#it's so difficult to make friends here now. everyone is so hostile

[gulagorkestar]

Found a USB with my files from my computer from 2014-17 and it's crazy that the internet used to work without twelve hundred flashing lights and advertisements conjured from your data and ninety superfluous updates to a site each week

[igotanidea]

Bumpy road: Jason Todd x reader

Aka: the one with the first fight.

***

They were warning her.

*They* as in pretty much everyone – family, friends, even strangers on the street.

They were warning her that every relationship hits a rough path sooner or later. That the honeymoon phase cannot last forever. That arguments, fights, misunderstandings and other rocks on the yellow road of Oz are about to happen.

Like she was a kid, not knowing that already.

Of course she was aware of all that! Hell – her parents had enough of a clash of characters and silent days to somehow immunize her against it.

She thought herself ready for the stormy days, making a bucket list of things she wouldn’t do with Jason.

Like *not going to bed angry* or *talking through things* or other silly and completely immature naïve things.

Well – having a plan and putting it into action turned out to be two completely different things.

***

The shy sun on the sky, gentle wind and little white fluffy clouds were nothing of a sign of an impending torment.

Y/N was walking back home from work, having taken a few hours for a personal leave with a set date of working it off. Though if it meant spending 10 hours in the office on Thursday to have some more time with Jay on Friday, so be it. 

Absolutely worth it.

Not even fighting the happy smile forming on her face, thinking about the little surprise she had planned for him, she rode along the streets humming the songs coming from the car radio.

Even their shabby apartment in the shitty district of Gotham seemed more vibrant for no reason.

“Jay? Jay, I’m home!” her bag landed on the rack, shoes on the shelf, coat in the wardrobe. “babe? You’re here? Oh – oh, Jay, what happened?”

Jason was sitting on the couch, staring blankly into the space, fidgeting with his phone, but not paying any attention to whatever might have flashed on the screen. Anyone else might have been fooled, after all Jason always seemed a little detached and immersed in his own thoughts, especially when he was alone. Y/N was not one of those people, seeing through him almost instantly.

“Hey?” The soft sound of bare feet on the floor approaching him from the side finally threw him off and back into reality. 

“Hey.” No smile, no sparkles in the eyes, no sign of acknowledgment. Only a slight flinch as if he was trying to pull back and away from her.

Y/N frowned.

“Jace-“

“I’m busy.” His gaze immediately fell back onto the screen, scrolling mindlessly, finding himself a substitute occupation.

“With what?”

“God, why are you being so nosy?” Jason rolled his eyes, not stopping whatever was so interesting.

“Nosy?”

“Yes, nosy. I’m browsing, ok? How do you think I get the fucking intel for patrolling?”

“Through a Facebook page?” she tried to crack the joke.

“Yeah. That too. Do you want to go through my texts now? Is this what this is about?”

“What? No, of course no. What’s with the hostility?”

“I’m not fucking hostile.”

“Right… Not at all.”

“I just need some freaking silence, is that too hard to understand?”

“No, no, it’s fine.” It was shockingly difficult to say those words, considering the fact she made quite different plans for the afternoon, but apparently the relationship also required compromising. Even if the meaning of the word was forgetting about oneself all together, all for the benefit of the other half of the duet.  “I’ll go get us some snacks, hm? And maybe I could help you with – “

“Whatever.”

Oh, okay. He wasn’t hostile, he was indifferent.

Or maybe just busy.

Right, right, of course, just busy, it was okay. First time for everything, even ignoring her.

She could understand it, obviously, being understanding and giving him necessary space like any considerate girlfriend would.

***

Shit broke free three days later.

Any target group asked would unanimously agree that Monday mornings were absolutely the worst, and external circumstances had nothing to do with it. The loads of easy work from Friday that could be left and handled on Monday suddenly became increasingly difficult and seemed to multiply.

99% of people liked that.

Y/N was no exception.

Good humor? Gone.

Optimistic attitude? Lost.

Exhaustion? Skyrocketing.

Sudden thirst for blood and unparalleled rage? Present.

Incoming storm in her relationship….?

Yeah… Inevitable.

***

It was like the entertainment replay.

Jason was sitting on the couch, staring blankly into space, fidgeting with his phone… yadda, yadda, yadda.

Only this time she had zero patience and zero strength to handle it, heading straight to the bathroom, wiping her makeup, cleaning her face.

Standing in front of the mirror, removing the mascara, the foundation, putting her hair in a messy bun, slowly transforming back into her domestic version.

Just. Wanting. Some. Rest.

Meeting with an angered, almost reproachful look on her boyfriend’s face.

Once again, trying to be sympathetic.

“Hi.”

Jason grunted.

“What’s going on?” she tried again.

He rolled his eyes.

“Oh for crying out loud!”

“Stop being a bitch.”

“a – a bitch? I’m sorry, what the-“

“Yes, bitch. You heard me right. You’ve barely been giving me attention lately!”

“Attention!? What the hell, Jason!? You’ve been AWOL!”

“I’ve been here all the time!”

“In body! But sure as hell not in mind! You spend eight hours in front of the phone and computer on Saturday!”

“Did you go through my PC?” he took a step back, fury in his eyes taking her by surprise.

“What? No! What is this about!?”

“Did you go through-“

“Jason!”

“Did you!?” he half-yelled and all her resolutions about being an understanding, caring partner, showing respect and love for the other one went through the window. 

“Are you accusing me of spying on you!?”

“Maybe I am! Answer the fucking question!”

“You’re paranoid!” she yelled. “Yes!” though it wasn’t true at all. “Yes, I did. Happy now!?” she hissed with a vindictive smirk, suddenly wanting to enrage him further for no reason in particular. Maybe for the sheer satisfaction of giving him the same shit he was giving her.

“Brat!”

“Asshole!”

“Idiot!”

“Jerk!”

“I hate you!”

“Maybe you shouldn’t; have gotten into a relationship with me in the first place!”

“You know what?” he hissed, “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t have because-“

“Because you’re an asshole-!”

“Because you’re completely immature!”

“Oh, I’m immature!” Y/N cried out, throwing her hands in the air “hypocrite! You’re always go about work and job  and crime rate and vigilantism and crime lords and-“

“You fucking knew it! You fucking knew who I was when we started – “

“You have changed!” her words came without any thinking and Jason felt like it was a slap. For a moment eerie silence, electrified with tension fell between them.

The only sounds being the heavy beating of their hearts, ragged breaths and unbearable weight of both spoken and unspoken words.

“Maybe I did.” He said coldly.

“Yeah, maybe you did. But maybe it’s my fault.”

“Maybe I fucked up your life.”

“Maybe.”

“And maybe you fucked up mine.”

“Right.”

The screaming match turned into an exchange of icy cold gazes and sharp as knives words.

First fight and they were already pulling out the arguments that their relationship might have been a mistake.

Y/N flinched internally realizing she was acting exactly like her parents after 15 years of marriage.

Though clearly the generational trauma poured on her, resulted in an accelerated speed and she was becoming a hag after 15 months.

Fucking great. If anyone was a hypocrite, she just scored a gold star in the category.

Not that she was going to admit it, since he started it.

Besides he was a man, and she was a woman so it was his responsibility to resolve –

God! She was having every little hated characteristic of her mother.

“Do we break up?” he asked and her eyes grew wider.

So easily?

Giving up without fighting or trying to fix things?

Seriously?!

Did he even love her at all or was it all just a game?

“Y/N?”

“What?”

“Do we break up?”

“You know what, let’s finish this. I’m tired. I’m going to bed.”

“You didn’t answer the –“

“Just leave me alone!”

So much for *not going to bed angry*.

***

In the back of his head, Jason turned into a little kid.

It wasn’t like he enjoyed this stupid fight and the amount of harsh words and malignancy terrified him.

Truly.

Just like back in the days when he had to stand up for his mother when she was fighting with another pathetic counterfeit of a man.

It was hard to grow up without any male role model, but even if he didn’t know who he wanted to be as a partner, he had a clear idea of who he didn’t want to be.

He hated the concept, the sheer possibility of becoming suspicious, violent, aggressive in words, crude and rude. The exact image of what he had just displayed towards her.

The woman he loved.

The woman he wanted to be protective and  supportive of.

“Great fucking job, Jason.” He hissed to himself and even though his body was aching to rush to the bedroom, wrap arms around her and silently apologize with hugs and warmth stupid pride prevented him.

She started this after all.

And in the back of his mind he was a five year old, starving for affection and validation, feeling like there was no one who loved him.

Like maybe he was doomed and destined to be alone.

Thinking depressing thoughts to the sound of Y/N’s breaking heart behind the thin wall.  

[bandgie]

Hi! I ABSOLUTELY LOVED your Beast of a Man tarzan!smut. Seriously it was so engaging and you wrote him so well (HES SO HOT AGHH). He's such a hot character idk why others don't write about him, I'm starved for Tarzan fics...

Could you please make a part 2 to the smut? You have such a great/smutty idea going I would love to see you continue it!!

It would mean everything to me!

( ^◡^)

a/n: hi yes thank you so much and ofc! it's been so long since I've written smut on Tarzan so please bear with me! (fic anon is referring to here)

synopsis: You have successfully brought back the ape-man for research. Despite behaving like an animal, he's a lot more human in more ways than you originally thought.

warnings: MDNI 18+, recording during sex, oral (m!), 69ing, semi-public oral sex, cumming in mouth (m!&f!), rough throat fucking (f!rec), cum eating (m!&f!)

2.8k words

"Who the fuck is this?!"

Your colleagues screamed and ran upon seeing who, more like what, you brought back to camp. They hopped up on tables and held up papers as weapons. They eyed you both wearily, on the verge of tears as you stood just a few feet away.

"I think that's a bit extreme," you sigh. 

The ape-man was beside you, clinging onto your leg like a child would do with a mother. He, too, was very wary around these strangers. You could hear him grunting and pulling at you as if keeping you from getting too close. 

Cute yes, but this would mean it would take a lot of work to build trust in the entire group.

Slowly, the fellow researchers began to try and communicate with the man. Talking slowly and softly, just like you showed them to. All of you agreed that this being could be the missing link, the answer to the question anthropologists have tried to find for decades.

It took over a month for everyone to be comfortable around one another, but of course, another issue was raised. 

"So does he just not have a name?" Professor Porter asked. 

As of now, you all were just calling him 'the ape-man' or 'hey you' to get his attention. It never crossed your mind to give him an actual name. 

"We're not gonna name that beast," Clayton butted his way into the conversation. Clayton, as big and strong as he was, seems the most afraid of your new friend. He's hostile, rude, and arrogant. Even if the ape-man cannot understand the words thrown at him, he can feel them.

The best thing to do in these situations was to ignore Clayton, he just loves the sound of his own voice. 

"No," you turn your attention back to the professor. "Not that I know of at least. Should we come up with one?"

"Oh great," there's heavy sarcasm laced in Clayton's voice. "Here you are naming a dog you're not even gonna keep."

"With no due respect Clayton, please shut the fuck up," Terk, the youngest of you, speaks. Terk is small for his age, but he has built. A hairy man who's lively, talkative, and one of the natives that live here. He and the ape-man get along well, a little too well sometimes.

Clayton flips Terk the bird.

"A name for him would be nice, yes." The professor looks as though he's sweating from the tense atmosphere. "Do come up with one dear, I think the missing link would rather you do it."

It's no secret that the ape-man prefers you over the other researchers. He's constantly at your hip, following you like you have an invisible leash on him. Your colleagues, however, don't know how close you two actually are. 

The conversation stays in your head for the rest of the day. A name. A name. Something everyone has yet is unbelievably difficult to come up with. Hundreds of possibilities run through your mind as you carry out your daily tasks. Even the ape-man, who's used to you ruffling his hair, grows confused about your behavior.

Nightfall comes with everyone in their tents and you still haven't come up with a name. 

With a groan, you turn on your side to see the very person who's making you struggle already looking at you. His eyes are dark, but the candle in your tent lights up his features just enough. You reach out and brush a lock of hair out of his face, watching how he moves to try and get you to touch his skin.

You settle with resting the palm of your hand on his cheek, rubbing your thumb over it. 

"A name," you tsk. You narrow your eyes and let your gaze travel over his body. He needs to look like his name, that's a must. "Hey, do you know what a name is?"

He doesn't answer. 

"Something to call you. That's a name. Do you have one?"

He stares at you.

Well, this is going to be harder than you thought. 

Pursing your lips, you say the first name that comes to mind, "Edward?"

He reacts to that. His calm expression turns into a scowl, bushy eyebrows coming together. You quietly laugh and shake your head, "Not that one okay."

"Tony?"

He frowns.

"Taren?"

He pouts.

"Okay, okay. I think I got it...Garrett."

The ape-man groans, mimicking the behavior he's seen you do hundreds of times. It shocks you to see him act so human, so you. It's equally adorable as it is terrifying. 

He's gotten closer to you, a breath away. The proximity used to freak you out, but you've learned it’s how he shows his affection. His trust. 

The ape-man is waiting for you to say a word he likes, a sound that comes off your tongue magically. Judging from your facial expression and earlier absent behavior, this is an important task for you.

You want the name to be strong, versatile, and not easily replaceable. The being you've found is one-of-a-kind, it's only fair his name is as well. You play with a few letters in your head, bouncing them in your mind until you think of one that suits him.

"What about Tarzan then? Do you like that one?"

His pupils dilate, watching your beautiful lips pronounce the word. His word. 

"Yes."

You gasp, sitting up abruptly. Your sudden movements make him panic as he sits up with you. He scans the tent to find an intruder while you sit there stunned. 

He spoke. The ape-man no! Tarzan just spoke to you. He understood language and used it, even if it was just a mere word. A one-syllable answer that has shaken you to your core. 

"Oh my god. You just, Tarzan you just spoke. Holy shit, say it again. I need to capture this on video." You ruffle through your bag looking for your camera. 

Tarzan stops searching the tent and looks back at you looking as confused as ever. Like he didn't just display human speech in a mere month.

Quickly, you pull out the camera and hit record, aiming the lens at Tarzan's hard, yet beautiful features. 

"Repeat what you just said," you look at him through the monitor. Instead of complying, Tarzan stares blankly into the lens. "Do you like the name Tarzan?" You press.

No answer, his eyes flick from the red light to your eyes. 

"Come on! Just tell me whether or not you like the name." You're starting to grow impatient. At this point, you're convinced he's just being an ass.

Finally, he adjusts his seating position. Tarzan glances down at his crotch then back up to you, then back to his crotch. You follow his gaze, trying to understand what he's trying to say. Then it clicks. 

Compensation. If you want him to do you a favor, you have to do him one as well. 

"Are you being serious?" You sigh at him. Tarzan gives a faint nod to you. Even if he can't do so, you swear you see him smirk. Asshole. Setting the camera down, you angle it towards the two of you. Might as well have fun with it.

You crawl your way towards him, parting his thighs slightly before giving him a playful glare, "You're such a man sometimes."

Unlike before, Tarzan wears cargo shorts rather than a mere piece of clothes from last time. Professor Porter made it clear that if he was to hang amongst you all, clothes were necessary. 

They suited him nicely, even now. The way the material hugs his toned thighs, how his cock bulges through the shorts even when he isn’t hard. You couldn't help but run your hands along his muscular legs, finding his crotch.

He groaned as you palmed him, straining to not thrust his hips up. Tarzan learned to be patient with you, especially in the presence of others. Most animals didn't care whether they mated alone or in their pack. Even if Tarzan was raised by those animals, the thought of others hearing the sounds you make for him is repulsive. 

Instead, he has to settle for brushing your hair from your face as you undo his buttons. Delicate fingers unzipping the seam until his half-hard cock sprouts in your face. 

It doesn't matter how many times you've seen his dick, it makes your pussy quiver every time. All you can think about is how perfectly it stretches you, how the tip slides against your cunt deliciously. Your mouth salivates at the memory, and you let your spit drool off your tongue to land on his cock.

Tarzan loves the sigh. A pink tongue just hovering over his length. He also remembers the feeling of your hot mouth on him. The way your lips slowly come closer to the crown of his head, how your breath wafts over him. It feels euphoric when you finally make contact with him, mouth enclosing his flushed head.

It's so warm in your mouth, smooth as you lightly suck on him. The hand on your head slightly grips your hair, a sign that he likes the slow pace you've set. You hum around his cock, taking him a little deeper as you widen your jaw.

One of your hands makes way to grip the base, pulling the skin upwards in a stroking motion. 

This makes his hips jerk, gagging you for just a split second. Your wide eyes look up at him, small tears peeking at the corners. Tarzan gives an apologetic look, but the sight of your teary eyes and pretty lips around his cock makes him fuck up toward you again.

You pull away from him, earning a whine as Tarzan throws his head back dramatically. 

Maybe he thinks you're going to stop as punishment, but it's quite the opposite. Your cunt is sopping from tasting him, even if it was for a brief moment. Even if you have a task at hand, and your camera is still recording for 'research,' you have your own needs to take care of. 

Tarzan is none the wiser as you put a hand on his bare chest and lay him down. He eyes you curiously but lets you push him all the way down before hopping on top. His eyes widen as he's faced with your clothed cunt. Underwear the same color as your tongue that holds the strongest smell of you.

He doesn't need any directions as he dives his nose into you. Tarzan is obsessed with your natural smell. His nose immediately grows damp from your wetness, his tongue poking out to lick the juices that leak out.

Softly moaning, you take a hold of his cock once more. You pump it a few times before taking it into your mouth. It's surprising to see that he's not humping in your mouth like normal, but he's so distracted with your pussy that he can't seem to bother noticing his own pleasure.

It's hard to focus on his hard length as his teeth tear off your panties. You gasp when you hear the fabric split, but it turns into a whine when his tongue finally makes contact with your bare cunt. 

Tarzan has to grip your hips to keep you still. As much as he would love for you to grind on his face, he needs to have his meal first. His tongue runs over your folds, finding that little bud you love so much to be touched. 

He sucks on it and pulls, stretching your clit. Your legs shake and you have to pull away from his cock to catch your breath. Lazy hands stroke his hard-on as you look back. You clench at the sight of his unruly hair peeking above your ass, the sounds his mouth makes as he laps at you.

Turning back to your literal task at hand, you find the energy to take his cock once more. You unhinge your jaw and exhale, taking Tarzan deeper and deeper until your eyes roll back. You hollow your cheeks and suck, moving your head back up until just the tip remains in your mouth, and go all the way back down.

Now Tarzan can feel the bliss of your mouth on him. He moans into your pussy and slightly jerks his hips up, making you gag around him once more. 

Feeling you work so hard makes him want to reciprocate. He shakes his head left and right to try and bury himself deeper. He uses his grip to force you further onto his face. Tarzan's tongue finds the squeezing entrance that he's breached so many times. He digs his tongue into you, finally getting a taste of you from the source. 

He's guiding your hips so you could drag your pussy against him how you like. Tarzan can feel your hips trying to pull away from him as the feeling of his tongue has gotten too much. And it has.

You're trying to distract yourself by deepthroating him, but it's no use. All you can feel is his experienced mouth, how he remembers every detail he knows you like. You can feel your orgasm approaching, and how it builds in your stomach rapidly. 

Tarzan feels your legs shake. Your thighs trembling and giving out, full lower body weight on his face. He can taste how the wetness has changed, thicker and tart. Tarzan knows this taste like the back of his hand. You're going to cum, give him that white cream he loves licking out of you.

You've completely stopped paying attention to his dick. A part of you should feel bad for neglecting him, but you can't seem to care as Tarzan's tongue fucks you. Instead, you find yourself humping his face, his mouth following as you approach your high.

You squeal as you come, clamping a hand over your mouth as you finish. Warm gushes out of you, body quivering as the eager man under you happily drinks it all. Tarzan gulps and slurps until he's beginning dripping from the corners of his mouth. 

He takes and takes until you're the one having to tell him no more, that you can't handle another orgasm. 

Tarzan hears the desperation in your voice, the way you plead. It takes strength for him to pull away from your pussy, a soft growl emitting from his chest. 

Then his thighs wrap around your head, securing you in front of his cock. You have no time to question him as you involuntarily take his cock into your mouth.

There's so much pre-cum dripping from the slit that all you can taste is its saltiness. He's throbbing, fucking his hips into your mouth as he holds you still with his legs. 

All you can do is take it. Lips wrapping around his girth as he desperately slides his dick in and out. You gag and silently plead for Tarzan to be gentler, but he's having none of it. Your hands warp around his thighs to steady yourself, your head bobbing uncontrollably to match his movements.

Tarzan twitches in your mouth once, stilling his hips deep into your throat. Tears immediately prick your eyes and fall down your face, and you swear your vision goes black for a fraction of a second before he pulls out. You get the chance to gasp for air as he lines up his cock to your lips again and shoves it back in.

You think you might pass out. You're at the mercy of Tarzan, and he's still unable to see how much stronger he is than the average man. Your mouth is nothing but a fleshlight to him as he makes you choke around him. It makes you feel like a toy, a warm hole for him to fuck his seed into.

And you wouldn't have it any other way.

The familiar twitch in his cock occurs again. Once, twice, then three times before he unloads in your mouth. Hot spurts of his cum find themselves in your throat, forcing you to gulp it down. 

Tarzan's hips slow, letting his cock drag against your lips before he finally pulls out. You cough and pant as his orgasm drips from your tongue. 

His thighs release you and you promptly plop down on them. You feel his hands rub soothingly over the curve of your ass, up and down your thighs. And an extra apology, Tarzan presses a kiss to your throbbing pussy. You chuckle and kiss his thigh back before sitting up, hoping off his face. 

You have to crawl to grab your camera, breathing a sigh of relief to see the red light still shining. You aim the lens at his face as he too sits up. You can see the arousal on his face from eating you out, his swollen lips, and messy hair.

"So," you start. "Tell me, Tarzan, did you like that?"

Tarzan's lips quirk into what you think is a smile before he looks at you directly through the camera. 

"Yes."

a/n: holy fuck I dont think y'all know how hard this was. I kinda went all out for the first one so the second one was hard as hell to match lmaooo. I physically and mentally can't do a third installment. this is the final one sowwy also I added some characters from the film! hopefully you caught that, I made Terk human, Tarzan needed a friend even if it's a fanfic

[xixistar]

Apologies for bothering you, but I have two questions:

1:How did Laura meet Starscream and join the deceptions?

2: why did she join the deceptions?

OKAY ALRIGHT I wanted/planned to draw something like a small comic, but studying and new hyperfixations on other fandoms just distracted me and I forgot to answer 😭 but thank you very much for asking!! I apologize for answering only now, but I'll try to explain everything with text

I like this art so I'll put it here

How did Laura get on the Nemesis?

Unfortunately, she didn't get there by chance and clearly not with the goal of making friends with everyone. I have another character, Lostvoid, who is quite a curious scientist and therefore needed an organic test subject that would fit the characteristics for a "small" experiment. Laura was the perfect example.

Lostvoid!! first art by @mictiankityrrrr

From there comes her first unwanted meeting with one of the Decepticons and several Autobots in the midst of a fight. The little human was unknown to both sides, even when Laura was caught in the rubble and broke her leg, falling into some kind of unplanned mousetrap for Knockout, who, as 'a very good Lostvoid's colleague', decided to use this opportunity of easily accessible organic. She got caught, of course. Grabbed quite roughly.

Well, and then the tests, and attempts to restore her leg as soon as possible in order to stabilize the condition..... isolation on the Nemesis only led Laura into a period of apathy 🫡 not surprising though

How did Laura become part of the Decepticons?

You may or may not have seen it, but Laura has what's called a "costume." A metal body that makes her almost on par with Cybertronians, except for the repulsive expression on her faceplate and the lack of coordination. This body is part of Lostvoid's experiment where the body of an organic is used solely for the purpose of advancing Decepticon affairs. Slavery, I guess...... or something close to that......

some sketches with her last design.... I'll redesign it later

I wouldn't say she's fully accepted as part of the team, but she helps Knockout and sometimes Lostvoid 🕊️

SO she didn't really have any choice, uh

How did Starscream and Laura meet? How did they become close?

Starscream, as the commander and everything like that, knew about the experiment when it began. There is no need to explain that this arrogant bird treated Laura with hostility at first, with mockery and so on. Laura treated him almost the same as the rest of the Cybertronians... if she even had the strength to think rationally then 🙌 But at the moment when she already began to accept some role as a "Decepticon", then it became much more fun considering Starscream's frequent visits to the medical bay.

Starscream now treated Laura with some kind of apprehension and tension, although he understood that she would NEVER do him any serious harm. But exactly this was scary for him. For a human in such a difficult situation, Laura treated him with some kind of ease, sometimes sympathy and sometimes friendliness. This frightened him, to be honest. But why did Laura do that? She herself had no idea, but against the backdrop of problems outside Nemesis territory and a broken relationship with her girlfriend, Laura found some peace while staying on Nemesis. Some peace when her "beloved commander" involuntarily began to open up through his complaints when Knockout was absent from his post. That was some kind of progress for both of them.

it's a very big slowburn for these two.... angst and hurtcomfort

I think they were brought together by some sort of need for comfort and understanding each other. But damn, it would have taken them a year to become friends, and starting a relationship was a real challenge for bpd cybertronian and his depressed girlie 😀

[roosterforme]

Always Ever Only You Part 4 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Two envelopes arrive in the mail. One makes you and Bradley smile, the other, not so much. But you'll figure out how to deal with what is out of your control just like you always do. And when it turns out you can help Cat in a big way, you're happy to do it. 

Warnings: Fluff, smut, angst, swearing

Length: 3800 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order. Gorgeous banner by @mak-32

Cat was still quiet around you, but it felt a little less hostile and a little more innocuous. You didn't need her to be your friend, and as long as work wasn't becoming a nightmare, you figured you could deal with it. Because being at home with Bradley was at times more stressful for you than being at work.

"Are you ovulating, Baby Girl?" Bradley asked when you walked inside after work with the mail in your hands. Your husband knew your cycle by now. He knew it well before you were even married. Before you were engaged. There was no point in trying to lie to him about this.

"Yes," you whispered softly. You sounded so needy with just that one word, no wonder he was all over you. When his lips met yours, you moaned and started to stumble toward the bedroom. The trail of khaki uniform components you left in your wake would make you laugh thirty minutes from now, but in the moment, you needed your husband to cum inside you.

And while you knew Bradley was trying to make every single time count now, he still felt the same as he always did. He worshipped every curve of your body, kissing your tattoo until you were breathless for him. His big hands were wrapped around your thighs, spreading you wide open so he could taste you before he started thrusting. 

"You're perfect," he crooned next to your ear, methodically coaxing your orgasm from you with his words and his body. You wanted this one to be the one that worked, because he felt so good. He was perfect, too.

With your hands on his shoulders and your body sated beneath his, Bradley dipped his forehead down to your shoulder and chanted your name until he was no longer moving. "Fuck," he grunted, still fully seated inside you as he grew softer. His full body weight made breathing a little difficult, but you didn't want him to move yet. He smelled good, and his skin was warm and slick with sweat. You slid your hands down to his biceps and whined when he started to move.

"Stop," you commanded, and he kissed your lips, not moving another inch until you were ready.

A few minutes later, when you came out of the bathroom, you pulled on his discarded undershirt and made your way to the kitchen. "So how was your day?" he asked, picking up all of the uniform pieces.

"It was pretty good, Roo. Jake came up to my lab for lunch since you were working with the instructors today." Bradley had been invited to help instruct several times recently, and you could tell he was cautiously optimistic about what that meant.

"Great," he replied sarcastically. "I'll bet everyone in your lab thinks Jake is your side piece."

You started laughing as you opened the mail. "Nah, here's in there more often than you are at this point. If anything, they think you're my side piece."

You bit your lip as he came up behind you at the kitchen counter and spanked your butt where it was bare underneath his shirt. "That's not funny, Sweetheart," he murmured next to your ear, but he sounded amused. He was palming your butt, and you started to wonder if he'd be ready for round two before or after dinner. 

"Oh look!" you gasped, opening the thick, cream envelope and pulling out the invitation to your promotion banquet. You squealed and spun in his arms. "It's in four weeks!" 

"I'm so proud of you," he promised, holding you as you read the full invitation out loud to him. He kissed the top of your head and promised he'd be there to pin you. "I'll pin my wife. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"Sounds ideal, Roo," you said, setting the invitation aside so you could add it to your calendar and text a photo to your parents. Then you opened the rest of the mail. A mortgage statement. Junk. A credit card bill. More junk. And then an envelope addressed to Bradley that made your heart stop for a few beats. 

You handed it to him without a word and watched him open it, but he was more focused on you. The bob of his Adam's apple as he read the first few lines had tears welling in your eyes. He tossed the paper aside and reached for you. As you clambered to get your arms around him as quickly as you could, you whispered, "When?"

He kissed your temple and said, "Two days after your banquet."

You sobbed and asked, "How long?"

"Two months."

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

Bradley only had one more month with you before he'd be spending two months on an aircraft carrier. He sat in the locker room on base and did the math. You were ovulating right now. And you'd be ovulating right before he left. He'd hate to miss a positive pregnancy test, but at least he knew he had two chances before he'd miss a few of your cycles completely.

When he strolled out into the hallway, he saw Nat, and he knew right away. "You got papers."

Her eyes went wide. "I did. So did Bob." 

He let out a long breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fuck," he whispered, falling into step next to her as she headed toward the tarmac. "I hate leaving her. But it's so much fucking worse when you're gone at the same time."

"I know," she replied, patting his forearm through his flight suit. "But Jake will be here."

Bradley still felt frustrated that you held back telling him the things that you told Jake right away, but he understood you needed your friend. "How the hell did I end up with Jake Seresin permanently in my life like this? It's fucking ridiculous, Nat."

She snorted. "Hey, just remember... he asked her out first. You could be standing on the sidelines watching a very different game at the moment if she hadn't found him so annoying."

"Nah," he replied with a smile. "My wife has excellent taste."

She smiled back at him as they walked out into the bright sunlight. When Bradley saw Bob, he held up his hand and gave him a thumbs down. 

"Oh, you got papers too? You're with us?" he asked, gesturing between Nat and himself. 

"Sure am," he groaned. "I should be thankful or happy. Being deployed with friends is always better. But I'm just... not."

Bob smiled. "I wouldn't be either if I was married to your wife." His eyes went wide, and he started stuttering, but Bradley just waved him off. 

"I'll take that as a compliment," he replied, grabbing his helmet and getting to work. At least he wasn't flying like shit this week. He and Coyote got eliminated first, but it was because of a risky move that didn't pay off, not because he felt out of sync. 

So when he saw Hondo on the tarmac, a smug smile on his face, Bradley gave him a fist bump. "You two almost pulled it off. Almost," he told Bradley and Javy. "Two hundred pushups, fellas."

"God damn, it's hot today," Bradley groaned, dropping into position and digging in while Hondo started counting them off. The first one hundred weren't too bad, but the back end really got to him. He was pouring sweat and huffing a bit while Javy looked completely at ease. Shit, the last fifteen were terrible, and he almost collapsed onto his elbows before he managed to sit up. 

"You okay, old man?" Javy asked him with a laugh after Hondo dismissed them both for the day. "Having trouble keeping up?"

"This shit used to be easier," Bradley grunted, letting Javy help him up. "Thanks."

"Careful. Don't let Mav hear you say that, or he'll get you a cane."

Bradley chuckled on his way back to the locker room. Damn, his shoulders were aching. He wasn't that old. Well, he was old compared to you. And most of the other aviators at Top Gun. "Fuck," he muttered, turning toward the elevator bank and pressing the button to go up. 

You usually made such a fuss over him, sometimes he forgot he was six years older than you. He wasn't bad looking or anything, but you definitely looked younger than him. He would have to hit the gym out in the garage more. And when he was deployed, working out would be pretty much the only thing he could do for entertainment. 

He pulled out his phone before he knocked on your office door, smiling at your name placard. When you opened it with a look of surprise on your face, he was playing your wedding song and singing along. 

"Roo," you sighed, smiling up at him. You pushed your door open wider with a soft laugh. "Did you come all the way up here to serenade me?"

"Something like that," he murmured. "Gotta make the next four weeks count. You free?"

"Yeah, I was just packing up to leave, actually." You bit your lip as you closed the door and ran your fingers through his hair. Your soft moan had him pushing you back toward your desk. "You're all sweaty. God, you look good."

"Do I?" he asked, leaning down to kiss you.

"Bradley, you always look good. The flight suit definitely doesn't hurt either."

He watched you squeeze your khaki covered thighs together while his phone played Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac. He set it on your desk and pressed his body to yours. "Shit. I love how you're reacting to me." He took your chin between his thumb and fingers. "Just look at you, Baby Girl."

"I'm so horny," you gasped. "You know how I get when I'm ovulating. And you're all sweaty. And you smell like jet fuel."

He tipped your chin up a little higher before placing the softest kiss to your lips. You were trying to get more from him, but he just gave you gentle kiss after gentle kiss until you were grabbing at the front of his flight suit. 

"Bradley," you keened. He certainly didn't feel so old now as you begged for more. 

"This isn't why I came up here," he whispered. "Just wanted to see if you left for the day." He let his hand drift from your chin back along your jaw to the back of your neck. You took the opportunity to throw your arms around his neck and place the filthiest kisses on his lips. You were tasting his tongue and pulling his bottom lip between our teeth. But when you actually licked a trail of sweat from his neck, Bradley spun you around and pulled you close so your back was pressed to his front. 

"Please?" you asked softly, and he reached around to the front of your khaki pants with both hands and unzipped them. You grabbed his forearms with both of your hands as he undid the button as well. 

"I can't say no to you," he whispered, easing his right hand inside your pants and running his fingers along your underwear. "These your black and white lacy ones?"

He knew all of your underwear by feel alone, and when he smiled against your neck, you moaned, "Yes. I love it when you do that."

Bradley slipped his hand down the front of your underwear, and you arched your back against him. When he took your left hand in his, he pulled it up to his mouth, kissing your rings as he grazed your clit.

"Fuck," you gasped, jolting a little bit against him. "This is like the first time you ever touched me. Up against your Bronco in the Hard Deck parking lot."

"Shit," he grunted, circling your clit with his middle finger before sliding it down your slit. "I couldn't get enough of you then, and I still can't."

"Bradley!"

"Keep quiet, Baby Girl," he warned, pressing his erection into you while he slipped his finger inside. "God, you're wet. You been thinking about this all day?" You felt like silk to his rough fingertips, and Bradley wasn't in any hurry. He just let you babble nonsensically as you pressed your thighs together again. 

Soon you were begging for release, riding his finger so sweetly, he added a second one for you. Then, with a soft swipe of his thumb on your clit, you were fluttering around him and whining his name. He sucked on your neck as you rode out your orgasm, shaking gently against him. 

"Oh," you moaned, lessening the grip you had on his left hand as he eased his right out of the front of your pants. When you spun to face him, he was licking his hand clean. "Do you want me to go down on you?"

"No," he grunted, leaning down to kiss you and let you taste yourself. "I want you to meet me at home so I can fuck you all night."

"Let's go." You were reaching for your keys and your bag, and Bradley had to pull you close to zip your pants up before he followed you out of your office.

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

You felt so good. Your husband had been treating you to his delicious cock at least twice a day while you were ovulating. On Friday morning, you were flat on your back in bed, full of his cum, watching him strut around the room naked with his bicep tattoo on display.

"Come on, Sweetheart," he rasped. "You'll be late for work."

"I've just been fucked within an inch of my life. I think my boss would understand."

Bradley barked out a laugh. "You want to call Bickel and find out?"

You sat up and shook your head. "No. Could you imagine? Sir, my husband was hitting my G-spot for like twenty minutes, so I'm going to just roll in after lunchtime, okay?"

Now he was doubled over in laughter as you climbed out of bed and adjusted your glasses. You kissed him on your way to the bathroom, and he told you, "Don't forget, Hard Deck tonight."

"I've never forgotten about a single Hard Deck night in my life, Roo."

"Yeah, because I always remind you," he called after you as he pulled on some underwear so he could let Tramp outside and start the coffee. 

It felt like the perfect day as he left with his travel mug after kissing you dozens of times. You were sipping your coffee and thinking about checking when your period was due, but you didn't let yourself. You thought about skipping breakfast after looking at your butt in the mirror, but you ate some yogurt instead. 

Then you got to work early, and your boss called you into his office to make sure you got the invitation to your promotion banquet. You ended up chatting with him for a while before you had to tell him you needed to get your work done. 

"I should be the one reminding you of that, Lieutenant Commander," he replied with a chuckle. You stood as soon as you were dismissed, smiling at your new title as you walked down the hallway. 

When you heard someone calling your first name, you turned to see your friend Cam sticking his head out of his lab door. 

"Hey, stranger," he said with a smile, adjusting his glasses. You strolled back to see him. 

"You guys never work with your door open," you said suspiciously. His boss was way more of a hardass than yours, and you didn't want him to get in trouble. 

He rolled his eyes. "He does hate an open door. It encourages making friends with and talking to people who work in other labs. Didn't you know?" 

"Oh shit," you said, looking down at yourself and wincing playfully. "God, I miss working with you. Are you coming to the bar tonight?"

"Maybe. I was just about to ask you if you were eating lunch in the cafeteria with your dreadfully sexy husband and his mustache."

"Yes," you replied, trying to keep your laughter quiet. "Come join us. You can sit across from the mustache and look at it."

He groaned and tipped his head back. "I wish I could grow one." Then he was suddenly shoving you away from him, and you saw his boss coming as you hightailed it back to your lab. 

When you rushed in with a smile on your face, Cat met your gaze. No, you wouldn't let her ruin your day. "Good morning!" you called out to her and everyone else. Of course she barely acknowledged your existence, but it didn't matter. You would just keep your head down until it was time for lunch. You were already thinking about a veggie bowl with some hot sauce, and your stomach was growling. 

But you ended up getting absorbed in some coding that you'd been neglecting, so you decided to tackle that. You were surprised when you glanced up to find everyone else had already gone to lunch. The only person left was Cat, so you locked up your computer and left before she had a chance to say anything. You made it all the way to the elevator when you realized you forgot your ID badge. It had been tucked under your computer. 

You groaned and turned back to go get it. But you came skidding to a halt, your boots squeaking on the floor a bit when you heard Cat on the phone. 

"I'm at work, but I'll get there as soon as I can.... I didn't know he had a fever this morning or I wouldn't have dropped him off.... Yes, okay. I'll be there soon."

She ended the call and then burst into tears, and you couldn't decide what to do. Part of you wanted to sneak away quietly and hide in your office, but you just couldn't stop yourself from at least trying to help her. You walked into the lab and cleared your throat, and she whirled around in her seat, a look of steel on her face as she wiped at her tears. 

"What do you want, Lieutenant Commander?" Her words were harsh, but she still sounded vulnerable too, and you held your hands up in surrender. 

"Just checking to see if I can help you with anything. I'm not trying to give you a hard time."

She laughed sardonically and looked up at the ceiling. "I'm beyond help," she said, shaking her head. "But thanks."

"Cat, if you need something, just-"

"I need so many things," she said, cutting you off. But you let her, because you sensed she just needed to get this out of her system. Like last time. "But right this very moment, I need to figure out how to pick my son up from his cheap daycare center on the other side of Coronado." She started  to close her computer as she added, "They'll kick him out if I don't get him soon, because apparently I'm a terrible mom who dropped him off there with a fever this morning. And I don't even have my own car."

You doubted she was a terrible mom. A terrible mom wouldn't even care in the first place. "Take mine," you told her. 

She eyed you skeptically. "Take your what?"

"My car. It's pretty shitty, and you need to jiggle it into gear. I don't have a car seat, but Commander Estevez keeps one in her office downstairs."

She just blinked at you, her dark eyes as expressive as always. You never chose to focus on them this long. 

"My car keys are in my office," you added. "You coming?"

Cat licked her lips and whispered, "You'd let me borrow your car?"

You just shrugged. "You can keep it for the weekend. But honestly, when you see it, you might change your mind," you told her with a wince. 

Cat swiped the last few tears from her eyes. "I need to go see if Bickel will even let me leave. I don't have much time off yet."

"Just go," you told her. "I'll cover for you. It's Friday afternoon, and he probably won't even check in again."

"Thank you," she whispered before pressing her lips together and slipping off her stool. 

"Let's go get my keys and the car seat."

A few minutes later, Cat had your car keys in one hand and the borrowed car seat in the other. "I'm parked on level two near the stairwell. It's old and red. You can't miss it."

She nodded once and then took off toward the parking garage. After a few seconds, she turned back toward you and thanked you again. 

You'd missed most of your lunch break, and when you rushed into the cafeteria, you found Bradley and Cam sitting together. 

"Your wife sucks," Cam told him, pretending he didn't see you. "She invited me for lunch and then bailed." He stood with his empty tray and winked at you. "Better luck next week?" 

"Yeah," you said, out of breath. "I'm sorry. Monday? With Maria, too?"

"Yep," he agreed before he walked away.

"Did you have a nice lunch with my friend?" you asked, sliding down into the seat next to Bradley.

"Of course. He likes my mustache." Bradley kissed you and pushed some food toward you. "I got you a burrito bowl, but it's probably cold. Where were you?"

"I was... just taking care of something. Make sure you don't head home without me later. My car is gone."

He perked right up. Honestly, he looked happier right now than he had when he was fucking you this morning. "It's gone? Forever?" 

You rolled your eyes so hard as you dumped hot sauce on your food. "Someone is borrowing it for the weekend."

He kissed your cheek. "I'll be praying that they steal it or wreck it. Why don't we spend the weekend looking at new cars?"

"Because it's Hard Deck night, remember? And you're golfing tomorrow. And my car is perfectly good."

"Yeah," he muttered, kissing your cheek one last time. "We'll look at cars on Sunday." Then he was gone, heading back to the tarmac as you ate your lunch. 

Later that evening, when you and Bradley were walking Tramp before going out for the night, you checked your phone and saw a text from an unknown number. 

Thanks again for your help. I picked Jeremiah up, and now he's feeling much better.

Cat's son was named Jeremiah. You wondered what he looked like and how old he was. You wondered why Cat had him in some shitty daycare across town. You wondered if anyone else knew she had a child.

"You ready?" Bradley asked, holding out his hand for you to take. "It's getting late."

"Yeah. Let's go."

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

Do you feel some ice melting? Ugh, I'm afraid for BG without Bradley at home. Thanks to @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 5

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[scenteddelusion5]

A Daring Creature - Part 4

Zestial x fem reader angel

Note: I at first wanted it to ba a longer chapter but I like the way it ended right here. I felt adding to it would make the sweet moment, like, POP less. If that makes sense?

Word count: 1462

PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3 - PART 4

Two months went by, every other day did Zestial take Y/n out to explore the pride ring. The two grew closer and closer, he got enamoured by her antics and she started to appreciate his calm and stoic personality, even though she also liked to rile the demon up sometimes.

The new cloaked stranger that was always with Zestial did not go unnoticed by the masses. Demons either were too afraid to get involved or wanted to know everything about the girl, the latter of which were mostly fellow overlords.

It started to become more and more difficult to keep Y/n away from people like Alastor and Vox, avoiding them became a daily struggle. Zestial almost wanted to keep Y/n inside for a few weeks so the fuss would die out but after seeing how her face immediately lost her shine and became saddened, he scratched that idea. And thus they continued the hide-and-seek game.

And Zestial had to admit, he was pretty good at it. That was until one day the two were walking down the street and saw Alastor walking around the corner. Without a second to think, Zestial turned to two around to walk the other way, only to see Vox and Valentino on the other side.

He quickly grabbed Y/n by the arm and dug into an alleyway. If he remembered it correctly, he was pretty sure there was a backway entrance to Carmine's home there. Finding the door, they swiftly made their way inside without the overlords seeing them.

"I'm getting sick of having the hide every time we see one of them," Y/n complained, "I wish they would just leave me alone."

"I understand, however, we can not afford one of those finding out thy secret." Zestial straightened his own cloak.

"Zestial?" Carmilla walked into the little hallway. "It isn't like you to visit unannounced."

"Mine own deepest apologies Carmilla," Zestial greeted his old friend, "it was an emergency."

"I see." She looked Y/n up and down again, a hint of disapproval could be found in her stare. "Come in, now that you're here I would like to discuss something with you."

Y/n was about to follow the two overlords into another room, when Carmilla stopped her.

"I would like to discuss this alone." Her tone changed from disapproving to downright hostile. "Sit still and stay here, do you think you can accomplish it this time or should I call in someone to watch you like a pet?"

"I'll be fine," Y/n answered while gritting her teeth.

As soon as the two overlords made it to the office, Zestial gave the woman a glare. "Yond wast uncalled for Carmilla."

"It is true. You've been prancing this girl around town like a pet, showing everyone one of your weak links and for what?" She questioned, "we both know there would be easier and safer ways to go about holding up your end of the deal."

"I hast mine own reasons for doing this," he argued back.

"What reasons? Because of your deal you can ask anything of this girl, there is no need to butter up to her so she'll agree to spy on the heavens for you. She'll HAVE to agree!" She took a few breaths to calm down. "As long as you haven't decided why you are doing all this, I can't support you. I won't do anything against you but I can't risk my people's and my safety for a plan you yourself may sabotage."

"Carmilla, I greatly appreciateth thy concern and opinion, however, this is the way I hath chosen to handle mine own planeth." Zestial stood up and made his way to the door. "So thee and I shall not beest meeting eachoth'r for a some timeth."

"Unfortunately yes," the other overlord agreed.

Y/n had been sitting on a small chair in the hallway, brooding. How dare that bitchy overlord woman call her a pet? Who does she think she is? It's true that Carmilla was smart, strong, powerful and a badass business woman... But still, she couldn't just talk to others that way! ....Or maybe she could? Y/n was in hell after all, things like equality and basic respect for others didn't exist here, something Zestial had shielded her from.

Such thoughts plagued the angel's mind

If he had been walking through the streets with Carmilla, all if this wouldn't be happening... Imagining Zestial and the other overlord walking around, laughing, going on outings, it twisted Y/n's stomach. It was the unfamiliar, sickening feeling of jealousy.

That's when Zestial appeared back in the hallway with a scowl on his face, one Y/n had been able to draw out many times with her stunts. However, unlike before, she felt something heavy on her heart.

"Alloweth us wend." Zestial didn't give her glance as left the building, assuming the angel would follow him, which she did.

The two walked the streets in silence. Before Y/n had wanted to propose going to that lovely park with the flowers again but she was afraid their moods would just sour the good memories she had there. Instead she just looked down at the pavement and wandered behind Zestial aimlessly.

The overlord was barely paying attention to where he was going. All he could focus on were Carmilla's words ringing in his ears. It's true that all of this could be done easier but going around town with y/n was a good way to build up trust and a relationship with her. That he needed because, well because...

He needed it. He decided, not letting himself ponder further on the subject, too afraid of what he would find. Instead he noticed the unusual lack of disruption from the angel.

Looking back, he noticed Y/n. She was looking sad, hiding under the cloak and big hood. Zestial could barely see the girl's face. Had Carmilla's comment really bothered her so?

"Doth not beest bothered, Y/N," he spoke up, "I doth not bethink of thee as a pet. Carmilla was simply trying to behold out for me and becameth a did bite too hostile towards thee in the processeth."

"So, you aren't mad at me?" She asked in almost a whisper.

"I couldst never be angry with thee."

Y/n's face lightened up after hearing that. "Really? That's a very dangerous statement you just made there," she taunted.

"I am sure." Zestial had a small but sincere smile on his face. "I doth not maketh false statements."

"Alright then mister tall, dark and spidery, I'm taking your hat!" She jumped up and tried to grab his hat but was unable to reach it.

"Absolutely not." Zestial commented as Y/n made several more attempts to reach it, all of which the overlord was able to avoid.

"What's with the stern tone? I thought you just said you would never get mad at me?" She smirked.

It was truly a sight to behold, first the two were almost dancing around each other as the anger was trying to steal his hat and now she was on her tippy toes staring up at him. The sight made Zestial's heart beat faster.

"No one hast did dare to challenge me in such ways thee doth." Zestial blushed slightly. "Thou art a truly daring creature, Y/n."

"It's called banter." Y/n was swiftly able to snatch the hat off as the overlord had put his guard down.

"Banter?"

"Yes, banter." The angel was adjusting the hat, fiddling with the hem and turning it slightly. "Maybe you should buy a dictionary."

Zestial chuckled at the way his hat was clearly too big for her. "I owneth enough dictionaries."

"A modern one, I mean."

"Anon, thou art very much pushing it."

Having noticed how tired Y/n was, the overlord decided to bring her back home. They had a long day and he had to work on a few of his papers again. Zestial had to admit, he had been neglecting his duties a bit.

Zestial was sitting in his office. The old clock on the wall read 3 am. It had been a while since he had to work this late but it was the price he had to pay for his daytime outings. It did give him time to reflect on the eventful day.

"Edward." The overlord called upon his contractee.

The small demon appeared immediately. "Yes, sir?"

"How is Y/n faring?"

"She ate well and is now sound asleep," he reported, "would you like me to wake her up?"

"Alloweth her to sleep" Zestial sighed, "prithee wend out and buyeth a dictionary for me."

"A dictionary?" Edward mumbled to himself. "A particular preference? I heard the Store for Old Books and Testaments has acquired an old dictionary."

"No, I wanteth a modern one."

"A mode-"

"Yes."

"I'll see to it sir."

Part 5 - unfinished

I was finally able to work in the title!!!

Masterlist/Request guidelines

Taglist: @sirenetheblogger

[prongsfish]

it took very little encouragement to convince me so as described in this post here is the fake aita post i wrote from barty's pov while writing call me fate, call me karma... this was all written in jest, i do not use reddit nor care at all to try make this realistic to anything ever <3 don't take anything too seriously.

tw // transphobic & homophobic slurs used by a hostile commenter who faces immediate backlash/punishment. slurs are both censored and target identities to which i as the author belong to.

WIBTA for questioning my GF's distant behaviour when she clearly doesn't want to talk about it? ESH, 1 Update, [THIS POST HAS BEEN LOCKED]

I (18M) have been with my girlfriend (18F) for over 3 years now, and we'd been close friends for 4 years before that. We go to a boarding school, and due to the girls in our house and year being shitty, she moved into the boy's dorm with our friend and I before we even got together, and we're in our last year of school now before we graduate. We practically spend all our time together and our relationship is very strong, we've avoided talking too much about plans after graduation because we both come from very restrictive families (Without going into too much detail, we both face very specific expectations for what our adult lives will look like) and our relationship is a secret from everyone but our close friends, but I can see myself spending the rest of my life with her. She's everything to me and I've always gotten the idea that she feels the same about me, and honestly, whatever she wants to do after we graduate, I'd follow her. I don't really care where I go/what I do as long as it means I'm with her. I can't imagine life without her.

Lately, she's been acting really strangely. I guess it started during exams, but that's normal for her. We're both pretty academic people but she especially devotes everything into her schoolwork, so it wasn't a surprise when she was distant in the lead-up to and in the midst of our final exams. She didn't talk much, and spent practically all of her waking time studying. (Side note, she did amazing on the exams. I'm super proud of her.)

After, though, she was still distant. She started receiving letters at breakfast which she'd quickly hide, and never read in front of anyone. Sometimes she'd excuse herself entirely from breakfast, assumedly to read them, and wouldn't eat at all. She's been antsy and visibly stressed more often than not. Like I mentioned before, she has a difficult family life, and I'm not surprised that she's nervous in the time leading up to graduation, but usually she'd talk to me at least a little about that sort of thing. Plus, I know what letters from her family look like, and these letters look nothing like anything she'd ever received before. She's been less physically affectionate than usual, and sometimes she shows up after disappearing randomly looking like she's just been crying. I'm really worried about her, but I know that if she wanted to talk to me about it, she would, and she's been insistently ignoring any indication of concern from our friends or I. Even the slightest questioning look, she completely shuts it down. I don't want to upset her by bringing it up, because that's not really the way we function as a couple, but I'm starting to feel hopeless. We don't really talk about our issues, and when we do "communicate" it's only ever when we argue about things. I'm also really worried that I've done something wrong, or that she doesn't want to stay with me. I don't want to admit it because it scares me too much, but I can't help the nagging fear in the back of my mind.

Basically, I'm trying to ask if I should mention it, or if I should wait for her to say something on her own? Something has to happen eventually, because we've both known at least with graduation that we do need to decide on what we're going to do with that, so maybe I should just wait for it all to come up. There's only a few more weeks until we're set to go home, so I could probably just hold on. It's just really worrying me and I don't know how much longer I can handle the uncertainty, and I don't want her to be struggling alone. Would I be TA for bringing it up?

(122 DOWN)

Sounds like you guys need to learn how to communicate, holy shit. (467 UP)

If you're just gonna be a dick I don't want to hear it. This is just how we function and we've been fine for years. (531 DOWN)

I don't think you'd be TA for bringing it up, but in general it sounds like your relationship is somewhat codependent. Your entire life shouldn't be reliant on what she wants to do, bro. Sounds like you need therapy. (271 UP)

Look, I just want to be with her, okay? I've never cared about what I do. I don't see the issue, you're all overreacting. (113 DOWN)

It sounds to me like she's cheating on you, dude. (364 UP)

Fuck you. You don't fucking know her. She wouldn't do that, and I don't like you suggesting that she would. I'd beat the shit out of you if I knew who you really were. (210 DOWN)

Looking through these replies, you're being super defensive. Maybe she has a perfectly innocent explanation, but the main theme here is that you both have some issues that you need to work through. This isn't a healthy way for either of you to live, I recommend individual and/or couples therapy for both if possible. (545 UP)

Whatever, man. Not the god damn point of this point. If I knew Reddit would be so useless I wouldn't have bothered posting here in the first place. (478 DOWN)

Update

Hahaaaaa!! Fuck you guys. Reddit is fucking useless, but I'm here because I want to shove it in the face of everyone who told me I was being cheated on. Fuck you!! You don't know shit about my relationship!! I don't need therapy, assholes!! Me and my boyfriend are perfectly okay the way we are!!! Yeah, that's right, boyfriend! He's just trans!! He realised it during exams and freaked out because he was worried about losing me but he didn't lose me because I don't give a fuck if he's a girl or a boy I wanna spend the rest of my life with him!! The letters were between him and his estranged brother (19M), who'd ran away a few years ago because he hated their family, but he's gay, and my boyfriend didn't know who else to reach out to. And he'd been crying all the time because he was dealing with fixing his relationship with his brother and he was scared of what would happen after he came out. I didn't even need to bring it up, he finally told me! He finally told his brother a few days ago after exchanging letters for a few weeks, and told me after getting a letter back from his brother accepting him. His parents wouldn't accept him, so we're discussing fucking off away from our families and moving in together. Like I told you guys, I'd do whatever as long as I could stay with him, so that's what we're doing! We might be moving in with his brother for a bit while we find somewhere to live, which will be interesting, because he doesn't know we're together, and he hates me, and i kinda hate him too still for abandoning my boyfriend, but I'm willing to give him another shot if my boyfriend is. Anyways we're doing better than ever and I gave him a haircut and he looks amazing, I love him so much.

(73 UP)

Happy for you and him both but that doesn't negate the fact that you both still need therapy. Especially if he has to cut his parents off because they wouldn't accept him. You didn't give many details, but if his brother ran away (assumedly as a minor) because of their parents, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that it was an abusive environment. Even if not, therapy is still good. (175 UP)

Why would he need therapy if he's literally cutting them off lol. They're gone now it doesn't even matter anymore. (313 DOWN)

I truly am glad that it worked out well between you guys but it's so crazy reading these and all your comments. I mean this in the best way possible, you are both mentally ill. Therapy is a good thing. Just try it. (231 UP)

Jfccc you guys worry too much. I shouldn't have even bothered with this update. (282 DOWN)

Got invested just to find out she's a delusional tr***y and you're a f****t, wow. (278 DOWN)

192.158.1.38, Mr. John Doe. 123 Maple Street. Anytown, PA 17101 (263 UP)

Thanks OP for doing the hard part of the work for me, a swat team is currently on route to his house. (182 UP)

Thanks, mate. I knew there had to be some decent people on this website. (101 UP)

[struggling-author]

Hey what are your avatar otps besides azulaang?

oh umm… I wouldn’t call them OTPs since that is exclusively Azulaang, but my bi Azula headcanon lives in a variety of ships. Azutara, Azuki, Maizula… not Tyzula tbh because that feels like… imbalanced? and not Tophzula because they are menace-besties but not romantic, but with any of the other girls I think it could be great. Azutara has the enemies to lovers from Azulaang but with more spice and less forgiveness, they‘d tear eachother apart first but that makes it even sweeter if they eventually fall in love. Azuki is kind of different because Suki is more rational and holds less of an emotional grudge, it‘d be difficult for Azula to earn her trust but she would not be openly hostile to her unless necessary. I imagine this one could only happen if Azula is already in the middle or post redemption though, because Suki would not put up with any EtL shit. I guess that is exactly why it intrigues me too, I feel Suki would be more willing to give Azula a chance, more than Katara for example, but at the same time it would be impossibly hard to win her trust and I‘d like to see if Zula can manage it. Lastly Maizula, and I prefer this one over Tyzula because I feel Mai is more capable of holding her own against Azula in a relationship. It’s a complicated version of childhood friends to lovers and I‘m kind of here for it. No idea how it would work though lol.

Aside from Azula ships, I think Zutara is pretty cool and works well alongside Azulaang. Kataang is kinda cool in theory too, but I don’t like shipping Aang with anyone except Azula, it feels wrong 🤷‍♂️ The only other Aang ship I can imagine liking is Zukaang, but I don’t talk about it much.

Oh and I have to give a shoutout to Sokkla, I don’t particularly vibe with it but they’re the sister ship to Azulaang and I do see the potential of the two genius strategists, so if Aang didn’t exist I would definitely ship Sokkla instead. Nothing but love to the comrades over there. 🫶🏼

edit: totally forgot this but I actually also love Tylaang aka Ty-Lee and Aang, it just has absolutely no fandom so it’s hard to get the ball rolling. I just feel they would be such a wholesome bubbly cute ship, and I dig the Ty-Lee airbender ancestry theory so she‘d love to learn all about airbender customs and they‘d have so much fun and probably a huge family 😅 anyway I think party of why I ship this is just because I think these two deserve the world and it represents my wish for them to be totally carefree and happy. you can also add Azula and make this a throuple, I think that would work because you have Tyzula as the polar opposites and Aang in the middle to bridge the gap.

speaking of throuples I enjoy the idea of… Azutaraang? (Azula/Katara/Aang) but it is very difficult to make work. The only way I can see it is if Azula and Katara fall in love first because nothing good could come of them fighting over Aang. or maybe I could see like a stranded on a deserted island AU where the three of them have to work together and learn to rely on eachother… idk, difficult but not impossible.

Oh and I love Zuki too (Zuko x Zuki) …damn I guess I do have quite a few non-Azulaang ships. anyway this is essentially a bodyguard AU and it’s actually my favorite Zuko ship (sorry Zutara) not much to say about it cuz I’ve barely engaged with it, but I love the idea and think they would just work really well together. I also can see this as a throuple with Sokka again. I don’t really vibe with Zukka on their own but if you add Suki then I love it, because Suki deserves two good boys and it’s more fun for everyone involved if those two good boys are in love with eachother too.

final edit hopefully: Sokka Azula Aang is good too, for the same reasons listed for Zuko Suki Sokka, I swear that’s it now. goodbye lol.

[parmawiolets]

Fruit Salad

Eddie Munson x fem!reader

Summary: Eddie Munson's ex-not-quite-girlfriend Hannah Newby is pregnant. But it's not his. And she won't say whose it is. Very slow burn. Exes to friends to (eventual) lovers.

A/N: This is my first ever fic! Thank you so so so much to @shybunnie20 for being absolutely wonderful and helping me so much. Definitely go check out her work, she's amazing.

Contents: No upside down. Pregnancy. Reader is called Hannah because I didn't want to use Y/N but no physical description of reader (so maybe an OC? I don't know). Bob is her dad, because I love him. The Byers are still in Hawkins because I love them too.

Word count: 6.3K

Next chapter

Chapter 1: Apple

Eddie finds out Hannah is pregnant and decides he wants to help.

September 1st, 1985 - 15 weeks pregnant

—

"She's WHAT!?"

Eddie smacks the cafeteria table as his front chair legs hit the floor from where he's been rocking back on it, not paying any attention to his friends until he heard that.

"Pregnant," Gareth repeats. "Hannah Newby's pregnant."

"Hey, didn't you two-" Jeff is cut off by the screech of chair legs across the floor as Eddie scrambles away and out the door.

The boys left behind look at each other; wide eyed and grimacing.

—

Five minutes later, Eddie is sweet talking Mrs Jennings in the school office. He can be really charming if he wants to be. Sometimes.

His uncle Wayne has always told him that office administrators are the ones with the real power. They can be your best friend, or they can make your life incredibly difficult. Keep them on side.

It's the first day of the new school year - Eddie's third attempt at graduating. Eddie still knew Hannah's schedule from last year, but that didn't help him now. He didn’t even know where her locker would be.

"Now, you let me know if you want me to take another look at your car sometime. Can't have my favourite person at this school breaking down on the way here! This place would fall apart without you." Eddie leans on the desk with a winning, dimple-filled smile.

"Oh, you are still such a nice boy, Eddie Munson." Mrs Jennings reaches out and pinches his cheek.

"Psh," Eddie waves her off bashfully. "Only to you, Mrs Jennings."

She tuts playfully at him and slides some papers across the desk. "Here you go, but remember, don't go telling anyone where you got that."

Eddie grabs it and clutches it to his chest. "Our little secret." He whispers and gives her a wink before he saunters away.

As soon as he’s out of sight, Eddie frantically scans the paper, and rushes off down the hallway. He rounds a corner and bounces off Connor Cunningham amongst a gaggle of jocks, all dressed in their green-sleeved jackets.

“Woah there.” Connor catches Eddie before he topples backwards. He is by far the nicest of the basketball team; meaning he doesn’t contribute to any of the bullying, just watches it happen.

Jason steps up and grips Eddie by the collar, shoving him away. “Watch it, freak!”

Eddie stumbles around them and carries on running down the corridor.

—

"No way! I didn't think it was really true!"

"She doesn't look pregnant. Are you sure she didn't just put on weight?"

"Does anyone know whose it is yet?"

Jules stands like a guard dog next to Hannah digging through her locker. She glares at everyone walking past who is whispering and gawking. Jules isn’t naturally intimidating, but maybe it’s someone usually so relaxed seeming so hostile that sends people scurrying along. 

She takes a moment to survey her best friend. Jules wants to know how Hannah is feeling, but knows her well enough to know she won’t say if asked. Ten years of friendship means that Jules is generally pretty attuned to Hannah’s emotions even when she tries to mask them. But right now, she’s shoved them so far down, Jules can’t tell what’s going on in her head.

Just as Jules is about to ask, she sees Eddie Munson hurrying towards them over Hannah’s shoulder. She coughs, “Incoming.” Nodding towards him. “You gonna be ok?”

Hannah nods and flashes her a tight smile. 

Jules hesitates; she wants to comfort Hannah in some way, but knows that anything she tries right now will just overwhelm her. Instead, she attempts a smile in return and walks away in the opposite direction to Eddie. 

Hannah takes a steadying breath and closes her locker door just as Eddie comes up beside her, shoulders tense and eyes wide with panic.

"It's not yours, Eddie." She glances up at him. "You can unclench."

"Oh," he sags and leans back against the wall of lockers, then perks straight back up again. "Are you sure? How far along are you?"

"Nearly 4 months. Fifteen weeks. Doctor says it's the size of an apple.” Hannah shakes her head. “I was already pregnant when we started hooking up." She ducks her head and focuses on her fingers fidgeting with a battered book spine. "I didn't know. I'm sorry." 

Still refusing to look at him, Hannah walks around Eddie. He stares at the spot she was standing for a moment before moving in front of her again.

"Wait, is this why you dumped me?"

Hannah stares at him incredulously; "I didn't- We weren't-" She sighs. "Yes, Eddie. This is why I stopped hanging out with you."

Eddie looks at her, studying her face for a moment. Her figure and her face are maybe a little fuller, the only visual indication he can see of her pregnancy. He thinks she looks as beautiful as ever, but stressed and tired. The usual crinkle between her brows seems almost fixed in place.

"You've got history now, right?" Eddie swoops in and snatches the books from her arms, grinning at her. "Come on." He cocks his head down the hall and starts walking backwards away from her.

"Wha- what are you- Eddie, give me those!"

"Nuh-uh! You can't be carrying things when you're pregnant!" 

"HEAVY things Eddie! I'm sure I'm fine carrying two books!" 

"Best not to risk it. Come on!"

—

"How long do you think until she doesn’t even fit in the seat?"

"It's Munson's, right? It's got to be. They were all over each other at the end of last year."

"My mom warned me not to be friends with her."

Hannah sits through her history class staring straight ahead, determinedly ignoring her classmates and counting down the minutes to the end. The only saving grace is Mr Wilson. He has always been Hannah’s favourite teacher: stern, but kind, with a wicked sense of humour he'll share with you if he likes you. Mr Wilson seems to realise that Hannah isn’t entirely present, but thankfully decides to leave her be for now.

The lesson finally comes to a close, and the students start gathering their belongings and making their way to the door. Hannah takes her time as she has no desire to be engaged in conversation by any of her fellow classmates. And it’s not like she can outrun them.

“Miss Newby?” Mr Wilson peers over his glasses. “Can I keep you for a moment?”

Mr Wilson is a lanky man in his late 40s and has been teaching his whole adult life. He has seen everything. Not surprised anymore by anything students do. Just sometimes which student did it.

“So,” Mr Wilson starts once they are alone. “Are you ok?”

Hannah’s head shoots up from where she had been eyeballing the floor. “What?”

“I’m guessing this wasn’t what you had planned for your senior year and I know this can’t be easy. People can be shit.” Hannah’s eyebrows raise at her teacher’s profanity. “I just want you to know that you can come to me if you need anything. I mean it. Academic or otherwise. I will help you.”

Hannah blinks. "Thank you." 

"Go on." He nods towards the door with a friendly smile. "Get."

As Hannah leaves the classroom frowning at the floor, she sees a pair of familiar Reeboks approach. Her gaze follows as her books are lifted from her arms again and she's met with the dimples of a smiling Eddie Munson.

"Hi there sweetheart. How was history?"

"Are you seriously not going to let me carry any books the whole time I'm pregnant?" Hannah's frown deepens. Eddie's smile only grows.

"Nope." Popping the p. "Art next, yeah?" 

Hannah squints at him, but follows down the hallway with a huff. "What, have you been buttering up Mrs Jennings again?"

"Sorry, can't reveal my sources."

"Well that means yes."

"I am sworn to secrecy! You will never get it out of me!" 

Eddie looks over at Hannah with a dazzling grin. She's still frowning, but there's a little sparkle in her eyes. Eddie thinks he would do just about anything to see that sparkle. 

That's how it goes for the rest of the day. Hannah stoically ignores her fellow students during class, then Eddie meets her outside her classroom and carries her few books as he escorts her to the next one. 

When Hannah exits her penultimate lesson of the day and she is greeted yet again by Eddie Munson's doe eyes, she finally asks what's been bugging her all day: "How are you even doing this? How do you get to my classrooms so quickly from yours?"

Eddie leans in conspiratorially. "That's for me to know, and you to figure out, sweetheart."

She narrows her eyes and points a finger in his face, making him recoil slightly; bemused. "Give me time."

Eddie lets out a booming laugh at that, and follows Hannah to her locker.

Eddie leans against the locker next to Hannah's. "How do you know it's an apple?"

"Hm?” Hannah is struggling with a giant sketchbook.

"This morning you said the baby is the size of an apple. How do you know?" Eddie guides Hannah out of the way and pulls the sketchbook free.

"The doctor gave me this chart that tells you the size of the baby each week and it has comparative fruits on it. This week it's an apple." Hannah shrugs. "Next week it's an avocado."

"Is that a fruit?" Eddie scrunches his face, puzzled.

Hannah shrugs again and starts towards her classroom. Eddie bounds after her.

"Hey,” Eddie nudges her shoulder with his. “You'll never guess what Jeff did." 

"What?" Hannah is watching him out of the corner of her eye, careful to keep her expression blank at his antics.

"Don't ask why. Maybe he had an itch, maybe he was just curious, who knows. But he stuck the end of his pencil up his nose, and when he took it out, the eraser got left behind!"

"Ew." Hannah wrinkles her nose.

"I know! But it gets worse."

"How?!" Hannah finally turns to him as they come to a stop outside their destination.

"He sneezed and it shot out.” Eddie cackles. “Hit Carver in the back of the head!"

Hannah snorts, then smacks her hand over her mouth, mortified. She grabs her book out of Eddie's arms then flees through the classroom door, waving over her shoulder without looking back.

Eddie is thrilled. 

"See you after class!" he calls out to her retreating figure, chuckling fondly to himself.

But when Hannah exits her last lesson of the day, Eddie is nowhere to be seen.

Hannah looks up and down the corridor, but still no Eddie. She knows she shouldn’t be disappointed; she shouldn't expect this of him when he doesn’t owe her anything. So she makes her way to her locker and takes out her backpack. 

Just as she is closing the door, Eddie slams up against the lockers next to her, panting.

"Sorry." Deep breath. "Mrs O'Donnell." Wheeze. "She hates me."

"Still? You'd have thought she'd've gotten used to you by now." 

Eddie squints up at her from where he's hunched over. "Rude." 

He heaves himself upright with a groan and grabs the belongings from her hands. Eddie looks her over, and shakes his head. “You know this stuff is supposed to go on the paper, right?” He rubs at some charcoal on Hannah’s cheek with his thumb.

Hannah’s face flushes. “Shut up.” She swats his hand away and buffs her cheek with the heel of her hand.

Eddie grins. He’s delighted at affecting her, but takes pity on her and changes the subject. "Is your dad picking you up or is Jules giving you a ride home?"

"Jules is doing an art thing."

"Already? It's the first day of school, can't the girl take a break?"

Hannah shrugs and starts walking.

"So where are you meeting your dad?" Eddie follows.

"He's working."

"Joyce?"

"They broke up."

"Oh, that’s too bad - wait, I don't understand. How are you planning on getting home?"

"The bus."

Eddie stops. Holding his arm out in front of Hannah to halt her too. She scowls down at his arm in front of her then lifts her gaze to his.

Eddie splutters. "Are you kidding me?! Do you know how disgusting those things are? You're pregnant! Absolutely not. No. Not happening."

"Eddie-"

"No." He turns her to face him and holds her by the shoulders. "There is no way in hell I am letting you get on that germ infested tin can."

She squirms out of his grasp. "As opposed to your germ infested tin can."

"I'm giving you a ride, ok?"

"Eddie-"

"Ok?"

"Ed-"

"Please, Han?"

She looks at him for a moment. Then huffs, rolling her eyes. "Fine."

"Thank you."

—

They're at a stoplight and Eddie is rifling through the glovebox, leaning across the centre console and Hannah's knees with his tongue poking out in concentration. Hannah's gaze travels over his face, chewing her bottom lip as she studies him.

"Aha!" Eddie holds up a cassette tape in triumph, startling Hannah. "Sorry." Eddie immediately looks sheepish.

Hannah tries to get a look at the tape, but Eddie is waving it around too much before he puts it on to play. 

Twangy guitar and a slow, steady drum beat fill the van as Eddie drives away. Hannah's head whips around to stare at Eddie, eyebrows shooting up her forehead before furrowing.

"The Chain?"

"It's your favourite song." Eddie shrugs, stealing a glance at her. Hannah sharply turns back to the windshield, but not before Eddie sees her bite down on the twitching corners of her mouth. Eddie's cheeks hurt, he’s smiling so wide.

Listen to the wind blow, watch the sun rise

Running in the shadows, damn your love, damn your lies

Eddie is slamming his palms on the wheel to the beat. He glances over and sees that Hannah's knee is bobbing along too. She doesn't even seem to be conscious of it. Eddie joins in with the next part of the song.

And if you don't love me now

You will never love me again

I can still hear you saying

You would never break the chain

"Come on sweetheart, you know you want to!" 

But Hannah turns further away, leaning her elbow on the passenger side window and covering the lower part of her face with her hand. This only encourages Eddie. He belts it out even louder.

And if you don't love me now

You will never love me again

I can still hear you saying

You would never break the chain

"You're a terrible singer, Eddie."

He cackles. "You're a terrible liar, Hannah."

"I think you're confused. It's humility that's a virtue; not wild unapologetic arrogance." She still hasn't turned away from the window.

"Good thing I have no interest in virtuosity." He keeps glancing at her.

"I don't think that's a word." 

"It's definitely a word, sweetheart." 

Eddie thinks Hannah is smiling behind her hand. He can hear it in her voice, even if she won't let him see it.

The chorus is coming up again.

"Come on," Eddie bumps Hannah's bicep gently with a closed fist. "Sing with me."

“Fuck off.”

Eddie runs his hand down her arm until he circles her wrist and tugs gently. He sings along softly this time, even as the music ramps up.

Hannah doesn't turn to face him, but peeks over out of the corner of her eye. She realises her mistake immediately when she sees his face. Those big brown eyes looking at her. Pleading with her.

She lets out a long, drawn out groan. The chorus is going round again. Hannah sings along too this time; much quieter than Eddie.

Eddie pulls up outside Hannah's house and throws the van into park, turning in his seat and pulling her to face him too. They're both shouting out the words this time, Eddie grinning wildly and Hannah's face scrunched.

And if you don't love me now

You will never love me again

I can still hear you saying

You would never break the chain

They're both breathing heavily; faces close, looking at each other as the bass line stretches out and the music starts to build again.

Eddie glances down to her lips. Just for a split second. But Hannah sees, and snaps back; away from him, out of the moment. 

"Thanks for the ride."

"Yeah, of- of course."

"Bye, Eddie." She's already out of the van and closing the door, giving him a small wave.

"Bye." But the door is already shut. And Hannah is already halfway up the path. 

"Shit. Wait!" Eddie kills the ignition, cutting off the music. He fumbles with his door and practically falls out of his van, scrambling to get to her.

"Nice landing."

Eddie's head shoots up. Hannah is standing by her open front door, but she is waiting.

"It's all about the recovery, sweetheart." 

"And when does that happen?" 

"Oof! Hit me where it hurts, Han!" He clutches at his heart. She rolls her eyes. There's that sparkle again.

But it's gone in an instant. As if she's remembered a reason not to.

"You wanted something?"

"Yes. Yeah," he swipes his hands on his jeans. When did they get so sweaty?

"How are you getting to school tomorrow?"

"Jules said she'd pick me up."

"Ok. Good. Great. Just… Please promise me you won't get the bus? I will give you a ride any time. Really. No bus."

An eye roll. "Sure."

"Promise?"

A sigh. "Yes, Eddie. I promise. No bus."

"Thank you."

A pause. "Do you think you could drive me home again tomorrow? Jules said her art thing might be a few days this week."

"Yes! I can do that." Eddie grins at her, and turns back to the van.

"Eddie?" Quieter this time.

"Yeah?"

Hannah furrows her brow and fixates on her feet. "People are going to… think it's yours." She glances up at him. "Don't you mind?"

"Sweetheart, I couldn't give less of a shit what this town thinks of me. Especially if it means I get to spend time with you."

She wrinkles her nose at him. "Gross."

Eddie cackles. "See you tomorrow, sweetheart."

—

Eddie is early to school the next day. He can't remember when he was last on time, let alone early. He sits on top of one of the picnic tables between the parking lot and the front entrance; smoking, legs bouncing. Waiting for Hannah.

Eddie finishes his cigarette and is debating lighting up another one when he sees Jules' car pull into the lot.

"Jules, please just drop it." Hannah slams the car door after her and walks off, only to stop when she locks eyes with Eddie. He gives her a smile and a small wave as he jumps off the table.

"Han, come on. I'm not trying to upset you." Jules catches up to Hannah and grabs her arm to turn her around. "You know I'm just worried."

"Yeah, I get it. You just," Hannah looks around and lowers her voice. "You know you can't say anything."

Jules sighs. "I know." She pulls Hannah into a hug. "I don't like it, but I know."

Hannah melts into the hug for a moment, before wriggling out of it. "Get off me, you loser."

Jules snorts. "Right, sorry. I forgot. Can't have people thinking you're actually a giant teddy bear."

"Fuck off."

Jules laughs and they make their way towards the school. She spots Eddie and nudges Hannah with her shoulder. "Your boy's waiting." 

"Fuck. Off." Hannah scrunches her face and pushes Jules towards the main entrance, walking over to Eddie.

"Love you too, see you later!"

"Yeah, whatever."

Eddie is rocking on his heels with his hands in his pockets, looking bashful. "Hi."

"Hi." Hannah looks at him with a soft, curious expression. "You gonna be my errand boy again today?" 

"Yes. Definitely. Absolutely. Here, let me…" Eddie slides Hannah's bag off her shoulder and hoists it over his own.

"Thanks." 

Hannah seems softer today, like she used to be with him. He loved that about her. Around most people, she was spiky and hard to reach. She often didn't like too much affection; would feel like she was choking on it and push you away. But she appreciated the little things. He could build up to it, make her gooey and pliable. She would melt into him and he would be allowed to shower her with affection, and she would give it right back. 

Hannah is looking at his right hand holding her backpack strap. She reaches up and touches the lone ring there, a small smile flickering on her face.

He's probably pushing his luck, but he wants to try. With the arm hanging by his side, Eddie brushes his hand against hers, watching her face carefully. She doesn't recoil; her small smile solidifies. So Eddie momentarily links his pinky finger with hers and squeezes. 

Hannah squeezes back. 

—

Eddie is waiting opposite Hannah's 4th period biology class. The class is letting out, but he hasn't seen her yet.

"She's not here." 

Eddie startles at Connor Cunningham coming up and talking to him, from a glance he thought it was Jason Carver. It always unnerves Eddie how similar the two jocks look; only Connor’s hazel eyes and strawberry blond distinguishing him from Jason. Both of them the cookie-cutter American teen dream.

"What?"

"Hannah. She's not here. She left like halfway through class. I think she was trying to hide it but it looked like she was crying."

"Shit, really?" Eddie looks around frantically.

"Her stuff is still in there. She spoke to Ms Petrelli before she left, maybe she knows?"

"Yeah, thanks." Eddie calls out, already walking into the classroom. Ms Petrelli, an older woman, is tidying up around her desk when she sees Eddie.

"Mr Munson, can I help you?"

"Hannah. Do you know where she went? I can take her stuff to her." Already making his way to the only desk still with belongings.

"She rushed out of here earlier. Said she needed to go to the nurse. Usually, of course, I don't allow-"

Eddie stops listening. He gathers Hannah's things and races back out into the crowded hallway. Shouting a loud "thanks" back to the teacher.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Ugh, probably running to his baby mama."

"Freak."

"Didn't you hear? Apparently…"

Eddie isn't paying attention to who he bumps into, or what abuse they're hurling at him for doing so. He just needs to know Hannah is ok.

Finally, he stumbles into the nurse's office, chest heaving from his run.

Hannah looks up as the door slams open with wide, teary eyes. "Eddie?"

"Sweetheart," he puts Hannah's books down on a table and crouches down in front of her. "What happened?"

"Nothing, it's stupid." Hannah swipes at her cheeks.

"Hey, if it made you cry, it's not stupid." Eddie wraps a hand around her ankle and strokes his thumb along the bone.

"No, it's definitely stupid. And now I'm crying more because I cried over something stupid."

Eddie's eyes flit back and forth, trying to follow. He shakes his head. "Huh?"

"She's hormonal." The school nurse drones, walking in from an adjoining office, perusing some papers.

"I really hate that word." Hannah scowls at her.

"You're pregnant, and you cried over bunnies. What would you call that, dear?"

"You cried over bunnies?" Eddie's eyebrows are up in his bangs. 

Hannah's scowl turns to him. He holds his hands up in surrender.

“Let me know when you’re ready to go back to class.” The nurse doesn’t look up from her paperwork as she walks back into her office.

Hannah groans and buries her face in her palms. "We were learning about the food chain and Ms Petrelli was using foxes and rabbits as an example. There was a picture in the textbook. It upset me, ok? I'm hormonal, I get it!" Her words are muffled.

“Hey, come on.” Eddie coos, trying to suppress a giggle, he gently pulls at her wrists to claim her hands in his. “What can I do to make this better? What do you need?”

Hannah’s looks at Eddie with glassy eyes, her eyebrows pulled up in the middle as she stutters. “I don’t know.” Tears start to spill over her cheeks.

“Ok, sorry, how about some options?”

Hannah sniffs.

“Food? Sleep? Water? A hug?”

Hannah shifts in her seat, not looking Eddie in the eye. 

Eddie runs his thumbs over her knuckles. “Please tell me, Han.”

“Can you- Please don’t make a big deal of this.”

“Cross my heart.”

“Can you give me a hug?”

Eddie tries not to show how thrilled he is as he stands up, knees clicking. He pulls Hannah into his chest and wraps his arms tight around her.

The pair sway a little on the spot, Eddie laying his cheek on the top of Hannah's head. He smiles as he feels her slowly start to relax.

"Better?"

Hannah hums in response.

"You want to get some food? That's a pregnancy thing, right? Cravings?"

Hannah hums again, her face still buried in Eddie's chest.

"Ok, options… burger, fries, bacon, milkshake-" He feels Hannah perk up in his arms. "Alright then, milkshakes." He smiles down at her warmly.

Eddie reluctantly peels himself away from Hannah, his hands on her shoulders, ducks his head down to hers and grins eagerly. "Let's get out of here." 

Hannah takes a deep breath and smiles shyly in response. "Does Benny still do those Oreo milkshakes?" 

"I don't think they're on the menu anymore, but he likes you. More than he likes me anyway. So he might if you asked." They start walking.

Hannah rolls her eyes. "He likes me more than you because I don't have ketchup fights in his diner." 

"I think you'll find I was on team mustard." Eddie raises his chin haughtily. "And really, he should blame you for leaving us unsupervised."

Hannah gapes at him; indignant. "I was in the bathroom for five minutes! You are not pinning that on me." She gives his shoulder a shove and marches away.

Eddie stops for a moment in the middle of the hallway, watching after her with a dopey expression.

Hannah calls back over her shoulder, “Are you coming or what? You promised milkshakes.”

—

The ride to Benny’s is quiet, Fleetwood Mac playing softly through the speakers again. When they pull up to the diner, Eddie jumps out and rushes around the front of the van to open the passenger side door before Hannah has even gotten her seatbelt off. He holds out a hand for her to take and helps her jump down.

Hannah thanks him. “You know you can listen to your music, right? It’s your van.”

Eddie shrugs. “Babies can hear stuff from out here, can’t they? I figured you’d want to indoctrinate them to Stevie Nicks ASAP.”

Hannah touches her belly and looks down at it, frowning. “I think they might still be too young. I don’t know if they even have ears yet.” Hannah ponders. “But you’re right about starting their musical education early.” She tugs lightly at Eddie’s jacket sleeve. Eddie smiles to himself, he recognises one of her small affections.

They reach the door, and Eddie holds it open for Hannah, bowing deeply as she passes through. Hannah scoffs as she passes but thanks him.

“Hi Benny.”

The diner owner looks up from where he’s standing at the cash register. “Haven’t seen you two in a while. Figured you’d broken up.”

Hannah skids her shoes against the floor; Eddie scratches the back of his neck. The awkward silence stretches out painfully.

“Right…” Benny draws out the word and grins wickedly. He is basking in their discomfort. “What’ll it be?”

Eddie looks at Hannah pointedly. She narrows her eyes at him, but steps forward. “Any chance of two Oreo milkshakes?” She smiles in faux sweetness. 

“Those aren’t on the menu anymore.”

“I know, but they were just so good. The best milkshakes ever. Better than any milkshake anyone has ever-”

“Alright, alright. If that’s what it takes to shut you up.” Benny frowns at Hannah, but there’s warmth behind it. “Anything else?”

Hannah thinks for a moment, swaying her head from side to side. “Onion rings, please. Oh, and cheese fries. And some bacon. Please.” Hannah looks embarrassed as she looks to Eddie, but he winks at her; pleased that she’s letting go a little.

“Cheeseburger and fries please, Benny.”

Benny shoos them away to a booth where they sit opposite each other. Eddie splays his hands on the table between them and looks up at Hannah. “So I was doing some math earlier.”

Hannah is looking at Eddie’s ringed fingers, trying (and failing) to be discreet about it. One of her hands starts creeping across the table top. “In math class?”

Eddie is trying not to smile; trying not to show that he has noticed her movements. He doesn’t want to spook her. “Uh, no actually. In geography.”

“Oh?” Her hand reaches his and she starts pulling at his rings and twisting them around his fingers.

“You said 4 months, right?”

Hannah stops her fiddling and looks up at Eddie. He winces.

“Um, yeah. Nearly. Fifteen weeks.” She pulls back to her side of the table and tucks her hands under her thighs. 

Eddie curses himself and reaches after her. He didn’t mean to make her retreat again. “Han, I’m sorry, I don’t want to talk about anything you’re not comfortable with. We can talk about something else.”

“No,” Hannah shakes her head. “I’m not uncomfortable. It’s just…” she exhales and grimaces. “I’m not exactly happy about this whole thing, you know.”

Eddie makes a sympathetic noise, then leans back in his seat as Benny arrives with a tray full of food and milkshakes. Hannah brightens up immediately; her eyes shining.

Benny distributes the food on the table with a grunt and walks back to his position in the kitchen.

Hannah springs forward the second he leaves and grabs her milkshake. Her eyes roll back as she slurps through the straw.

Eddie beams and grabs his own. Giving Benny a thumbs up as he drinks.

Hannah hums happily as she digs into her various plates; wiggling in her seat slightly. Eddie watches her fondly. He knows she doesn’t always like showing how she feels; being vulnerable. But he wants her to feel safe with him and open up, like she did before.

Hannah pauses her munching, her eyes flitting from fries to milkshake. She picks up a fry, dunks it in her milkshake, and quickly shoves it in her mouth. Eddie chokes on his own food as Hannah lets out a loud moan. 

“Oh my god, you have to try this.” She dunks another fry and holds it out for Eddie, waving it in his face when he doesn’t move.

“Uhh, I’m alright sweetheart. You have it.”

Hannah shrugs and pops it in her own mouth. “Your loss.”

“So have you had much of that? Weird food cravings?”

“I don’t think I’ve really had any.” Hannah picks up an onion ring this time, and gleefully dunks and eats it. “Mmpf. You sure you don’t want to try this?” 

“I’m sure, thanks though.” Eddie hides his smirk behind his burger.

Eddie takes a large bite, and talks through his chewing, “What about nausea? Morning sickness. That’s a thing, right?”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, you pig.” Hannah throws a cheesy fry at him. Eddie jumps to try and catch it in his mouth, but misses. Hannah stifles a snort. "Yeah I had some morning sickness, but that stopped a few weeks ago thankfully. I had a lot of heartburn too, that's-"

"You're going to have a hairy baby." Eddie mumbles through his mouthful again.

Hannah stops. A milkshake coated onion ring halfway to her mouth. "Excuse me?"

Eddie swallows thickly. He doesn't know if the lump in his throat is from the burger or the way Hannah is looking at him like he's lost his mind. He rushes through his explanation: "You remember Nanny Pat? The nice old lady a few trailers down from me. Well, her daughter is pregnant too. Every time now, when I take over her weekly shop, she'll tell me all about how excited she is to be a real grandmother and tell me how the pregnancy is going. She said that her daughter had loads of heartburn, so that means her baby is going to have loads of hair!"

Hannah hasn't moved. Melted milkshake is running down her thumb. "You do her shopping every week?" 

Eddie flushes, bright pink. "No." He scoffs.

A blinding smile spreads across Hannah's face and a short laugh bursts free. Eddie is awestruck. 

Hannah scoops up the milkshake on her hand with her other index finger. She leans over the table and boops his nose, smearing it on the tip. "You big softie!" She stage-whispers, sitting back with a giggle. Eddie splutters and swipes at his nose with the back of his hand.

"Anyway," she guzzles her milkshake, trying to fight back her smile. "I don't think that's true. How would that work?" She mulls it over, finally putting the onion ring in her mouth. "I don't think those two bits of you are even connected." 

"I dunno. You're talking to Hawkins' resident super super senior, so…." He shrugs.

Hannah throws another fry at Eddie and it hits him in the face. He looks at her, affronted. She glares back. "You're not stupid, Eddie."

"Mrs O'Donnell would disagree with you, sweetheart."

"Yeah, well she's an asshole."

He snorts. "You're not wrong." 

Eddie stirs his milkshake with the straw; staring. Wondering how to ask his real questions. Whose baby is it? Why aren't they here looking after her? Will she let Eddie look after her? Or at least try?

He looks up at Hannah. She seems to be just as stuck in her own head, her gaze burning a hole in her cheese fries. She seems so totally lost in thought that Eddie is startled when she speaks softly.

"You don't have to do this, you know." Hannah sighs and fiddles with her plate, but still doesn't look up. "You don't… It's not yours. You don't owe me anything." 

"I'm here because I want to be."

"But, why?" She finally looks up at him. "Doesn't it bother you that I got knocked up by someone else? That I was pregnant the whole time we were together?"

Eddie considers his words and speaks carefully. "Han, the only thing that bothers me about all of this, is that whoever it was has left you to deal with it on your own."

Hannah is visibly upset and squirms in her seat. "That's not… That’s not true." She shakes her head. "I have my dad, and Jules."

Eddie's voice is still soft, "That's not what I mean, and you know it." 

"I can't-" Hannah takes a shuddering breath. "Fuck these hormones!" She hisses and presses the heels of her hands to her eyes. "I don't know what you want from me, Eddie."

"Just the pleasure of your company, sweetheart."

"This isn't a fucking joke!" Hannah slaps the table as her voice rings out in the diner, the other patrons give her disapproving looks. She looks sheepish, and continues in a whisper. "I'm scared, Eddie. I have no control over any of this and I don't know what I'm doing." Her eyes are glassy. "I can't- we can't…" 

"Hey, hey, I'm sorry." Eddie reaches out and places his hand on her side of the table. "It was a bad joke, but it's true, Han, I promise." He ducks his head to catch Hannah's eye. "I'm not here to try anything. I'm here because I like spending time with you, regardless of what we are to each other." Eddie smiles at her encouragingly. "I am more than happy to be your friend. And your errand boy." 

Hannah lets out a wet laugh and wipes her eyes. 

A mischievous look comes over Eddie’s face. He shuffles out of the booth and drops to his knees on the floor next to Hannah, holding his hands in a plea in front of him. “Please Han,” Eddie declares, loudly. “Please will you let me be your servant for the next 5 to 6 months?!”

“Oh my god you need to stop!” Hannah jerks away, clambering to the other end of the seat. Eddie crawls up onto the seat after her. “No! No no no! Get away!” She pushes him away with a hand to the face.

“Please? PLEASE, Hannah!” 

“Get the fuck away from me, asshole!”

Eddie throws his head back and cackles, still advancing.

“WHAT do you idiots think you’re doing?!”

Hannah and Eddie freeze at Benny’s booming voice. They scramble to sit on the bench properly; backs straight and eyes wide as they peer over at him as they both mumble, “Sorry Benny.”

Benny curses and slams back into the kitchen, grumbling about “stupid teenagers”.

Hannah stifles a snort and slides down in her seat. Eddie giggles and looks down at her with pure adoration. Hannah shifts slightly and nudges her head against his bicep. His heart leaps at the small show of intimacy. He decides right then: He can wait for her.

Next chapter

[bright-eyed-sinner]

7/1/2025 Looking Back (cw for profanity, mentions of abuse and mental illness) It feels so weird that I've been practicing magic for going on eight years now. I began when I was thirteen, writing my bullies' names on black construction paper to burn, hiding my wand-carving from my parents by trying to nick my dad's sandpaper, and surreptitiously making notes on Tarot on the computers at school. It was difficult.

Over these eight years, of course, improvements have been made, lessons have been learned. I've discovered much of my personal philosophy, learned about social issues affecting my craft that were ... not particularly apparent in rural Idaho, let's say. I've made friends and found mentors, honored and eventually outgrew relationships with many gods and spirits. I've also thought I was going mad, I've built and broken trust with people over this strange and impossible part of my life, and I've refused to retain lessons that needed to be learned. It's been chaos, and it's been wonder, and it's been beautiful and agonizing.

And every time I think I have it, I know what to do, I've got The Solution, I realize just how little I actually know. I struggle to read in a way I didn't used to do. I struggle to listen in a way I always have. And that means that, now more than ever, I struggle to learn. Not encouraging- because, now more than ever, I need to be learning. The world has gotten scarier for everyone around me, and I've been callous and uncaring, at times. I was kept in a cage as a kid. I had my imagination beaten out of me by the time I was seven, was locked in the dark until I was ten, and had to dodge blows from people who said they loved me until I was eighteen. I've done fucked-up things and I've been fucked over a lot. And I've gotten out of that shit alive, sometimes even better for it. For me, the 'state of the world' today is just... Tuesday. So when people talk like we're facing the end of the world, I have a hard time justifying panic, because I've already been through as much shit as a person should have to handle- what's a little more hiding in fear, facing hostility, being uncertain of my next meal? C'est la vie! But that's not the point, that's never been the point. I've gotten so used to fighting that I forget that it's not everyone's norm, and it shouldn't be anyone's problem. So I stopped listening. And now that I have a life I love, with a partner I love and a fluffy child, fairly stable quarters and meals, I have to remind myself to have some perspective. It's been magic, wits, trade and compromise that brought me here, as I am. Those are the tools of the desperate, really.

I think I've been leading up to this for a while. I chose to be kind in a cruel world, but I also chose to demand a return on that kindness without asking myself why the world was cruel in the first place. I've been practicing magic for eight years, and it's gotten me farther than I dreamed was possible. So far that I lost sight of why I needed to use it at all.

I'm posting this in the hope that it helps. If you use magic as a tool against hardship, I'm with you. If you need to learn how to learn again, you aren't alone. If you often feel robbed of your empathy, it IS possible to get better. Practice makes perfect. All my love, Fairchilde

[neodymiumcuilz]

Hey Dear.

Im Ashleyphil and i hope you’re doing well. I wanted to reach out and share a bit about what’s happening with us as LGBTQ refugees here in sudan. Life has been incredibly tough we’re facing daily attacks from a hostile community, starvation due to lack of food, and illnesses like malaria and cholera because of poor living conditions.

We’ve GoFundMe campaign to help us survive:

https://gofund.me/4d80b32c.

Right now, our main priorities are food and safety.

I know times are hard for everyone, but if you’re able to donate or share the link, it would mean the world to us. Even the smallest amount makes a big difference.

Thank you so much for your kindness and support it truly gives us strength to keep going.

Take care,

Ashleyphil

Well now is your chance! I am reaching you on behalf of @ashleymilesphil who is asking for help. They are raising funds for LGBTQ+ refugees, and right now their priorities are food and saftey.

"My name is Calvin Phil. I am a queer refugee from Uganda, and I’m fighting every day just to stay alive. Being LGBTIQ in Uganda means living in constant fear. Fear of being hunted, beaten, and killed. I narrowly escaped death after surviving a brutal attack, simply because of who I am.In 2019, I fled to Kenya, hoping for safety, but life in Kakuma Refugee Camp wasn’t any better. For nearly five years, I lived in constant danger, facing beatings, threats, and relentless persecution. The violence never stopped.

Earlier in 2024, I made the difficult decision to leave Kakuma and seek refuge in Camp X (name hidden for safety reasons) in another neighboring country. Now, I’m here alongside my team of fellow LGBTIQ refugees, all of us fleeing the same horrors. But life in this new place is even more terrifying. The country is torn apart by civil war, and the laws against LGBTIQ people are fueling even more violence against us. We've lost friends to this cruelty; lesbians and transgender refugees are being raped, and the rest of us live in constant fear of what tomorrow will bring.

We are reaching out to you because we cannot do this alone. Your donation, no matter how small, can make the difference between life and death for us. The money will be used to provide:

1: FOOD.

2: CLEAN WATER.

3: SHELTER to protect us from violence and the harsh environment.

4: MEDICATION for those living with HIV/AIDS, who are suffering without care.

EVERY DOLLAR BRINGS HOPE."

65% of goal raised! Currently a 10k goal has been set, last donation was 2 days ago.

Please visit @ashleymilesphil and support their account, your attention to this issue really means everything, PLEASE USE YOUR VOICE TO SPEAK UP ABOUT THIS!! You voice is louder than you think, and can bring so much awareness, your follower count does not matter.

Here is a website to get educated on Sudan

Thank you

[razzmatazzy-blog]

Chapter 6: HALLOWEEN

Pear Wood Wands & Hag Stones Make Loyal Companions

full fic link : https://archiveofourown.org/works/64548817

synopsis : It only takes one person to cause a ripple effect... when an orphan who remembers nothing from her past receives a letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she assumes she is getting pranked. But when Rubeus Hagrid shows up, she realizes quickly that not only is magic real, but she is a witch. Little does she know she is joining a class with the famous Harry Potter, the boy who lived, which will most definitely disrupt her education. Determined to catch up and maybe even discover who she is and where she came from, the young witch throws herself into everything with an open mind and passionate heart. However, sooner or later she must choose, will she cling to a past she's long forgotten or fight to save her hopes for the future?

warnings : canon-typical violence

masterlist:https://www.tumblr.com/razzmatazzy-blog/786002024789622784/pear-wood-wands-hag-stones-make-loyal-companions?source=share

Halloween morning started with the smell of pumpkin pasties wafting through the halls. Y/N’s mood was already light due to this as she made her way to her favourite class, Charms. Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, which was a huge vote of trust on his part, considering the increased range of hazardous potential each student now had. Y/N was particularly excited for this, as if she knew how to make things fly, she would have been able to remove that tarantula that had ended up on her head on the train herself. Y/N was still tempted to get the Weasley twins back for that one, but thought she should probably see if she’s even able to be successful at the charm first. 

Charms was with the Gryffindors, and while Hermione and Y/N did get to sit together, they did not get to choose their practice partners. Y/N was with Neville and was grateful for her fast reflexes as Neville’s wand movements were dangerously close to taking out her eye. Harry was with Seamus Finnigan, and Ron was working with Hermione. It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. Y/N hadn’t been able to convince Hermione to cool her hostility towards the boys, not that she tried very hard. There was no point in encouraging her friend to make peace with two boys who obviously did not like or even respect her. 

“Now, don’t forget that nice wrist movement we’ve been practising!” squeaked Professor Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. “Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too — never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said ‘s’ instead of ‘f’ and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest.”

It was very difficult. Y/N thought Neville was having the hardest time until she looked over at Harry and Seamus. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it — Harry had to put it out with his hat. Ron, at the next table, wasn’t having much more luck.

“Wingardium Leviosa!” he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.

“You’re saying it wrong,” Harry heard Hermione snap. “It’s Wing-gardium Levi-o-sa, make the ‘gar’ nice and long.”

“You do it, then, if you’re so clever,” Ron snarled.

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, “Wingardium Leviosa!” Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads. 

Y/N began clapping, “Well done, Hermione!”

“Oh, well done!” cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. “Everyone see here, Miss Granger’s done it!”

Ron was in a foul mood at the end of class, and Y/N had a bad feeling about it. She tried to usher Hermione out the door quickly, but she was held up by Flitwick. They ended up behind Ron and Harry, exactly who Y/N was trying to avoid.

“It’s no wonder no one can stand her,” Ron said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, “she’s a nightmare, honestly.”

Hermione knocked into Harry as she hurried past him. Y/N saw her face as she took off — and saw she was in tears. Before Y/N could get a word in, Hermione was long down the hall. 

“I think she heard you.” Y/N heard Harry say, as he stopped in his tracks. 

“So?” said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. “She must’ve noticed she’s got no friends in Gryffindor. Only Y/N tolerates her, and she must be a saint”.

“You’re a real troll, Ron!” Y/N snapped back at Ron, unable to restrain herself. “Are you really so pathetic that you can’t stand that Hermione may be better than you at Charms? Haven’t you ever even thought about how hard it must be for her to get used to not only a whole new school, but a whole new world?”

Harry and Ron at least had the decency to look embarrassed, but didn’t respond. 

“No, I’m sure you didn’t.” Y/N’s tone cooled for her next reply. “You may think that her criticisms are a ‘nightmare’ as you say, but she really is just trying to help you in the ways she knows how”.

Hermione didn’t turn up for the next class, the Ravenclaws shared with Gryffindor, and wasn’t seen all afternoon. Y/N’s anxiety increased with each hour. On the way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween Feast from Ravenclaw tower, Padma rushed over to Y/N. 

“Y/N! Have you seen Hermione anywhere recently?” she asked. 

Y/N shook her head. “Not since Charms, I’ve been worried about her.”

“Well, Parvati told me she saw her crying in the girls’ toilets. She also said she wanted to be left alone, but I figured she might make an exception for you”.

“I’ll try to talk to her.”

Y/N headed towards the girls’ bathrooms. Since everyone was headed to the Great Hall, all the hallways were empty, which was a rare sight to see. Y/N slipped into the girls’ bathroom and heard soft sobs from one of the stalls. Y/N gently knocked on the stall door. 

“Go away, please”, Hermione choked out.

“Hermione, it's me, Y/N. Can you please come out and talk to me?”

“Please just go away, Y/N, go enjoy the feast. I’m sure the Ravenclaws miss you”, Hermione said sadly. 

“Well, I’m afraid the Ravenclaws will just have to get over it”, Y/N said as she sat down next to the stall. “Because I am not leaving to go back to the feast until you’re ready to go with me. You shouldn’t let Ron’s stupid remark ruin your Halloween”.

While Y/N hadn’t managed to coax Hermione out of the stall, she did manage to goad her into a debate about proper wand care technique. This had the effect of distracting Hermione enough to stop her from crying. Suddenly, Y/N noticed an awful smell, a mixture of old socks and putrid public toilets. She plugged her nose in disgust. 

“Ugh, Hermione, do you think you’d be ready to leave? The smell here is truly awful and getting worse!”

As the words left Y/N, the door swung open, and she heard the stomping of large feet. It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite grey, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long. 

“Never mind Hermione!” Y/N said frantically. “Stay in the stall and lock it!”

“Y/N?” Hermione questioned. “What’s going on?”

“Stay quiet and don’t move!” 

Y/N managed to sneak around the slow-moving troll as it got distracted by its own reflection in the bathroom mirror. She grabbed the doorknob and tried to open it, but to Y/N’s horror, it was locked. Then she heard a horrible scream. The troll, due to its height, was looking over the stalls directly at Hermione.

Y/N was now truly beginning to panic. She could try to yell for help, but who would hear it? Everyone would be at the Halloween feast. Suddenly, the door lock clicked and was ripped open. In burst Harry and Ron.

“Y/N, you’re here too?” Harry said.

“Where’s Hermione?” Ron said urgently.

“She’s in the stall the troll is at!”

“Confuse it!” Harry said desperately to Ron and Y/N, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.

“Flipendo!” Y/N used the knockback jinx on the bathroom’s bin. Due to the sound of both the tap and the bin, the troll turned towards them and away from Hermione. It hesitated, then made for Harry instead, lifting its club as it went.

“Oy, pea-brain!” yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn’t even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Harry and Y/N time to run around it.

“Come on, run, run!” Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn’t move; she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror. Y/N began to push her towards the door.

The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape. Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll’s neck from behind. Y/N then took the opportunity to push Hermione out the door before running back inside. 

Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life. In the moment she had run out, Harry appeared to have shoved his wand up the troll’s nose. 

Ron pulled out his own wand — not knowing what he was going to do, he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: “Wingardium Leviosa!”

The club flew suddenly out of the troll’s hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over — and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner’s head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.

Y/N managed to jump out of the way just in time. Harry got to his feet. He was shaking and out of breath. Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done.

Hermione, upon hearing the loud thud, reentered the room. “Is it — dead?”

It was Y/N who took the first step toward it and attempted to find a pulse. 

“I don’t think so,” said Harry, “I think it’s just been knocked out.”

“I think you’re right, Harry, though I am not sure if I feel confident in properly identifying a troll pulse.”

He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll’s nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy grey glue.

“Urgh – troll boogers.” Harry wiped it on the troll’s trousers.

A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn’t realised what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll’s roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.

Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at them. Y/N  had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white.

“Don’t worry”, Y/N piped up to break the silence. “We didn’t kill it. I am pretty sure I found the pulse.”

“What on earth were you thinking of?” said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Snape had an unreadable expression, but was staring at Y/N. Then his countenance switched to a mean, piercing look towards Harry. “You’re lucky you weren’t killed. Why aren’t you in your dormitory?”

“Please, Professor McGonagall — they were looking for me.” 

“Miss Granger!”

“I went looking for the troll because I—I thought I could deal with it on my own — you know, because I’ve read all about them.” Hermione began in a small voice. 

Ron dropped his wand. Y/N was shocked. What an absolutely ridiculous lie. I mean, anyone who knew Hermione knew she would never try to break the rules like that. 

“If they hadn’t found me, I’d be dead now. Y/N tried to get me to hide while she attempted to distract it. Then Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn’t have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived.”

Y/N, Harry and Ron shared a look and tried to look as though this story wasn’t new to them. 

“Well — in that case . . .” said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, “Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?”

Hermione hung her head. She looked truly crushed. Y/N knew how desperate Hermione was for the approval of the Professors, so this was really huge for her. 

“Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this serious lack of judgment,” said Professor McGonagall. “I’m very disappointed in you. If you’re not hurt at all, you’d better get off to Gryffindor Tower. Students are finishing the feast in their Houses.”

Hermione left. Professor McGonagall turned to Y/N, Harry, and Ron.

“Well, I still say you were fortunate, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor and Ravenclaw five points for sheer dumb luck. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go.”

They hurried out of the chamber and walked together in silence until the point at which Y/N had to take another staircase to Ravenclaw tower. Before climbing the stairs in the opposite direction, she turned towards the boys. 

“Thanks”, she said softly. “I don’t think I could have helped Hermione much without the two of you. We would have been goners”. 

The boys shyly accepted the thanks. Y/N went on her way and had a much improved opinion about the two Gryffindors. Clobbering a troll with someone tended to do that. 

[the-skies-are-red]

New Outline

Basically, eight episodes is short for the story, and I haven't even gotten to the Lute plotline.

So I'm making a 24 episode season 1 and cutting them into 8 episode arcs.

First arc ends in Charlie getting a meeting with Adam. Second arc ends with the meeting with heaven. Third arc ends after the extermination.

Season 1 Part 1

Episode 1: On Air

Charlie wonders where to begin. She tries to get an in with Heaven. On the way to the the sanctuary, the devastation is visible. Small flashbacks to the opening sequence of the pilot. She goes to the sanctuary to try to make contact, but it's empty. She tries to use magic (Shiny and impressive, but ineffective)

Vaggie tries to get make a commercial for the Hotel and makes the same deal with Alastor.

Vox fucks over the hotel with an "emergency" broadcast in the time slot where their commercial would be.

Episode 2: The Famed Sir Pentious

Vox sends Pent to spy on the hotel/Alastor. Angel is particularly hostile towards Pent, which is quickly revealed to be on behalf of his friend Cherri. Alastor pretends not to remember Pent, which pisses him off.

Charlie is excited and starts to prepare an activity to get to know them. (Show and Tell: Why do you want to be better? Bring a related object) Angel brings drugs and says he wants to save on rent to buy more drugs (lying. He wants to get away from Valentino when possible). Pent doesn't have an object and waffles about being sorry. Nifty drops in and gives Pent a decapitated bug, telling him she likes bad boys. Husk says he's doing great. Working here was his dream.

Angel tells Pent he knows he's up to something.

Episode 3: Investigator

Pent is moving weapons in with his stuff. Vaggie stops him and makes him keep them on his ship. He sneaks the cameras in while complaining that he's completely defenseless now.

Charlie mistakes this for not being terrible acting. She enthusiastically suggests trust falls.

Angel is playing detective and making Pent's life difficult.

Angel talks shit to Vaggie for only trusting Charlie. Pent fails his trust fall. Vaggie does too when Charlie steps aside. Charlie tells Angel off.

Charlie calls her dad. It goes to voicemail.

Episode 4: Makeover

Alastor follows Pent as he hides the the cameras, immediately destroying them. He does not tell Charlie about this.

Charlie suggests a makeover to reflect their new selves. Angel is obviously inappropriate. He makes everyone who isn't Nifty uncomfortable and Vaggie tells him to cut it out. Pent tries to update his style to be more modern, even though he hates it. Charlie doesn't vibe with it and chooses new outfits for them. They suck and she clearly has no idea on how morality works.

Charlie takes Vaggie, Angel and Pent out to dinner. It's uncomfortable for everyone, and Angel decides to make sure he is the least uncomfortable person at this table. Charlie goes off to pick up a call, hoping it's her dad. Angel goes to do a line in the bathroom. Pent goes: "Well this is awkward." Vaggie chuckles and agrees.

Episode 5: The Traitor

Charlie asks Alastor to fill her in on what happens at the overlord meeting.

Charlie writes a play to show a good example of good morality (not the one from the show but of roughly the same quality). Pent goes for it and puts his heart into it. He adds some personal touches (makes his kind character insecure/anxious and hesitant to do the right thing but choosing to do it regardless. He's projecting what he thinks a redeemed version of himself might look like), which Charlie dislikes because she wants a paragon and believes that's how all good people are. Vaggie takes notice.

Angel catches Pent communicating with Vox. He attacks Pent, but Vaggie hears and breaks it up. She then sees Vox still on the call and realizes what he's done. She feels betrayed, mostly due to their budding friendship, and tries to kill him. Charlie stops her and Pent immediately confesses and begs for another chance. She gives it to him on a probationary basis. He has to stop inventing though.

Episode 6:

Charlie decides to go to the palace. She almost goes to Lucifer's study but can't. She goes to the palace library instead.

Vaggie irritably takes the squad to a turf war because Charlie told her to plan today's activity. Alastor hangs back with her and they briefly converse.

Before the turf war, Pentious approaches Angel. They have a discussion about Pent getting caught. Angel was like, 80% over it by that point so they're cool now.

Charlie finds out about the turf war and she and Vaggie have a fight.

Episode 7:

Charlie takes Angel and Pentious to try community service at the location of the Turf war. Vaggie insists that Nifty has a job to do so she can't come with them, and Husk uses that excuse to stay home and drink.

Husk and Vaggie talk about Vaggie's girl troubles. (Vaggie is closed off but Husk gives basic advice, which is somewhat helpful).

Pentious tries to tinker something together to make things easier for everyone, but Charlie stops him because inventions are immoral. Angel takes the opportunity to do drugs.

Vaggie admits that the Turf War was a bad idea, and Charlie asks her what led her to believe it was a good one. Vaggie starts by saying she would rather not talk about it, but Charlie's puppy eyes win. Vaggie lies about escaping from Wrath and having made friends in the process.

Lucifer finally returns Charlie's calls. He got her a meeting with Adam (best he could do short notice, and it seemed urgent). Charlie thanks him, trying not to sound as overjoyed as she is.

Episode 8:

First glimpse of heaven. Lute is working a street-food stand (her job during the off season, will elaborate when heaven gets its own post) and looking at how peaceful heaven is. Then she gets a message from Adam.

Adam is still misogynistic, but in a more well-intentioned way (will be elaborated in another post). This gives Charlie false hope. She believes that he's going to be on her side.

Adam tells her that exterminations are a mercy, as they are the only way of escaping hell. Sinners are too dangerous to let into heaven, so this is what is best for everyone. Lute seems angry for a moment, leading Charlie to assume that she's on her side. Charlie insists, and Adam reluctantly offers to let her plead her case to the Seraphim.

Charlie returns to the hotel and they celebrate. Vaggie knows Lute too well to believe she's actually on Charlie's side.

It's later revealed that in exchange for the meeting with the Seraphim, Adam wants Charlie to find out who murdered the exorcist. Charlie makes the deal.

And that's Part 1 of the Outline.

I wanted the focus to be on establishing Vaggie, Charlie and Pent, with some light set-up for Lute as an antagonist. (She's taking over as the main antagonist of Season 1).

Showing Charlie's efforts to redeem Angel and Pent while making reaching heaven more difficult hopefully shows how serious she is about this, while showing that she is hopelessly out of her depth right now. And gives a bit more weight to her issues with Lucifer.

The Vees are set up as villains, but take a step back once their schemes fall through.

Chaggie is given a bit more focus, even if the relationship is not at the forefront.

[karimationkat]

Consider:

GLADIATOR AU

The RGBY group were literally created to fight, so, why not make them literally gladiators?

(they're all adults in the main story, tsc&tco&vic are brothers and only them)

Tsc is the son of a noble called Noogai (didn't feel like calling the father alan) and is called Secundus.

Despite Noogai trying to have TSC become a senator, TSC still longs for fights and arts. One time during a gladiator fight his eyes got caught on the RGBY. Idk where to go from here on.

I haven't got names for the RGBY group but they'll probably be called after their signature colour, let's just say people have colourful hair just because

Ruber, Viridis, Caeruleus, Flavus (pretend this is yellow) are despite different backgrounds friends and are gladiators duh

Now, there are different ways to end up as a gladiator is by being a slave forced to, criminal whose punishment it is or sometimes just someone who wants the fame and glory of a gladiator.

First thoughts:

Red is the son of a criminal and one himself too. Not because he wanted but because he was forced. (Herobrine is the father and it's more or less based on avm)

Green was someone who had nothing and decided to give it a try and became gladiator because of that.

Blue might have had severe debts, either because he tried to help people or because of his addiction or both. So, he had to become an gladiator.

Yellow. He was a slave and the son of a former wealthy citizen, therefore educated. Thanks to that he was to tutor for the children of a wealthy family. Later, due to trouble he kept causing because of his curious yet careless nature, he was just sent to a gladiator school.

Not sure if I want to stick with these ideas.

Anyway...

In ancient rome if the father did not accept the infant, they could be left to die.

So. In Victim's case this is what happened. Despite being left to die, he was found and adopted by a lower family. Everyone knew that Vic was the abandoned child of Noogai and so did Vic. Which made him resent Noogai and fuel his determination to become a wealthy merchant/citizen/senator idk.

Idk what his latin name will be. Maybe one he gave himself? Victor. You see what I did there right?

The chosen one however was the first accepted child. But TCO was a difficult and rebellious child, which was why he got mistreated by Noogai who tried to use violence and strict measures to discipline him but it never worked. At one point, to gain freedom, him and TDL run away together.

Maybe we can call him Electus?

The dark lord. I'm not sure what to do with him yet. Because technically he did serve under Alan, so, he might be a former noble turned slave and because he was educated, he was Noogai's assistent. However because of Noogai's cruelties, he understood why TCO was so hostile towards him and both of them bonded over that and ran way later.

They're both currently wanted.

I'm not sure where to put the mercenaries, purple and king orange yet. Maybe later.

[xx-inhibitionless-xx]

Chapter 67 : Day Three ( Chad & Brad’s Afternoon part 2 )

 They had agreed that they definitely did not want anyone finding them there in their current state of undress. They managed to get Chad’s door opened and out of the car, dropping down to the muddy puddle filling up at the bottom of the crater Brad’s car was currently sitting in.

 The water that continued to erupt from the pipe that had burst was freezing and the walls of the crater they had fallen into were turning to mud as a result of the water spraying everywhere, making it incredibly difficult for the two of them to climb out. They slid down the slippery steep slopes of the pit several times, landing in the muddy puddle at the bottom.

 Brad eventually managed to toss Chad to the top where he was able to then lend Brad a hand in climbing out. By the time they were both back on solid ground at the top of the crater, they were completely covered in mud from head to toe. Chad immediately burst into laughter at the sight of the mud-covered Brad.

 What are you laughing at, Brad asked with more anger than he intended, what the hell is so funny ?

 You, Chad answered not taking any notice of Brad’s hostility, you look like a wild-man.

 Appreciative of the fact that Chad either hadn’t noticed his hostility or wasn’t offended by it, Brad realized what Chad was talking about as he looked himself over. Before he could suggest that they maybe try and use the water to rinse off some of the mud, Brad got a glimpse of Chad acting like a wild monkey-man hopping around waving his arms and burst out laughing himself.

 They laughed so hard at each other, they ended up literally rolling on the ground. By the time they recovered, the water had stopped erupting out of the puddle which had filled the crater to above the rear wheel of the car. Without the fountain of water, there was no way to rinse off other than the pool at the bottom of the pit, which Brad had decided they were not going to try and utilize lest they get stuck down there again and not able to climb out.

 Who the hell puts a damn hole in the middle of the road anyway, Brad asked as they got their bearings and examined their surroundings. I mean seriously, why is this even here ?

  As Chad surveyed the road they had come from and the surrounding woods, Brad took a closer look at his car and it’s situation. They had intended to back-up into the access road and turn around. From what Brad could make out, someone had dug a pit right at the mouth of the access road and covered the hole with a thin sheet of wood. Brad guessed that the pit was to get access to the water pipe they had landed on and busted.

 Brad’s car sat nearly vertical in the pit up to the door hinges. The driver’s side was about flush with the side of the pit, but luckily the passenger side had enough leeway that they had been able to open that door enough to get out. There was definitely, however, no way that the car was going to get out of the pit without the assistance of a winch or tow-truck.

 Dude, Chad put his hand on Brad’s shoulder, come on, we’ll have to deal with the car later. Right now, we need to get out of here.

 Yeah, Brad sighed in resignation, I know. I’m just so dead. My Dad is going to literally kill me. How am I even going to explain this ? Oh, hey dad, Brad pretended to address his father, yeah, me and a buddy were out driving naked and I backed into a pit. Yeah, he said addressing Chad, that is going to go over really well.

 Look, Chad assured his friend, let’s not worry about that right now, let’s concentrate on the naked part and get out of sight. Surely someone heard all the commotion and will be coming down the road any minute. We need to not be here when they do.

 I know, Brad agreed reluctantly, I know. Alright, where are we going to go ?

 We’ll follow the access road a bit, then cut through the woods to the house. Maybe we can sneak in with everyone coming to check out what happened.

 Accepting that it wasn’t a bad idea at all, Brad extended his arm and addressed Chad, alright mud man, lead the way.

[legrandefungus]

The 4 in the morning fugus thoughts:

I wonder what would happen if the premise I attached to my EoS AU was given to the other PMD games? Where someone with knowledge on the game enters it and takes it VERY poorly, everything somewhat getting worse from there. The story deviating more and more as the Hero changes things.

I'm thinking it's an interesting thought!

I'm not too well-versed on Red and Blue Rescue Team, but! Gengar's a time bomb, A.C.T. is a time bomb. Everyone around them could lead to that triggering event where the Hero and the Partner are hunted down by everyone. At the same time, they would have to befriend Gengar enough without tipping him off that they know the truth. Though, at least the plan is simple: Get Rayquaza to deal with the meteor whilst having an exit plan from the netherworld. Of course, with how things are, it's always better to have a backup plan. Even if they get a bit dangerous, they just need to get to Rayquaza.

Now, admittedly, I barely have any knowledge of Gates to infinity. However, reading a plot synopsis gives a few braincells. Struggling on whether to dance around the main point. But most of all? Being so completely unphased by the effects of Bittercold on everyone. It's not like humans act much different on a day to day basis. I'm sure Hydreigon would be quite confused about the Hero. Being unaffected by the increasing hostility through the mundanity of normal life. The horrors will come along, people will fight and layoffs will happen. But that will pass, and time continues going; food still needs to be made, and the dishes still need to be cleaned.

Now, Super Mystery Dungeon is something I've played to completion. Therefore, I can say with 100% confidence that it would be an extreme tightrope of information management. The Hero knows who all the players are and is split on what to do. It's not like there's a safety net, the game opens with Nuzleaf and the Beheeyem. The Hero lives in the same house with him for the first part of the game. There's actually a bit of an opposite issue here than with Explorers of Sky: There's too many options on where to go. Theoretically, the Hero could go straight for the Tree of Life, as they would know exactly where Dark Matter is. Of course, this is unfeasible, as it's instead locked behind several conditions here and there. At the same time, they already know that everyone around them is a lie. Their friend is Mew and will be the one to disappear; Nuzleaf and Espurr will betray them, the former returning for a difficult fight. Not to mention how many more Pokémon there are in PSMD. There're missions where they talk to Pokémon or meet someone in a cafe, can't let anything slip. At the same time, they have to convince Ampharos of things, and go to as many lategame dungeons as possible for high quality items. Sparkling tiles galore leads to high amounts of stat-boosting items, which means a greater chance that the both of them can make it to Dark Matter at the end.

I'm sure there's more to this, but am a bit eepy so I'm stoppin it there.

Apologies for the rambling format. It's nearly 5 in the morning as I'm about to post this.

Also if yall got anything to add, feel free to reblog this and attach some braincells of yer own!