#i'd rather this not be reblogged cheers

[callhermyname]

you're not going | eddie munson x reader, pt. 1

summary: basically the same plot of s4 ep.1; you see Eddie and Chrissy at the picnic table and get the wrong idea.

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

word count: 5.2k

warnings: MDNI!!; reader is bisexual; tiny bit of fluff, but mostly angst; Robin being the ADHD poster girl she is; crying, mentions of blood, assault, child abuse; THIS IS A STRANGER THINGS S4 REWRITE, I DID NOT CAME UP WITH THE STORYLINE!! let me know if i missed something.

a/n: this is part 1 of my stranger things s4 rewrite, so if you want to read more, you can help me by liking and rebloging this post, following my blog and telling me if you like it! If you haven't read the prologue, you can read it here. also, excuse any grammar errors, english is not my first language.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

You've all been through a lot. After Will went missing, a couple weeks after you met Eddie, your life has never been the same, and probably will never be. Your first year at Hawkins High was hard after all the shit that went down, and you were closer to the other teens and the kids now, but you really wished you could talk to Eddie about it. You felt like he would understand.

The year after that was a little better, all things considered. After Nancy dumped Steve and he and Dustin became… friends (i guess?), you and Steve got really close too, so no one dared to talk shit about you like they used to — they knew better than to upset the girl Steve Harrington treated as a sister. When Steve and Robin started working together, the three of you became peas in a pod (especially after Robin ended up learning about the upside down and El and all that). She was your best friend, someone you could talk to about anything, and she could talk to you about anything too. When she came out to you, you felt like you could also come out to her (as bissexual) and with that you, her and Steve became best totally platonic friends.

—

"Dustin, for fucks sake, Steve has been honking outside for 10 minutes, we're gonna be late, what the fuck are you doing in there?" you banged at your cousin's bedroom door.

"Don't come in! I'm naked!" he yells back.

"You know what? We're not doing this again, I'm not losing my ride because of you, you can bike to school." you grabbed your backpack and headed out the door.

Swearing at Dustin under your breath, you make your way to the backseat of Steve's car.

"What took you so long?" Steve looked back at you "Wait, where's the little butthead?"

"He's probably talking to his girlfriend, I don't care. If he's gonna be late, he can be late. I'm not losing my ride."

"Looks like someone's in a mood today huh?" Robin teased you as Steve started the car.

"Nah, the little shit might get on my nerves but you two always end up cheering me up. Unless Steve starts talking about whatever girl he's taking out this weekend, then I'd rather just eat a handful of broken glass."

"Oh my god, that's EXACTLY what he's been doing since I got in the goddamn car!" Robin turns back to look at you, holding her hands up to her ears "If i have to listen to him talk about having sex with Linda for one more second i swear to god-"

"Heidi! I was talking about Heidi! How can you complain about me talking about something you're not even listening to?"

You just can't help but laugh at them arguing like an old married couple. You love them so much it almost hurts.

"At least I'm actually doing something with my dating life, unlike the both of you." he said in a sarcastic tone.

For the next five minutes he and Robin went back and forth about how she can't just ask Vicky out and how she definitely should ask Vicky out because of the whole "people who like boobies" thing. You space out for a second and snap your head as you hear Eddie's name.

"What about Eddie?" you ask, trying to get back to the conversation.

"See?" Robin snaps "One second she's totally inside her own little head and as soon as someone mentions him she starts paying attention. How does that not qualify as having the most heart-wrecking massive crush on someone?"

"Shut up!" you bite back, trying to defend yourself, but obviously failing, because she was right.

"Ladies, ladies! Calm down, there's no reason to get feisty. You're BOTH chickening out, not asking Vicky and Eddie out. Though I actually see where Robin"s coming from."

"Steve, c'mon-" you try yet again to tell him you're not chickening out, but he doesn't want to hear it again.

"No! Look, you listen to me, how on earth do you manage to take down three military trained Russians and still be afraid to ask him out?"

"It's not that simple!" you frown, now starting to feel like a little girl pouting over your parents giving you a lecture.

"Yeah, sure," Robin snorts "you only hang out alone with him pretty much every day to help him study so he can finally graduate"

"You know what?" you snap at them "I don't have to justify my non-existent love life to either one of you. I'm just gonna keep pretending I don't have feelings for him. Who knows, maybe he'll ask me out? That's a possibility!"

"Okay, okay. We'll drop it." Steve says, lifting his hands from the wheel for a second, in surrender.

"We just care about you, babe" Robin follows his lead "You know that, right?"

"I do."

— 

You and Robin sit at your regular cafeteria table, a couple tables away from the designated Hellfire Club table, where Eddie is yelling at Dustin and Mike about something, making it a little hard to listen to what Robin is talking to you about.

"Seriously, I'm really worried about Max. I mean, we all know she's been depressed since Billy… y'know. But she was way off today at the pep rally, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess" Max was to you what Dustin was to Steve, something between a friend and the little sister you never had. "I've been begging her to talk to me, to tell me if there's something I can do, but she just won't-"

You lose your train of thought when you see Eddie climb up the table, walk across it, jump off it and yell nonsense around the cafeteria.

"God, he's really worked up today, huh?" Robin says, turning her head back to look at Eddie's little scene.

"I wonder what Dustin and Mike were talking to him about. He threw at least five mini pretzels at each one of them while he was yapping about something." you chuckle and roll your eyes when he catches you looking at his performance and gives you a smile and a quick wink. "He's kinda funny when he gets mad at them."

"Funny. Right." Robin turns her head back to look at you. "You obviously think he's just funny, not cute or anything else."

"Dude, you said you'd drop it!"

"I'm sorry!" she giggles "It's just hilarious when your cheeks turn all red just because he smiled at you. You look so silly!"

You watch as Eddie pulls Dustin and Mike by the collar of their Hellfire shirts and pushes them away from the table, both of them running off the cafeteria like they're in a rush. Eddie turns around and walks towards you.

"Okay, now shut the fuck up. He's coming our way."

Eddie heads towards you with slow dramatic steps, leaning over and resting his elbows on the end of the table, an evil grin on his face. 

"Hey ladies. Whatcha talkin 'bout?"

"Nothing much," you turn to face him, now with a playful little smirk of your own. "just watching you make a fool of yourself yet again. Quite the show you got going on there."

He gasps, spreading his palm over his chest, like he's offended by you calling him a fool.

"A fool? How dare you. And yes, thank you for recognizing my performing talents. It is one of my many gifts, as you know."

"Sure do", you remember the days long D&D sessions you attended when you used to be a part of the Hellfire Club. His theatrics flooding the room as he masters his most diabolical campaigns, standing up on his wooden carved throne and emphatically yelling the lines he'd written and planned for weeks, his voice echoing the drama club room, his eyes round and wide sparkling at the dim light as he smiles with pride over one of the only things he actually felt like he was good at.

"We miss you at the club, y'know?" his voice snaps you out of your trance. He sounds almost sad.

"Yeah, I miss you guys too. But you know, I really needed the job at Family Video." Now you sound sad too. "It's a shame my shifts are not scheduled as Robin and Steve's. Can't even make plans without risking the odds of a last minute shift."

"Study sesh still up today after class right?" he quirks a brow.

"Sure!" you try not to sound too excited, but judging by the look Robin gives you, it seems like you failed.

"Great! It's a date then." he flashes you a big smile, giving you a quick kiss at the top of your head. "Thanks sweetheart, you're the best. See ya later!"

With that, he turns around to get back to the Hellfire table. Robin looks at you with something that looks a lot like pity in her eyes. "Ouch. That 's gotta hurt."

"A little." you shrug. "But it's okay, I guess. Better than not having him around."

"Oh, for the love of GOD, just ask him out already!" she says, a little too loud.

"Sure. When you ask Vicky."

"Hm. Touché, I guess."

—

You were walking out the door, headed to your and Eddie's usual study session spot at the picnic table in the woods, when Dustin and Mike approached you.

"What are you doing tonight?" Dustin asked.

"Uh… I don't know, maybe watching the game? Robin is playing with the band and Steve is taking his date, so I'll probably just tag along with them after we get off work. Why?"

"We need a sub for Lucas at the end of Eddie's campaign tonight." Mike explained. "Can you come?"

"Pleeeeeease?" Dustin begged, before you could even think about the question. "I'll clean your room for the whole spring break!"

"Dustin, you don't even clean your room. My room is always tidy, there's no way you can make it cleaner than it already is."

"I'll do the dishes everytime my mom asks you to do it! I'll clean the cat's litter box! You name it, I'll do it. Just… please?"

You couldn't help but laugh. Dustin was offering to do all those things for you, when you'd actually join them for free. Getting to hang out with Eddie was already enough to get you to agree to fill in for Lucas, but the extra bribe from your cousin sure was welcome. 

"Okay, fine. But hey, no telling your mom about our deal okay? You know she does not like it when you take care of any of the cat related chores. She knows the cat's terrified of you."

"Deal!" he jumped up and down like an excited little kid. "Thank you thank you thank youuuu!", his voice slowly faded away while he ran to wherever else he was going to now, Mike following shortly after him.

You made your way through the woods, even though you knew you were a little early. You always liked to be at the picnic table a little before Eddie, to set up your textbooks and make a checklist of all the topics you'd be helping him with that day. You wouldn't consider yourself very smart, but you always got good grades at history and literature, so Eddie asked you if you could help him study. He really wanted to graduate this year, and part of you hoped it was because he would get to graduate with you. He always talked about how school would suck even more if you weren't there anymore, so you decided to take a little of your time out of school and work to help him — not only for his sake, but also because it is the only time you get to be alone with him, close to him. God, you feel pathetic.

As you get closer to the spot, you hear his laugh. At first you're confused, because he never gets there before you and as far as you knew, he had no idea you'd always be there at least 15 minutes before him. Also, why was he laughing by himself in the middle of the woods? He usually only gets high after you're done studying, so you assume he's not high, which makes it even weirder. Before you could get close enough to ask him what was so funny that got him laughing like an idiot by himself in the middle of the woods, you hear another laugh. A girls laugh.

Silently, you walk slowly towards the picnic table, trying not to be seen. When you get close enough to see them without them seeing you, you recognise who he's laughing with. It's Chrissy Cunningham. You feel your heart drop as you watch him trying to make her laugh, the same way he always makes you laugh. What the hell is happening here? You can't quite understand what they're saying without coming a little closer to them, but you don't wanna risk getting caught, so you just watch as Eddie jumps and claps his hands and Chrissy laughs at his dramatic reaction at whatever it was she'd said to him.

You know you shouldn't feel this jealous, he wasn't your boyfriend or anything like that — hell, you couldn't even gather the courage to tell him how you feel —, and you knew Chrissy, she was a very sweet girl. She was always nice to you, even when the other cheerleaders would call you names and stick bubblegum to your hair, she was always the one to tell them to shut up and teach you a few beauty hacks in the bathroom to get the gum out of your hair without having to cut it off. But maybe that was exactly the point. She was so pretty, and so nice, you wouldn't stand a chance against her.

As Eddie turned around and playfully punched the tree behind him, you caught a glimpse of a small gathering of tiny wildflowers resting by Chrissy's side, at the bench she was sitting on — wildflowers like the ones that grow near his trailer. Did he get her flowers? Did he HANDPICK flowers? For her? —, and you feel a knot forming on your throat. He pulled at the neck of his shirt, exposing his chest tattoo and you felt your eyes filling up with tears. What was that about? Was he flirting with her?

Even though you knew it was not a good idea, you took a few steps closer, quietly, so you could hear the conversation.

"You should come see us!" you hear him say. "We play at the Hideout on Tuesdays, it's pretty cool. We actually get a crowd of about… five drunks."

You feel the hot tears start to roll down your face. You always try to go see him play at the Hideout whenever you can. You've been there the past three weeks watching them play. Why is he talking about it like no one watching them is actually important? Like you're not important?

"You know, you're not how I thought you'd be like." Chrissy laughs.

"Mean and scary?" he replies.

That was enough for you. It's not like he was doing anything wrong, but it felt like someone had punched you at your stomach. It hurts to see him treating some other girl the same way he treated you, the way you thought he treated you because he liked you, because he might like you back. You tried to not make much noise as you turned around and followed back the path you came from. There was no way you could sit and study with him like you were not heartbroken.

—

"Chrissy Cunningham?" Steve asked, still not quite believing what you'd just told them. "As in Jason Carver's little princess of Hawkins High cheerleader girlfriend Chrissy Cunningham?"

"Yes." you assured.

"Are you sure it was her?" Robin asked, also in disbelief.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Heard her voice, saw her face. It was definitely her."

"Shit, that sucks, I'm sorry." Robin tries to comfort you, reaching a hand to tap your shoulder.

"What the hell was she doing with him anyways?" Steve questions. "Doesn't she have a boyfriend?"

"Maybe she was buying some weed?" 

"Robin, c'mon." you chuckle, sadly. "Chrissy Cunningham? Buying weed? Be fucking serious."

"Yeah Robin, I hate to say it but it makes absolutely no sense." Steve agrees.

The three of you stay silent for a little too long and you feel your friends' eyes on you, looking at you with pity, and you hate it. Finally, after a few more seconds (that actually felt like hours), the silence is broken when the phone at the Video Family counter starts to ring. Robin walks away to pick up the phone and you feel Steve's arms wrapped around you.

"Look, I'm sorry about what I said earlier today in the car," he says. "I know I was a little too pushy and I know you're not chickening out. I know you're just afraid to get rejected, and us teasing you about it was not okay. I'm sorry about what happened too, with Chrissy and all. For what it's worth I still think there's probably a good explanation for it. I bet it'll be okay."

You hold back your sobs as you lean into your best friend's shoulder, trying not to stain his clothes with your tears. Even though you're still hurting, a good old bear hug from Steve always makes you feel better, like he squeezes together all of your broken pieces back into place.

"Hey, listen…" you feel Robin tap on your shoulder and you raise your head from Steve's chest. "Eddie's on the phone. He wants to talk to you."

Shit. 

"Tell him I'm not here!"

"Yeah I kinda already told him you were here, that's not gonna work."

"Shit. Fine."

You walk over to the phone and pick it up, both Robin and Steve following you to the front counter.

"Hello?"

"Hey, thank god I found you!" he sighs, relieved. "What the hell happened? I waited for you for like, half an hour and you didn't show up so I got worried because you're never late so I went looking for you but I couldn't find you anywhere," he rambles, like he does when he's nervous "so I- I went home and called your place but your aunt said you weren't there and I didn't know where else to call so I figured you were at work? Oh thank god you're there I was about to call the cops!"

"Yeah sorry about that, I was uh…" you look over at Robin and Steve, trying to come up with an excuse about why you didn't meet him like you'd planned earlier. "I- Robin! Robin had uh… band practice for the uh- tonight's the championship game so she asked me to fill in for her, sorry I forgot to tell you I was not gonna make it."

"But… wasn't that Robin who just picked up the phone?" he sounds confused. You look back and see Robin facepalming her forehead and Steve rubbing the bridge of his nose between his index and his thumb, shaking his head. Shit. You suck at lying. 

"Yes- yeah. She uh, she was at band practice but now she's here, she actually just got here. Yeah."

"Oh okay…" 

"Yeah, listen Eddie I gotta go now, talk to you later, bye!" you slam the phone back at the receiver, hanging up.

"Well, that went… well…?" Steve forces a smile.

"Sure!" Robin holds both of her thumbs up, also trying to look like she didn't think you just dealt with the situation in the worst way possible.

"Yeah sure. I'm gonna go home so I can cry in the bathroom now, I guess. Peace out." you said as you walked out the door. 

When you got home, you remembered you'd agreed to fill in as a sub for Lucas at Hellfire. Of course you did. Because you're just a stupid dumb piece of shit who couldn't pass any opportunity to follow Eddie around like a little puppy. So, you go looking for Dustin around the house to tell him you wouldn't make it to Hellfire, only to find out he's not home. You figured he's probably at Mike's, so you call the Wheelers'. 

"Hello?" Nancy picks up the phone after two rings.

"Nancy! Hey, is Dustin there? He's not home, I figured he'd be at your place with Mike?"

"Oh, hey! Yeah, they're upstairs, I'll go get him for you."

"Thanks Nance, I-" you got cut off by her screaming on the other end of the line.

"MIKE! PHONE FOR DUSTIN!" you hear her call. "So, you going to the game tonight? It's been a while since the last time we went out, we should do something after the game, I miss you!"

"Yeah, I miss you too!" you tell her. And you mean it. It's really been a while since the last time you two did something together. "I'm actually going to spend the night at Robin's tho. We can go to the movies tomorrow, maybe?"

"Sure! I can pick you up at 5, what do you think?"

"Sounds great, I'll see you then!"

"Great! Oh, here 's Dustin. See you at the game tonight!"

"See ya!"

"Hey, what do you mean you'll be at the game? Thought you were gonna come with us to Hellfire tonight" the other line now shifts to Dustin's voice.

"Yeah, about that, I'm not going anymore. Sorry."

"What? Why?"

"Something came up. Maybe you could ask Erica?"

"Erica? You know Eddie 's gonna lose his shit if I take her as a sub for Lucas."

"Yeah, I know, but it's her or nothing. Sorry, Dusty. I'll make it up to you okay? I promise."

"Fine. But you owe me one!"

"Big time, I know. Gotta go now, take care okay? See you after the game."

"Yeah, see ya." 

You felt bad about letting Dustin down. You really did. But you also knew you wouldn't last that much at Hellfire without crying, and that would be even worse.

After an hour or so of crying your eyes out, you decided to do your makeup. Even though you were feeling like absolute shit, you knew you couldn't look like absolute shit, and you usually get a boost of self esteem after getting your makeup done, and god knows you could use that right now. So, after spending half an hour doing your eyeliner on each eye, you changed into your jeans and your favorite little tank top, put on your old school black Vans, grabbed some random jacket that was hanging at the back of your chair and left to watch the game.

"Aunt Claudia?" you yelled from the front door, almost forgetting to tell her you were leaving.

"Yes honey?" she yelled back from her bedroom.

"I'm leaving to watch the championship game, probably will spend the night at Robin's, okay? You don't have to wait up for me." 

"Okay honey, have fun and be safe okay?" 

"Will do, see you tomorrow!" 

At the game, you sat right next to the band, Robin was right by your side and Steve was with his date a couple of rows back. You didn't really care for the game, you just needed to… not be alone. You and Robin had plans to go to her place after the game and watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show for the tenth time in the last few months so you could get Eddie out of your head. Before the game started, you watched as Chrissy and the other cheerleaders danced and jumped around the gym and couldn't help it when your eyes flooded up with tears again. As you tried to get yourself together, you felt Robin's hand on your shoulder.

"You okay?"

"Yeah just… fuck, I can't even hate her, she's the sweetest girl on the cheer squad."

Before Robin could say anything, everyone was standing up for the national anthem. And then you saw Tammy Thompson walking towards the mic to SING the national anthem. You held back laughter as you looked at Robin and then turned around to look at Steve, both of their jaws dropped.

"No way." Robin muttered, as she took turns looking at you, Tammy and Steve, not knowing exactly where to look at. As Tammy started to sing, you felt your eyes flood again, but this time, it was not because of Eddie or the thought of him with Chrissy, but because you were trying so hard not to laugh. She sounded exactly like a muppet.

"Oh my god I want to rip my ears out" you manage to let out without bursting into laughter.

"I told you. Muppet." you could see Steve mouthing over to Robin.

"Okay, she does sound like a muppet." Robin admits.

"Oh my god she does kinda sound like a muppet" you hear Vicky say in a low voice.

You watch as Robin and Vicky laugh at each other's jokes, until Robin lets her ADHD get the best out of her and starts talking faster than her brain's working. Even though she talks too fast sometimes, you think it's cute how she gets nervous around Vicky. They would make such a cute couple. 

After the game, you approach Lucas, giving him a tight hug. 

"That was absolutely crazy, Lucas! You just took the ball and threw it like it was nothing and then we were like 'oh god is he gonna score?' and then you DID i swear i don't think I'll ever understand how you did that so quickly, like you just-" Robin rambled, as she held her hands up, like she was tossing a basketball through the hoop. 

"That was insane, man. Really, you're a natural." Steve said like the proud mama he is to the kids. 

"Thanks guys. I-" Lucas started, but you heard someone call out to him.

"Hey Sinclair, you coming?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there!" he yelled back. "Look guys, I gotta go. But thank you so much for coming. It meant a lot to me."

The three of you smiled as he left to follow after whoever it was that called him. After a second, Robin turned to Steve.

"Hey, where's Heidi?"

"That's Brenda, Robin."

"Yeah, sure, sorry. Where's Brenda?"

"She uh…" he looked back at the crowd leaving the gym, like he was looking for someone. "She ditched me, okay? She left to talk to Tammy Thompson and then came back to tell me she was going to Tammy's to catch up or something like that."

"Ouch, ditched for Tammy Thompson?" Robin said, following Steve as he started to walk back to his car.

"Again?" you look over at Robin, the both of you laughing — not in a mean way, but playful, like the three of you always were.

"Ha ha, very funny." Steve bites back, sarcastic. "Any more jokes and the two of you are walking home."

As you walk over to Steve's car, you watch as Eddie and the rest of the Hellfire Club emerge from the drama club room, victorious. He waves at you, but you pretend you don't see it, turning over to Dustin, who's walking up to you.

"Hey, can I join you guys? Eddie said he's gotta go straight to his place tonight, so he can't drive me home."

"Steve's dropping us at Robin's, I'm spending the night out. But maybe Nancy can take you home?" 

"Oh, okay. Sure, I'll talk to Mike. See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow. Night, Dusty!" you give him a hug and kiss the top of his head, watching as he runs off to catch up to Mike.

You turn around to Robin and Steve, puzzled look on your face. Eddie always takes Dustin home after Hellfire, why couldn't he take him home tonight?

You get in Steve's car and you exit the school's parking lot. You see Eddie's van a little ahead out the parking lot, where he always parks when he's doing a deal or up to something shady. As Steve drives past the van, you see Eddie holding the door open for Chrissy to hop in.

"What the fuck?" you say, maybe a little louder than you intended.

Steve and Robin turn to look at the direction your eyes were headed, also looking at Eddie as he closes the passenger door and Chrissy turns to reach for the seatbelt (and you think to yourself she probably won't find the seatbelt, because Eddie's van has no seatbelts).

"Oh shit." Robin mutters as she turns her head back to look at the van, now behind Steve's moving car.

"Hey uh…" Steve tries to get your attention. "don't- try not to think too much about it, it's probab-"

"I wanna go home." you cut him off.

"You sure?" Robin asks. "I already have the Rocky Horror VHS with me, we can watch Blade Runner too, I forgot to take it back to the store last week and I know you love it so maybe-"

"Please just-" you cut her off too. "I wanna go home. Please, take me home." you can feel your voice trembling and tears already running down your cheeks.

"Okay, it's okay." Steve talks in a soft voice, trying to calm you down. "We'll take you home."

The ride to your house is awkwardly silent, but you don't really care enough to be bothered by it. Your head hurts and your heart sinks to your stomach at the thought of Eddie taking Chrissy home. Not only because of your feelings for him (though, mostly because of it), but also because Chrissy is Jason's girlfriend. You know what Jason would do to Eddie if he finds out about this. It wouldn't be the first time Eddie gets beaten up by Jason and the rest of his party, and even though Eddie always came back laughing about his black eye, spitting blood and limping, you knew he'd spend the next few nights sleeping at the back of his van, so Wayne doesn't see him covered in bruises — so Wayne doesn't see him looking the same way he looked when his father dropped him off at the trailer and never came back to pick him up. You know he can take care of himself, you know he's strong enough to throw a punch or two, but  you couldn't stand the thought of him spending his days alone at the back of his van, not being able to see anyone because school was off. The whole situation made your heart ache.

As Steve pulls over in front of your house, you feel two pairs of eyes on you.

"You sure you'll be okay?" Robin asks, concerned.

"I'll be fine. I just need a little time, that's all. Thank you guys, for taking care of me. Sorry about the buzzkill. Get home safe, okay? I love you." you opened the door and climbed out of the car.

"We love you too. Call us if you need anything, yeah?" Steve says leaning over the car window.

"I will, I promise."

You open the door, hoping aunt Claudia was already asleep and that Dustin wasn't home yet. You tiptoe your way to your room and close the door, throwing yourself at the bed, not even bothering changing into your pajamas. Stuffing your face in your pillow, you cry yourself to sleep, hoping it was all a bad dream, but knowing it wasn't.

[jackhues]

(mockingbird au!) mother's day - platonic!hughes

request: okay hear me out for your mockingbird au maybe it’s mother’s day or father’s day and un buys a gift of either jim or ellen and a little card with something like to the second mom i always wanted 🥺🫶🏼

requested by: anon : )

notes: continue sending in requests for the au! check out the request rules below! thanks for requesting <3

likes are good, reblogs are better <3

mockingbird! au request rules!

tags: @woodruff-edwards , @austinbutlerscaresme , @svechnikovvv ,  @hockeyboysarehot , @emptyflowerpots , @mysticaldonkey ,  @lam-ila ,  @babydollmarauders , @starjoyyy , @kjohnson-91  , @gavinbrindley, @hischierdevils , @jackhughesily , @panarin10 , @equallyshaw , @power2myheart , @lynnismypseudonym , @beccaiscold , @akengii , @nowandkei , @cinnamonpancakes ,  @mitchymainer ,  @lifeofpriya , @marshmallow-babe, @hughesx3 , @emsully2002  ,  @starsandhughes , @huggy-hischier73 ,  @doglady5678 , @thatoneblog , @exonct07 @hughesmedicine , @qwanelledingele , @mindless-rock , @ireadthensuetheauthors , @huggy-hischier94, @slaythehousedownboots , @diary-of-jj

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gif not mine!

"ooh, this one's cute," you held up a card.

jack looked up from the corny jokes he was reading on the other cards, looking through the one you picked out.

the two of you were doing mother's day card shopping for ellen, but couldn't decide on one card. you'd already bought a cute gift from the both of you, but the card was one place you and jack couldn't agree.

"i just think she'll like the jokes more," jack said, holding up his corny joke-filled card.

"it's ellen, not jim," you reminded him.

"but this one's so funny," he tried again, reading one of the jokes and laughing like a four year old.

"let's just get both cards," you decided, placing them in the shopping cart. "one from each of us. that way, we can write her a personalized message."

"i like that idea," jack smiled. "why didn't i think of it?"

you laughed, "that's something i'd rather not get into right now. c'mon. we still need to get wrapping paper."

--

you tapped the pen against your chin thoughtfully, stumped as to how to write the card. sure, you'd written cards before, but never one for ellen.

this was your first mother's day being jack's girlfriend, and in such a short amount of time, ellen had already become more of a mom to you than your own mother.

she was supportive and kind, cheering you on whenever you needed her.

she was caring and sweet, always ready to be your shoulder to cry on if needed.

she was always there for you, taking you in as if you were her own child.

she was the one who showed you what a mother's love should look like.

how could you ever convey all that in a single card?

you stared at the blank page, promising yourself you'd try.

--

"where's my phone?" you moved the couch pillows, trying to find it.

jack patted the ground, helping you in your search. your ringtone had been blaring for a while, but you had no idea where it was.

"oh, here it is!" jack pulled it out from under his coffee table triumphantly. "look, it's my mom!"

"hurry and answer it," you told him. "i don't want her to hang up."

he fumbled for a second, before answering the facetime message. "hi mom!"

"hi jackie," ellen waved, sniffling slightly. "where's y/n? i want to see her."

"i'm right here, ellen," you said, taking the phone from jack and waving to his mom. her eyes were watery, and she kept sniffling on the facetime. "what's wrong? are you crying?"

jack looked up at that, noticing his mom's teary eyes and shaky voice.

"it's a good kind of crying, i promise," she laughed a little. "your card, it was so beautiful. i just, i loved it so much. the way you--" she shook her head, wiping her eyes, "i just loved it, y/n. and you should know, i'm glad you and jack met. i'm glad i was able to show you all of that, to be all of that for you. because i promise, you mean just as much to me."

"now you're gonna make me cry," you laughed to try and stop the tears.

ellen laughed as well, the two of you doing your best to keep the tears at bay. it was a special moment for you two, being able to share how important you were to each other.

at least until jack continued, "i'm so fucking confused right now."

[skania]

OnK Chapter 149

I know it doesn’t mean much coming from me because I’m always complaining about Aka’s writing, but…

And I mean it when I say that I expect nothing 😭 This was literally my first ever OnK-related reblog and its tags are more relevant than ever lmao

These, too:

#honestly I didn’t think too hard about any of this during my first read #because the romantic endgame seems so obvious that it kind of discourages guessing lmao #but re-reading these chapters has made me appreciate Aqua’s side of his bond with Akane a lot more

Back when I first got into OnK, I mentioned that Akane was the entire reason I kept reading the manga. I didn’t care about the romantic subplot, found Aqua/Kana extremely obvious and predictable, and Aqua plain boring.

It’s only during my second read that I paid close attention to Akane’s interactions with Aqua and I ended up playing myself into both, caring about Aqua and shipping him with Akane lol

This chapter has made me realize that despite everything, I'm not emotionally invested in whether they end up together or not. I’d prefer it, obviously, because Aqua truly is at his most interesting whenever he’s around Akane, and their dynamic has the best development in the manga (so far).

But it’s just like I said before: If they don’t end up together, that’s just Aka’s loss, not mine. I’m just here for Akane 😂

And as an Akane fan, I feel like the best thing for me to do right now is to just take a step back and watch things unfold, because Aka will do whatever he wants regardless of how any of us interpret his manga lol

So instead of posting the long post I originally wrote about this chapter when the leaks came out, I'll just share a a clown gif because in hindsight it was silly of me to expect Kana out of all people to have any sort of meaningful insight into Aqua 🤡

And a couple of things that caught my eye because I can't help myself:

Kana didn't even see Aqua and Akane have any sort of meaningful moment, just those two standing in each other's vicinity was enough to make her throw herself a pity party. How many more times is she going to pity herself and give up? How has Aka not tired of writing her this way? Where did her development from the Scandal arc go? 🤡

So Chapter 147 featured Kamiki thinking Ai doesn't love him and Kana thinking Aqua likes her. It even had a helpful "Cut 139: Misunderstanding" panel and everything. Will this mean something? Who knows!

Kana used guilt-trip! It was super effective!

Oh the irony! Poor Akane looks like she's been hard at work convincing herself that she's over Aqua. And you know what? I cheer for her and respect her energy 100%. I'd rather see her doing her mightiest to help him without any ulterior motives than to have her crying for him and hoping to get back with him every other chapter lol

Akane calling Kana out for her pity-party and for being cowardly was so cathartic that if I didn't already stan her, I'd have become a fan right now 😭 It also means that Aka is 100% aware of the way he writes Kana, so when will she finally be allowed to grow?

Kana's praise to Akane made me so sad though because yes, Akane is pretty and she's talented and she's kind. That's sweet of her to say. But that's not what made Akane someone special to Aqua: it was the way she understood him. The worst part is that Kana ends her praise by saying that Akane is a "goody-two-shoes" but... that's the opposite of how Akane views herself. She sees herself as someone who's not decent and not normal. So it's no wonder that while she gets flustered (it's her dear kana-chan praising her), she seems to get a bit sad/frustrated afterward. After all, for Akane it's probably the opposite. Men would prefer a decent, normal, bright girl like Kana - Aqua included.

I wish someone would tell Akane that she is too ignorant of her own charms and that she doesn't have to act like an adult all the time. Truly the pot calling the kettle black! Sadly, unlike Kana, Akane seems to have no one in her corner in this manga. Aqua was the only one there and the poor guy is barely even a character anymore lol

Overprotective mother or controlling ex-girlfriend? Take your pick!

The English translation left something pretty important out in these panels. Akane doesn't just say "if you have a girlfriend", she says "if you have a precious/important girlfriend". This distinction is very important because it goes to show that... as expected, Akane doesn't think she was an important girlfriend to Aqua. It's like she didn't count and Kana would be the real deal. Oh, Akane...

Which takes me to her very silly, very convoluted yet very predictable plan (in true Aka fashion).

When Akane thinks “I know exactly what you hate”, I imagine she means that Aqua hates hurting and endangering those he cares for. So I'm guessing Akane thinks that if she plays matchmaker and quite literally throws Kana at him, someone he has a soft spot, then Aqua won't be able to go through with his revenge because that would mean breaking Kana's very fragile heart.

In other words, it looks like Akane is going to try and use Aqua's guilt-complex against him and her weapon of choice is love. But not her love, obviously, because as far as she's concerned, her romantic love already failed to save him.

Granted, using Kana's romantic feelings to her advantage is kind of... well, wrong. To quote Akane herself, [Kana] is neither her pet nor her property, but a person. But I'm guessing that Akane may be falling victim to the same loophole she got caught in in Chapters 96 - 98. She thinks she knows what's best, so she's putting her own beliefs aside for the time being.

Kind of like Aqua, actually.

And, ironically, it's Aqua himself who first realized how easy Kana is to use.

So! All in all, I'm here for Mastermind!Akane but I hope that Aka will actually make it worth our while. Will Kana realize that she's about to be used as a chess piece in this Proxy War? Who knows, characters in this manga seem to walk in circles, only being allowed to grow when it fits the plot 😂

Last week we wondered whether Aka would subvert expectations or go the predictable route, and down the predictable route he went. His way of making it less predictable is by including a twist in the form of Akane's ulterior motives, but will this be enough to allow this ol' used trope to lead us someplace new? I guess we'll have to keep reading to find out, but given the quality of the writing lately, I'm not expecting much lol

[choicesfandomappreciation]

Our 2023 Secret Pal Exchange is here!

The tentative dates are December 26-28, but you can keep voting here and I can adjust as needed.

What it is:

Simply put, it's secret santa

Everyone who shows interest in participating will be given a secret pal for whom they should create a small work (drabble, art, edit, moodboard, etc).

How to participate:

Reblog this post stating your interest AND include your top 3 books/characters/pairings to help guide the person who recieves you as their pal on what they should create for you (reblogs that do not include a top 3 will not be considered entries for participation)

or, message me here (@choicesfandomappreciation) or at @lovealexhunt stating your interest and include your top 3 picks

Note: When listing your interests, please include any preferred gender/pronouns/race or other customizations you may have

Please only sign up to participate if you plan to follow through and create for your pal

The deadline to sign up to participate is December 13th

What comes next:

On, or about, December 14th, I will message you with your secret pal and what they listed as their top 3 interests

You create something for them based on their interests and post it for them from December 26-28* (date open to change based on poll)

It would also be really nice if you could include a brief positive message of encouragement and/or support with your creation for your match

Please tag @choicesfandomappreciation and #ChoicesSecretPal23 well so I can keep track of who posted and who is missing.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out. It should be a wonderful event that spreads joy and cheer in our fandom. ❤️❤️❤️

Just a personal plea...

If for any reason at all (no questions asked), you are unable to participate after signing up, please message me as soon as possible! Every secret pal/admirer/exchange event I've hosted always has had 1-3 people not follow through which leaves me scrambling to create for those people's matches at the last minute. I'm happy to do it, but I hate feeling rushed and not having time to think about it properly. Plus, if it can be avoided and matches reassigned I would rather do that. So if you go on hiatus, need a break, or life is just to busy (or whatever the reason) please just keep me updated. I'd so appreciate it!

[indelicateink]

Please cheer on these in-progress claimed prompts on the IWTV anonymous kink meme!

anonymous authors out there, you have our attention.

there's no way to notify claimants that we're cheering them on, but: if any of the rest of us want to give a shout out to a prompt you're anxious to see, you're welcome to comment on this post or reblog with a comment; maybe it'll be seen.

thank you to @vampire-dove for maintaining our kink meme.

(If you fall in love, note that prompts can be claimed more than once!) some prompts are truncated here for space, but click here to read more

There's so much love out there I had to split this into two posts. Post 1/2 of prompts that have a pending claim:

Nicolas de Lenfent/Lestat de Lioncourt "I would love to see a first time between Nicki and Lestat. Maybe it's their time in general or the first time after Nicki is turned. (Maybe even some canon divergent reunion sex?) I'd just like it to be very fluffy, those men deserve to be in love. (Bonus points for laughing/giggling/joking around during)"

--

Daniel Molloy/Louis de Pointe du Lac "What if Daniel took Louis up on his offer while Armand was out to lunch? "Armand comes back to find the two of them either fucking or having just done so. Jealous!Armand so very welcome and perhaps he wants to join in or hear about the encounter in detail? Author’s choice!"

--

Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac "Lestat cajoles Louis into hooking up at the Azalea, and Louis gets hot and bothered imagining Lestat as one of his sex workers. "This can just be something Louis thinks about privately while he fucks Lestat or it can be a full on roleplay Lestat ropes him into. Either way Louis is embarrassingly and shamefully turned on by it, and if Lestat is aware then he obviously is too."

--

"Daniel meets Claudia in the present day and is caught between being starstruck and horrified. (An AU where Claudia is a ghost that only certain people can see.)"

--

Armand/Louis de Pointe du Lac "Something triggers a flashback during a particularly rough BDSM session, and Armand's mind regresses back to when he was in the brothel. He is confused but too scared to say anything to stop the scene, and Louis realizes this much too late. He attempts aftercare, but Armand/Arun is too scared of him for it to be helpful." […]

--

Armand/Lestat de Lioncourt "Lestat hears through the grapevine (Louis? Daniel? The internet or someone else entirely?) that Armand is getting over/moving past his love for Lestat. Lestat refuses to accept this, and decides his solution is to give Armand what he’s always wanted, and show him why exactly, Lestat is his type, through and through." […]

--

Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac "Louis is firm: he doesn't want to get back together with Lestat. Not in this century, at least. "Doesn't mean the sex isn't great. "Four times Louis dropped in on Lestat's tour to hit it and quit it. "Four managers who got fired for pointing out Lestat's mood swings post-visit were going to ruin the tour."

--

Armand/Daniel Molloy "Daniel's on an important phone call and Armand decides that instead of leaving his boy be, he goes up behind Daniel and starts trying to distract/fluster him by nibbling on Daniel's neck, unbuttoning Daniel's shirt, slowly sliding his hands over Daniel's body, with this going on and on until Daniel finally snaps, hangs the phone up on whoever he's talking to and wild vampire sex ensues."

--

Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac "He's full of contempt for the process, but Lestat doesn't hold back on telling his story. To Louis's annoyance, Daniel sends him uncut parts of the more incendiary interview sessions as the weeks go by. "Four times Louis almost picked up the phone, and one time he did call Lestat."

--

Armand/Louis de Pointe du Lac "Dubai Era, Pre-/Intra-Interview: It’s been a bad night. So now, ankles deep in his rock garden, Louis watches as Armand cuts his own switch from their magnolia tree. They both would rather burn the tower to the ground, with themselves and Rashid in it, than let their husband get in the last word." […]

--

Claudia/Madeleine "Modern-day mafia assassin AU. "Claudia averts her eyes from the rising sun as she tosses her gun into the river. She's decided. This was the last one. She's getting out of the life. She's going to run--travel--starting with some small, bright Caribbean island for a few weeks. "She doesn't have any ties to hold her back: if her dads haven't been able to get their shit together for 30 years, it's clear she isn't going to make a difference. "But first: the dry cleaners opens in an hour. After three years of increasing sexual tension and expertly removed damning bloodstains, she's finally going to shoot her shot with Madeleine Eparvier."

--

Armand/Daniel Molloy/Louis de Pointe du Lac "They're adapting Interview With the Vampire for film, and Daniel is producing it. He wants to bring Armand and Louis on as consultants, since they have firsthand experience of the story. Armand and Louis interact with Daniel, as well as each other, and their interactions bring up some feelings from the past, as well as some that are new."

--

Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac "Louis and Lestat tentatively re-establish a connection with each other over Facetime while Lestat's on tour. "Louis is used to seeing Lestat in early 20th century clothing. He can admit to himself he likes Lestat's new slutty rockstar look. "Lestat can tell. And the clothing budget is starting to get out of hand."

--

Armand/Daniel Molloy "You know how best friends don’t have any boundaries? Well, Louis and Daniel are chatting shit, which leads to talking about their sex lives, which leads to Louis offering tips on how to deal with Armand, which leads to Daniel revealing that out of the two of them, Armand very much likes to take charge in the bedroom. None of that Maitre shit with them"

--

Armand/Louis de Pointe du Lac Corporal Punishment, Bad BDSM Etiquette, Accidental Voyeurism […] "Claudia is absolutely mortified to return home and overhear her father scolding and spanking her beloved coven master. Worse still is the fact she has to come in afterwards and pretend she hasn't heard a single thing, and isn't suspicious of any of the possible impromptu implements left out."

--

Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac Internalized Homophobia, Blindfolds, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, Getting Together "AU of pilot episode: through the course of courting period Louis' shame grows along his feelings for Lestat. The more he wants him, the guiltier he feels. But, no matter what he does, his desires won't go away, so he stuck in permanent state of horny frustration, which starts to show outwardly: his mind wanders during his conversations with Lestat, daydreaming about his hands and mouth." […]

--

Armand/Louis de Pointe du Lac "I think it’s time someone fucked Armand against the Marius painting until he comes all over it"

--

Armand/Daniel Molloy "Armand absolutely does not covet a copy of Lestat's numbered special limited edition double album--gatefold with the silver foil alternate cover and colored vinyl. And he doesn't wish he had one of the exclusive Indianapolis concert tees with the set list printed on the back in glow-in-the-dark ink. Why would he want an actual Vampire Lestat guitar pick. Who cares about the already-out-of-print Long Face Japan cassette single. A signed copy of the Vampire Lestat tour concert program book would be intellectually interesting, but it's not like Armand actually wants such a thing--that would be silly. "Interviewing your situationship's obsession on tour has its perks. "A courtship in five merch items."

--

Armand/Lestat de Lioncourt "after talking armand into attending a function at the theatre of vampires, lestat insists on dressing armand in some of his nice clothes for the occasion, but a bath must come first. they've shared blood but this is the first time they have sex."

[queenendless]

🏫School Mates (SuzaLulu x Reader)PT 1🏫

A/N: Testing the waters with posting the few fanfic content I have out so far for one of my nine fave anime ever. This reworked piece I've had for a long while is coming out. This AU is where you're a late new student at Ashford Academy. Yeah, it's sort of a love triangle. Hopefully, I can make this short story make sense in some way. All credit for Code Geass characters and pics goes to Sunrise.

DON'T COPY OR STEAL MY FANWORK, RATHER LIKE AND REBLOG. I hope you enjoy.

"Y/n … Y/n … Y/N!"

You get awoken from your dream by the calling of your name. Your head resting on your folded arms snaps up in attention to who spoke out only to spot violet eyes trained on you, exasperatedly looking at you.

"Being the new student and sleeping during class isn't a good way to make a good impression. Be grateful you sit behind me, otherwise you'd have your neck strung out by the teacher."

You then noticed students parting as class was over "Mmm … sorry … Lelouch." You mumble sleepily as your rub your tired eyes.

Said man, Lelouch, glared a bit more before his eyes softened, sighing before running a hand through his hair. "Honestly, where would you be without me?"

"I'd be dead." You dully uttered. You get hit lightly on the head by a rolled up paper, making you pout at him. "Hey!"

"No time for jokes. Come on, the others are waiting." Lelouch put the paper in his bag before taking your hand and pulling you to your feet, dragging you behind him.

"Lelouch, I can walk to the student council room just fine without you dragging me like a rag doll." You pitifully moaned as you felt sparks run through your hand as his held yours tighter taking the lead.

"You've been attending here for weeks now and you still get lost in these halls." Lelouch reminded you in matter of fact tone. His tone made you stick your tongue out with his back facing you. "And I'd quit sticking my tongue out if I were you or else you'll attract flies."

"Come on, Lelouch. Cut her some slack. She's still a late transfer, after all." An amused voice lightly chided as your free hand was held by a callous, warm hand that easily pulled you free from Lelouch's grip. "I got your back, Y/n." You turned around to see Suzaku in time as he gently bumped your shoulder with his fist, smiling carefree.

"My knight in shining armor," you softly cheered as you hugged Suzaku's arm, giving a closed eye smile as both guys blushed as they thought it was one of the cutest smiles they've ever seen. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Suzaku laughed a bit, smiling toothily back at you.

"If you two are going to flirt in my face, I'm not sticking around to watch." Lelouch rolled his eyes, he almost sounded like he was jealous; especially when deep down he didn't like you hugging Suzaku's arm in his presence. And he didn't know he would feel that sort of emotion over such a silly thing. But he couldn't keep a small smile from growing on his face as he shook his head to clear those ridiculous thoughts. "Come on, you two."

When you did arrive …

"Okay everyone, time for GUTS~!" Milly was loud and flamboyant as always.

"Aw come on, Prez! Another guts spell right from the start?" Rivalz complained, even though underneath he was secretly swooning for her hard.

"Um … hello …" Nina was typing at her computer, being meek as usual.

"Nice of you three to finally show up." Kallen said nonchalantly.

"Hi, Lulu~! Ready for another day of good old student council work~!?" Shirley ran over to greet Lelouch, teeming with a giddy, enthusiastic personality.

"Ready as always. You all should know that by now." Lelouch smiled charmingly, making Shirley almost swoon as the meeting commenced.

As the daily meeting began and went on for an hour and a half, you couldn't help but have your eyes travel around the room, landing on each single person. Every person here welcomed you into their school lives and their personal lives in some way.

Milly was as flirtatious as she was dramatic in her own lovable way.

Rivalz crushing on the pres hard while also being a goofball.

Nina, well, she was a shy introvert but a genius beneath … even though there were times you felt suspicious towards her.

Shirley, such an upbeat, enthusiastic girl with a good heart even though she's obviously falling hard for Lelouch and making it so obvious to everyone.

And Kallen, looks calm and mysterious on the surface but you had a feeling there was more to her and you had no idea why but you kinda like her for it. They slowly but surely became the first ever friends you ever made.

Soon, the meeting ended and you walked between Lelouch and Suzaku to the clubhouse which is also Lelouch's home on campus that he shared with his maid Sayako; you get the impression there was more to her like with Kallen as someone not to underestimate, and his little sister Nunnally … she was like the little precious sister you never thought you wanted; spending quality time with her especially when Lelouch was away doing his own thing.

Speaking of, Lelouch and Suzaku even … they were like two sides of the same coin. Two peas in a pod. So similar yet so different in their own respective ways. Lelouch is the brains, Suzaku is the brawn, but put them together … there's nothing they can't accomplish. You couldn't have one without the other and you wouldn't have it any other way.

In fact, it was Lelouch himself that allowed you to live with him and his sister in the clubhouse and asked Milly to convince her grandfather to allow it since the dorms on campus were already full. You may not remember much of your life before coming here, but a lot of meaning was brought back into your life, gaining new memories and a new life instead.

'So, why do I still have this nagging feeling in the back of my mind … this added pressure deep within my heart for how I feel towards these two guys … seems familiar. Whether it's good or bad … I don't know.'

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

"I like pancakes with marshmallows on top~! Heeheehee~! Yippee~! Whee~!" You blurted out randomly, causing Nunnally to laugh gleefully as she clapped, making you laugh too. You had just finished dinner with Nunnally and the guys; Suzaku was invited to eat over since he's their occasional guest as well as their childhood friend, and you were currently playing with Nunnally's hair. From the moment you met her, your heart instantly melted at the pure innocence that is Nunnally Lamperouge that compelled you to protect the precious girl with all your might!

"Oh, I'd love to try that sometime! Can we?" Nunnally had hope laced in her voice.

"Your wish is my command, my lady." Lelouch smiled charmingly, bowing before his little sister, making her giggle.

"I second that request, please." You raised your hand, smiling bashfully.

"At your service, my lady." Suzaku appeared by your side, also bowing to you, making your cheeks heat up and feel all fluttery inside. His eye closed smile radiated sunshine that is this wholesome boi.

As Lelouch gathered the empty plates to take to the kitchen to clean them up, you noticed him stopping to side glance at you, nodding his head for you to follow, before walking through the doorway. "I um … I'll be back in a bit, Nunna."

"Okay. Suzaku, do you want to make paper cranes with me? Miss Sayako and I were working on some earlier."

"That sounds fun. I'd love to." Seeing him gaze affectionately at her like another older brother to her made your heart skip a beat before you walked to the kitchen.

You spotted Lelouch's back to you as he washed the dishes. You slowly approached him, feeling nervous as you wondered what he wanted. You rubbed your arm as you do when you're anxious. The sound of his voice made you halt in your tracks.

"You and Nunnally have gotten closer over time. It feels like just yesterday when I met you; a meek new girl to our class. And yet, as days passed by, that very same girl became a part of our daily lives. As a school mate, then a student council member, and now a friend. For what was once hollow is now becoming whole again. At least, that's my basic sum of it."

You felt your stomach tie itself in knots as you timidly approached him, "And now?"

You watched as the reflection of his calm face in the window above the sink looked back at you; his violet eyes twinkling with speculation, before looking over his shoulder, now looking amused. "You look like a scared little thing with that look on your face. Relax. I'm not gonna bite."

"A – Are you sure about that?" You gulped audibly.

"I'm serious. I'm grateful to you for being here for Nunnally in my stead. Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful to Sayako and the student council being around to spend time with her when I'm busy with stuff … and I don't say this as much as I should … but … thank you." The smile he gave to you felt genuine and it made your heart flutter.

"It – it's fine. Nunnally … she's an absolute angel. And I'm grateful to her and you and everyone for accepting me into the student council and your friend group – !"

You stop speaking mid sentence. You froze, stunned in shock at the feel of lips pressed against your cheek. It took you a minute before you blinked your eyes back into focus from the daze you were in. "Consider this my gift to you."

You slowly raised your hand to touch your cheek; the tingling feeling where his lips touched your skin made something within you click into place. Your eyes traveled to meet his; you swore you just saw them glow magenta for a moment there. But his eyes were fine. Very fine in your opinion as you became lost in their beautiful violet sea; almost like delving deep into his soul and searching for something beyond your understanding.

You felt an unfathomable pull to him, making you lean closer as you noticed he did the same when the realization that Lelouch kissed your left cheek made you snap out of it; face aflame as you covered your mouth to muffle your squeak of surprise, snapping Lelouch of his apparent trance as well as he blinked several times to get back into focus.

"Mmm … I swear, everything I say and do gets you so easily flustered, doesn't it?" He laughed softly, even though his cheeks were flushed red too.

"N – No!" That just made him snicker in his hand. "I – I should head back now."

"But seriously, Y/n." You looked back to see his smile still there, tender and true. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

You returned to the living room and felt a smile break out at the sight of Nunnally and Suzaku smiling, laughing, making paper cranes together when Suzaku noticed you and waved you over to help out. But you were still reeling from what transpired in the other room.

'Lelouch kissed me. Of all people, me! It was on the cheek, but still! I don't know that much about his personal life; aside from his gambling trips with Rivalz. Did he kiss anyone before, cheek or otherwise? Before me?' You couldn't get that image of Lelouch's bemused expression out of your mind. You also couldn't ignore the fact that you felt Suzaku's eyes on you, a suspicious glaze to them.

Sooner than you expected, it was time for Suzaku to leave. You were lost in thought as you watched Suzaku bent down to hug Nunnally before nodding at Lelouch only to have your name being called on, pulling you out of it to say good bye. But as he smiled and waved, walking out the door, you watched his retreating form while Lelouch pushed Nunnally's wheelchair to her bedroom to get her ready for bed. That's when you felt the same magnetic pull with Lelouch reappear, making you follow the soldier outside.

"Suzaku, wait!"

He stopped in mid walk and turned back around, curiosity and concern flashed on his face as he cocked his head to the side, making him appear that much cuter. "Y/n? What is it? Is something wrong?"

"No … the exact opposite, in fact. I feel …" Why are you feeling this way, twice in a row? "I just want to say thank you. Not just for tonight, but for every day since we became friends. It means a lot to me." You rubbed your arm, shyly smiling. "You … mean a lot to me."

His smile lite a fire in your heart. "You mean a lot to me too. You, Lelouch, Nunnally, the student council … you've all become so important to me." He walked towards you until you were standing face to face. "You above all else."

You gaped at seeing his face start to flush red and his green eyes became glossy and … tempted. "I … I am?"

He looked a bit stunned before his face broke out into a smile. "Aw, come on. You honestly can't see why?"

What happened next took you by surprise, almost as much as Lelouch's did.

The feeling of Suzaku's lips pressed against your other cheek; once normal but now burning with heat from those soft velvety lips of his. He pulled back to give a bashful smile, scratching his cheek, "Is that enough proof for you?"

You gingerly touched your cheek, feeling the warmth beneath your fingertips, as butterflies fluttered in your stomach and your heart was racing quickly. But that's when you noticed his green eyes glow; those mesmerizing emerald gems now stuck upon your awaiting face. His eyes softened as did his smile.

Your cheeks burned as you smiled shyly at him. "I … think so."

Suzaku laughed softly before holding your hands. "Y/n, you do mean that much to me. This past month spent in school with you, sharing classes and having study sessions, even just spending time with you like that has been … wonderful." You smiled the more he talked, leaning closer as did he when you noticed his eyes looking over you to far behind you; suspicion laced in them. "It's getting late. I should head back to my place. Have a good night … " Suzaku pulled your hands up to litter gentle kisses on top of them, making you smile bashfully, " … Y/n."

You took him by surprise as you leaned up to kiss his cheek "Good night, Suzaku."

You waved good-bye as his goofy smiling face looked back at you over his shoulder as he waved back too while hurrying off, almost falling over his feet from not watching where he was going, causing you to laugh out loud at his stumble.

But unbeknownst to you but not to the brunette was that Lelouch was watching outside his bedroom window.

He watched his best friend kiss your cheek as he did earlier.

He watched as Suzaku ran off, leaving you smiling and blushing as you felt yourself floating off your feet as you walked back inside.

He did not look happy. Not one bit.

[lunasuccor]

Thanks so much to those who donated and shared my previous call for aid post, I really appreciate it! I'm doing much better now as I just got approved for unemployment, and found out I'm able to take what I have paid into retirement out, thus I'll be clear this month for sure. I say this because I really want to be transparent, and I would never want anyone to think I take their kindness for granted.

However, it would be most optimal and preferred that I not return to working jobs that put such strain on my disability, and I'd rather spend my time streaming/making people laugh/cheering them up. So to that end, it'd be really amazing if you could reblog/share this post so it may reach as many people as possible.

twitch.tv/lunasuccor It's my life goal, and dream, to create a safe space for people to relax and have a laugh - away from the concerns of their daily lives. I'm a variety streamer who plans to play video games of all kinds, both alone and occasionally with friends.

If you do share this to help me reach whoever I can, know that you have my undying gratitude, and I hope to see you in the chat someday - happily throwing rocks at me with others. :)

[forestwhisper3]

heads up, seven up!

rules: post the last seven lines you wrote, then tag seven people. reposting, as the reblog chains get long!

. . . . . . . Yup, I'm alive (just very, very busy lately) Anyway, I was tagged by my good friend and amazing artist @joyfuladorable and thought this sounded fun. ...It may also be a sort of apology from me for being gone/silent for so long. So! Rather than the last seven lines, here are seven little teasers from fics I've been chipping away at during the bit of downtime I have- when I'm not just playing some Animal Crossing to destress, that is. It's not necessarily the most recent for some of them, but parts that I think you'll enjoy without giving away too much. Enjoy! (Also, please keep in mind that as these are still being refined, there might be parts you see here that may not be present in the final product) ============== Title Pending (Rottmnt) ==============

Not for the first time tonight, Raph had to wonder how he'd gotten to this point.

"There," his companion hissed quietly- a word he never would have used to describe her before this moment.

He leaned over her shoulder and squinted at the figures walking below. "You sure that's them?"

"OF C-!" she choked back her yell and settled for a heated glare. "Yes I'm sure! I'd recognize those ugly outfits anywhere!"

"How can you even see them from so far away?"

"That's how ugly they are."

Despite himself, he snickered a bit. Once he settled down, he crossed his arms.

"You do know this whole thing is crazy, don't you?"

She grinned ferally. "Yep."

"And it's very likely that if we're caught, we'll either get arrested or- if you're right about all this -even die, right?"

"Yep."

"You're insane."

"So are you coming or not?" she asked impatiently.

He looked over the ledge again, watching as the people below continued loading trucks.

"Well, Raph's made it this far," he shrugged, allowing an easy smile to slip onto his face. "And I think I'm overdue for a bit of crazy myself. Let's do it."

"Hell yeah!" Cassandra- Casey, he corrected himself -cheered, pumping a fist. "Let's go, Red!"

The two of them jumped.

============== Dragon of the Sun (TMNT 2003) ============== "Hey, I'm fine! Really! It'd take a lot more than some crazy lizard and spoiled son to take me out!" "You have cracks in your shell. And while I'm sure Donatello has provided excellent care, you are going to the med bay." "...Yes, M'am." Raph snorted softly as he watched Ananda start dragging Mikey away, his little bro not having put up nearly as much of a fight with her as he had against him and Don back home. Then again, he wasn't really surprised either. Maybe it was because Mikey played such a big part in reconnecting her with her dad, which led to her joining the Justice Force, but it was clear that she had a huge soft spot for him.

"And you're positive that there was no lasting damage?" And it seemed like she wasn't the only one. He turned to face Silver Sentry, the usually calm man also watching them go with furrowed brows and a frown. "Not that we could see," Raph sighed. "From what I've gotten him to tell me, he needs to take it easy for a couple more weeks, but he should be fine after that. Let's just hope nothing happens until then." And he really would hope this time. Usually he was itching for a fight within a few days, but if it meant Mike going out to fight before he was fully recovered? No way. Silver Sentry gave a sigh of his own. "And here I thought we could avoid this very thing by only making him an honorary member." ============== Turning Back Time (Linked Universe) ==============

"Hey, Time, do you have any other masks?"

Wind's question immediately caught the group's attention as they settled down to eat. Warriors looked up, admittedly curious as to how he would respond, especially since he knew Time would probably want to keep those cards close to his chest in order to mess with them.

But perhaps he was still remembering Hyrule's misunderstanding from the other night, since he was surprisingly straightforward in his answer.

"Quite a few, actually."

"And are they all magic like the- bunny hat?!"

There was something else Wind was going to say there, he realized, and judging by the way the others' gazes seemed to sharpen at the slight pause, they'd noticed it too.

Come to think of it, the two of them had been together this morning, hadn't they?

He thought about that for another second, then felt a chill of dread.

Could they be working together now? Sweet Hylia, he hoped not. Just remembering the sorts of things they'd accomplished together between battles during the war made him want to run far, far away. He was ninety percent certain that half the reason Impa disliked him so much was because of these two. He wondered if it would be possible to switch sides. ============== Recollections (Linked Universe) ==============

-of Darkness who sought to plunge the world into fear and darkness under his rule. Fearing his wicked rule, Zelda, the princess of this kingdom, split up the Triforce of Wisdom into-

"-eight fragments," Hyrule weakly read that part aloud, face pale and eyes wide in dawning realization and growing horror. "T-This-…this is-…"

He whirled around to look at Time and Legend, the sickly look on his face growing even worse when they nodded grimly.

"Oh no," he murmured, turning back around and curling a bit into himself.

"Okay, that's enough," Warriors scowled, although the worry in his eyes betrayed him. "Would one of you please just tell us what's going on already?! Why's Hyrule upset now that he's figured out whatever it is you two know?!"

"It's about me," Hyrule explained, looking up at them with haunted eyes. "That story we're reading? It's what happened in my Hyrule. Zelda- my Zelda -broke up the Triforce to keep Ganon from getting it. Shortly after, I found myself on my first adventure."

Silence. Then, the implications finally sunk in.

"Oh, fuck," Wind swore.

"Can't we-?!" Twilight began.

"I doubt it," Time sighed, already knowing what he was going to suggest. "Seeing as we were all brought here, then subsequently locked in, it looks like we're going to have to finish watching before we can leave. And I know it's not going to end with just Hyrule's adventures."

The air between them felt heavy now that everyone knew what they'd be seeing, and there was a pause, as if they all wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words. Finally, Legend let out an angry burst of air.

"Let's just get it over with," he said. "I know this is the last thing any of us wants, but it looks like we don't get a choice. The sooner we watch it all, the sooner we can leave this hellhole."

An apt description for this place, Time couldn't help but agree. Absolutely no danger to be seen, but somehow just as nerve-wracking as if there was. If not more so.

Another pause, but despite their reluctance, they all knew inaction was an even worse feeling. So Wild eventually started it up again. Fearing his wicked rule, Zelda, the princess of this kingdom, split up the Triforce of Wisdom into eight fragments and hid them throughout the realm to save the last remaining Triforce from the clutches of the evil Ganon. At the same time, she commanded her most trustworthy nursemaid, Impa, to secretly escape into the land and go find a man with enough courage to destroy the evil Ganon. Upon hearing this, Ganon grew angry, imprisoned the princess, and sent out a party in search of Impa.

The black screen started fading into color, although the words remained, and harsh panting could be heard as a landscape came into focus. ============== Title Pending (Trolls) ==============

Floyd was gone.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!"

That simple, heartwrenching fact kept spinning and spinning and spinning in his mind until it was all he could think through the numbness that had taken hold of him.

At least, until Clay's scream managed to break through.

John flinched, finally tearing his gaze from his second youngest brother's crystalized form only to meet the furious, teary eyes of the third's. It was all he had the time to do before Clay shoved him away from where they'd gathered around, the tiny ember of rage that had been ever present in those last few days as a band finally blazing into a wildfire, fueled by the same grief that seemed to have frozen him in place instead.

"IT'S YOUR FAULT WE SPLIT UP! IT'S YOUR FAULT WE WASTED TIME! IT'S YOUR FAULT FLOYD'S-!!"

Clay choked, unable to voice that final, damning word. Instead, his face twisted as it finally seemed to catch up with him. Yet the tears that began to stream down did nothing to soften the anger that continued to burn.

Staring as intently as he was, there was no missing when that anger slipped into hate.

"I'll never forgive you," Clay hissed, his entire body trembling and tense. "We'll never forgive you."

He swallowed thickly and chanced a glance at Bruce and Branch.

They stared back in stony silence.

"I'm sorry," he managed to push through the knot in his throat and a familiar gnawing emptiness that began to settle in his heart.

Sorry he'd failed them…

Sorry he couldn't protect them…

Sorry he'd hurt them…

Sorry he couldn't be what they'd wanted him to be.

His apology only seemed to anger Clay further.

"You're sorry?! Is that all you can-?!" He cut himself off, and took a deep breath. When he spoke next, it was with piercing finality. "All you've ever managed to do is ruin things. Ruin us. So, if you're really as sorry as you say you are, you'll keep yourself from ruining what's left."

"Clay-" Viva protested, concern thick in her voice as she stepped forward.

Clay cut her off with a look and a shake of his head, but the bit of John that didn't feel numb appreciated the attempt.

She was good for him, he thought. He hoped they could be happy together.

Without him.

Because that was what they wanted, he realized. It was what they'd always wanted. Hadn't they always told him to mind his own business? To go away? To leave them alone? It was him who had been too stubborn to listen. Who had ignored what they'd practically been screaming in his face for years.

Not anymore, he promised. He'd already messed things up enough. For once, he was going to do something right by them.

Clay was distracted by Viva, and the others had gone back to looking at Floyd. It was like the universe was agreeing with him, telling him that he needed to take himself out of their lives for good.

He took a step back.

Two…

Three…

He took in the sight of his brothers one last time, knowing that it really would be the last time, and climbed into Rhonda.

"Let's go, girl."

She fought him for a moment, and he felt yet another pang of guilt- she'd gotten attached to them, it seemed -but eventually allowed herself to be steered away with a melancholy warble.

"It's for the best," he told her softly, eyes closing in resignation at the hollowness he could hear in his words.

A hollowness he'd experienced just one other time in his life and struggled to escape. Even now, he could see it overtaking him again in the way the color slowly leeched from his fingers and trailed up his arms.

That was fine. Last time, he'd pushed forward for Rhonda. For his brothers. For his-

He closed his eyes and slumped in the driver's seat as a fresh wave of loss swept over him.

This time, when the emptiness threatened to swallow him whole, John Dory looked into the abyss and hung his head.

It was time to stop fighting. ============== Journey (Pokemon SI/OC) ==============

"Satoshiii, you've got to be kidding me!" I groaned as I pulled his curtains open. "Seriously?! You promised you wouldn't sleep in!"

Ash waking up late was a running gag in the anime. I knew this. Really. I did.

I just hadn't realized how bad that habit actually was.

"EHHH!?!? Amy, what time is it?!"

Mrs. Ketchum must have had the patience of a saint dealing with this every single day.

"Late enough that you're only gonna have time to get dressed! Now, move it!"

"But, breakfast-"

"MOVE IT!"

He yelped and scrambled off the bed, and I hurried out of the room to give him privacy. Walking back to the kitchen, I huffed as I took a seat, rolling my eyes when I heard a loud thump echo from upstairs.

"Never a dull moment with that kid," Papa chuckled quietly into his tea, still a bit bleary-eyed himself.

"Good thing he spent the night. With Hanako gone, he wouldn't have had anyone to wake him up," Mama shook her head with a fond smile.

"Next time I'm leaving him," I grumbled, though it was halfhearted at best.

Mama handed me two lunches and I secured them in my bag before grabbing some extra riceballs for Ash and placing them on top.

"Is Shigeru going to be taking part in the field trip?"

"He said he hears enough about it at home, so no. Good thing too, I don't wanna babysit him and Satoshi. I wanna see some pokemon, too!"

It was a good way to test how things could be once I began my journey. At first, Mama and Papa had been a bit hesitant to agree when Ash brought it up yet again (he did so every year, but this was the first time we were old enough to actually go), but Uncle managed to convince them. I was going to be with a group, and Professor Oak was sure to have at least Arcanine with him, so I would be more than safe.

To his credit, Ash only took a few minutes to get dressed, but our house was a bit of a walk from Professor Oak's lab, and we found ourselves having to sprint for the last stretch of it.

"-guess we're setting off," I heard Professor Oak say and immediately pushed myself just that little bit more.

"Wait!" I called while waving my arms, never more grateful for all the running I'd done during training than at this moment. "We're here!"

I slid into the meeting place like a baseball player, taking care not to squish the contents of our lunches as I allowed myself to drop onto the grass to catch my breath. Ash was still a bit behind me, but they should be willing to wait now that I'd made it.

"Way to look like a total loser," a familiar, though currently unwelcome, voice cut in through the harsh pants.

I groaned. "I thought you weren't coming."

"I'm not," Gary scoffed. "I just got curious because Gramps hadn't left yet. Shoulda known it would be you two behind it."

"And I should have known you'd be too nosey to not butt in."

============== Horizons (FF7 SI/OC) ==============

Ryuu stretched as he wandered into the entrance area of the inn, not bothering to hold back a wide yawn as he tried to shake off the last vestiges of drowsiness. Overall, he felt much better than yesterday, his various pains now muted to a dull ache instead of the sharp throbs and spikes of before. Thank fuck for accelerated healing. Probably one of the highlights of being SOLDIER, in his opinion. Cassie's potions had only helped in that- he'd probably be back to normal by the end of the day or early tomorrow at this rate.

It was early- enough that the sun was just barely starting to rise -but to his surprise he wasn't the only one awake. The innkeeper was already up, phone pressed up against his ear and having what seemed to be a pretty serious conversation if his expression was any indication.

"-keep an eye out for him, don't you worry…It's the least I could do after everything your daughter's done for us. Besides, I know I'd want someone to do the same if it were one of my girls missing…" He sighed, tone turning apologetic. "I don't. Wasn't expecting her to leave so suddenly, or else I would've asked…I'm sure she'll be fine. She's a tough girl, and clever. She practically saved this town."

Wait. He couldn't mean-

Now completely awake, he rushed back upstairs, only just catching the innkeeper's now confused expression as he continued his conversation with who he was becoming more and more certain was Cassie's family, though unfortunately missing the question itself in his haste to check on her.

"Son of a bitch," he hissed upon opening all the guest rooms and finding them empty. "You little shit."

Is this what it felt like to have a younger sibling? He was pretty sure this was what it felt like to have a younger sibling. This sheer frustration and annoyance- suddenly, all of his friends' complaints made so much more sense. Not to mention the worry. What if she ran into something else she couldn't fight? She said that bodyguard of hers could keep her safe but how could he be sure of that? She hadn't even let him meet the guy!

Cassie'd left early on purpose. He was sure of it. The question now was why.

He wanted nothing more than to chase her down and find out, but as it stood, he couldn't. He'd updated ShinRa on his status the moment looking at his PHS didn't make his head feel like it was going to explode, but while they'd allowed him some recovery time, they were also being very pushy in their reminders that he report as soon as possible. He could understand the insistence- absolutely no one had expected what sounded like a run-of-the-mill monster extermination to put a SOLDIER out of commission, even if only for a day or so -but he wished he could just-

His PHS buzzed in his pocket, and he sighed, heading for the stairs again.

============== ============== ============== And there you have it! Hope you enjoyed the little clips! Like I said, I am working on them. It's just a lot slower than it used to be since I have a longer commute to and from work now, and by the time I get home, I'm usually too tired to write. I'll be going on a short vacation in about two weeks or so to visit my bro, and I hope to get a good chunk of writing done during that time. You may see a few chapters pop up then. Fingers crossed, at any rate. For now, I think it's back to chipping at them a little bit more. Take care!

[alaezasmystery235]

hihi, i'd like to participate in your exchange game. ❤

_ my initials CM, 🙂‍↔, scorpio sun.

_ i choose song eunseok of riize as my celebrity. he was born in 2001, good at basketball and taekwondo, likes anime, eldest brother and a chill guy.

_ i ship you with sunoo of enhypen. i've seen the things you write and reblog and i automatically thought of him and the color pink.

you seem to be a kind, warm and cheerful person so for that reason you would get along well with sunoo.

thank your for the game 🫂

* I literally heard 2 world's coming in together . He would be interested in you . You will tick his curiosity. He will admire how life challenges didn't dim your sweet energy rather you are going on . *

------ feedback is necessary

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

Hey, this is socialjust-ish. You reblogged a post of mine, started it with "quick question" and then immediately blocked me.

I do that all the time to people and it's very funny.

But, on the off chance you did, in fact, want my answers - because I think you raised some interesting points - I wanted to say I'm happy to answer your questions in a civil way.

You don't owe anyone a response or a right to respond - blocking is a great feature I encourage. But, I struggle with online tone and have a compulsive need to answer questions when people ask them of me, so if you do want my response, you can unblock me and DM me and we can chat privately, or I can reblog it to discuss publicly.

I'm fully willing to admit I'm wrong when I'm wrong, and reviewing your post there are at least a couple of points where my statements didn't really convey my actual thought process that might be interesting to talk about.

Again, though, that's only if you actually wanted an answer to your question. If that was a sarcastic/snippy intro for your followers and your essay, more power to you. I also get that this is an extremely sensitive and difficult subject for which I'm in a pretty privileged and untouched position, so what is an "interesting point about ethical guidelines in fundraising" for me might be a "desperately trying to help my friends, family, and countrymen" for you.

Cheers.

You're right, I did!

It's a little bit of both. I do try to frame myself in ways that are interesting and engaging, however I asked the questions I asked because I genuinely hoped you would pause and consider the answers. Positively delighted to learn that you have done so!

Blocking for me is a quick and easy way to remove people from my immediate sphere, and I generally assume that on posts like that where neither I nor the person I blocked are the OP may eventually end up circling back around between us to enable conversation and reply without triggering angry reactions by showing up in each other's notes! It's worked for me well in containing conversations I know have a chance of being contentious for my own mental health. Appreciate hearing you treat it similarly!

I'll go ahead and unblock for a while, and you're welcome to either DM me or send asks or reblog the post directly (well, I suppose I actually don't want to offer that one because I'd rather we not be having this conversation in OPs notes)

I would actually be pro having this conversation in the public forum if you are, because I think constructive-resolution seeking like this back and forth can be valuable to see in the world! Up to you though, I know there are also a lot of pros to a contained discussion space (see my containing our initial interaction) so I'm game for either as you prefer.

Looking forward to our chat!

[therealeagal]

Baldur's Gate 3 - companion ranking.

Decide for yourselves whether my list is accurate or not. Whichever you decide, please do @ me, bro. I'm interested to know who your favorite character is!

I switched up my usual intro. What do you think? Anyway. Let's begin. This is a list of the companions in Baldur's Gate 3. I think I got all of them. There's so many. They are enumerated from best to worst.

Wyll Ravenguard, the Blade of the Frontiers. Really got a stick up his ass. I try to romance him and he starts throwing out disapproves whenever I talk to someone else. Motherfucker I'm not the one flirting with them I just want to know what they're up to. Stuck up piece of shit. Also I guess he's a hypocrite that literally sold his soul for power (he says he had a good reason…) But mainly I'm mad about him being a fucking diva when other people flirt with me. Fuckin' Wyll… Wyll stans got pissy at me because they didn't get the joke. Well, his placement at the very bottom of the list was a joke. Don't tell the stans, but my review was completely accurate) What? I didn't say anything. I mean, Wyll Ravenguard is Ao's gift to humanity. There exists no person in this world that is better than Wyll. I could wax loquacious about all the ways in which Wyll is perfection beyond perfection, but I won't bore you with the details. Suffice it to say that no matter what Karlach's entry may suggest, Wyll is truly the greatest of the great.

Scratch the dog. Maybe it's just because I'm a dog person, but there's no way you can convince me that Scratch isn't the best.

The owlbear cub, for much the same reasons as Scratch. Although I can't say I have any strong feelings one way or the other about owls or bears...

Karlach. No question that Karlach would take the top spot if Scratch and the owlbear weren't around. As she is the first companion that is both A: a good person and B: not a prick about it on top of being irrepressibly cheerful and kind, there is no question that Karlach is the best official companion (Scratch and the owlbear are more pets/familiars than companions). I mean, Gale is also a good guy too and he's not an asshole about it, but he's kind of a tool. Karlach is a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.

Editing this one in, because I FORGOT WITHERS! Rookie mistake. Sorry, Withers!

Jaheira. I never played the first two Baldur's Gate games, but I understand that Jaheira is a returning character. Either way, she's a fuckin' badass. A regular in my final party.

Shadowheart/Lae'zel. It's hard to choose between the two. They've both got excellent storylines, which are actually quite similar in a lot of ways. And they're both badass chicks. What's not to love?

Boo, the miniature giant space hamster and his human familiar, Minsc of Rashemen. Also often a fixture in my party, because he's funny.

Gale Dekarios. To be honest, I wasn't crazy about Gale at first. Kind of pretentious. But he's grown on me. Yes, he is kind of a tool, but at least he generally likes it when I'm nice to people, unlike a certain vampire who shall remain unnamed... also he eats three of my magic items. Not that I was using them but it's the principle of the matter!

(this is Wyll's true rating, but ignore it because obviously he belongs at the top of the list. PLEASE LIKE ME!)

Halsin. Ever wanted to fuck a bear? In every sense of the word? Well, have I got news for you!

Astarion. WHY DO YOU HATE IT WHEN I'M NICE TO PEOPLE, ASTARION??!?!?!?!?!? IT'S SO ANNOYING!!!

The dirt.

The worms inside the dirt.

The stool of the worms inside the dirt.

Minthara. A giant asshole. Which I guess is to be expected. Still better than Solas. Yes, I know they are from two different games. Shut up. Fuckin' Solas...

The Emperor. He of the gaslighting and the tentacles.

The Absolute. Yes, the main bad guy. I'd rather hang out with the main bad guy than...

Oh, lemme edit this in. Just in case. If you, for some reason, get your dander up about the contents of this list, please refrain from reblogging this to just whinge about what a terrible person I am. Not that I am opposed to someone challenging my ideas, but the death spiral does get tedious quite fast. If you really really got an axe to grind, try the PMs. Please and thank you. :)

[hot-take-tournament]

HOT TAKE FESTIVE SEASON!

PRELIMINARY #246

Submission 873

"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" is actually good

Appa:rently this is usually ranked as either the "worst" or "most polarizing" Christmas song of all time. Personally I think it's fine, that goddamn John Lemon one is worse

Propaganda is always encouraged!

And remember to reblog your favourite polls to spread festive cheer!

[dandyshucks]

i have a whole rambling vent that I tossed into the garbage because I don't really feel like that'd be a good idea since I cannot tell if it's just attention/validation seeking on my part or if there's actually any productive point to me posting it

so I'll just say that I really do consistently wish I could interact with y'all more because I genuinely cherish the little circle of friends and mutuals I was lucky enough to stumble into here and I want to show that I appreciate you all so much, and I also struggle a lot with feeling like maybe I shouldn't post as much as I do since I do not often have the stars align to be able to interact with others the way that I want to so I don't feel "deserving" of interaction myself. there are several factors outside of my control that prevent me from interacting the way that I'd really like to, and that frustrates me very often.

if i miss reblogging your art or writing, I do genuinely apologize! I might have completely missed seeing it due to not being online at the right time and not scrolling your blog enough, or maybe I saw it and avoided reblogging because I have a very silly notion that I shouldn't reblog unless I have it in me to put together my words just the right way to properly cheer on your creative works (<- i am trying to kick that avoidance bc i think it's probably far better to rb with less eloquent cheering rather than not rb it at all. i've considered saving stuff to drafts or queue to rb when I have a clear head and energy but I don't want to make ppl nervous with ghost notes TwT).

I really REALLY appreciate that people self-rb because that means there's a better chance of me seeing it and rbing it !!! please do not be scared of self-rbing, I often wish ppl would do it more often (...hypocrite that i am LMAO I rarely self-rb bc i get too scared to jfdskl)

anyways !!! i am going to go find a dinner, i appreciate you all, and I'm desperately hoping that I haven't just stuck my foot in my mouth and fucked everything up somehow fdsjkl augh. As always, I am so very open to being corrected or told "hey man, that was kind of shitty" or anything along those lines !!!

[pandas-pandemonium]

Yandere!Dick Grayson x Isekai!MMA! Reader Excerpt:

aka I felt a craving for new yan!dc content and thought I'd write one myself, and this came out. It's supposed to be the start of Y/N's isekai journey after being knocked out, or rather, killed (or perhaps put into a long coma?) during a fight. They're supposed to be an MMA fighter.

No yandere content in this excerpt. Tbh, I don't know if I want to write a full fic, or if I even have enough material for that. Not even sure how it would go. But for now, I'll keep posting random blurbs and scenes that come to mind, and maybe one day, we'll get a full fic yeah?

Anyways enjoy ahaha.

You can find the Yan!Dick Grayson POV in my reblog after this. Not putting a link now, because Tumblr hides posts with links in 'em from the tag page.

Thud!

Your eyes shot open as the pain of the impact spread throughout your body. Your body felt paralysed, almost, like something was weighing you down. Confusion crept into your nerves, like a snake crawling up a vine, your throat felt tight and your head spun. Whether it was from the impact of hitting the cold concrete pavement or from your mental state, you couldn't tell.

Dark skies. Brightly lit skyscrapers. Dark shadows, creeping across the ground. Neon traffic lights. An... explosion?

With a deep breath, you turned yourself over and shakily pushed yourself off the ground. For a moment, your vision blurred before you managed to steady yourself. You have to get out of here, away from whatever danger is approaching.

You may not know how the hell you got here, or where "here" even is, but you were going to die if you stayed any longer.

Another blast. Nearer this time. A strangled groan escaped your throat as you covered your ears. The noise was deafening and your ears started to ring. You stumbled, and then fell to the ground once again. This time though, you managed to pick yourself as quickly as you fell.

Your breathing felt ragged, even though you had hardly moved. You swore you were healthier than this. The fall earlier must have hurt you more than you thought.

Wait-

Fall?

Why were you falling in the first place?

Your eyes looked up to the skies again. Surely you didn't fall from one of those buildings...right? Your thoughts are interrupt just then, by the sound of breaking glass from the buildings nearby. You see several dark shadows zoom by.

The ringing in your ears intensifies, and you find yourself helpless before it, crumpling down into a ball. Your head pounds, like it's going to cave in on itself. Your breaths quicken as the pain increases. The ringing sharpens, and soon it's all you hear before a flash of white overcomes you.

Faint images of your life pass by, as if you were watching a montage. A scene appears before your eyes:

It's an arena filled with white lights and loud cheers. You were on the defensive against your opponent, who was swinging out punches and kicks without stopping. You grit your teeth, tasting the rubber mouth guard in your mouth. They'll run out of energy soon, and then that's when you'll strike.

Your eyes glance to the clock. 1 minute left. Your breathing changes, taking in slow deep breaths as you observe your opponent. One. Two. High Kick- There!

Your body steps out to their left, and you swing your right arm into their jaw, knocking them back. You're back in control.

One. Two. One. Two. Three. One-

And suddenly your world sways, and your eyes open.

And you're back in this strange world, now face to face with someone you'd never thought you'd meet.

DC comic book character and superhero: Nightwing.

[choicesfandomappreciation]

It's here!!! Our 2022 Secret Pal Exchange!

As voted by you, this year's event will take place December 27-28!

What it is:

Simply put, it's secret Santa

Everyone who shows interest in participating will be given a secret pal for whom they should create a small work (drabble, art, edit, moodboard, etc).

How to participate:

Reblog this post stating your interest AND include your top 3 books/characters/pairings to help guide the person who recieves you as their pal on what they should create for you (reblogs that do not include a top 3 will not be considered entries for participation)

or, message me here (@choicesfandomappreciation) or at @lovealexhunt stating your interest and include your top 3 picks

Note: When listing your interests, please include any preferred gender/race characteristics you may have for customizable characters

Please only sign up to participate if you plan to follow through and create for your pal

The deadline to sign up to participate is December 17th

What comes next:

On, or about, December 18th, I will message you with your secret pal and what they listed as their top 3 interests

You create something for them based on their interests and post it for them on December 27 or 28th

It would also be really nice if you could include a brief positive message of encouragement and/or support with your creation for your match

Please tag @choicesfandomappreciation and #ChoicesSecretPal22 well so I can keep track of who posted and who is missing.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out. It should be a wonderful event that spreads joy and cheer in our fandom. ❤️❤️❤️

Just a personal plea...

If for any reason at all (no questions asked), you are unable to participate after signing up, please message me as soon as possible! Every secret pal/admirer/exchange event I've hosted always has had 1-3 people not follow through which leaves me scrambling to create for those people's matches at the last minute. I'm happy to do it, but I hate feeling rushed and not having time to think about it properly. Plus, if it can be avoided and matches reassigned I would rather do that. So if you go on hiatus, need a break, or life is just to busy (or whatever the reason) please just keep me updated. I'd so appreciate it!

[sangcreole]

HOW TO INTERACT WITH TUMBLR RP BLOGS

Hello friends! I've gotten quite a few non-rp blog followers on this account— thank you, and I'm flattered that you love Louis enough to follow me here! However!!! This is a ROLEPLAY blog, and as such, there is a slightly different etiquette code than regular tumblr fandom blogs.

Normally I just block folks who don't read my rules, but I figured I'd make this comprehensive post for archival reasons anyway. So! What are the do's and don'ts of tumblr RP etiquette?

DO: read our rules! Every rp blog has them! Mine are linked in my pinned post! You can also find them here! Rules are different for every single rp blog, so it's important to read them to understand what kind of interactions they're comfortable with

DON'T: REBLOG OUR WRITING!!!!! DO NOT REBLOG FROM RP BLOGS PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST, THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE.

The first reason this is considered rude is because roleplay writing is NOT for you. is it cool to read an rp blog's threads and cheer from the sidelines? absolutely! I LOVE getting little messages from people following along and commenting on what makes them excited! But rp is a contained writing format between two people, so taking someone else's writing and putting it on your blog is just....not good! it's not like reblogging fanfic! it feels more like stealing!

The second reason this is considered rude is because rp blogs on tumblr use the notes system to track our writing threads and other activity. when people reblog from us, it fucks up the note count (deadass some of y'all almost made me delete this fucking account when one of my amc salt posts got out and i had like 200 notes to wade through overnight. please don't do it).

There may be certain exceptions to this rule— for example, on my rules page, I state that I'm okay with folks reblogging my non-writing related content (aesthetic photos, musings, etc.). But for the most part...reblogs are kinda off-limits

DO: send in questions from headcanon/character building prompts! Basically, any question set that's meant to be answered out of character, referring to Louis rather than me writing as Louis. Here are some examples of what I mean: x, x, x

DON'T: send in in-character sentence starters meant for other rp blogs! Whats a sentence starter? Here are some examples! (x, x, x) Basically, any prompt that is meant to be sent in FROM ANOTHER RP BLOG, to be replied to in-character on my part. If you send me an anonymous message with a line of dialogue from a sentence starter, I can't do anything with that, because I don't know who my writing partner is supposed to be. These are for established character blogs only.

DO: send in random questions or comments! I do love interacting with y'all and I don't want you to be intimidated by all the rules I just laid out! If you have a question for Louis, please feel free to ask him and I'll reply in-character! If you have a question you want me to answer ooc, feel free to ask it! As long as you're respectful, it's all good!