#it only took me 84 years...

[mrs-gauche]

Alas, so long as the music plays, we dance.

(Cole's cryptic comments + The Song)

[pharawee]

Noey's many outfits in I WILL KNOCK YOU — [01/10]

BONUS:

[prettyboyeddiemunson]

i have a virgin eddie and rockstar reader request to post 😏

[cassynite]

WOTR Companion Meme: Vonzi

@dragonologist-phd​‘s original meme here!

Name: Kallesto Voness (Called Vonzi)

Race: Human

Class: Oracle--Wave Mystery, Blackened Hands

Appearance: A dark-skinned woman with a solid, curvy build and an afro of curly black hair. She wears clothing in blues and purples, in styles that are similar to the southern ocean-faring countries like Sargava, but cut for clolder climates. Perpetually wrapped around her shoulders is a large fluffy wool wrap. Her most striking features are her eyes--which are large, bulging, and flecked with light like a starry sky--and her hands, where her fingers have blackened as if exposed to extreme frostbite.

Favored Weapon/Equipment: Her magic, which tends to be focused on frost spells. Uses a crossbow if needed, though she has disadvantage. Will wear light armor if she wears any at all. Will often also wear gloves, as it makes it less painful to use her hands.

Top Skills: Use Magic Device, Knowledge (Arcana), Persuasion

Alignment: Chaotic Good

General Personality: 

Vonzi has two states: the Delirious State and the Lucid State

Her Delirious State is distant, inattentive, and forgetful. She is not fully aware of herself or her surroundings, and finds it difficult to concentrate on the present situation around her--this does not prevent her from being a powerhouse of offensive cold magic when needed. In conversation, she speaks little and sometimes will not make a lot of sense, muttering phrases or fragments of sentences to herself. She will often struggle to understand or speak in a conversation.

Mechanics-wise, delirious state causes her Wis and Int to lower but her Cha to increase.

Her Lucid state is that of a cavalier easygoing woman, one with a witty sense of humor and a matter-of-fact attitude that lets her carry her burdens with far more tact. She is deeply self-confident in herself and her abilities and tends to dislike showing weakness in front of others--her delirious state is a vulnerability she hates showing. She will tell the truth when she thinks it matters, but will also lie for fun about things she doesn't think matter, and what she thinks matters might be different than what a KC values.

What traits/values do they admire?

An ability to stand up to and question authority; in that vein, a willingness to put value on individual's lives and helping those who would not otherwise provide material benefit as a reward. Personality-wise she's drawn to people who are willing not to take themselves too seriously and have a sense of humor about things, as well as people who are confident in themselves and what they stand for.

What traits/values do they disapprove of?

Blind loyalty to any organization, including religion, makes her wary, as she believes all hierarchal organizations are inherently corrupt. Cruelty disgusts her, whether it be self-serving and pointless or borne out of zealotry. Showing a lack of curiosity about the world and the people around them, being overly judgmental, or just being like a stick-in-the mud is likely to irritate her.

Also, while it's not something that will stop her from being friends, being overly deferential or self-deprecating is something she has little tolerance for.

Are they affiliated with any deities?

Explicitly she is an atheist, and shows a distrust toward all organized religion. However, though she no longer remembers this, her quests reveal that her family (or at least her mother) worshiped the entity that gave Vonzi her powers, and she possibly worshiped them as well.

What do they think of their role in the Crusades, and of sharing the Commander’s Mythic powers? What are their reasons for joining the commander’s party?

Vonzi is neutral to the Crusades and their place in it. She is introduced in her Delirious State and barely knows what the Worldwound is, let alone cares. Becoming lucid shows her expressing concern over the danger to the public the Worldwound poses, though she tends to express it in a very cavalier way ("Yeah, a giant demon hole is a problem"). However, she distrusts the Crusade as an institution and will warn a KC that if there isn't corruption on some level of such a large movement, there definitely will be. She doesn't particularly care one way or the other about the fact that she is companion to its leader, however.

Vonzi's attitude toward the KC's powers will be largely positive except in a few mythic paths, as she directly attributes them to her lucidity and ability to function.

Vonzi joins the party as a consequence to actions she no longer remembers taking, and remains due to instincts or half-remembered memories that tell her she either knows the KC (which the KC will refute) or that being in the Crusades is important for some reason. She's looking for something, and thinks that the KC and whatever she's searching for are intertwined. Her main motivation for remaining in the Crusades is to find out what she wanted in the first place.

Who are their friends among the other party members?

Ember: Ember's one of the only people who never gets irritated at Vonzi’s blunt and self-confident attitude, and will often converse with her normally regardless of if she is delirious or lucid. Vonzi enjoys Ember’s can-do attitude and her determined joy, finding it refreshing and an outlook that she philosophically agrees with--life might be shit but getting upset over it won’t change anything, so you might as well find hope.

Arueshalae: Like Seelah, Vonzi wholeheartedly believes that Arue is genuine in her attempts to become better and therefore sees no issue in befriending her and treating her like anyone else. She does struggle to understand Arue’s struggle--she genuinely thinks “just don’t be evil” is sound advice--but is tolerant and encouraging of Arue’s desire to learn more about mortals and trying to be better.

Seelah: While Seelah's devotion to Iomadae is something that Vonzi finds tiresome, her relaxed demeanor is one that Vonzi enjoys. As long as they don't talk about anything too serious, they got along just fine.

Sosiel: Sosiel's Andoran background is something Vonzi is interested in and she enjoys talking to him about ideals, of which they share a lot of commonalities. Sosiel's better about not being preachy about his religion, though he will still irritate Vonzi when he tries to pry into her past or the cause of her mysterious illness in an attempt to heal her.

What about rivals?

Daeran: While Vonzi thinks Daeran is hilarious and "actually sort of self-aware, for a noble," she ultimately finds his contrarian nature hollow and doesn't get along with his overt selfish nature. Daeran enjoys Vonzi's sense of humor and her usual easygoing nature but as soon as she expresses her usual life philosophies he starts to tune out; even if they share disdain about the Crusades and religion it's for different reasons and Vonzi's anarchist leanings are good for a laugh to him and nothing more. They can joke in banter but ultimately Vonzi writes him off as a spoiled, self-centered noble with little redeeming qualities under the surface.

Camellia: Camellia dismisses Vonzi early on in the game and will openly question why her presence is considered more of a help than a hindrance. She will also, conversely, insinuate the Vonzi's delirious state is an act she puts on to hide some dark secret. Vonzi, when delirious, will avoid speaking to Camellia outright; when lucid, she will be very straightforward with the fact that she doesn't like Camellia, but is willing to work together. She doesn't have to like her coworkers, after all. Cam just needs to leave her the fuck alone. When Camellia's secret is revealed, she tries to bond with Vonzi over dark pasts and entities that require so much of them, but Vonzi will tell them they are nothing alike.

Lann: I don't think Vonzi and Lann dislike each other necessarily--Vonzi appreciates Lann's sarcastic sense of humor, and when lucid they get along. However, Vonzi gets very irritated by Lann's self-deprecation streak, finding it self-pitying, and there will be several encounters where she basically tells him to get over himself, and he gets angry and defensive--he's allowed to think he's ugly, because he is, and he's allowed to joke about how short-lived and awful his life is because that's all true. And Vonzi retaliates by letting him know that they've all got it bad, he isn't special, and also he's moaning so much about how no one will ever want him, well that's less to do with his appearance and more to do about how he won't shut up about how ugly he is. You want people to see you as a hotshot? Act like it! Fake it till you make it, bud. (This would occur over several resting banters, ending with her apologizing, "Not for saying it, because it's true. But I shouldn't have said it that way. You're a good guy, you just have to see it in yourself.")

If Lann's quest is completed with him successfully pulling off his plan, there will be dialogue where he and Vonzi will reconcile and become good friends.

Regill: Regill sees Vonzi as an unknown factor with too varying a skillset--her delirious state, in his mind, is an active liability. He treats her with less contempt and wariness than Arue, but not a whole lot less. He'll often vocally wonder why the KC is allowing someone so clearly out of control of their own powers to assist the Crusade. For her part, Vonzi will be rather accepting of Regill's censure, but how much of it is out of actual agreement and how much of it is sarcastic, "Yup, I AM a menace, yet I'm still here and there's nothing you can do about it, neener neener" depends on if she's lucid or not.

Are they on any councils? If so, what sort of advice do they give?

Vonzi will show up for the leadership council--"show up", not "was invited," because she somehow finds out about the meetings and ends up crashing the sessions, much to the annoyance of Captain Harmattan. Her leadership advice basically comes down to recommending the KC be open and transparent about their leadership abilities to dispel dissent. She'll also make not-jokes about keeping an eye out for inherent corruption within the upper ranks; to be quite honest the Wary just sounds like the beginnings of a classic power grab to her. But what does she know?

Where do they hang out in the Defender's Heart? Drezen? In the Abyss?

Defender's Heart: Near Vissaly and the injured. Ambient dialogue when the KC comes near would have Vissaly asking Vonzi diagnostic questions about her state of mind.

Camp to Drezen: Around the edges, close-ish to Seelah

Drezen: Near where the Ziggurat/portal to the Azata court is.

Abyss: Around the campfire near Sosiel and Trever.

What are their idle animations?

Delirious: Rubbing her ears, hunching down and holding her head in her hands, looking around as if she hears something or is confused about where she is.

Lucid: Rubbing her neck, lifting one foot up placing it back down again, massaging her hands, swaying from side to side.

If they’re taken to Areelu’s lab, what is their dream?

Vonzi's dream is pretty sad--even if her act 3 quest is completed before the lab, Vonzi's dream is deeply incomprehensible to an onlooking KC, like a splash of watercolor around her rather than a concrete scene. There are some vague almost-images, sometimes--a farm, maybe, a giant bush of blue and purple flowers. Laughter--some that sounds almost familiar, and sometimes that of a stranger's. A shadow of a child, running along the edges of the vision. Sometimes other figures, which a completed-quest KC might interpret as Vonzi's sisters. The only thing constant and clear is the sky: the purple of high dusk, and yet covered in stars like salt on dark linen.

When asked what she saw, Vonzi will admit she can't really remember.

Do they advise the commander to abandon or keep their mythic powers?She will strongly advise an Angel or Azata to keep their powers--they're clearly not of the Abyss any longer, and it helps them with their goals. They've certainly helped her, literally made her sane, and she can't imagine the KC causing the kind of harm Iomadae is worried about.

"You're joking, right? I don't know, personally I think the powers that have literally given me back my sanity might be good, actually. Go nuts! I've got faith in you no matter what you decide."

If the KC is a trickster, Vonzi will urge them to go legend, equating the mythic path to her own sense of unreality when her sickness untethers her--it's not nearly as fun as it seems, and the KC will lose sight of themselves. She will even say that while the power has allowed her some lucidity, it also makes it even harder for her to stay in the here and now, and she doesn't want to lose herself--or the KC to lose themselves either.

If the Commander is a demon or a lich, Vonzi will consider the power as doing more harm than good--either by being so focused on their own power that they do not care what happens to others, or by thinking the only way to truly gain the power needed to stop the Worldwound is by dominating others' wills (demon and lich, respectively). She will urge them to go Legend.

If the KC is an Aeon, Vonzi will admit to being torn. On one hand, the power of the Aeon is changing the KC in ways she doesn't like, and she's worried about them. However, she understands that becoming a full Aeon could do more than even Iomadae could do to fix what is wrong. She will ultimately tell the KC that they will know what is best, but to ask themselves if they are truly willing to sacrifice everything to walk this path--because that is what their power will demand of them.

How/when do they join the Commander’s party?

Vonzi can be found near the base of Iomadae's statue in the Market Square, collapsed and surrounded by a puddle of what looks like black ink, except strange pinpricks of light emanate from the dark liquid like stars. The tieflings trying to break free their friend nearby will comment on her presence, saying they had nothing to do with whatever the heck happened to her but also that no demons have come near this area since Deskari first attacked. The scrawny tiefling (the one you can help free from the rubble) can be asked about her once he is free, and he'll tell the KC that she just appeared out of thin air right before Deskari attacked, to tieflings shock, and had collapsed. He doesn't know where the inky stuff came from.

The KC can approach Vonzi at any point, triggering a cutscene. She will be unresponsive, both to physical attempts to wake her and to healing, if the KC is a healer. However, the strange wound on the KC's chest hurts looking at her, and the KC can reach out with the strange power to connect with Vonzi. This causes her to wake up. She is shaken and barely responsive; the KC can only ask a few questions before a group of demons attack. Vonzi takes one of them out immediately with a blast of cold, and fights alongside the party to take out the rest.

Afterward, Vonzi can be asked questions again. She's slow to respond, and doesn't have a lot of information. She knows her name is Vonzi. She was here in Kenabres for...something. Something important. But she doesn't remember what, anymore. She doesn't know what the black liquid is. She doesn't know why she's so injured. The KC can then tell her where the Defender's Heart is, and she will offer her services and her magic as thanks for the KC waking her up. If the KC agrees, she becomes part of the party.

Do they have any specific comments or interactions during the main quest (EG volunteering to go to Leper's Smile, reacting to the Queen firing the KC, etc.)

If Vonzi is present during the second attack on the Gray Garrison, when the KC first gains a level in mythic power, she will have dialogue before the fight with Minagho that shows her first shift from her delirious to her lucid state, which the KC can note as her seeming far more clear-headed than before. Afterward, she has dialogue when KC first comes to the camp at the beginning of Act 2 as a formal introduction to her lucid state.

A lucid Vonzi will volunteer to lead the soldiers in Leper's Smile, probably with a comment about how bugs don't like cold much.

Vonzi will be kidnapped during the gargoyle attack; she'll be the last companion found, right before the chapel, encased in black ice that has surrounded her as well as a group of gargoyles. The KC touching the ice will cause it to break, freeing the gargoyles to be fought; Vonzi will be in her delirious state but insist on coming along to fight.

Describe their companion quest:

In Act 2, after Leper's Smile, Vonzi will request to accompany the KC the next time they go scouting. While she's felt much better and more clearheaded ever since the attack on the Gray Garrison and dealing with the wardstone, she is now feeling antsy and out of touch, unable to concentrate. She's worried she's slipping back into the state she was in when in Kenabres. The KC can also note that she's looking far worse, and is distant and distracted. She's hoping that some fresh air away from the camp, as well as concentrating on scouting, will help shake off the cobwebs in her mind, and she doesn't care where the KC is going as long as they go somewhere.

The next time the KC travels with Vonzi after this conversation, a random encounter will occur on the map that forces the party to fight a group of demons who have ambushed them. During the fight, Vonzi will have a breakdown, causing an explosion of power around the party that knocks the demons away in a gust of cold. After she teleports the party, she collapses in a seizure, black liquid with pinpricks of light oozing out of her eyes, nose, and ears. It's a large amount that very quickly pools around her body.

If Sosiel, Daeran, Seelah, or Ember are in the party, one of them will jump in at this point to stabilize Vonzi (in that order if more than one is present). If none are present, the KC has the option to heal Vonzi if they have healing abilities, or use an item if a potion or scroll of Heal Major Wounds or Greater Restore is in the inventory.

If none of these requirements are met, then Vonzi succumbs to her mysterious wounds and dies.

Once Vonzi is healed, the scene immediately cuts back into camp, where Vissaly is examining Vonzi. He will inform the KC that the seizure was not caused by a regular illness, or even a byproduct of some kind of brain injury; instead, it looks like the source of the seizure is magical in nature, some kind of spell that has been placed on Vonzi and is actively causing the condition--and probably her shifting mental state as well. Vissaly cannot determine what the spell is, where it is coming from, or how to remove it; all he can tell the KC is that the strange power they are sharing with their companions is actively healing Vonzi and is probably the only reason she isn't dead yet. Regular checkups and healing can also help mitigate these symptoms and he insists Vonzi visit him regularly moving forward to help with her condition until they can figure out more.

Vonzi herself is little help during this regarding the source of this spell; she not only still doesn't remember anything pertinent, but the seizure has reverted her back into her delirious state, and she finds it difficult to communicate.

Vonzi will remain delirious until the KC gets their next level of mythic power at the Lost Chapel; after that point, their general state will switch between lucid and delirious after several rests, with corresponding buffs and debuffs for each state.

NOTE: If the KC does not take Vonzi with them before the camp is attacked by gargoyles, Vonzi's body will be found during the attack with black liquid seeping out of her orifices and she will be permanently removed from the party, failing the quest.

In Chapter 3, after the key to the Ivory Sanctum is found in Wintersun, Irabeth will approach the KC in a cutscene with Vonzi present, who (currently lucid) was asked to come to the war room. Irabeth will explain that a new civil servant has joined the Crusade, and has specifically been helping to coordinate resources and supply lines to Drezen. She hails from Sargava as a highly recommended businesswoman--she is also, Irabeth had found out when they had met the other day, almost identical in appearance to Vonzi. Irabeth had wanted to bring this to Vonzi and the KC's attention, as this "Viritine Voness" might be related to or know something about Vonzi's past.

Vonzi seems genuinely confused by the revelation. She has no recollection of having any kind of family and doesn't recognize the name of the woman, though that really doesn't mean anything considering the holes in her memory. However, she is also surprisingly unwilling to follow up on this information. If the KC asks why, she says she feels that it just doesn't feel necessary, but this is obviously a super cagey response.

If the KC pushes the issue, pointing out a family member can tell Vonzi about her past, or perhaps know about the spell placed on her, Vonzi shuts down the conversation. "Okay, what I was doing before was a hint--I don't want to meet this Viritine person. Drop it."

The KC can, at this point, seek out Viritine on their own--she will be in Drezen near the soldiers practicing in the yard, near the supply houses (around where Trever can be found). She does look nearly identical to Vonzi, though there are some key differences--she's taller, and looks older, and her black hair is cut short, close to her scalp. She does not have whatever gift Vonzi has, as her eyes are a dark brown, and her hands are unblemished.

Viritine comes across as impatient and intense, with little charm or desire for niceties. She's helping to deal with supply chain issues and even the Knight Commander is just someone distracting her from her job. The KC can try asking her about her past, her life, and where she's from, what her family is like--but after a few questions Viritine, who had only been reluctantly answering before this point, will cut to the chase and ask why she's being interrogated.

The KC can lie about getting to know who works for them, but it requires a high bluff check and even if it succeeds, Viritine is not convinced. The KC can also just explain the truth, that they have a companion named Vonzi who looks like Viritine.

Failing the bluff check or telling Viritine about Vonzi will cause Viritine to get very angry, and she will storm off with little explanation.

Succeeding in the bluff check allows the KC to drag a little more information out of Viritine. She has lived in multiple places through her life, mainly in Sargava, though the last place she lived was in Isger until her mother's death a few months ago. When the Crusade started she traveled north to help with the efforts. Viritine will also reluctantly mention a younger sister, Aerici, and a niece, Laicanis.

After the conversation with Viritine, the KC can return to Vonzi to inform her about what little was learned.  Vonzi is uncomfortable and irritated that the KC even bothered to speak with the other woman, reiterating she didn't need to know this. However, if the KC offers to drop the issue, Vonzi will ask for them to just give the information since they already went to the trouble to get it. If the KC told Viritine about Vonzi and informs Vonzi of this, she will become truly angry.

Whether or not Viritine was told the truth, she will appear and interrupt the conversation as either the KC or Vonzi attempts to end it. Viritine is furious, pop-a-blood-vessel furious, either by what the KC told her or about what she found when she followed the KC to Vonzi on a hunch.

She immediately starts yelling at Vonzi, calling her "Kallesto." She accuses Vonzi of playing some sort of ill-thought prank, of being selfish, of abandoning the family. Vonzi will stay silent throughout the tirade, and the KC can at this point step in in various conciliatory or aggressive ways.

Regardless of how the KC jumps into the conversation, Viritine will turn her attention to the KC and ask them if they know who they've been traveling with. She calls out Vonzi as her younger sister, Kallesto, who the Voness family had sacrificed everything to keep safe from the Isger government, who had seen her powers as heresy in a country where worship of all but Asmodeus was illegal. And in return? Vonzi's recklessness had led to the death of their mother. And then, the day after her mother was hanged for her crimes, Vonzi had the gall to leave.

Vonzi will not speak or defend herself during the tirade; at the end, she just walks. The KC can go search for her afterward; the conversation after will have Vonzi not giving a lot of information, but stating that it was important that she leave the family. That seeing Viritine had allowed her to remember enough to know that she'd left them for an important reason and that while the anger was probably deserved, she ultimately feels that her decision is justified even if she can't remember the justification.

The KC can, at this point, urge Vonzi to try and reconcile with her family, tell Vonzi that the KC is there to help if anything is needed, or agree that Vonzi is probably correct in her decision. Regardless, the scene ends.

The next time the KC leaves and re-enters Drezen (or a period of five days passes, whichever comes first), a small cutscene will happen where Irabeth will tell the KC that Vonzi is acting erratic and is demanding to see the KC. Vonzi comes in shortly after, and the KC can tell she's either delirious or slipping into a delirious state; she tells the KC she can't find Viritine anymore and had found out that she'd gone back to Kenabres. She insists that they go after her; under no circumstances should Viritine stay in Kenabres. The KC can ask for reasons but Vonzi will not give them. The KC must either agree to go to Kenabres or disagree; if they disagree the quest fails.

Traveling to Kenabres, the KC can enter the Market Square once more, with a cutscene starting in front of the church where Vonzi was first found and recruited. Viritine will be there, along with another woman described as looking like Vonzi, as well as a child about four years old--Vonzi's second sister, Aerici, and her daughter Laicanis. Aerici comes off as far more even-tempered than the angry Viritine, but is clearly hurt by Vonzi's actions.

They will together resume the argument that started in Drezen, with both sisters expressing anger/disappointment at Vonzi's behavior. The KC can either side with the sisters, urging Vonzi to open up to them and explain her reasoning, or side with Vonzi, noting that the sister seem to demand a lot from her and that they clearly don't know the whole story. Either way, the sisters refuse to listen to the KC's excuses, and Vonzi will tell them to leave the Crusade immediately, that they're not wanted--she will be very cold and downright cruel, which can cause the KC to either agree or intervene. Both sisters will express confusion and anger at Vonzi's behavior.

Then, there argument gets cut short by sounds of shouting and terror--and the subsequent arrival of a group of very powerful demons. Vonzi will freak out and immediately start attackign them with powerful cold spells; the KC and party will join in to help defeat the demons, with the sisters running away.

After the fighting is done, Vonzi is delirious from the energy expended. The sisters return and notice her change in behavior and demand answers. The KC can give a little bit of information regarding how Vonzi's mental state has shifted, which leads Aerici to ask Vonzi to please tell them what is happening.

The KC can ask Vonzi to tell them what is going on; if they have not been supportive of reconciliation or agreed that Vonzi's mindset is correct before now, Vonzi will refuse. Otherwise, she will tell the sisters that she left to protect them, that she didn't want them hurt the same way their mother was hurt because of her. This will cause the family to reconcile.

Alternatively, the KC can continue to support Vonzi's desire not to say anything, saying that she doesn't really owe the sisters anything and the sisters aren't obligated to forgive her. There are some things you can't fix, and this rift feels like it is one of them. This, as well as Vonzi refusing to say anything, leads to the family not reconciling.

After this quest, whether or not Viritine and Aerici are reconciled are not, they join the Crusade as NPC helpers, both providing buffs to Crusade management. Viritine ostensibly helps Dorgelinda with the supply line and rationing issues, while Aerici starts a "comfort circle" with other noncombatants in Drezen to send letters and gifts to soldiers on the front line, giving them a boost in combat.

Both of them can be spoken to in Drezen. They will share more detailed stories of their childhood and the complicated feelings they have toward each other, though what they exactly say will change depend on if they've reconciled with Vonzi.

If reconciled and Vonzi is in her delirious state, one or both sisters will move from their usual spots (Aerici is in the lower quarters near the mongrels, while Viritine is in the marketplace) to next to Vonzi, and will provide additional dialogue if the KC tries to speak to her letting the KC know she's not "feeling well" that day.

Vonzi's Act 5 quest activates after Iz. At the beginning of Act 5, the KC's first conversation with Vonzi will have the KC noting she looks far worse--sallow with dark bags under her eyes, and an unfocused gaze. Even lucid, she starts drifting off more often in conversation. However, if you ask her about it directly, she'll insist she's fine.

After the big post-Iz speech, Aerici will show up and say that something is wrong with Vonzi--the exact speech will be slightly different depending on if she's reconciled with Vonzi or not, but it will basically amount to Aerici attempting to visit the house Vonzi lives in and finding the door won't open, and black liquid is seeping out from underneath the frame.

She will then hand the KC a note, one with a short and simple message: "Thank you for helping me accomplish what I came here for. I tried to hold on until after we closed the Worldwound, but it looks like that won't be possible. Goodbye."

Aerici will insist they immediately go to Vonzi's house; if the KC refuses to, the quest automatically ends and Vonzi is permanently removed from the party.

 If the KC agrees it cuts to her house, where the KC can break down the door. They will find the interior in a black expanse with dim lights twinkling in the distance.

When the KC tries reach into the blackness, it will coalesce on the doorstep into the shape of a vaguely humanoid figure with stars twinkling in its form. It will tell the KC that Vonzi is dying--the mythic power had been keeping Vonzi alive for far longer than she should have been able to hold on, and for that it thanks the KC. But the KC needs to convince Vonzi to let go. Otherwise, Vonzi will not survive the night.

The KC can ask questions--what the entity is, what is relationship to Vonzi is, but it will not answer. Aerici will guess that it is Vonzi's patron. The patron will reiterate that Vonzi needs to "go back," and that Vonzi needs to know she "cannot fix this."

The KC can express distrust at the entity's motives but will ultimately have to move forward with what it asks. The KC can ask what needs done and the entity will telll them that they need to "find her where she lies and tell her to let go."

The KC can walk into the house after this point, with Aerici asking the KC to get her sister.

Walking in finds the KC in Vonzi's memories--back when she was Kallesto Voness in truth, the youngest child of a woman who picked up her children and ran away from the community she grew up in when Kallesto was blessed with powers from the stars. There are several scenes the KC has to walk through showing Kallesto as a child, chafing under the understanding that the poor conditions her family has to endure is a direct consequence of her existence and her powers; that her family loves her, but they all might have been better, happier, if she weren't around.

Rigid and controlling Viritine, who expresses her fear and concern through anger; sweet and placid Aerici, who takes until she's married and left the family to sail with a Sargavan pirate to find any sense of identity outside of caregiver; and of course the matriarch Zapphine, whose overbearing nature, paranoia, and intermittent rages are all layered over the overwhelming sense that she had given up everything for her children and would die for their happiness. Vonzi is the one they revolve around, for better or for worse; the one chosen by their mysterious god, the smartest and the strongest and the one destined for greatness.

This information is given in discordant, out-of-order scenes from Vonzi's life, where the KC is forced to watch her interactions before being able to speak to Vonzi, who is able to point them in the direction they need to go to get to her--walk through a door, crawl under a bed, even fall off a cliff at one point, to get to the next scene.

While many of these pieces of her life are from the past, some are strange and conflict with what has happened in the story: scenes from Vonzi's life where she apparently joined the crusade alongside her sisters months after Kenabres was attacked, after the KC had led the army to Drezen and retaken the city. This Vonzi has no illness and helps her sisters with reconstruction efforts, with plans to head to Drezen after. There's no indication she has ever met the KC in these scenes--in this version of events, the Voness family fled together after their mother's death, when Vonzi retaliated by killing an entire church of Asmodean worshippers and putting a bounty on their entire heads.

The confusion with these scenes is eventually explained in a scene from Vonzi's earlier childhood; she and Aerici are cooking together when Vonzi stumbles and breaks a figurine that had been on the shelf, ostensibly the only nice and expensive looking decoration in the room. While Aerici tries to comfort Vonzi, Vonzi insists that she'll "fix it," closing her eyes and holding the broken glass sculpture. The world around her warps and turns liquid, then restructures itself; when Vonzi opens her eyes, she's still in the kitchen, but the figurine is back on the shelf, unbroken. There is a puddle of black liquid at her feet, one that Aerici expresses confusion about. Vonzi excitedly tells her sister that she learned a cool new trick with her powers.

Everything seems to be fine, until several hours later when Vonzi collapses, black liquid seeping out of her ears. Her mother helps Vonzi up and demands to know what's going on, but Vonzi can't answer. Eventually, the liquid pouring out of Vonzi turns into a puddle with a slick, mirror-like consistency; in it, Vonzi's patron tells her mother that she must 'go back', or she will die. Her mother, caught between rage and terror, demands that Vonzi do what their god has told them and go back. Vonzi, still seizing, seems to lose her grip, and the world snaps back--she is in the kitchen, with the broken figurine in her hands. She faints shortly after.

When Vonzi awakens, it is to her furious mother, who demands an explanation. Vonzi says that she broke the statue and had just wanted to fix it; she knew how important it was to her mother. And she'd realized that when she concentrates, she can go back in time, though she'd never tried to stay there before.

Zapphine tells Vonzi that she can never, under any circumstances, do that again. Their god has spoken and explained what had happened; Vonzi is too young to use this power, and if she tries to stay in an altered timeline she will die. She cannot make any meaningful changes in the past that will stick, because her powers will slowly crush her mind and soul until she dies or snaps back to the unaltered present she left.

Right afterward, it devolves into one final scene: Vonzi in Kenabres again, with her sisters and her niece. She and Viritine are fighting about how they had to join the Crusade because of Vonzi when the demons that had attacked in Vonzi's Act 3 quest show up. This time, though, unprepared and without the KC's help, Vonzi is only able to protect herself; the rest of her family is killed in the attack.

Vonzi has a breakdown at the deaths, her powers exploding out of her and killing the rest of the demons. She then tries to revive her sisters, without success. After a moment, seemingly numb, she tells their bodies that she will fix this, that she can fix it. And then the world warps and melts again, restructures once more with a puddle of black ink--Kenabres, months in the past, right as Deskari attacks.

The scene ends, and the KC has finally found Vonzi in the middle of a black expanse littered with stars. Her power is a tangible thing here, a weight on her back that is slowly crushing her to death: it was her own spell, her insistence on staying the past, that has caused her delirious state, and what is killing her now.

Vonzi expresses surprise at the KC's presence and thanks them for their help, but saying that she knows she has to die to preserve the timeline and keep her family alive. Dialogue will vary slightly if she reconciled with her family or not, but either way she asks the KC to leave so she can make sure she properly fixes things.

At this point, the dark figure from before will reappear, this time a more coherent silhouette of stars--it identifies itself as an aeon (an Aeon KC will be able to recognize it as a rogue aeon, one that has gone against the natural order), and insists that Vonzi is "too young" to do this properly. That she must return back to her timeline, and let the past go.

The KC, at this point, has three options:

Let Vonzi die: the default, which requires no convincing on Vonzi's part, and can be done whether or not her family reconciled with her or what her relationship with the KC is. The rogue aeon will grow furious and attack; the KC must defeat it, with Vonzi helping. When it is gone, Vonzi dies, and is permanently removed from the party. The KC leaves the house and delivers the bad news to Aerici, who is tearful but understanding; both she and Viritine remain as important NPCs to the Crusade, with their corresponding buffs.

Convince Vonzi to return to her timeline: Requires the KC to have pushed Vonzi to letting things go/not destroying herself for the sake of fixing things in her dialogue and quests, as well as have high trust. She and her family must not be reconciled, and a persuasion check must be passed. If successful, Vonzi agrees with the idea that even if her family is gone, life is still worth living--that there is something on the other side of the tragedy. Vonzi will let go, causing the stars to wink out and fade into darkness. When they fade, the KC will be in an empty room; Vonzi will not be present, and outside, neither will Aerici. Both Aerici and Viritine will have disappeared from the Crusade and their buffs will also be gone.

After a rest, a cutscene will occur in the war room where Vonzi appears. She is calmer, more grounded, and looks much healthier--lucid, permanently. She at first presents herself as a stranger and a new recruit; after the KC tells her they remember her, she thanks the KC for helping her come to terms with what happened and for convincing her to revert the timeline. She asks to rejoin the party, which the KC can agree to or not. There is special dialogue regarding Vonzi with several NPCs, as while the KC's mythic power allows them and the party to remember Vonzi, no one else does. The KC can also talk to Vonzi after this quest to discuss her decisions and her grief.

Convince Vonzi not to let go and accept help from the KC: requires very high trust, the KC to be on a non-evil mythic path, and for the KC to have convinced her in her quests that her efforts weren't pointless even if they came at a high cost. Her family must be reconciled and the KC will have shown her they can be trusted to support her. When Vonzi agrees the KC will use their mythic/legend powers to permanently join Vonzi to the KC's power.  However, the patron informs the KC that this will not stop the pain and the delirium brought on by remaining in this alternate present, and that even with their power it will grow worse for her and she will never fully recover from what was done.

At this is done, the stars fade to black, and then the darkness recedes to find the KC in a room with Vonzi lying on the bed, covered in the black tar of her powers. She is barely unable to speak, having reverted to her delirious state; however, she will thank the KC for their help and express gratitude at what they have done for her.

Viritine and Aerici will burst into the room shortly after the KC starts talking to Vonzi and begin take care of her. All buffs they bring to the Crrusade remain and Vonzi remains part of the party, oscillating between lucid and delirious states with corresponding debuffs.

Are they romanceable? Describe their romance quest/scenes if you want!

 Vonzi is not a romance option; however, she will sleep with a female KC following her Act III quest. Vonzi makes it clear that she is not interested in any kind of relationship, and the sex is a no-strings attached arrangement; the KC can speak to her more in general dialogue about this, where she admits she just doesn't really see the point of romance. She's got friends, she can get sex if she needs it, and sex with friends in particular is fun. But she doesn't want anything like a romantic relationship with the KC and she will encourage the KC to seek out another partner if that's what she's looking for.

If the KC has romanced another character and slept with Vonzi, while there is no jealousy confrontation, Vonzi will stop sleeping with the KC in Act V, letting the KC know that while she doesn't care about who else the KC sleeps with, it's clear the other love interest does and she's not going to step on anyone's toes. There is no option to continue sleeping with her past this point if another romance is active.

However, if the KC did not romance anyone else and continued the friends-with-benefits arrangement with Vonzi, Vonzi will have special dialogue at Threshold, basically telling the KC that she's sorry she wasn't able to give the KC the kind of romantic relationship that other people could have given her, and that she hopes the KC will find that one day after this.

The KC can respond basically saying that she hopes so as well, or by saying that the close friendship she has with Vonzi is more than enough; this second dialogue option leads to an additional bit of information in the ending slide, where Vonzi and the KC meet up frequently for the rest of their lives and their close friendship is a point of discussion, though whenever asked directly they always deny a romantic relationship. "We're best friends," Vonzi will say. "Isn't that enough?"

What would their ending slides be like?

Vonzi dead, timeline preserved: A small slide regarding the rest of the Voness family, who leave Drezen after the end of the Crusade and mourn the final loss of their sister.

Vonzi alive, timeline reset: Vonzi travels after the events of the Crusade, acting as a mercenary and a bodyguard for travelers that otherwise wouldn't be able to afford the protection--her focus is on families. She will regale her clients with stories of her family now long gone, finally able to confront their loss while still moving forward from it.

If KC chose to leave Drezen: Occasionally, Vonzi will be joined in her exploits by the former Knight Commander, who will share tales of their own travels.

If KC chose to stay in Drezen: Sometimes, Vonzi's wanderings will take her back to Mendev, where she will visit her old friend.

Vonzi alive, timeline preserved: The Voness family settles down in Drezen, Viritine heading a lucrative shipping and transportation business and Aerici starting a daycare. Vonzi, for her part, spends her time helping her sister with guarding shipments in her business, volunteering as a child wrangler at the daycare, and being a menace at The Half Measure during off-nights. Both of older sisters work to take care of Vonzi when her episodes of delirium grow longer and more frequent; Vonzi will always brush off their concerns, saying that the delirious episodes don't even hurt anymore. Besides, the episodes are more than worth it to see her family alive and together.

Ascended: Godhood suits Vonzi. She becomes something akin to a trickster goddess, an enemy to rigid organizations and corrupt hierarchies. If someone is planning on burning down the system, Vonzi is who they pray to.

Timeline reset: Vonzi also ends up traveling, exploring the vast expanses of the planarverse. Eventually, she comes across what she's looking for--the hidden home of the rogue Aeon who was her patron as a mortal. What she discussed with them is known only between the two of them, but after that first encounter Vonzi often disappears for periods of time to visit them.

Timeline preserved: Beyond her usual patrons, there is one group of mortals that Vonzi can always be found reliably helping out--the Voness family. Even after her sisters go into Pharasma's arms after long and fruitful lives blessed by the gods, Vonzi keeps a close eye on Laica and then all her descendants afterward, making sure her family is safe.

True Aeon: In a word where the Crusade never took Vonzi's family away, the Voness clan move to Andoran and settle down in a far more democratically minded society. Vonzi turns her attention to speaking out against the iron hold over common lives that Cheliax still has over its citizens, and is vocally supportive of rebellion groups in the country. Eventually, to her family's disapproval, she goes to Cheliax herself to help with the rebellion's efforts--gone in the middle of the night without a word, silent for years, and believed dead, until she comes home with gray in her hair and stories about the people she has helped the adventures she has had. When her family does not welcome her back, she only smiles and expresses understanding before leaving again, never to return.

True Aeon (memories preserved): [Last sentences of previous slide are replaced with this] Eventually, to her family's disapproval, she goes to Cheliax to help with the rebellion's efforts, stating only in her defense that it would be better for all of them if they had distance from her. Despite her work and the attention it demands of her and her powers, Vonzi still regularly writes to her family over the years, making sure they are all happy and safe, and when they call for her to visit, she makes the effort.

Any other fun facts?

If Lann was recruited but not romanced, and Vonzi reconciles with her family in Act 3, there can be party dialogue activated by speaking with Aerici a few times that suggests she and Lann have been spending a lot of time together--Aerici's late husband was a sailor himself and they had traveled on sea together until Aerici became pregnant with Laica. Lann has, apparently, been asking her a lot of questions about it, and other things as well.

Eventually, party banter will have Lann awkwardly bring it up to Vonzi, who will immediately shut Lann down: no, she does not want to know ANYTHING about what he and Aerici are doing. Her older sister is a paragon of beauty and purity who has never touched a man. She conceived Laica through some kind of divine intervention and, in Vonzi's opinion, that will be how she will stay. She will give Lann a very laid-back version of a shovel talk, though, and warn him to expect to get shit from Viritine for it.

If this ends up activated, Aerici survives, and Lann gets his good ending, his ending slide will reflect that his adventures on ship are always punctuated by trips back to Drezen to visit his wife and adopted child, who both eventually join him on his adventures.

Vonzi describes the difficulty she experiences communicating in her delirious state as like "finding words underwater--they're always two inches to the left of where you think they are."

Provide some dialogue/bark examples!

When clicked on (lucid):

"Where do you need me?"

[When clicked on too many times][annoyed] "What--what? Yes?"

"Fun fact: some of the greatest atrocities committed in history were done by people fighting for a good cause. Why did I bring that up? Oh, no reason."

When clicked on [delirious]:

[Audible sounds of shivering]

"I missed that...what?"

"Where are we?"

Conversation start:

[lucid] Vonzi looks over to you and yawns. "Feeling pretty good today. What do you need?"

[delirious]: Vonzi's gaze is in the far distance, unfocused and feverish. She jerks her attention to you only when you are close enough to touch. "I don't--I'm here. What did you need?"

Conversation end:

[lucid] "Well, don't let me keep you."

[delirious] Vonzi turns her attention back to the far distance, her gaze unfocused.

Skill check success:

[lucid] "Ha, nice."/"Yeah, you're welcome."

[delirious] "It worked..."/"I did it. I fixed it."

Skill check failure:

[lucid] "Well, that sucks."/"I'm not trying again."

[delirious] "No..."/"What...was I doing again?"

Combat start:

[lucid] "Well, let's get this over with."/"You really think you can take me on?"

[delirious] "You won't hurt them!"/ *screaming*

Low Health

[lucid] "Hey, healer please!"/"I'll put down my weapon if you put down yours!"

[delirious] "I have to stay!"/"No, I won't go back, I can't--"

Knocked unconscious:

[lucid] "You absolute shitheads..."/ "It's too soon..."

[delirious] "It's so cold..."/"I can't go back..."

[heresthebrightside]

I finally platinumed god of war ragnarok

[neverafters]

the first thing kieran did when they moved into their home was replace the clawfoot tub. they, of course, kept the same style of tub to fit the ambiance of the cottage, but went with a bigger model that accounted for their height. it was still cramped, they had to bend their knees, but with allie nestled between their legs it felt like a perfect fit. in a life full of chaos and destruction, allie was their peace. the bubble bath was meant to calm their pocket fairy. from that position, kieran had a perfect view of the jagged lines , scars that marred her back where her wings were stolen from her.

they knew @loetise hid their scars with a glamour whenever they left the safety that was the cottage, but they didn't hide from each other at home. she had seen their true form, and she did not run or hide from them. they saw her true form, and instead of flinching away from her scars, they eyed them curiously. if there were alternate universes, kier thought they would always find their way to each other. and in one of the infinite realities, maybe they could fly next to each other instead of the way they flew now, with allie cradled against their chest. they loved flying with her.

kieran traced the lines with cold fingers first, careful not to touch the scars. then, after a few strokes up and down the length of her back, kieran leaned forward and kissed one of the lines, then the other. "you are beautiful," they said, kissing her back again. "—and perfect," they continued with another kiss. "—and mine." another kiss, and then another, and then another. they moved her soaked hair over one shoulder, then rested their chin on the other one. "no one will ever hurt you again, little dove," they promised. there was an unspoken but left hanging in the air between them. if someone did hurt her in such a way to leave scars on her soft skin again, kieran would kill them. and it would not be a quick death.

[sunderedoldfriends]

@nossumusmanus continued from here.

Zenos pressed his hand to his aching side, ignoring the gazes of everyone passing him as he walks down the steps to the soldiers’ barracks. He had just finished todays lesson with his latest tutor, and it went as well as every single lesson before that, with the Crown Prince getting beaten until he could barely stand anymore. Sure, it was a challenge and Zenos was eager to learn and finally find a way to fight back against that arrogant man from a foreign land, but that didn’t mean that the beatings didn’t hurt. They very much did. But his father didn’t care, he let it happen, thinking it would be good to have his son be shaped by pain and humiliation, turning him into the perfect weapon. Zenos couldn’t quite understand it. From what he had thought and read, parents were supposed to protect their child, but Zenos could not turn to his father for protection, so he turned to the one man that would listen: Quintus van Cinna.

The Ist Legion’s Legatus was an honorable man, as much as Zenos could say, and more often than not he had been the one to offer Zenos advice whenever the Emperor was too busy to even spare his son a single glance. The concept of trust was more or less foreign to Zenos, but he knew if there was anyone that was close to qualify as a trusted companion it was the Legatus. The Prince was unaware of the dark bruise under his eye, but other than that he was mostly presentable as he knocked on Quintus’ door.

“Lord Quintus”, he greets the man that opens the door and he does not miss the concerned expression on the Legatus’ face as he eventually steps to the side to allow Zenos into the room. The youth was curious as he looked around, taking in the small but organized room, of course he was interested in the weapons; he never handled guns before but a single glance was enough to determine that they were fine weapons, the Legatus’ greatsword was even of bigger interest to him, but it was the picture of Quintus and what he assumed where his two children that caught his interest for a longer moment. Zenos knew there didn’t exist any pictures of him and his father, and he doubted that even if there were any that the Emperor would put them on display anywhere.

Zenos hears the Legatus’ question, but he does not reply, not yet, and eventually the Prince decides to sit, but not at the desk and not on the bed, instead he sits down next to the pile of books, taking one of them into his hands to look through it. Books used to bring him comfort when he was younger, but they have long been replaced by weapons and now the magic of written words could barely reach him anymore. The Prince contemplated what he wanted to say, how he should say it and finally he looks at Quintus, the gaze of his blue eyes as empty as he felt inside:

“How does one deal with a foe that seems impossible to overcome?”

[atrickrtreat]

all my replies are queued and i'm working on answering things in my inbox. praise the higher powers i have finally finished all the threads!

[campingwiththecharmings]

Pretty sure I have fucking pink eye ugh haven't had that in forever why 😭

[catboygretzky]

Exyblr Dashboard Simulator based on what I personally see on sportsblr:

1/?

👑 girlbossriko follow

how many bro jobs do you think it took before riko moriyama and kevin day realized that uh.....maybe this wasn't just a bro thing

👢exyinaphonebooth follow

how many times do they have to come out and say they're like brothers before you freakos stop shipping them

👑 girlbossriko follow

????? do i know u

#it's a tumblr post about two exy players that you'lll never meet in your life it really isn't that deep

558 notes

💃fox-me-up follow

ngl that newest fox is kinda 👀

#psu lb #exy lb

8 notes

👨🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻 talk-exy-to-me

The NARRATIVE that kevin day and neil josten have........son of exy! scouting the rookie-est of rookies from fuck knows arizona........no listen you dont GET IT winning is EVERYTHING TO KEVIN and he would risk it on the foxes? And NEIL? who has only played exy for a year! NEIL Gets his attention!!!!! And hes good and he's getting better every game and he keeps bitching about kevin's ex on live tv BUT WAIT!???? NOT QUITE WHAT YOU EXPECT! Bc then neil shows up with a number on his cheek BECAUSE WELL it turns out they've known each other since they were KIDS! how is everyone not insane w me THEY'RE LITERALLY PERFECT

#where r my fellow njkd truthers #how r u all not here with me this isnt even the start #kevneil #210 #psu #njkd

102 notes

☀️ usctrojanny

every smiley blonde striker (jeremy knox) needs a brunette wet cat emotional support backliner (jean moreau)

#jerejean #usc trojans #i'm just saying 🤷‍♀️

58 notes

👸🏻 kevindazed follow

did he just......

👸🏻 kevindazed follow

guys please tell me i'm not insane

👸🏻 kevindazed follow

HE'S NEVER BEEN????? SKIIING???? KEVIN WHAT DOES THAT MEAN ?????? KEVIN PLEASE

#i i'm going insane i will literally die if someone doesn't explain this to me HE'S NEVER BEEN SKIING?!!!!

407 notes

🧚 goalie-stan

oh....i'm feeling so weak......it'd sure be nice to have a big strong goalie (renee walker) hold me up (renee if you're free on tuesday i am also free on tuesday.........on tuesday this tuesday, any tuesday?)

#literally passing out just thinking about her holding me don't call don't text i'm busy

84 notes

🌄 softkevinday follow

do u think if u offered kevin day essential oils to heal his hand he'd beat you to death

#it'd be hard for him bc he only has one hand but he could probably do it #legally this is a joke don't do this

284 notes

🗣️ jeremyknoxes follow

feeling normal

215 notes

📜 realexyblog

actually exy rpf is fine, i asked kayleigh day herself and she told me it was fine

112 notes

🐋 sexyexy

'exy is a stupid name for a sport' have you considered that a) i don't care and b) it's named that solely so i can make sex jokes about it

11 notes

🏳️‍🌈 gay4stickball follow

is he, ya know *mimes jerking off* an ncaa exy player

#i don't believe that straight exy players exist

56 notes

🙈 ittybittyminny follow

Andrew Minyard!!!!!!! 🥰🥰 short king!!!!🤏🤏😋😋 Awwwwwwww the scrunkly!!!!! 🤗🤗🤗 My boinky boy!!!!!🥺🥺 Crinkly doo,,,,shronkle scrimblo......🥺🥺🥺 rb if you'd scrunkle!!!!!!! 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺����

📖 sapphic-exy follow

he literally killed someone

🙈 ittybittyminny follow

And? God forbid women do anything

#also no proof he did that #yeah there's proof his twin bro killed someone but that's not the same bc theyre different people #almost killing someone doesnt count

807 notes

🐦‍⬛ edgarallenexy

got told i'm problematic for liking the ravens? THAT'S LITERALLY MY SCHOOL OH MY GOD

2 notes

🌸 softexy

Kevin Day - A Study

#kevin day #psu foxes #palmetto foxes #exy #web weave #poetry #psu foxes #palmetto #edgar allen

378 notes

[7ndipity]

Connected

Namjoon x Reader

Summary: Joon loves the way you take care of him and wants to be as close to you as possible.

Word Count: 1.6k

Warnings: +18 mdni, smut, vaginal fingering, unprotected sex, swearing, not proofread

A/N: She finally wrote another drabble! It only took 84 years!🙃(I know it was only like a month, but it was pissing me off) A big thanks to @coffeedepressionsoup for this request! Sorry it took me a while to get to, I hope you’ll still like it!

Masterlist

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

The late evening light that filtered through the bedroom curtains was just bright enough for you to make out Namjoon’s features as you lay against his chest, waiting for your breathing to return to normal.

Two weeks apart hadn’t really seemed that long of a time until you were back in his arms, and suddenly it was like he hadn’t felt you in months. The cozy dinner you had planned together had long been forgotten, finding a far more fulfilling reunion instead in feverish touches and strangled cries of each other's names.

It might not have been the exact way you planned for the night to go, but as you looked up at him in the cool glow of midnight, you couldn’t imagine a more perfect evening.

“You okay?” You asked softly, noticing the still unsteady pace of his heartbeat beneath your fingertips.

“Yeah, that was…” He let out a deep breath. “I needed that.”

You caught the thin strain in his voice, the tone you knew he used when he was stressed but trying to hide it.

“Rough week?” You asked, reaching up to comb your fingers through his messy hair.

“Mhm.” He hummed, closing his eyes, leaning into your touch.

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Not really.” He laughed humorlessly. “Honestly, I’m so fucking tired, I don’t even wanna think right now,” He pulled you closer, letting his lips brush against yours as he spoke.”Just wanna be here with you.”

You connected your lips with his, parting them at the faintest probing of his tongue to grant him access to lazily explore your mouth.

As you rubbed his shoulders soothingly, he couldn’t help wincing into the kiss as you passed over a particularly sensitive spot.

Feeling him flinch, you pulled away, looking up at him with concern.

“Is something wrong?” You asked.

“I just twinged my shoulder earlier, it’s fine.” He said quickly, trying to brush it off.

“You want me to give you a massage? It might help?” You offered.

“I’ll be fine.” He tried again, leaning in to claim your lips once again, but you weren’t having it, dodging his lips and sitting up on your knees.

“Sit up.” You said, tugging his arm.

“Babe, I’m fine, really.” He argued, following your request anyway.

“Yes, but you could feel even better,” You said stubbornly. “Now let me take care of you.”

He sighed, caving easily to you. “Fine, but I want you here.” He patted his lap.

You straddled his lap without argument, letting him hold onto your hips out of habit, and giving him a quick peck on the lips before setting to work, trying to gently knead out the tension and soreness in his shoulder without causing him any more pain in the process.

You weren’t an expert by any means, but whatever you were doing seemed to feel good at least, earning soft, appreciative grunts from Joon as he let his head droop forward to rest against your chest.

You were always so good to him, so ready and willing to take care of him in any shape or form, whether that was making sure he slept and ate properly, or letting him use your body for his own pleasure. Even now, when normally he would be fussing over making sure you were okay, you managed to look after him as well.

He’d never felt so completely safe in someone’s arms before, so completely loved. He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve you, but he was beyond thankful to whatever forces had led him to you.

Tilting his head up, he started peppering soft, lingering kisses across the expanse of your neck, sucking lightly at the still blooming marks left over from his earlier ministrations, making you squirm as his grip on your hips tightened.

“Joon.” You whined, feeling the growing weight of his hardening length against your core.

“Hmm?” He hummed, still focused on trailing kisses along your neck.

“I thought you were tired.” You said.

“Who said that?” He said, smirking against your neck.

“You did! Five minutes ago.” You giggled

“That was five minutes ago,” He said, coming back up to your lips. “You were right, I’m feeling much better now.”

He kissed you deeply, rolling you both over so that you were now caged in under him, your legs falling open naturally for him to settle between as his lips trailed down your front.

He loved you like this, all spread out and willing, any trace of shyness or hesitance completely absent from the way you whined out his name again as he latched onto one of your nipples, arching further up into his touch.

His fingers ghosted between your thighs, teasing your wet folds and making you shudder from sensitivity.

His gaze darted back up to your face, mirroring your earlier concern.

“Is this okay?” He asked, suddenly worried about pushing you too far.

“Joon,” You pulled him back down to you. “Stop thinking.”

You kissed him deeply, your hips up bucking against his hand all the encouragement he needed to continue.

He slipped his fingers between your folds again, his movements so soft and gentle as he spread your slick over your cunt, as if it was the first time he touched you.

“Fuck baby, how’re you always so wet?” He said, almost in disbelief. You were literally dripping, making a mess of the sheets beneath you as he toyed with your clit, pulling the sweetest little noises from your lips as he let two fingers sink into your wet heat, curling them inside of you to find the spot that made you see white.

He loved the way you fell apart for him, head thrown back as your eyes closed in bliss, clinging to him for stability as he pushed you towards your release.

He could feel his cock hanging heavy between his legs, twitching and begging for any sort of attention, but he chose to ignore it, focusing solely on the way you clenched around his fingers, your breath stuttering as your orgasm threatened to overtake you.

“Joon.” You tried to warn him.

“I know, Baby, it’s okay.” He breathed. “Let go.”

You let out a choked cry that faintly sounded like his name as you came, your back arching off the mattress and pressing you closer to him as your whole body shook from the intensity of your high.

"You did so good, baby.” He said softly, pressing a soothing kiss to your temple as you came down. “So fucking good."

“Joonie,” You whimpered in that soft tone that made him feel dizzy with need. “Want you inside, please.”

“Are you sure?” He asked gently. “It’s okay if you wanna tap out or take a break.”

You shook your head. “Need you, please.”

How could he deny you when you ask so sweetly?

He drew his fingers out slowly, letting out a deep groan as he wrapped the slick coated digits around his aching cock, jerking himself a few times to spread your wetness over the length as he stared down at the mess he’d made of you.

He guided the head of his cock between your puffy lips, tracing around the outside of your entrance teasingly, resisting the urge to slip in yet, loving the way he could feel you clenching around nothing.

“Joonie!” You whimpered, squirming impatiently.

He chuckled at your desperation, as if he wasn’t already nearly as gone as you were. “Alright, Sweetheart, I’m sorry.”

He repositioned himself, hovering over you as he eased himself into your weeping cunt, eyes shut tight as he felt your fluttering walls stretch to accommodate him. He was amazed at how you still managed to feel this tight even after he fucked you less then a half an hour ago.

He forced his eyes back open as he bottomed out, staring down you with complete adoration.

“I love you so fucking much.” He sighed, kissing you softly, your arms coming up to wrap around his shoulders, cradling him even closer to you.

If there was a way to preserve a singular moment to exist within for the rest of your life, this was where Namjoon would want to be; not a single thing in the world mattering other than you and him and the way you connected together so perfectly.

Eventually, he started to roll his hips into yours, earning a soft moan from you against his lips.

He kept his movements smooth and unrushed, not fully chasing his own high, just enjoying the feeling of you around him, the way you sucked him in with each thrust, the way you twitched in his arms when his cock brushed against that gummy spot inside of you just right.

Far sooner than he anticipated, he felt lower abdomen beginning to tense, his hips beginning to speed up as his release rapidly approached.

“Fuck, ‘m close.” He warned through clenched teeth.

“Cum for me, baby, please.” You whispered, clutching onto him even tighter.

Your words were the last thing he needed to push him over the edge, his hips slamming against yours with a sudden intensity as he thrusted as deep inside of you as he could manage before cumming, filling you to the brim and making you twitch with sensitivity.

He slowly fell down on top of you, his head coming to rest against your chest, your positions from earlier now switched, his eyes beginning to droop closed on their accord.

“Are you tired now?” You asked, grinning as you caught sight of his sleepy expression.

He chuckled drowsily. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Good,” You kissed his forehead gently. “Go to sleep, Joonie-bear.”

“I love you.“ He mumbled, letting his eyes fully drift closed.

“I love you too.”

He slept better that night than he had in weeks, knowing he was back in the safety of your arms.

Taglist: @sopebubbles-replies @btsw1fe @this-must-be-my-tardis @whitefoxgirl @bethanysnow @coffeedepressionsoup @main-bangtansmauyeondan @feminympho @a-gayish-unicorn @captainorangegoose @k4ngelz

[prettyboyeddiemunson]

the first chapter of the Catholic reader sequel series should be up next week!

[steddielations]

Eddie’s missing. Steve can’t form a coherent thought beyond: Eddie’s missing, find him. The last few hours, it’s been his every thought, his every action.

There’s never a smooth visit to Hawkins. Eddie’s reputation has only gotten worse in the years since they moved to Chicago. Every time they come back, something goes wrong. But Eddie wanted to spend Wayne’s birthday with him, which also happens to be his mom’s birthday. That’s why he put on Wayne’s Muddy Waters record after a few drinks too many, mumbling, “Doesn’t sound the same.”

One second, Eddie was drunkenly rocking to the music, then he went outside for a smoke and didn’t come back. 

Wayne shouldn’t be out in the cold weather, but nothing could stop him from getting in his pickup to look for Eddie.

Steve’s mind jumps to nightmare conclusions. Eddie still has enemies, maybe they’re finally taking their revenge. Or what if they hadn’t destroyed the gate afterall and something worse took Eddie? Steve’s mind skipped every small explanation, but that detail about Eddie’s mom comes back.

He’s searching backroads and the thought leads him down Philadelphia street. No one goes there anymore, convinced there’s more ‘Munson victims’ buried where Eddie’s childhood home once stood.

Steve sags with relief when he shines the headlights and sees Eddie among the piles of old burned wood.

“Eddie!” Steve’s already jumping out the car, hurrying to him, “Oh God, there you are. What are you doing out here, baby? You okay?”

Eddie doesn’t seem to realize Steve’s there, frantically digging through the rubble. Looking for something.

“Eddie?” Steve reaches him, crouching down next to him, “Hey, what’s going on? Are you hurt?”

Without looking up, Eddie mumbles something like, “Can’t find ‘em.” 

“Can’t find what?” Steve asks, keeping his tone soft despite how worried and confused he is. Eddie doesn’t answer. There’s random cuts and splinters on his hands, covered in dirt and soot but he doesn’t slow down. Steve winces at the sight and reaches for his shoulder, rubbing gently to get his attention. 

“Eddie, look at me, hey. What is it? You can’t find what?”

Finally, Eddie turns to look at him. Though, his stare is a thousand miles away, eyes wide and bloodshot. The headlights show tear tracks through the soot dirtying his face. It’s like he’s in a trance, still mumbling things Steve can’t quite make out. He can smell the beer on Eddie, but he knows this isn’t just from drinking. Eddie gets stuck in his head sometimes, like in the boathouse all those years ago. Reliving nightmares from '86, and things that happened to him long before that too. 

“Her records,” Eddie stresses, “My mom’s records. I left them right here.” 

Steve looks down where he points to nothing but charred, rotting wood. There hasn’t been a house here in years. Steve remembers the fire, everyone said Eddie did it just because he was a ‘no good Munson’. Steve didn’t learn the real story until later. Eddie told him about the records, how they burned in 84 when all his dad’s scheming backfired.

“Eddie…” 

“They were right here!” Eddie interrupts, almost like part of him knows what Steve’s going to say and he doesn’t want to hear it. “I left them right here and now I can’t find them.” 

With a half-choked sob, he turns back to scouring through the rubble.

“Hey, It’s okay.” 

“No it’s not. I gotta find them, Steve, they’re all I have of her,” Eddie strangles out, flinching when Steve’s hand slides behind his shoulders.

Steve swallows down the emotion swelling in his chest. Feeling powerless to really do anything, he says, “Okay, we’ll— we’ll find them. It’s okay.”

That’s the only thing that seems to ease Eddie. Though, the way he slumps seems like he knows it’s not true, but lets himself believe it anyway. Just for the comfort. 

He’s breathing raggedly, shivering in the cold and every sob rattles his body under Steve’s hand. Finally, he lets himself sink fully into Steve, his cold wet nose pressed to Steve’s collarbone.

“S’all I got. Momma’s music,” he keeps repeating as Steve rubs his back, so drunk and so sad, “Gotta get ‘em back. S’all I got left of her.” 

“I know, baby, we’ll find them.” Steve presses kisses into Eddie’s forehead, holding him and rubbing his back. It’s not the truth, Eddie knows that, but he doesn’t need the truth right now. So Steve says it again and again, as long as Eddie needs to hear it. “We’ll find them.”

[jo-harrington]

Freaky Friday - A Stranger Things Story (Part 1)

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Word Count: 3.5k

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader, Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader, Eddie and Steve (Enemies to Friends)

Summary: Eddie thinks that Steve has everything in life handed to him on a silver platter (including his new girlfriend who Eddie has a crush on). And Steve just can't believe that the kids look up to Eddie the Freak, or that he lives his life without giving a single fuck.

Must be nice. But you know what they say, the grass is always greener.

Warnings/Themes: AU with no Upside Down. Body swapping, dark magic/alchemy, unrequited love--some crushes at least, Babysitter Steve, No Upside Down means slightly still King Steve, unresolved feelings, manipulation/deception, Reader gets a nickname (Honey), no Y/N if I can help it, no smut in Part 1 but liable to be in other chapters

Note: After a very hot and fast suggestion by @shiftingtherain, this mini-series was born. And instead of working on Store Manager Verse like I wanted to, here we are. This part is a little shorter...it's the intro, sue me. Next few parts will be a tad longer.

Credit for the header partially goes to me for the design and the logistics but I was tired, so I may have borrowed gifs from @emziess and Netflix itself as a jumping off point (with permission from Emzies and Netflix is a corporation so they can rot). I can only do so much guys, I also had to write this thing too.

You can find my masterlist here.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

If Eddie never saw Steve Harrington again in his life, it would still be too soon.

He didn't always indulge in rentals from Family Video—if it was too cold and wet to have band practice in Gareth's garage, or if he was having an especially bad week at school, or if he needed something a little more realistic than the illustrations of Heavy Metal magazine to help him satisfy his needs—but today just had that special feel to it.

He'd gotten a B on his math test, Rick had been feeling a little under the weather and let Eddie make the rounds to his usuals for a sweet little cut, and he had found a dusty old book about alchemy and occultism at the library that was going to help him put the finishing touches on tomorrow night's Hellfire session.

For all of that, Eddie thought a little reward was in order.

A little Dark Crystal, a little pizza from Lou's, a little weed...he'd be having the best Thursday night.

Except...

For the past twenty minutes, he'd pretended to hem and haw over the selection of movies just so he could glare across the store at the counter, where Steve stood, flirting and making grandiose promises, with you.

He burned with jealousy, and God, it took almost everything in him not to gag as Steve reached across the counter to slyly hold your hand. And everything else for his heart not to break as you just let it happen.

Eddie didn't know how or when or why this started—when Harrington had gotten his claws into you and how he had managed to charm his way into your heart—when it should have been Eddie instead.

Eddie'd had a crush on you for years but had always been too nervous to do anything about it.

You were a year younger than him, and friends with his pal Mickey's younger sister, so he'd seen you around quite a bit. Smart and funny and pretty; maybe not as unpopular as Eddie was, but certainly not in the running for homecoming court or whatever other social hierarchies were in place at Hawkins High either. He figured...you know, maybe once he got to senior year he'd get the courage. Maybe take you to prom or something; who wouldn't want to go out with a senior?

But he'd gotten the notice from Higgins that he wouldn't be graduating with the rest of the Class of '84 and it really put a damper on his plans.

He had been hopeful again the following year, actually had a few classes with you and sat with you for partner work when no one else wanted to work with him, when they laughed at him. You weren't even afraid to go up to him in the cafeteria to ask a question, or walk with him in the hall if you had to go in the same direction for your next class. You'd talk about assignments mostly, but he savored every little fact he could learn about you. What books you'd been reading, the fact that you watched Svengoolie on Saturday nights—just like he did—or that you'd had some squabble with Mickey's sister over a scrunchie of all things and were no longer speaking.

But Eddie knew how bad his grades were—somehow even worse than the year before—and aside from the work you did with him, he knew it wasn't gonna be enough for him to graduate. So he wasn't gonna put himself in the position for you to laugh in his face—not that you would but...just in case you did—by asking you out.

He thought you would disappear from his life after you graduated. Get the hell out of Hawkins the way everyone else wanted to. But no. You took a few classes at the community college and worked the dinner shift at Benny's a few nights a week. You'd been there every Tuesday night, when he and the guys grabbed food after their gig at the Hideout. The usual booth reserved, drinks already poured by the time they sat down, and their usual orders already written in your little order pad.

You usually gave him extra whipped cream on his slice of cherry pie too.

The guys always urged him to ask for your number...but he never did. How could he? Even if you were stuck in this town the same way he was...he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

And now...here you were, listening to Harrington talk about some great surprise he had planned for your third date the next day.

Eddie wondered why you hadn't screamed in outrage when Steve mentioned how much Nancy Wheeler had liked it when he took her to this mystery place. He would have definitely expected you to at least flinch at the mention of his ex-girlfriend's name.

"It sounds really great," you said instead, smiling and nodding. "I get out of class at 3 on Fridays...should I be here around 4?"

"4 is perfect, honey," Steve grinned.

Eddie couldn't stand to hear whatever sickeningly sweet goodbye you both would come up with so he just grabbed whatever tape was in front of him and approached the counter. You and Steve both flinched when Eddie slammed his selections down on the counter to be checked out.

“Uh…I’ll see you tomorrow then. Bye Steve,” you muttered, eyeing Eddie with a half-smile that felt a bit sad. “Bye Eddie.”

"Bye honey."

“Bye honey,” Eddie mocked once you were out the door, then turned back to Steve. “You gonna try and make goo goo eyes at me next Harrington? I don’t have all day.”

“Jesus Munson. What’s up your ass?” Steve scoffed, grabbing the tapes.

“I’m just trying to get my videos and go.” Eddie rapped his knuckles on the counter. “Not really interested in the kind of customer service you're trying to provide."

Steve wondered what the likelihood of getting fired would be, if he just punched that smug look right off of Munson's face.

Keith hated the guy too, he always left the Adult section looking like a mess. Maybe Steve would get a promotion instead.

For years Eddie roamed around Hawkins being a general menace with his gaggle of friends. Causing trouble, shouting at people, making faces at old ladies. He’d gotten “taken in” to the police station one too many times but always seemed to make it out without actually being arrested. Which baffled Steve; Eddie was a drug dealer for crying out loud.

And yeah, Steve had even asked him to come and deal at a party or two but…people like that were bad. Simple as that.

Even after all of that, after you got past the “bad boy” persona….he was a fucking nerd. He wasn’t even cool like the bad boys in movies were. Steve felt like someone was tricking him the first time he had walked past the Hellfire Club’s table in the cafeteria. For all the leather and chains and band tees—all the talk of satanic rituals and blood sacrifices—there was sure a lot of talk about elves and…and bards and Star Wars.

So it shouldn’t have been a surprise to Steve that the kids would flock to Eddie by the time they made it to Hawkins High.

But it had been. A huge shock.

His unexpected little gaggle of morons…weren’t really his anymore.

Steve had dropped Dustin off on the first day of school and said “don’t get into any trouble.” Even made Robin promise to keep an eye out for him. He expected the kid to…join the mathletes or something. Get roped in with the science nerds.

But by the end of the week, the kids were all clamoring about how they would need to reschedule movie nights with Steve so they could go to Hellfire club with Eddie.

Steve couldn’t understand it. Eddie was a freak, a punk, some good for nothing…and now the kids were suddenly following him like he was some sort of prophet. Spreading the word of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

See? Steve could do the nerd talk too when he wanted...thanks to Dustin.

Who, much to Steve's annoyance, was apparently Eddie's biggest fan. The guy could do no wrong in Dustin's eyes, and it really irked Steve.

Will and Lucas were spending Saturdays at the library—not for homework, but for research because apparently Eddie really liked incorporating mythology into his campaigns. (Whatever that meant.) Mike was growing his hair out because "Eddie's hair was cool.” What about Steve, whose literal nickname was The Hair? Shit, he'd even seen Eddie give Max a ride to school on a few occasions when he was late dropping Robin off. And he knew Max and her mom had been having a hard time since her step-dad skipped town and Billy...

Steve knew some of the town gossip about Eddie was just a bunch of bullshit...but if Max Mayfield was cool with him?

Yeah, he just couldn't help but be suspicious of the guy.

Regardless, the sooner Steve could get him out of the store, the better his night was gonna get.

...actually...

"That's gonna be $10." Steve announced dryly.

"Woah, $10?!" Eddie scoffed. "I have a membership."

"Since when?" Steve asked, hands immediately landing on his hips.

"I use one every time I'm in here."

"Yeah you use Reefer Rick's."

"So?"

"New policy," Steve lied, hoping it would get Eddie out of his hair for a good while. "No sharing memberships outside of your family. Last I checked, your last name isn't Lipton. So you either cough up the $25 for a new membership Munson, or the $10 for your rental. What's it gonna be?"

Eddie grumbled and dug his wallet out of his pocket, slamming the money on the counter.

"Any candy?" Steve asked mockingly before grabbing the cash.

Eddie grabbed the tape and grumbled under his breath as he exited the store.

Yeah, Steve wasn't gonna be dealing with him any time soon.

For a second though, as he went to start processing returns, he wondered...

If Eddie was in some ritualistic cult...what kind of curse could he possibly put on me?

But that was a dumb thought to have.

Eddie's night just went down hill from the minute he left Family Video.

He didn't notice that they'd given him the wrong pizza at Lou's so now he was stuck with some specialty veggie pie with broccoli on it, the tape he had grabbed indiscriminately had been some artsy foreign romance crap, and just now he'd just spilled Dr. Pepper all over his Hellfire notebook.

"Fuck," he shouted as it spilled over the side of the coffee table and onto his sock-clad feet. He couldn't give a shit about the carpet, he could even ignore his wet socks, but his notebook. Weeks of work, planning and toiling over the most sadistic campaign.

He liked to keep all of the notes of Hellfire's completed campaigns, a sort of...record for future kids to look back on and reference. And now this specific masterpiece would be lost to memory.

He cleaned everything up as best he could before making a quick trip back to his room for an extra notebook or something he could use to salvage his plans for tomorrow's session. He had always been really bad at...keeping spare notebooks on hand. Even the ones he'd used for class always ended up covered in his drawings or notes, little bits and ideas of dialogue he could use for speeches or NPCs.

The best he could find was his math notebook from last year which, surprisingly, sat relatively untouched.

Eddie knew why: that was a class he shared with you. And as he opened to some random mostly-empty page, he saw his little scribbles in the margins surrounding half-faded, penciled-in algebraic equations. Daggers and hearts and his and your initials intertwined together.

It was the one class where he would never encounter partner work with you, so he felt compelled to fill the pages with his daydreams instead of fantasies and lore. You would never see it.

"Well," he huffed as he dropped back down onto the floor and slapped the notebook onto the coffee table. He grabbed his pen and scribbled over the drawings on the page. "Now that she's with Harrington, no use living in this fantasy. Fuck, I was stupid, so stupid to ever think she would want anything to do with me."

He grabbed the dusty old alchemical book from the library and found his place, staring at old sigils and runes and text indiscriminately until he came upon one that looked too perfect for the campaign. Concentric circles, arcane lettering, angular lines...

While Eddie would usually use a clean page for something like this—something he would hand off to his players—he drew a copy of the sigil onto the page and planned to rip the edges off, maybe singe them with his lighter to make it look more authentic.

He kept staring at the still-noticeable doodles beneath the pen scribbles and his heart ached a little in his chest.

Yeah, he would definitely want to burn those too.

By the time he was done copying the sigil, a wave of exhaustion overtook him and he glanced down at his watch.

It wasn't much later than he usually went to bed on a weeknight...

He stared at the half-ruined notes for tomorrow's session that he still needed to rewrite and sighed.

"Fuck it, I'll just redo them in the morning." He got up and stretched his arms over his head. "I can just sleep in tomorrow. Skip class. Show up for Hellfire. Who cares anymore.”

He put the rest of the pizza in the fridge for Wayne and then headed to bed, only to be plagued with dreams of scribbled out love hearts, movie theater candy, guitar solos, and big red gum.

When Eddie woke up the next morning, he felt...honestly felt like he was floating on a cloud. Every muscle in his body felt looser, yet somehow tighter at the same time. His skin felt tighter, like it wasn't right, like it didn't fit somehow, it was suffocating him.

He must have died but he wasn't quite sure if this was heaven or hell.

His eyes burned and blurred slightly as he opened them and what he saw was...unexpected.

Gone were the off-white walls, his posters, the piles of his crap, and that concerning patch of probably-mold in the corner of the ceiling. Instead there was a sturdy ceiling, plaid-papered walls, and matching curtains?

Eddie groaned and rolled over.

What the fuck was this place?

There was a slam of a door somewhere that practically shook the walls surrounding Eddie and as he sat up, he found himself only wearing...briefs? He didn't wear briefs.

This wasn’t his bed, wasn’t his room…wasn’t his… body?

He looked down at his chest, his arms, his hands…his fingers weren’t right, he didn’t have this many freckles and moles, he didn’t have…abs, if that’s what you could call the slight definition on his torso. Still it was more than his body had ever had. His skin…was itchy and mostly hairless.

Eddie reached up and touches his hair—shorter than he was used to, not curly…at all—then his face, as if that was any indicator to what he—

“A mirror!” He exclaimed. His voice…sounded familiar, but different. Fuck what kind of dream was this?

Because it had to be a dream right? It had to be. How else did he wake up in someone else’s body?

He pushed himself out of the bed, walking slightly off-cadence, which…yeah probably came with the territory of your brain needing to get used to a new body. Fuck…was his brain even his brain or did his mind just get transported what was happening?

Ugh it was too early to think about that.

Eddie slowly cracked the bedroom door open and peaked into the rest of the house. He spotted a bathroom just across the way, otherwise…shit, this place actually looked a little familiar. Where the fuck was he? Who the fuck was he?

He quickly crossed the landing into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. He heaved a breath and leaned back against the door for a moment to calm himself; his hands were shaking and felt cold. Could he even feel his fingers? Nice to know the occasional nervousness that snuck up on him at his lowest moments hadn’t been left behind in his old body, that they’d followed him to this one.

His body…would it still be in his bed? What if he really had died and…had jumped into his new body? Was this reincarnation?

Fuck, if he was dead…Wayne would find him. Could he even…see his uncle again? How could he ever explain who he was?

Eddie felt the tears prick his eyes and his throat tighten and he slapped his face a few times.

“Come on man, come on,” he muttered. “It’s not that bad. It’s only…mildly awful. Fuck, ok. Just go, just look, just…rip it off like a bandaid.”

Eddie took a deep breath and nodded, then crossed the short distance to stand in front of the sink. He stared at his new feet, wiggled his new toes. You never…appreciated the toes you had until you have new ones.

That was awful and you’re an idiot. Just look.

Eddie closed his eyes again and turned his face up towards the mirror. He could do it. He would do it.

He opened his eyes.

“Jesus H. Christ!”

Steve woke up feeling like absolute shit. Everything ached—like he had pulled a muscle or something by sleeping crookedly—he had awful cottonmouth, and he had inhaled…some yarn or something because he woke up coughing and gagging until he got the intrusive strands out of his mouth.

“Gahh, shit, shit,” he said and scratched at his throat. He sounded hoarse. Ugh was he getting sick? He’d have to ask his mom to bring home some soup or something.

Could he call out of work? Shit he had to take Robin to school. She could walk today, he felt awful.

Steve blinked his eyes open and took in the unfamiliar popcorn ceiling with growing concern.

He looked around at the…piles of garbage and the cracks in the plaster walls partially covered by band posters...and felt the rise of panic grow within him. He tried to recall the night before.

He’d wrapped up his shift at Family Video, gone home and had a rare dinner with both of his parents, then…felt extremely tired and went to bed.

So how did he end up here…wherever here was?

This was a kidnapping; it had to be. He was…drugged—explained the cottonmouth—and kidnapped. And now someone was holding him for ransom or something to…blackmail his father? Thomas Harrington was kind of a dick sometimes, sure, but still…he was a pretty decent guy. Who would want to blackmail him?

“H-hello?” Steve called out. “Anyone there? C-can anyone hear me?”

There was some shuffling outside of the door of the room.

Thankfully Steve wasn’t tied up or anything. God, what kind of kidnappers were these? He quickly glanced around the room for a weapon of some sort and he immediately spotted...

A guitar? A few guitars actually. Man these kidnappers really liked music huh?

One was a weird shape--he'd seen some hair metal bands use guitars like that in magazines, but he'd never seen one in person--and was a mottled red color. One was just what you'd expect when someone said "electric guitar." And one was acoustic and looked like it could pack a real wallop.

Bingo.

Steve pushed himself out of the bed and immediately jumped because whatever had been in his mouth was on his shoulders now. He reached up to grab it: hair. Long, wavy, messy...knotty and frizzy. Like it hadn't been brushed for days, maybe weeks?

And his arm, sticking out from whatever t-shirt he'd been put in...was lithe and weak and there were tattoos. On both arms. A creepy claw hand and a bunch of bats.

What was this? How long had they held him hostage for? No wonder they didn't feel the need to tie him up! He'd been knocked out cold.

He needed to get out of here. Now. He needed to get home.

Steve crossed the room to grab the guitar when he noticed it. At first he thought it was another person. But no, it was just a mirror...and in the mirror...his reflection.

Only it wasn't...his reflection.

It had startled him and he had jumped. Then he moved his arms a little and watched the figure in the mirror mimic him. Over and over.

A wave, a turn, a funny face.

He couldn’t believe it. This had to be a joke. A dream. A nightmare.

Because it was him, his reflection. But it was not his—Steve Harrington’s—reflection.

It was Eddie Munson's.

[the-winter-spider]

Good Guy Part 2 - S. Harrington

Word count: 2k

Warnings: angst, swearing

A/N: Long awaited part 2, I’m sorry it sucks. I just don’t have that spark anymore, feel free to give me any ideas on how this story should go! Not edited or proofread sooo if theres any crazy mistakes be kind lemme know? 😅

MASTERLIST

Part one

—

“Why didnt you say anything?!”

“We, uh didn't know yet” Your voice was quiet, timid. You felt this pit in your stomach, ashamed maybe? Most likely guilt because now you had added on the pile of crap you and your friends had been dealing with for years, you could see the tiredness in their eyes. You wanted maybe even needed to tell them not to worry about you, to focus on saving Max. But you couldn't find your voice with the way he was looking at you.

Steve ran his fingers through his hair, he was kneeled down in front of you, he was so close his hands on your knees, squeezing gently, you could almost see water threatening to spill over his lash line “It's been 2 hours since we found out” his voice was softer now “Why?”

You shrugged “It's easier to save one of us instead of both”

Steve blinked his eyes going wide “Were you just not going to say anything until it was too late?”

You sighed “I dont know”

He scoffed, his heart shattering, his mood shifting from how nonchalant you were being, he couldn’t believe you would be so reckless, so selfish. He pushed himself off the ground laughing “You don't know” he tossed his head back, he spun around looking at everyone else in the room “She doesn’t know! That's just great, so great, she wasn’t going tell me” He paused briefly “She wasn’t going to tell us that she was cursed” He placed his hands on his hips, moving to look at the ceiling to stop his tears from spilling over “This day just keeps getting better and better”

Nancy took a step forward, her voice soft, her eyes softer “Why?”

You dragged your eyes away from Steve to meet hers, your vision blurring “How many times can I truly escape death” Your memory playing like a timelapse of all of the close calls, from the first time in 83’ when the demogorgon had you pinned to the ground his claws dragging across your stomach, if it wasn’t for Steve that would have been it. To the second time in 84’ at the junkyard when you were too focused on the demodogs in front of you forgot about the possibility that there could be some behind you, which of course happened and of course again if it wasn’t for Steve who knows what could have happened. And to the most recent one of 85’ the summer that this thing between Steve and you finally happened, god you didn't even need to be saved that summer because he was already always there protecting you just in case you got reckless which you always did. “Third times the charm right?” you gave a shadow of a smile trying to make a really bad joke to lift even the tiniest bit of weight off of the room.

“You have got to be shitting me” Steve through his hands up stomping towards the basement door “I need some fucking air” he grumbled before slamming the door shut behind him.

As Steve slammed the door shut, everyone in the room was left speechless and stunned. The room went silent, only the sound of Steve stomping upstairs and the sound of the screen door closing a few seconds later pierced the air. The room was thick with tension, and everyone was exchanging looks, unsure of what to say or do next.

Nancy was the first to break the silence, her voice soft, but filled with anger.

“What the hell, Y/n?”

“Im sorry, i just….” You paused not knowing what to say, all eyes on you. The room now felt heavy, like it was closing in on you, you pushed off the couch, pushing past everyone and making your way out the basements side door. You needed fresh air. You could longer breath in there.

As you pushed past everyone and headed outside, Robin, Nancy, and Max followed after you. You were walking quickly, moving your legs as fast as you could, trying to put as much distance between you and everyone else. You could feel their footsteps behind you, their eyes on your back, and the tension that still hung in the air.

Finally, you stopped and turned to face them, your breath ragged and heavy. They stood there in silence for a few seconds, waiting for you to say something.

The fresh air filled your lungs, you took a deep breath. Hands still shaking “So how does this change the plan?” you sighed

Your friends exchanged glances, clearly surprised by your response. They were expecting you to break down or apologize, but instead, you were still as calm as ever.

It was Max who spoke up first, her voice soft but firm.

"Change the plan? Seriously, that's what you're Focusing on right now? What about the fact that you could die”

You ran your fingers through your hair “Yeah, but so could you! You’re young, you have more to live for, we focus on you first”

Max's eyebrows furrowed, and she took a step forward, her expression laced with anger.

"What do you mean 'more’ to live for'? Do you think your life means less? Do you realize what you sound like right now?“

“A self sacrificial asshole?” You smiled lightly trying to break the tension “You have people who love you Max, who need you” You gestured to Lucas who was inside with Dustin, giving you girls a minute.

Max's anger softened slightly, but her voice was still firm. "And what about the people who love you? Do you think we want to lose you? Do you honestly think we'd be better off without you?“

“One less problem, one less life to worry about” you shrug “Ill be okay if i know your okay”

You slightly leaned on your left foot, your eyes looking between Robin, Nancy and Dustin, you cleared your throat “Someone should go check on Steve, we need to stick together right now”

Nancy nodded, her expression solemn "I'll go talk to him"

She glanced at the others, silently giving them a look that said "stay here. I'll handle this" before heading off to find Steve.

“We should head back inside to talk about this” Robin suggested, gesturing to the situation, your situation.

Max reluctantly nodded, her expression still laced with concern as the group made their way back inside, heading back down the stairs toward the basement.

—-

Nancy found Steve sitting in his car on the street, his head in his hands. She knocked politely on the window before getting in “You okay?”

Nancy nodded, full understanding the situation that was at hand, the one that escalated from just Max being cursed but now you to “She should’ve said something sooner, i get that but we didn’t full understand what the symptoms were till last night Steve, with everything going on im sure her headaches and nightmares seemed normal given the circumstances” Nancy tried to reason with Steves anger towards you

Steve let out a frustrated huff, his hands moving up to run through his hair, pulling on the ends slightly in frustration. "That's just it, Nancy. I thought her being on edge and having headaches was normal too, but I should've known better. I should've been more observant, more attentive. I should have noticed something was wrong even before all this Vecna crap!” He paused taking a deep breath, his voice cracking “I’m with her everyday, I should’ve noticed something was wrong, maybe I could have helped her, no I know I could have helped her and maybe she wouldn’t be a target”

Nancy nodded “You care about her a lot dont you?” she smiled softly

Steve's shoulders slumped and he leaned back against the seat. "Yeah, more than I probably should. It's just... We have a history, y'know? We've been through so much together. And now this...” He gestured towards the house, towards you. "I just can't lose her, Nancy. I don’t what I would do if I did."

Nancy straightened up “You wont” she reached out placing her hand on Steve’s shoulder “Were going to do everything to save both of them Steve, Max and y/n, i promise”

Steve let out a shaky sigh, his shoulders drooping. "I hope you're right, Nance, I really do. But every time we think we've got a handle on things, another curveball gets thrown our way. It's like for every problem we solve, three more pop up in its place. I just feel like we're fighting against the goddamn universe here."

Nancy nodded full understanding “I get it i do. But right now we should be in there” Nancy gestured to her house “With them, brain storming a plan to keep Max and y/n safe.”

Steve nodded, reluctantly agreeing with Nancy. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down before speaking. "You're right. I know you're right. We need to focus on the task at hand. Max and Y/N need us, and we can't waste time moping around." He opened the car door and stepped out, looking back at Nancy with a determined expression on his face. "Let's get to work."

Nancy jumped out “Steve wait” she spoke while shutting the passenger door

Steve paused, turning to face Nancy with a puzzled expression. "Yeah, what is it?"

“I know you said you should push your feels aside but just in case” Nancy crossed her arms “You should tell her how you feel” She smiled softly “Just in case”

Steve's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a pang in his chest at Nancy's words. He had been struggling to keep his feelings for you hidden, trying to deny them even to himself. "I... uh" he stumbled over his words, his heart racing a mile a minute. "I don't know,..Do you really think that's the best idea right now? I mean, with everything going on..."

“I do Steve, Maybe not right at this very moment” Nancy joked “But i think you’ll both regret it if you dont, especially if something happens” Nancy was insinuating in case something went wrong which meant in case Vecna got you.

Steve nodded slowly, his expression turning somber. He knew deep down that Nancy was right. But the thought of confessing his feelings in the midst of this chaos and danger was a scary one. What if you didn’t feel the same way? What if his feelings just made things more complicated?

"Yeah... I get what you mean. But how, and when, am I supposed to do it? Feels like the worst possible time for me to bring all of this up."

Nancy smiled softly walking towards her house “You’ll know when Steve” she paused with her hand lingering on the front door handle “Maybe something good can come out of all this bad” before turning it and walking in her house, heading to the basement to come with a plan to kill Venca and save you and max

Steve stood there for a moment, his mind racing with Nancy’s words. Maybe something good can come out of all this bad. That thought echoed in his mind as he watched Nancy disappear into the house. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself as he made his way back to the basement, ready to face whatever lay ahead.

You sat there quietly on the couch at the back of the basement while the kids and robin started to put together a half assed plan. Nancy hit the bottom step before catching your eye and smiley softly before joining the group a few feet from you to come up with a plan to stop Venca.

Robin, Lucas, Dustin, Max, and Nancy huddled together, quietly brainstorming and discussing ideas. Every now and then they would glance over at you, checking to see if you were listening or had anything to add. You could see the worry etched on their faces, their expressions clouded with concern and fear for your well-being.

But you remained silent and still, your mind filled with turmoil and anxiety as you sat at the back of the basement, listening to their hushed voices.

Steve finally joined the rest of them. He sighed when he seen you there by yourself, he could tell you were trying your best not to cry. He glanced over at Robin who was with the other group, she nodded her head in your direction. Gesturing for him to go talk to you.

Steve caught Robin's silent message, nodding his head slightly in acknowledgment. He knew that she was right. He couldn't avoid this any longer. He needed to talk to you.

He glanced over at you once more, noticing your attempts to hide your emotions. His heart clenched tightly in his chest, and he took a deep breath before slowly making his way over to you.

“Hey” He mumbled softly “Can i sit?” You nodded still not looking up at him

Steve sat down next to you, leaving a small gap between the two of you. He fidgeted uncomfortably, unsure of how to start the conversation.

He let out a small sigh before speaking again "Listen, I... I wanted to talk to you about something."

Your head felt heavy lifting it up to turn to Steve “Yeah?”

Steve's gaze met yours. His eyes were intense and filled with a mix of emotions, but also a hint of vulnerability.

"Look, I know we're in the middle of a goddamn mess right now. And I know that you've got a lot going on in your head. But I need to say this."

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to find the right words to say, this was something he truly didn’t want to mess up, he couldn’t.

Your heart was picking up, this was it you thought. You could see the nervousness in his eyes, his hand was plucking the seams of the old work couch. You watched his mouth open before you heard the clock, you tensed. You turned back to Steve something felt off, his eyes were now dark, he laughed, but it was different it was dark, evil, sinister sounding “Steve?” You questioned

“Steve” He mocked “Did you really think i loved you? Did you really think i could love someone like you?” He chuckled “Your pathetic, i cant wait for you to go, to leave for him to take you. It would be a relief”

Tears were now rolling down your cheeks as you got up from the couch backing up “You dont mean that” He was taunting you, as you looked around you realized this wasn’t real, it couldn’t be. Then you heard it, the low growling.

Vecna.

[antlered-prince]

The brain worms got to me 😔

(disclaimer: my crusty writing skills that I haven't touched in 84 years, english, grammar, faeu has me on a chokehold)

Fae!Dream always gets what he wants. I mean, why wouldn't he? With a smile that will tug your heartstrings and a voice that seems to sing endless love songs to you (even if he's insulting you), it won't be long before a human flies far too close to the sun and think to themselves, "I'm in love!" and he'll snatch them away to their new forever home.

So one day, when Dream was looking for a human to scurry away to the fae realm, he meets you. At first you didn't seem interesting to him. You were like any other human, you look plain, you sound plain, even the way you go up and about is also plain to him. He never saw you smile, you also didn't carry much elegance in the way you walk or carry yourself, not that you seem to care, nor did you have that puppy-like cheer that others possesses, much like those who swarmed over to him when they heard a handsome young man visited their village. Too busy to care, nor to notice him.

And yet in the endless sea of humans, you're the only one he sees.

A smile crept to his face. You're an interesting blend. You would make a good addition to his collection. He wasn't in a rush anyway. You'd be fun to break.

And he did. But it took longer than he expected. His advances became fruitless with a stone cold heart like yours. It's either his praises went over your head, you're oblivious, or is blatantly ignoring him. He assumed you were just playing hard-to-get at first, but you were actually a challenge he hasn't had in a long while.

But as time went on, he finds that you have a quick wit that never fails to make him laugh and momentarily forget about the conversation you two (or just him, seeing as you rarely speak, just quietly listening) were talking about.

And when he does strike a chord. You two get to have deep conversations on topics you are interested in. And, he can't help but admit it, he likes the way your eyes light up whenever you ramble on, then abruptly stop before sheepishly jesting how you must've talked his ear off.

...but he will always let you continue either way. He doesn't know why, but your voice tastes like the sweetest of honeys that ever laced his tastebuds.

You were addicting.

He doesn't know what he's feeling—no wait, he knows, he just never expected for him to fall first before you. He's still in denial. And as he should! Dream couldn't believe it! That wasn't how the plan was supposed to be! You were the one who's supposed to fall! Not him!

...those thoughts kept lingering at the back of his head.

The days pushed on. Everyday, he feels that you're slowly trusting him. Slowly opening up. Slowly blooming into the flower that you were supposed to be. He underestimated you, and he slightly cringes to the thought that he thought of you as some plain human.

It's almost as if he doesn't want to break that heart he just opened.

At the back of his head, he almost wanted to bail with this idea of his. Almost. He finally brings you to the forest, masked as a little trip to a hidden garden in the woods for a picnic. A garden, an entrance. This is the day. Yet he still feels conflicted, his soul sinks to the thought of how you'd react to the revelation that he was never human. He was a fae. A fae who had an ulterior motive. A fae who chipped through the ice that surrounded your heart just so he can bring you his world. To become one of them.

But wouldn't you like that? Wouldn't you like to be with him? Wouldn't you like to spend the rest of eternity cracking jokes and finally be able to do the things you've always wanted to do but couldn't because of your miserable human life?

Wouldn't you like that?

Wouldn't you like to be with him? Forever?

...you love him.

His conflicted thoughts seemed to have died down after that.

You take a bite of the pie he created. It was divine. It effortlessly melts in your mouth, the flavor bursts like endless fireworks, each one tastes distinctly different yet the same with every bite and every gulp. It was sublime. You've never tasted anything like this. It almost felt like something such as this would never exist.

You turn to Peiskos to sing praises to the pie he baked but... He's not there.

You dropped the fork that he handed to you. You didn't see Peiskos. You see a skeleton. He was dressed in silks and satins that you've never seen in your world before. He was bejeweled with gold-like bangles (you couldn't seem to tell if it was gold or not for some reason. Like it was shifting differently every once in a while) and a brilliant crown perched on his head.

...there were also wings. Wings that were attached to his back. Wonderful golden-hued wings that seems to flutter with pride and glory as you focus your attention to it. You hear the skeleton chuckle. You think he said something. But you were to distracted, your eyes bulged in horror. It gazes towards the pie you ate and back to him.

You should have known.

"...What have you done to me?"

The process of getting you settled in was quick. You didn't give a peep since. Dream understands. You were still in shock (A small part of him felt as though it was withering with how lifeless your eyes look like), but he digresses. You'll be back to your blooming-self before you knew it.

Like a flower, he will keep you from withering away. Like a bird, he will keep you safe and happy and well fed. And in his garden, you'll never be alone ever again. You love him. He can feel it. He knows it. He knows the meaning behind your gaze when you look at him, the way your laughter sang differently when you first met, and the wrinkles that form at the corner of your eyes whenever he makes you smile. Humans have fallen in love with him. He's seen it all. He can never be wrong. And won't you be happy here with him? Eternally?

Right?

...right?

Originally, this was supposed to be about nightmare. What came to me aaaaaaaaaaa

aaaaaa this was so gooooood

i've been travelling so i've been pondering it throughout the day, thank you for this lovely lil drabble (⁠´⁠∩⁠｡⁠•⁠ ⁠ᵕ⁠ ⁠•⁠｡⁠∩⁠`⁠)