery position. Delta winced as the shock wore off, a dull headache replacing it. Once his head had stopped spinning uncontrollably, he carefully sat up, trying not to vomit from the exertion. Simon sat cross-legged beside him, offering him a juicebox and some crackers. Anything heavier would’ve just added to the nausea.

“How are you feeling, champ?” Simon asked, nudging the juice closer to him, “Feels like we’ve hardly had time to talk recently.”

“I’m okay, sir,” Delta murmured. His head was between his knees, waiting for the rest of the vertigo to drop off, “It doesn’t hurt.”

“Yeah, but with all the changes, y’know. I wanted to check in on you,” Simon leaned in, trying to study his expression, “Emotionally, I mean. See if you were adjusting okay.”

“I’m stable,” Delta said. This was always the answer that got doctors to leave him alone. They’d pry, sometimes, trying to get a more detailed picture of his mental state. It was all just to evaluate his fitness. He would never give them reason to doubt it. He was stable - and you didn’t have to worry about him breaking down or going postal or anything like that.

Simon looked disappointed. He pulled his bag closer, retrieving a medium-sized paperback from it. The cover was a deep red. He offered it to Delta, who immediately began to flip through it.

“It’s a treatise on empire and succession. I know it’s not what you’re usually into, but it seemed relevant, with all that’s going on right now. I thought you might appreciate it,” Simon shrugged, “I have more once you’re finished with that one. I know you read fast.”

“Thank you, sir,” Delta said softly, placing the book beside him. His eyes flitted up, sensing movement from the balcony. A few people had entered, he didn’t know how long ago. They were watching him. Simon noticed too, a tired grin appearing on his face.

“Just some seniors. Probably want to see what all the fuss is about. Finish your meal, kid. We’re not giving free shows.” Simon patted him on the back. Delta flinched at the touch, then felt ashamed at having done so. He sipped at the juicebox pensively.

============

Delta waited outside of Paris’s door. It’d been a minute with no response, but he heard motion inside. He lightly rapped his knuckles against the steel door, stepping back just in case. 

This time, Paris opened it immediately. “The fuck do you want?” 

There were other people in the room with him, talking loudly amongst themselves, laughing.

“You said-“

Paris didn’t even wait for him to finish, “I’m busy. Take the day off.”

The door slammed shut in his face. 

============

This was fine, really. It gave Delta a chance to rest, catch up on the books he’d been reading. But he found himself strangely restless, wanting to pace along the floors of the ship. It was so much busier than it had been a few weeks ago. When he stepped into the central hub, a wave of déjà vu washed over him. There were the Emperor’s old generals and commanders, each of them orbited by their respective factions. He hadn’t seen most of them since his childhood. He was surprised Paris had even allowed them onboard. 

Delta was content to observe from the shadows. Most people went out of their way to avoid him, but with his hair tied up and baggy clothing on, he was not so immediately recognizable. He hovered close to the group that belonged to the General Nezu. Though he wasn’t present himself, Delta recognized many of the staff’s faces. Nezu had worked particularly close with the Emperor, especially towards the end. His people had been spread out across several tables, but as their lunchtime drew nearer, they began to disperse. They localized closer and closer to the leftmost exit of the workspace. Delta noticed the laptop left unguarded.

He didn’t know why he did it. He’d never considered himself particularly sneaky, but then again, he’d never really been given the opportunity. With nobody looking, he used a soft aura of telekinetic energy to slide the laptop off the desk and into his hands. He hid it on the inside of his hoodie, then walked silently and swiftly back to his room. He propped up his chair in front of the door so that it couldn’t be opened from the outside. He put out a little pulse, searching for hidden cameras, making sure none had been installed since the last time he checked. Nothing. He knelt down beside the bed and opened the laptop hinges up, just a little bit, enough to tape up the front camera. Then he opened it up completely. 

It hadn’t autolocked in the time it took to reach his room, thank god. The first thing he did was to disable the passcode lock. He’d never been able to use a personal computer before, but Simon had shown him how it worked when he was curious. He’d even given him books on it. Delta sat up abruptly, moving over to his desk. There was a small flash drive in the bottom drawer. He had nabbed it a few weeks ago, but he hadn’t been able to see what was on it until now. He took the compsci textbook out of its pile, sending the others in it crashing to the ground. He startled at the noise, but rushed back to the laptop to finish the mission. He slammed the drive into the USB port, but it didn’t enter. He flipped it over, trying the other side. Still nothing. He flipped it a final time and it slid in smoothly.

The flash drive itself was mostly empty. There were a few folders he would check out later, but for now, he was focused on copying everything the laptop had onto it. It gave him an estimate of 45 minutes. While he waited, he looked through the windows already opened on the screen. One of them was the Empire portal. Another, the site of one of their ship venders. The last was an email inbox with a financial spreadsheet pulled up. Delta ripped out one of the blank pages from the textbook, jotting down the username and passwords of the websites that were open. He saved the email and the password. Then, he clicked around on the browser, searching for other websites with info he could scrape up. But he didn’t know how to navigate the browser intuitively and began to get scared of triggering some alarm. He looked anxiously at the countdown, waiting for the rest of the files to load. 

Delta ejected the drive, taking a deep breath. He hid it back in the drawer, then turned the laptop off. He flipped it over, feeling the device with his hands, letting his powers give him a sense of the small mechanisms inside of it. He was now glad for the precision practice; it let him swiftly unscrew the bottom of it and begin to disassemble the computer’s guts, searching it over for any signs of a location tracker. When he found none, he gave a sigh of relief, disconnecting the laptop’s battery. He stored them separately, hiding them in a bag beneath his mattress. Then he sat on the mattress, innocently, trying to look calm. It was enough for one day. His hands were shaking too bad to even type, he wasn’t going to push it anymore. He took the book Simon had given him, rolling onto his side to read it.

============

It was well past dinner time when he finally looked up, remembering where he was. Though he wanted to stay in his room, he figured he should probably go eat something before tomorrow. They sprang missions on him all the time now and they were a lot more miserable if he was undereating the day of. He removed the chair from the door, slipping out into the hall.

He was just outside of the kitchen when he heard a soft sobbing. He did a double take, looking down the hall. In one of the offshoot corridors, all the way down by the end, a figure was collapsed against the wall and crying into their hands. With a start, Delta realized it was Paris. He was piss drunk. 

Delta kept walking. The institute he’d grown up in had nurtured certain traits in its students, and empathy was not among them. Nor was excessive emotionality valued in the empire. He filled up his bag with fruit and granola bars, ready to hide out in his room the rest of the night. But as he exited and saw Paris quiet, now toppled over, he felt a small twinge of concern. He hesitated, weighing over the options in his head. Nobody would know if he left, least of all Paris. He wouldn’t even remember any of this in the morning. But it wouldn’t do good to have the prince passed out defenseless, on a ship swarming with his enemies. Delta rolled his eyes, readjusting the bag on his shoulder before heading down the hall. 

“Your Highness?” Delta bent down beside the still form, prodding him gently, “Paris?”

Paris groaned. His face was puffy with a drunken blush. Tear tracks were still visible. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

“Leave me alone,” he whined.

“Alright,” Delta stood up.

“Waitno. Please,” Paris said, his speech slurring. He sounded so sad. “Mm sorry. Don’t go.”

He reached a hand out to grasp Delta’s sleeve, but it wasn’t demanding. It was pleading. He looked like he was going to cry again. Delta gently removed his hand.

“C’mon. Stand up,” he offered both hands to Paris, who took them cautiously. Paris stood up shakily. He was both taller and heavier than Delta - and much stronger, even when he wasn’t trying to be. Delta nearly fell over as Paris leaned on him.

“Wherewe going?” He mumbled.

“Bed,” Delta told him. Paris let out a small giggle, before remembering how miserable he was.

“They fucking left meee,” Paris’s voice was both high and raspy. Delta walked him down the hall. He took him into the elevator, confident they would not make it up the stairs. Delta shushed him, which did not work.

“They’re all juss snakes and vipers. They don’t have feeeeelings. None of em care.” His voice was weepy and without venom. “Nobody care. How am I supposed to save this? Is ruined. I can’t.”

The elevator door dinged open. Delta half-pushed, half-carried him out. Paris took the wall for support, which was a great help. They managed to stumble down the remaining length of the hallway until they’d arrived at Paris’s room. Delta had to scan the keycard for him; he was looking at it like he didn’t know what it was. Delta fumbled for the lightswitch, throwing Paris off in the general direction of the bed. Delta shut the door, looking around the room. It was totally trashed, even worse than usual. Bottles laid everywhere, as well as various loose articles of clothing, makeup and face paint. He pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing he’d be the one to clean it up in the morning. Paris was crumpled up on the bed, still fully dressed. 

“Do you want to take your shoes off?” Delta asked him, keeping a considerable distance. Paris kicked them off with real signs of struggle, even worse when he had to remove his jacket. With a sigh, Delta unbuttoned the front for him, peeling it off his shoulders. He was slick with sweat and grime. Not seeming to care, Paris collapsed back down on the bed, at least this time managing to get his head on the pillow. Delta moved to bring him a glass of water from the bathroom sink.

“Thank you,” Paris said sweetly as he placed the glass down on the nightstand.

“Don’t mention it,” Delta rolled his eyes. He jumped when Paris reached for his wrist.

“Stay?” Paris begged, “Please stay.” 

Delta wrenched his wrist away. “Absolutely not. You’ll beat the shit out of me if I’m still here in the morning.”

“Nuh I won’t,” Paris promised, “Please stay.”

“Goodnight, Your Highness,” Delta backed out the door, flipping the light off.

~~~

Tags: @catnykit @indigoviolet311 @snakebites-and-ink

[pfhwrittes]

i’m so deeply sad at the moment that i’m surrounding myself in fluffy fluffy fics and just hoping for a soft landing for myself but when i try to write it’s just either a) minimal effort or b) so fucking sad

like i’m trying to write a retail hell au with the tf141 boys but yeah. anyway have some notes under the cut about where i’ve stuck the boys so far.

so imagine with me that for whatever reason tf141 end up working in B&Q (home depot for those of you over the pond)

gaz works in the kitchens, bathrooms and bedroom department as a designer/consultant. why? because he’s pretty and can charm anyone into an upsell. oh you came in to get a quote on cheap sanitary ware (toilet, sink, bathtub/shower)? suddenly the customer (“client, they’re always clients. sounds better y’know?”) walking out with a £2000 order containing new tiles, a waterfall shower head, walk in shower array, £120 basin taps, a new towel warmer and a beautiful mirrored cabinet. you love watching him work because he’s just so charming and personable. always shoots you a wink from behind the computer too.

simon works stockflow. he’s in the warehouse or yard exclusively. smashes through deliveries and stock at a rapid pace and then stands in the yard smoking. no he doesn’t need any help, fuck off. leave it alone you’re going to fuck up his system. incredibly territorial over the yard/warehouse and only lets john, soap, gaz in. has a hand written sign pinned by the doors “NO ENTRY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. ESPECIALLY FOR YOU.” the store a manager takes it down periodically. simon puts it back up. nods at you when you pass the entrance to the warehouse but doesn’t speak. coincidentally he seems to be by the entrance shuffling delivery notes or paperwork whenever you walk past.

soap technically works the interior decorating department. technically. he loves working on the paint mixing desk and flirting with all the women that come up looking for just the right shade of whatever trendy colour has been advertised in home and gardens this season but will absolutely wander off to go bother price/gaz/simon/you whenever he feels like it. constantly being called for on the tannoy system “this is a staff announcement could john mactavish please return to the paint desk, customers waiting. that’s john mactavish to the paint desk. thank you”. you’re positive he ignores the first tannoy call just so he can hear you get more exasperated on the second and third call you put out for him.

price is the hardware, electrical and plumbing supervisor and technically the stockflow supervisor. barely ever steps foot in the warehouse aside from a quick check in because he knows simon has it covered. hates management meetings and always finds himself something time critical/difficult to put down when he knows there’s one coming up. a constant presence on the shop floor. always the first supervisor to respond to the tannoy when a customer is kicking up a fuss at the customer service desk. always seems to know where you are, whether that’s on the customer service desk, serving customers on the checkouts or putting away go backs in various aisles. checks in frequently with a little smile and a “alright love?” before moving on to whatever task he can do to keep him out of the store manager’s sights. reminds everyone to take their breaks regardless of whether or not they’re technically part of his department.

[kararisa]

marigold promises

— 30. ice cream for three [☕︎ = 0.7k words]

notes: i'm back~ this also takes place a month after the start of second sem

Your concentration is broken by a sharp ring, and you glance up to see Albedo reaching for his phone.

"Sorry," he mouths, before answering the call. "Mom? Let me guess, you need me to pick her up?"

You watch as a small smile spreads across Albedo's face, and you realize this must be something he does for his Auntie Rhine on a regular basis; you’ve gathered that much from the handful of times he didn’t attend class to assist her with something, not to mention the one time he missed out a couple hours of training to help her out. But you never expected that he would have to pick up his sister. How often does he do this, you wonder.

“Alright, I’ll see you,” he hangs up and starts packing his things. "Sorry to cut this short, Cupcake."

You seize the opportunity before you. This could finally be your chance to get answers. “It’s cool. Say... is it alright if I join you?”

He raises an eyebrow at your request, “I’m sure you have better things to do than accompany me in picking up my sister from school.”

You lean forward, resting your elbows on the table. “Well, let’s just say I’m curious. I’d like to meet her if it’s alright with you.”

After a moment's hesitation, Albedo nods. “Alright. Hurry up and pack your things, I don’t want us to miss the next bus.”

Being a bus stop away from campus, Windrise Park quickly became a hotspot for any college students looking for a change of scenery while skipping class or anyone looking to relax.

The breeze picks up and rustles the nearby trees and flora, filling the air with a sweet, earthy scent. Further into the park lies a playground where you spot some children running as their laughter fills the air, most of them wearing the uniform of the nearby Favonius Academy. You see a child run up to her father on some nearby benches. He ruffles the child’s hair as a bright smile appears on her face.

Your chest tightens with longing as you watch the children be showered with a father's love, a mother's pride. You yearn for the warmth of a parent's love, but know that it will forever elude you.

Albedo walks beside you at a comfortable pace, his gait easygoing while he adjusts the strap of his bag. What is he like as a brother, you wonder. Does he tease her relentlessly? Does he laugh with her, does he comfort her when she cries? Has he shared in her joy, has he shared pride in her achievements?

The dodoco keychain on his belt loop answers your questions.

You and Albedo finally make it to the gates of the Favonius Academy when a young girl with pale blonde hair runs up and hugs Albedo.

“There you are.” Albedo’s eyes soften, his hand moving to ruffle his sister’s hair. She pushes his hand away, laughing as she does so. The girl’s light red eyes look into yours, and you immediately feel as if you are intruding on a private moment. She pulls on Albedo's sleeve while tilting her head at you.

“Klee, this is [name],” You respond to Albedo's gesture with a brief wave. “[name], this is my sister Klee.”

Klee's eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh, so they're the one you keep talking about!" she beamed. "It's nice to meet you."

Albedo's composure slipped for a moment as he struggled to find the right words. "I'm sorry," he stammered. "She can be quite... enthusiastic."

You laugh at the absurdity; it’s hard not to be endeared by Klee’s contagious enthusiasm. In some ways, she reminds you of your younger cousins – the ones you only get to see during the holidays.

The mere thought of spending the holidays with your immediate and extended family sends a shiver down your spine. This year, as well as the last, you had chosen to stay with Ganyu and Yanfei, but you can't help but worry about your cousins' well-being. You love your family, sure, but the prospect of facing the same old arguments, criticisms, and uncomfortable conversations makes you want to run for the hills.

You elbow Albedo gently and nod toward a nearby ice cream shop. If Klee is anything like Albedo, you know that treating her to a sweet treat will be a surefire way to win her over.

“Are you actually trying to buy her off with sweets?” he sees right through your attempt at bribery.

“Why? Is it gonna work?”

Albedo groans, “Unfortunately.”

— previous || masterlist || next

summary: you and albedo have finally reached a mutual understanding as your first year of college comes to a close. with a new school year comes a new beginning, and you start off strong with albedo asking you the oddest of arrangements: "would you like to be lab partners?"

author's notes:

klee my favorite menace 🫶

sorry for being gone for so long. life has been getting pretty busy, but it's gonna take a lot more than that to keep me from writing 💪

oh and just to clarify, windrise park is across the street from the mondmart

featured song: Bambi by Clairo

taglist (i):

@fvkkyu @mintreen @edreee @khyllynnn @xxmirrorballxx @aiikalvr @yaefics @unsterblich-prinz @aequha @alch3myy @lovely-althxa @nei-rinn @cridtiins @zestrya @skylions-den @moriiartt @theother-victoria @sunsethw4 @dazaisfavgf @serossidechick @koiir @lazy-sanns @sweetbunnybunbun @dee-zbignuts @redactedhimbo @yurstepm0m @fanfictwarrior @fuyaa @saoiirsee @ireallylikehamsters @kissingkzuha @whosxangel @kitsuvil @orionicchaos @blurr3db3rry @semi-orangeapple @kunikuzushiit @atlatcaheart @wrrapedroundmyfingerlikearing @scarafrisbee @lost-wicked-artist @kairxse @elysiasbae @eurekatanya @empathum @tatiratty @zannivrs @mikismusings @sunoo-bby @astolary

— the taglist is currently CLOSED! shoot me an ask or a reply if you've changed your url or you'd like to be removed.

[hilariousrabbit]

Critic of Stage in Playful Land - The Worst Event in Twisted Wonderland

I'm not gonna lie, I had high hopes for this event. The cards were gorgeous, I loved the new outfits, and we even got new characters! I'm quite a huge fan of the gothic circus aesthetic, so I was even more hyped for what's to come. Of course the stakes would be high for something like this, but unfortunately...the execution of this event has completely brought it down.

This is gonna be a very long and angry critic, so beware! I might be mean too!

The translation screenshots provided are from Ekala on YouTube. TW: Insensitive portrayal of human trafficking

The first part of the event felt SUPER stretched out. I understand, the main cast may have been overwhelmed with homework and losing the basketball match against NRC. But I also feel like they could have summarized this quicker? Plus, Fellow Honest also talks A LOT. I know it was supposed to be extended flattery to the point where it became suspicious, but it was taking so long to get to the main point that I quickly became bored.

The character's reasons for going were also very strange...but let's focus on the Octavinelle twins for a second. Floyd and Jade wanted to visit the amusement park specifically because it seemed suspicious. The twins are seen as a very shady duo, and having conflict with an even shadier duo (Fellow Honest and Gidel) is bound to be something that would be super interesting to watch.

Similarly as to how Idia played a crucial part in the Masquerade event, I thought they would have a larger role in this story, and I was disappointed when they just frolicked around the amusement park. They're not the type to just walk right into a dangerous territory without a plan/strategy, and it felt really weird seeing that happen. With them doing no preparations for this situation whatsoever, it feels like a waste to even state that detail in the first place. Speaking of that...I had heard some other fan theories on the role Ortho would play in this event. Some speculated that he would be representing the puppet in this event, as he isn't human. But then again, none of that ends up happening in the event because there was no thought as to how these characters would be used. My friend made an interesting point about the character choice in this event. They speculated it was just the company gathering up characters that haven't been in many events before book 7 ended, and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this was the case.

When the main cast was exploring the park, it was just filler content. Nothing interesting happened, at all. They explored the park that was filled with references from the Pinocchio movie. Now if this was any other Disney film, I would be like "Yeah alright, that's from the movie. That's cool". But if you know what happens in the movie, then it might be a different story. I was deadass filled with dread when they put the references in, and I was so uncomfortable. Especially during this scene:

Also this was uncomfortable to see. Like okay...I didn't need to know that.

Anyone who watched the Pinocchio movie must have known that something bad was bound to happen (most likely some form of human trafficking). So when Fellow Honest's intentions for selling guests as wooden dolls was finally revealed, the entire story went from 0 to 100 real quick. And not in a good way. I know the previous filler was supposed to put us in their shoes, and how we as the viewer could also get distracted from the carnival's attractions. However, there should have been a better way to transition these two contrasting moods of the story. Plus, I can't help but feel like this is an unnecessarily cruel twist compared to the original movie. When it comes to more darker/sensitive topics such as human trafficking, there should be some sort of caution as to how they portray these kinds of things. I felt like this was solely added for shock value to make up for the slow pacing in the first parts of the event, and I can't help but feel really uncomfortable about this. I also REALLY don't like the possible implications of this line:

The insensitivity of the topic of human trafficking is further fueled by how the chase is played out. They needed a reason for characters to be kidnapped one by one, and I know that's usually how these types of events play out. But considering the severity of their situation, I feel very weird about it. Also, the characters are unusually calm about being sold as a literal slave? And the topic is just not dealt with seriously at all.

Important Detail: The Playful Land theme park functions as a ship, which sails away from land as soon enough guests are lured into the park. This is literally a human trafficking ship, there's no sugarcoating this.

Another part I'm upset about is how Kalim dealt with the entire situation. I'm unfortunately used to Twisted Wonderland dumbing down his character for cheap laughs but this has really gone off the rails. Ace gave him a clear reality check. They were at risk of being sold as dolls to whatever rich freak paid money for them. It was clear that Fellow Honest wouldn't converse on the subject over a fancy dinner. Honestly...I need you guys to read this for yourself.

So when Ortho came back, why in the world did Ace apologize to Kalim? Sure, what he said was harsh but it was completely true! There was a real threat to these characters and it wasn't being taken seriously.

For some reason, every time there's a chance for Kalim to develop, all of that is just completely reversed. Even if this was an issue before the event was released, I also feel like the writers forgot one very important thing...

Kalim has literally been kidnapped before! SEVERAL TIMES TOO!

He was targeted several times because he's from a rich family, they were planning to do malicious things to him for the sake of MONEY. Literally, just like Fellow Honest! He should know better than anyone else how horrifying it is to be taken away from the ones you love, and having no idea what will happen to you. But noooo instead he went full on Steven Universe on Fellow Honest! I'm not even taking the excuse that he's desensitized to it because he was putting the lives of his classmates at risk by giving this human trafficker a fucking chance. While he's not the smartest in the group, his character IS compassionate. How did he give more compassion towards this stranger he met a day ago instead of his own classmates?! How did they botch his character this badly?!

Lastly, when Fellow Honest's reasoning is stated in the story...I really have no words. He engaged in human trafficking, because his former teachers told him that he wasn't a good mage? ...I'm sorry? What the fuck kinda reasoning is that?!

He's literally committing a random act of malice because of his own personal issues. I can't even say that he was merely projecting his hatred onto students alone, as there were other guests attending the park too! I don't know how old they are, or if they're even in school anymore, so these are literally just random victims to me! It looks like the writers attempted to add a tragic backstory for this character in order to get the audience to have some sort of sympathy for him, but this just makes him look fucking stupid.

During this event, he talks about school being worthless and about how he and Gidel had a hard time surviving because they didn't get an education. Like...he chose to drop out of school. Of course that would happen! What was he expecting?

This event made an attempt to go into class dynamics and it's just...oh my god. Let's do a character comparison for a second. Ruggie grew up in a poor area, but because of that he was always on that grindset. Instead of bitching about how educated people are entitled and snobby, he takes advantage of every opportunity around him. And this includes the education at Night Raven College! He even takes financial advantage of others if necessary! He doesn't mind working for others as long as he can get something out of it.

Now let's talk about Fellow Honest's unique magic. I'm not gonna lie, I do think that concept is pretty cool! However, let's take a look at how it's implemented in the event. Now this is where I get critical of this. Having an increased amount of optimism doesn't mean being dumbed down. I'm still confused on how none of the characters were at least a little bit skeptical when walking through the park. There were red flags all across the park, free food, surprise gifts, a whole ass outfit for free, and a freaking 10 minute roller coaster! It was clearly too good to be true, so I can't understand how nobody among the main cast doubted it even for a second?

Also the reasoning why a magic-sensitive creature like Lilia didn't sense his magic before is so bullshit. I'm sorry, they just needed a reason for him to not notice this in order to make this event work.

And then when the cast started talking about how great school was for them, and even offering him admission to Night Raven College... Sorry just a moment, I just need to...

He is a literal human trafficker, and they decided to sympathize with him because of his bad school past?! WHAT???

I'm not even taking the excuse that the main cast are based off villains. HOW CAN YOU JUSTIFY THAT AT ALL?!?!?! HOW???

We don't know how many people he has done this to. It's clear that this isn't the first time this amusement park has hosted customers. If this was merely his first attempt by means of survival then it might have been a different story, but he's experienced at this. There's a good chance that he has turned people into dolls before.

And then after a super prolonged chase scene and even more battles, we get to Kalim going full-on Steven Universe on Fellow Honest. Then his employer deducts his pay because of the damages in the park...and he finally had enough. He frees everyone, asks them to destroy the park, and now he's a good guy and he's gonna open a school!

...

Now I'm confused about this for a couple of reasons. So first of all, how did his opinion of schools completely do a complete 180 after talking with them for a few moments??? Change in a character doesn't occur this quickly, and we've seen this be the case with multiple characters in this game. Even if this was meant to be rushed for the sake of this being an event story, not even Rollo had a change in opinions after his event! So what was up with this?

The second reason is that Jack specifically stated in this event that his brother can't use magic but is still attending school. Magicless people DO get educated, and there's many pathways for them to choose from.

They aren't barren from society like Fellow Honest thinks they are. Take a look at the people in Epel's hometown and in Fleur city, they're pretty happy! I don't think the concept of schools for lower magic users/non-magic users is as revolutionary as they're making it out to be, and I feel like this is a super last-minute decision on the writers behalf.

Another thing is that...

Fellow Honest has NO REMORSE AT ALL for what he did.

He wanted to quit because he just didn't wanna work for the higher-ups anymore, not because he actually realized what he was doing was fucked up! Yeah sure, he might be focused on his new goal to open up a school. But is he just gonna ignore the fact that he fucking SOLD PEOPLE AS DOLLS? HUH? How am I supposed to wish him well on his newfound journey when this entire thing is just left unaddressed!

I'm also confused about another thing. Fellow Honest asked the cast to destroy the amusement park after he freed them, promising to turn the park boat around to Sage Island if they did so. This caused the boat to sink, and Ortho had to push the entire park back to shore.

They were able to get back to shore before any serious damage was done, so can anyone tell me why Fellow Honest and Gidel decided to ride off into the sunset WITH the park? It's literally sinking as they speak! So...huh? Where will they even sail to? It's pretty hard to not notice a huge ass amusement park sinking like this in the middle of the Sage Island, especially when it's right beside the port! What is going on?!

Who the hell even wrote this? I can't with this event man...

I know the lesson of this event is to realize the importance of going to school and being a good kid like in the movie. However...let's step back for a bit. The target audience for Twisted Wonderland is young adults and teenagers, and the fanbase DOES consist of these people. I don't think they need reminding of why education is a privilege...? Pinocchio was specifically made to scare little kids, so it just does not translate well to their target audience AT ALL. While I do love Twisted Wonderland, I really do feel like this is their worst event yet. I hate how almost all the characters were dumbed down to make this story work, and I don't care if it was because of Fellow Honest's unique magic. When it comes to sensitive topics, Twisted Wonderland is usually good at portraying them appropriately. So I really have no idea what happened with this event.

I think the company saw the positive reception with Rollo Flamme, and decided that this type of new character was something to be implemented yearly. Surprisingly, Fellow Honest and Gideon seem to have a large fanbase in Japan...so they probably took the popularity of these characters as their next material to work with. This could have worked out wonderfully if they were to treat this like its own story rather than a remake of the movie, but unfortunately that's not the path they decided to go with.

I have never felt this way about any other event, and the urge to write this critic was STRONG. I have no idea whether Yana wrote this, or if another employee just decided to pull some last-minute shit with this entire event. Regardless, I'm praying to god that this is merely a one-time occurrence and that the next event will be better. I think for the sake of my sanity, I need to pretend this event doesn't exist.

Thank you for reading my thoughts on this.

[waksworldrebooted]

Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss Redesigns

Redesigns of several main characters from both Vivziepop/Spindlehorse shows, Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss.

IMO, both shows are alright. Like yeah the jokes kinda suck but there's some good writing and stories if you can get past the weird rushed pacing of both shows.

Honestly I don't think the actual character designs are bad, contrary to popular belief. On their own they're alright, but they tend to overuse the same shades of red (or red adjacent colors). Not to mention the color values of the characters against the predominantly hellish red backgrounds tends to make the characters blend into the BG art. so I tried to redesign them not just to fix the issues people have with them, but also did this as a character design exercise.

I tried to use reddish colors if I could but also tried to change the value and hues on some to make em stand out from other characters. Some dumb design choices like the angelic characters (Adam and Lute) looking like demons only existed to unsubtly reinforce the Heaven = Hell message, even though Adam's song was enough to justify it, was done to rectify criticisms of the show. Personal friends told me I did a better job than Vivize in the color department.

Overall, I may do more Hellaverse characters like Emily, Mimzy, Rosie, Verosika, Carmilla, Striker, Fizzaroli, Octavia, Katie Killjoy, etc at some point but no promises. If you want more comment below.

Overall, sorry for ranting

[wallydrling]

what have the easter lilies whispered about us?

rating: teen

pairing: wally darling/gn! reader

author's note: it's on ao3 too (and much better formatted over there)!

Julie is not helpful.

You love her, and she's sweet and bubbly, but her advice? Useless, irrelevant, terrible. She is sitting across from you, feet propped up in your lap as she lies on her back and flips through a magazine. She'd been happy to come over at your very sudden request (is always happy to get some extra time with you), but you're beginning to think that you perhaps should have sought out a different resident for the topic that has been plaguing your mind.

"Look, it isn't hard," she says, peering over the magazine to beam at you. "Wally is very receptive to criticism! Just tell him that he sucks at kissing and that you want him to improve."

"What? No–Julie." You shove her legs off of your lap. "He doesn't suck at kissing. He's really cute! His kisses are sweet! He does the muah thing, you know? It's super endearing."

She sits up, grabs you by the shoulders, and gives you a little shake. "I get it! Wally has been my friend practically forever. Everyone knows he's cute! But," she waggles her eyebrows at you, "you don't want him to just do the muah thing anymore, right?"

Yeah, she definitely wasn't the right resident for this. You should've asked Frank, or Eddie–hell, even Barnaby might have better advice. You have no qualms about your relationship with Wally. It is still new; that's true, and he's still learning many different things in many different ways. He asks a lot of questions, and he tries really, really hard. He's constantly pestering Barnaby for romantic advice (or so you hear), and the amount of care that he puts into being better for you is more than you ever could've asked for.

"I don't want to push him," you say. The last thing you want is to drive him away when you've only just gotten him so close. But, "I just…want more from him. I want to try more with him."

Julie hums, considering your words carefully. "Well, have you ever thought that maybe he'd be willing to try if you were honest with him about what you want?"

You sigh, fiddling with the hem of your sweater. "I'm worried that he'd say yes to anything just to appease me."

"Ah, I see," Julie nods. "He is a people-pleaser. Well! You know what that means," she grins at you, and you shake your head because no, you don't. "I've got to play the middle party! I'll take matters into my own hands."

Your eyes go wide, and you begin stuttering out, "What? No–Julie, you can't-"

"Don't worry," she squishes your face between her tiny hands. "I won't say anything to him directly. I'll just…have Barnaby ask him a few pointed questions, and I'll get his answers from the flowers!"

Mouth puckered as she holds onto you, you mumble, "You shouldn't use your connection with the flowers to eavesdrop, Julie."

She gasps, hand flying to touch her chest dramatically. "Eavesdrop? I'm simply helping your relationship blossom!"

You know that she's not likely to take no for an answer, so you merely purse your lips and stare her down. "Just–make sure Barns doesn't push him too hard, alright? I don't want him getting overwhelmed and shutting down."

She gives you a little salute and hops up to her feet. "Your wish is my command!" Her dress flops up and down as she skips towards your front door. She stops, one hand on the knob, and turns to give you her brightest, warmest smile. "I know Wally very well, neighbor. Sometimes, he just needs a little push."

"Okay," you try and return her smile, but the one tugging at your own lips feels forced. "I trust you, Julie."

She blows you a kiss, and leaves your home as quickly as she'd come. Your heart pitter-patters in your chest, and nervousness seeps into your bones, causing your hands to shake. You and Wally have been, pointedly, taking it slow. You're happy to go at his pace. But, you find yourself wondering often if what you see for your relationship as it progresses is what Wally sees. Do your visions line up? Has he even thought about the long-term? Are you more invested than you should be?

You are trying hard not to discredit his feelings. He says he loves you, and you want to believe that he knows what that means. So, maybe Julie is right. The only thing left to do is be honest.

–

The rapid knocking at your front door startles you out of your almost-sleep. You've been tired as of late, staying up throughout the night to plan Home's very first group painting session-slash-picnic that is taking place next week. Plus, your concerns about you and Wally's relationship haven't exactly been lulling you to sleep, either. You need cat-naps just to get you through the day.

"I know you're home!" comes Julie's voice, slightly muffled by the door, but still as chipper as always. "Open up! We have urgent matters to discuss."

You yawn, rubbing at your eyes as you go to let her inside. She marches straight into your living room the moment you open the door and plops down on your sofa.

"I had a very interesting conversation with the flowers today," she says by way of greeting.

Your heart does a great big jump in your chest. You almost don't want to know what she heard, but curiosity gets the best of you. "Go on."

"Alright! So," she smooths down her pretty, pink dress, and folds her hands in her lap. "The other day, after our little conversation, I gave Barnaby a list of questions to casually ask Wally. You know, basic stuff! Like, how's your relationship going? And, are you happy?"

"Okay," you say slowly, nodding.

"I told him the goal was to get Wally to open up a bit," she continues. She's speaking quickly now, clearly eager to get all of her newly-learned information out. "And, oh boy, open up he did! The flowers were very detailed when I asked them what he said."

She reaches out to take your hand. "Firstly, Wally is trying to plan a date for you! I nearly squealed when I heard that, seriously! I don't know the details, but the marigold told me that he asked Barnaby what dates are like, what people usually do on them. He was taking notes on his notepad and everything. Isn't that just the sweetest?"

A lump forms in your throat, making it near impossible to speak. You manage to get out a strangled, "Yes. So sweet."

A date. A date. How did he even learn about dates? From Julie's silly novels, no doubt, or perhaps Frank and Eddie. You're not sure he understands the concept (he has only just learned what 'hanging out' means), but he's got the spirit. He is trying to be romantic, for you.

If you think about it for too long you know you'll end up in tears, so you squeeze Julie's hand and ask, "What else did he say?"

"Well, Barnaby started to pry a bit more," she says. A big grin splits her face in two, and her eyes go slightly hooded and foggy with a dreamy sort of look. "He asked Wally,'what's your favorite part about being in a relationship?' And, naturally, Wally gave the cutest, sweetest little answer ever, which was: 'I just like being able to hold hands with my dearest friend.' But, the violets told me he blushed after that, got all embarrassed, and said, 'I also like it when they play with my hair. No one ever really did that, before them.'"

"Oh," your heart gives an abhorrent kick from inside your chest. He likes it when you play with his hair? It doesn’t happen often; his hair is almost always styled to perfection, and when the two of you spend time together, it is typically in a public space. However, there are tiny blips in time, moments in which the sun has made you tired, and the two of you head back to your place together, arm in arm. You’ll sit on the couch, head propped up against the back of it, and Wally will sprawl out like a cat in your lap. His hair, curled nice and tight, unfurls as you gently run your fingers through it. The motion tends to lull you to sleep, and Wally has never said anything about it–has never asked you not to do it– but you weren’t aware that he liked it, either. You weren’t aware that there were any elements of physical affection that he enjoyed. Had always just presumed that he didn’t mind one way or the other.

Julie is practically vibrating with excitement, perched on the edge of the sofa cushion. She says, “Wally has always been open to physical affection. He didn’t really understand it before we taught him what we know, that’s true, but–since he started going out with you, he’s gone from being indifferent, to liking it. That’s a good sign, neighbor.”

“I know,” you agree.

“And,” she goes on, “there’s one more thing that I simply must tell you. I heard it from the Easter lilies, and it’s too juicy to skip over.” She leans forward as if she’s preparing to spill her deepest, darkest secret. Her voice drops down to a whisper, and she says, “Wally said, and the lilies quote, ‘I’m going to ask them for a kiss. A real kiss; like the ones I’ve read about in books. I want to know what it feels like. I want to try, but only with them.’ Isn’t that just the bees knees?”

Your mouth pops open, and your eyes go a little wide. You can feel warmth gradually creep into your cheeks, and the tips of your ears. You’ve got a flush going all the way down your neck that disappears beneath the collar of your sweater. A real kiss? Your mind is spinning with a dozen different questions. You weren’t even aware that Wally knew the difference between the types of kisses the two of you usually share, and a “real kiss.” You have got to confiscate Julie’s novel collection from him.

“Barnaby told him that being blunt was perhaps not the best way to go about it,” Julie says. “So, Barns suggested that Wally take you on a date, and work his way up to asking you for one! I have no idea what kind of date he’s planning, but I’m sure it will be uniquely him!”

“A date,” you repeat. “A real kiss. This is all–oh my, what if it’s happening too fast? I mean, Wally and I have only truly been a couple for a few months, now. I don’t know if I’ll–well, I mean. Oh, Julie,” you bury your face in your hands, huffing out a long sigh. “This is all so scary.”

She frowns, and tugs your hands away from your face. “I thought this is what you wanted, though.”

“It is,” you say quickly. “I mean, obviously, it is. But, I’m nervous too. I want it to be good for him. If I’m his first real kiss, I should make it special. I don’t want to disappoint him.”

“Hey,” she gently nudges her shoulder against yours. “He loves you. I think you could probably pour all of his paint down the sink, and he’d still think you hang the sun in the sky every morning.”

Though you know there is truth to her words, your hands still tremble at the thought of what is to come. Wally, when he has something on his mind and is able to fully conceptualize it, is blunt. If he’s been thinking about the progression of your relationship, he is going to bring it up. He doesn’t understand nuance very well; can’t read the mood of a room, or pick apart the vibe of a specific conversation. And, if you don’t choose your words correctly, he may think that you’re not interested.

“You’ve got to get ready,” she says. “He’s coming over to ask you on that date in just a few hours. There’s no time to waste!”

“What?” You nearly choke on your own breath, heart jack-hammering behind your ribcage. “He wants to take me on a date today? Why didn’t you lead with that, Julie?”

She giggles, whistle-clean and sheepish, and brushes her hair over her shoulder. “Slipped my mind, I suppose. I was too excited to relay the flowers’ messages! Now,” she stands up, tugging you up from the couch with her. “Go put on something terribly cute! If I know Wally’s schedule as well as I think I do, he’s probably just finished up tormenting Howdy at the bodega. That means he’s headed to the post office next, and you’ve got approximately one hundred and two minutes to look your best!”

She gently shoves at your back to get you moving, and you shuffle down the hallway towards your bedroom. She heads to the door, and calls out an airy, “Have fun tonight! I know it’s going to be love-o-ly!” You hear the door shut behind her as she leaves, and you stand in the middle of your bedroom, tension so tight in your shoulders that it almost hurts.

Right, okay. You know Wally. He is your friend, first and foremost. There’s no need to overthink this. He is nice, and sweet, and silly, and you’re going to have a great time. It’ll be just like any other day with him, only slightly more pointed. You just need to put the whole kissing thing out of your mind for the time being. You want to progress the intimacy aspect of your relationship, and it seems that Wally does, too. Best to let it happen naturally.

You shower, and then rummage through your closet in search of something to wear. It’s nice and warm outside, so you opt for something light and breezy. You get dressed, and take the time to style your hair in your vanity mirror. You think it might be smart to apply some lip balm just to be safe (you never know where the afternoon might lead), so you do that quickly, and then step back to take a look at yourself. Casual, but chic. Julie would be pleased.

You’re dawdling around your living room, wondering if you have time to run to the bodega and get him a gift (What would you even buy him? New paint? Brushes?), when there’s a rhythmic knock on your door.

“Okay,” you mumble to yourself, taking a deep breath. “No need to be nervous. It’s just Wally. You see him every day. Relax.”

You carefully school your features, and then pull the front door open.

And it’s like–you knew he’d be here, standing in front of you, ready to take you on a date. Julie had prepared you. But actually seeing him is so, so much more than you’d anticipated. He is wearing a rainbow button-down, red ascot, and navy slacks. His hair is styled as it usually is, but he’s left a few strands out to frame his face. He is smiling at you, a smile you’ve seen probably a thousand times by now, but it leaves you winded, anyway, and he is clutching a bouquet of paper flowers in his hands.

“Hi,” he greets you. He doesn’t look nervous, but then, he’s never been very easy to read. He holds out the paper flowers. “I made these for you.”

You gingerly take them from him, and bring them closer to your face. They smell of paint and cardboard, and the tiniest bit of strawberry, and you quirk a brow at him.

“Spritzed them with some fragrance that Howdy made,” he shrugs.

“They’re my favorite color,” you say.

He grins. “I know.”

You carefully set them on the coffee table inside your home, step out into the fresh air, and close the door behind you. Wally is standing in front of you, hands neatly clasped in front of himself like he doesn’t quite know what to do with them. His face is carefully blank sans a little smile, and you clear your throat, shifting your weight from one foot to the other. You’ve never struggled for words in front of him before, and it’s difficult to keep your breathing even as you meet his gentle gaze.

He asks, easy and warm, “Would you like to go on a date with me, neighbor?”

Your lips twitch, tiny smile finding its way to your face. “A date?” You question. “What exactly does that mean to you?”

He mulls it over for a moment, and replies, “A date can be a lot of different things. I asked Eddie, and he said there’s no right way to go on a date. Howdy says it’s just about doing something special with the person you care about.”

“They’re very insightful,” you muse. You hold your hand out to him, and he takes it with ease. The act of twining your fingers together is still new to him, so he does it a bit slowly. Clumsy. “Yes, I’d love to go on a date with you, Wally.”

He seems content with basking in comfortable silence as he leads you to the date’s location. He has never understood the implication of what too much quiet means, and you like that he possesses no stigma towards it. It’s nice to be with someone who isn’t pressured to be anything more or less than he is. You’ve always liked Wally because is, unapologetically, himself. The more he learns about feelings and relationships, the more him he seems to become.

“Okay,” Wally comes to a stop at the edge of Home’s main walking path. “You have to close your eyes. I want you to be surprised.”

You do ask he requests, eyes shut tight, and Wally continues leading you forward by your hand. He must forget that you can’t actually see, because he doesn’t so much as guide you as he does catch you when you trip and stumble over things. The terrain has become uneven, rocky, and you spend the next five minutes trying not to faceplant over what you think are massive tree routes.

He stops walking again. “Okay, neighbor. When you’re ready, open your eyes.”

You square your shoulders, and take a deep, steadying breath.

He has taken you to the beginnings of the forest. You’ve never come out this far before, had no real reason to, but it is just as beautiful as you might’ve imagined. The trees are green, green with spring, and wildflowers sprout beneath your feet. Underneath a giant maple tree rests a table and two little stools, all made out of old stumps and logs. In the center of the table is an array of different foods, and one tiny daisy in a jar. Away from the hustle and bustle of Home, you’re able to hear nature in all of its fullness. Birds sing dozens of branches overhead, and the wind whistles wispy tunes between the leaves.

“Oh,” you exhale, eyes impossibly wide. “This is amazing, Wally. You put this together yourself?”

“Mostly,” he tells you. “Howdy provided the food, and Barnaby helped carry the logs. I came up with the idea, though. I wanted to see what you’d look like surrounded by all this green.”

You don’t have the words. Don’t know what you could say, when he has clearly put so much thought into this. You’re reminded of what Julie had said to you earlier, little tidbits of information she learned from the flowers. That Wally likes you, and he likes physical affection from you. That he is trying to learn so much about relationships for you. It makes your chest ache with fondness, and the only thing you’re able to do is turn to him and pull him into a tight hug.

His reaction speed is still slow no matter how many hugs you give him. When you wrap your arms around his neck and tug him close, he goes limp against you for half a second. But then his arms sneak up, and wrap tight around your waist. He buries his face in the crook of your neck, and stands there with you, still as the dirt beneath the soles of your shoes. His hands smooth along the curve of your shoulders, and then the small of your back, and you shudder against him before pulling away.

“This is very sweet, Wally,” you say. “Thank you for planning this for me.”

“No need to thank me,” he says, the soft yellow of his cheeks turning just the slightest bit pink. “Come on, let’s sit. You should eat, and I want to draw you.”

You take a seat on one of the stools, and Wally sits on the other. He carefully unpacks the food for you, and urges you to dig in. Between your chat with Julie and getting ready for the date, you’d forgotten to eat all day. You’re all too happy to eat the fruits and bowls of snacks in front of you. Wally watches you with a big smile, eyes catching light from the sun. He pulls out his sketchbook and a brand new red crayon, and begins sketching you.

This certainly isn’t the first time he’s drawn you, but it’s the first time you feel so aware of it. You try to focus on your food, but you can feel the way his eyes follow every single minute movement that you make. Your belly is swimming with nerves by the time he’s finished, and you know that you must be blushing because your face feels incredibly warm.

“Ah, sorry it took so long,” he says, holding the drawing close to his chest. “I wanted to get your features just right. Your lips are awfully hard to draw.”

You set down the bowl of fruit you’ve been eating, and quirk an inquisitive brow at him. “My lips?”

He nods. “They’re just so…soft looking. Delicate, like flower petals, almost. Hard to get just right.”

Something about the thought of him studying your lips with unperturbed concentration makes your heart race.

“Can I see?” You ask, nodding towards his sketchbook.

“Not yet,” he smiles at you. “I want to take it home and paint it first. But,” he stands from his place at the log table, and holds a hand out to you. “Do you want to look at the clouds with me?”

This has been one of Wally’s favorite things, recently. He’s learned that, by cloud gazing, he’s able to truly let his imagination run wild as he looks up at the sky. You often partake with him, but half the time you’re not even looking at the clouds, too focused on him. He is charming enough as it is, but when he gets that little spark of inspiration in his eyes, you can’t take your gaze off of him. You take his hand and let him lead you away from the table, right beneath a tall, oak tree. There is just enough shade to ensure that the sun doesn’t sting your eyes while still leaving the clouds visible.

You lie on your back, and turn your head to the side to glance at him. He is looking at you, too.

“You know,” he begins, “I was nervous to ask you out, today.”

This surprises you a little. “Really?” He hadn’t looked nervous, not really, but perhaps he just doesn’t know how to express it.

He nods, and sighs as he turns his gaze towards the sky. “Being in a relationship is more confusing than I thought it would be. I just want to do right by you.”

You frown, propping yourself up on one elbow to look down at him. His face is carefully blank, smile gone. Reaching out, you rest your other hand atop his chest.

“Wally,” you flash him a small, sincere smile, “being with you is enough. You don’t have to try and be someone you’re not. And…I don’t want this to be confusing for you. It should be easy, happy, and fun.”

“It’s all of those things,” he assures you, “but I sometimes have these…feelings that I don’t know what to do with. I try to ask the others for advice, but they mostly just tease me.”

Your curiosity has peaked, now. “What kind of feelings?” You ask.

He mimics you, propping himself up on an elbow too. Lying like this, his face dangerously close to yours, you have to remind yourself not to get distracted by how pretty he is. You keep your eyes on his as he continues.

“Here,” he rests a hand on his stomach, “and here,” he touches his chest. “I feel like I’m overflowing, sometimes. Like, there is something inside of me that really wants out. I’ve been thinking about things that I never thought about before I met you. And before you say anything, it’s not because of Julie’s romance novels! I mean, yes, I’ve gotten some ideas from them, but I don’t think they’re fully responsible for the way that I just can’t stop thinking about kissing you.”

He has always been blunt, but his words give you no time to prepare for the swooping heat that flutters through your belly, and renders your face hot. Your mouth pops open in shock, and you have to close your eyes for a moment to gather your thoughts. He sounds sincere; wouldn’t be talking about this at all if he weren't, and the idea of him lounging around, thinking about what it’d be like to kiss you for real is just–it’s enough to have your mind going fuzzy.

“You can,” you manage to get out, voice slightly raspy. “Kiss me, I mean. Anytime you want.”

“What if I want to all the time?” He glances at you. “What if you don’t want to?”

“I always want to,” you assure him.

He looks at you for a long moment, the air stretched thin between the two of you. He studies your face, gaze moving from your eyes to your brows to the curve of your lips. His own face is painted neutral, no sign of anything that he's feeling visible to you. You wonder if you'll ever learn to read him.

"You really want to?" He asks, reaching out to cup your cheek with his hand.

You lean into his touch and nod. "Yes. I really want to."

"Okay," he says, and leans forward to kiss you promptly.

Slowly, you drop the elbow that has been keeping you upright. You lie back, and Wally follows fluidly, half overtop of you as he shades you from the sun. His mouth is pressed to yours firmly, entirely still for a couple of seconds, and then he pulls back to blink at you. You see his eyes cloud briefly, like he's turning over the kiss in his mind. He must gather his confidence because he leans down again, his hand sliding into your hair, and kisses you so swift you lose your breath.

You're stunned at first, body locking up. This is it. You've been thinking about this for so long, dreaming about it, and he wants this too. He doesn't feel pressured, or obligated. He is kissing you, and kissing you, and you part your mouth so that the two of you can properly slot together. He is just the tiniest bit tentative, unsure of what to do. His hand is still in your hair and you feel him beginning to pull away, but you don't want him to be nervous about this. Not with you.

You press up into him, kissing him fierce and sharp and hot. His mouth is soft the way it always is, oddly shaped but easy to adjust to. You press your palm against his neck, the curve of his jaw, and use your tongue to gently coax his mouth open. He is so careful to follow your lead; loves learning, and loves it even more with you. You slide your tongue past his lips, curling it against the roof of his mouth. He shudders full-body and wanton against you when his own tongue twines with yours.

You try to focus on the kiss, on making it good for him and meeting him move for move. But he is nearly on top of you, body pressed to yours from shoulder to hip, and the weight of him there–so present– has you losing yourself, mind fuzzy and limbs getting heavy and jelly-like. His fingers tighten in your hair and tug so that your head falls back, neck curved. The leverage allows him to kiss you deeper, to swipe his tongue along your bottom lip until your belly swoops hot with want.

You yank yourself away from him with a choked off gasp, cheeks burning up. His own, covered in a soft pink color, must match yours.

He says, voice raspy like his throat has been scraped raw with a fork, "I'm sorry. Was that too much?"

"No," you shake your head quickly. "It was good, just–I needed to breathe."

You don't want to give him the wrong idea; the kiss really was good. Better than any you've ever had, and certainly more involved than anything you've done with him previously. You smile at him, soft and sweet, and kiss the apple of his cheek.

"Thanks," you say. "For this date, and for trusting me enough to want to try new things with me, and just…for everything."

"Don't thank me," he tells you. He shimmies down a little, head resting on your stomach. "I just want to spend my days making you happy. If I'm able to do that, then–wow. Life is good, you know?"

You sweep your fingers through his hair, unfurling it. "I know what you mean."

The two of you lie together for an unfathomable amount of time. You drift off here and there, your hands carding through Wally's hair. You almost feel as if you've stepped into some sort of dream world where the only inhabitants are you and him and the butterflies and birds. He's happy to let you snooze beneath him until the sun begins to go down, and then walks you home, your hand in his.

And when he kisses you goodnight on your front porch, all sweet, sweet confidence and pink cheeks, you can't help but feel pleased as punch.

That night, when you dream, it is of blue jays and paper flowers and the warmest smile you have ever seen.