#kings dont look 🙈🙈🙈🙈

[fenharel]

some of my thoughts after finishing veilguard a couple days ago before i start my second playthrough :)

ok i think its important to note first that the things i was most looking forward too was 1. solas, 2. solavellan, 3. lore. im self aware enough to know that this will have had some influence towards what i expected from the game and what i enjoyed/cared about or not 👍

good

solas: im honestly so happy. my man is finally happy and reunited with his wife!!!!!! my heart feels so full 😭 this game was a solas fans wet dream. absolutely loved everything we got. hunting down regrets and watching old memories. talking to him in the fade. the entire crossroads!!!!!! him shit talking elgar'nan. watching him go trickster mode and imprison rook. fighting the archdemon as the dread wolf!!!!!! i could go on forever. CHEFS KISS TO IT ALL<3333333333333 if anything i wish there would have been MORE im greedy what can i say

solavellan: screaming crying throwing up. i still cant believe it oh my fucking god

lore reveals: i found all the reveals about all our old theories so fun. i didnt like all of them (old gods are just dragons? c'mon.) but overall it felt so rewarding to have picked up on it all. or be totally surprised by something (mythal and solas the reason for the titans and the blight? wow.)

the executors, forgotten and forbidden ones: the next big bads of the next game huh!!!! loved what we got for the most part, the mysterious circle codexes where probably the most interesting in the game. anaris actually showing up shocked me. i wish bellaras brother didnt say "for plot reasons i must die" and actually told us something about him but oh well. im cautiously optimistic about the secret ending for now. what it implied could go either way for now...

main quest: not all of them, but a lot of them were awesome. dare i say some quests were up there with the best main quests in da??? weisshaupt was epic. or the blood of arlathan. every time we get to talk to solas (thehe<3). the final bits. the strong points were so strong that the low points got highlighted a bit too much imo

act 3: by far my favourite act. this was soooo good. the romance finally (?!) kicking it. suicide mission 2.0 stressed me tf out. the varric reveal? send me to the asylum. solas tricking rook? king behaviour i was cheering for him while crying about varric. the dread wolf transformation. the conversation between solas/mythal/lavellan at the end. i basically was in tears throughout half of the thing. couldnt read the credits at all. act 3 was amazing

minrathous vs treviso: i loved this especially with the angst of playing a shadow dragon who failed minrathous. and then the consequences and quest changes this causes throughout the game was really cool. i wish there were more bigger choices like this since it felt a bit flat choice wise besides of this one, but it was amazing.

villains: ghilan'nain and elgar'nan were great. they really felt like the tyrannical gods they were supposed to be. im so glad there was mostly no corypheus-esque cringe. (tho especially ghil had some video gamey lines but sdjkfhjksdf i still love her)

neutral

rook: i dont really care much about rook.. 🙈. mind you rook was certainly not the reason why i wanted to play this game so im sure a second playthrough will make me warm up to them more, now that my head is more free, but it just didnt insta click. rook didnt feel like a real person to me, almost nobody had any (to my taste) realistic reactions towards them. the stakes just were too high for them to get treated this way (nobody is pissed off that they freed the gods? everyone just believes them when they say gods are walking around? everyone just agrees to work with them? nobody cares how rook is doing? or who rook even is? idk.) i didnt like the introduction much either. the shepard treatment didnt work for me here, just believing that rook is fit for the job because varric says so wasn't enough for me. rook also has barely anything going on for them either besides of being the relentless "good guy". we never see them doubt themselves or be fearful or be mean. all the dialogue options are the same as well. its.... boring. anyway i dont wanna bash on rook, i know i'll end up liking them more later. the headcanons will be headcanoning<3

companions: i... don't have strong feelings about most of them? all of them got to me sooner or later, made me cry. but afterwards im still 🤷‍♀️ about most. i didnt feel like we get to know them as deeply as we get to know companions in the previous games. i really really missed sitting in the lighthouse for hours and talk to them, ask them about their profession or what they are about outside of cutscenes like in the previous ones. i think that would have helped me click with them faster. i didnt find all companion quests very strong either. the "high stakes" of the main story made some conflicts feel a bit like we can just fix that after the story lol. i did not like the mass effect 2 treatment of them much... (but me2 is overrated anyway sshh dont kill me<3) some companion quests i did find interesting lore wise (bellara, harding) even if i wish that some of them would have went a bit deeper there. anyway i know i'll probably end up loving them all after a couple of playthroughs, this almost always happens to me, dai is the best example.

combat: don't care. this isn't my type of combat, i don't play a lot of super actiony combo dodge dodge block combat games. still hate the limited abilities. at least it didn't feel too clunky on mouse and keyboard and it was "fun enough" to me so thats good

puzzles: i could put them into the bad category but at least they weren't too terrible so i don't want to be too harsh. but i don't enjoy doing them. i dont want to search for a crystal in a bush. i mean i did them all but at what cost. this felt like filler i thought they wanted to avoid by not adding fetch quests???

bad

pacing: this games hardest battle imo. the pacing of the game is... strange. act 1 is way too fast. it feels like we're running and have absolutely no time for anything. (makes sense! didnt work well though). act 2 then drags a bit with all the companion quests, and the mix really drags the progression of the romances as well to a ridiculous degree. at least with lucanis, idk how it is with the others. i love him and i can headcanon to fill in the blanks so i liked his romance, but it does make it seem like nothing is happening for 50 hours for everyone who doesnt like to headcanon around. anyway, the pacing/storytelling felt often not fitting. it was trying to be mass effect in a story that is too complex and the lore too rich to run through it. this felt like the main reason why we just never went very deep into the lore of the factions or new npcs, or learn or see certain things, the complex nature of the crows, or tevinter magisters and their slaves, we are just running all the damn time? we never get to explore certain things that would feel unnatural to come up in a conversation or in some other way because we are limited by the things the story "has time for". or what the devs had time for.

wishy washy writing: not everywhere but in some places and im not used to that in a da game so its a bit baffling. "the blight is different now so thats the reason for x trust me bro" ok....? "the first of my people do not die so easily" = mythal is shattered and lives on, makes sense. but the other evanuris are all dead, even the ones that were "dead" already? why? idk........ i shall stay delusional for now and hope i've missed something in my completionist run that i now in my next run will find somewhere lol. besides of that, the tone and language used by rook and companions is strangely unfitting as well. coloquial words like "it's cool" are frequently used, among other things. it stands in contrast to the writing of the previous games and is often immersion breaking.

limited worldstate: i had hoped they at least commit to it when i heard about this. but then adding little references that could have just been made personal by switching one line just made the reference a bit jarring sometimes instead of exciting. or making morrigan eat mythals memories for the regret quest....really? this could have been the well of sorrows choice, why could they not have just made the inquisitor show up in the crossroads if they were the one that drank from it. this whole choice thing + some other problems ended up feeling like something they didnt really want to do but ended up doing because the game was in development for so long they just had to finally fucking finish it. and it sucks for us.

the veil: why... is it still there? they left breadcrumps of clues throughout the entire series about all the positives it would do if it was gone, even add a damn prophecy, and then just dont do it.... ever perhaps? must the blight really be cured for this? demons forever feared? listen im just glad solas is ok at the end of the day but he could still have had his redemption/healing/forgiving himself moment after destroying it imo.

i wish the inquisitor was more involved in everything :((( the moments we did get made me SO happy but. yeah.

no quicksave and the skip button that ruined my screenshots deserve their own bullet point what the hell

anyway enough yapping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! overall i loved the game because the stuff i cared about the most was the best aspects of the game sdkjhsdjkf im not ashamed to admit that this is my new solas 2.0 game. ..... <3

[youremyheaven]

https://www.tumblr.com/youremyheaven/754446489818972160/i-just-re-read-and-realised-we-were-talking-about?source=share

As a connoisseur of Venus men what are the dead giveaways according to you? It could be anything even how their insta profile looks. What are your observations. I would love to know ❤

Hehehehe 🤭🤭🤭

The dead give aways are:

1. Overly flirty and simp like (if imbalanced)

Like Venusian men don't play it cool EVER, I don't think they even know how to. If they like you, they will make it very very very obvious and will practically drool all over you. This can take the fun out of a talking stage ngl

2. Extremely straightforward with their feelings

They don't beat around the bush and they don't hide their feelings. If they want you, they'll say so

(this is a positive manifestation of the first point)

3. Facial hair 😍🤤🤤🤤

I've never met a clean shaven Venusian man. They all have a stubble of some kind and it's like a part of their personality or something 😜🫣

It's typically not a super well manicured looking beard, as in, they kind of look like they were born with it??? 🤣🤣

Venus men always give me the vibe of men who were born as a grown man lol

4. Insta profile

Usually very private and lowkey and won't be very active on social media. Or use it at all.

Probably has 10 posts total and will look 😍🔥in them but they were posted over the course of 4 years lmao 🤭🤭

Imbalanced Venusian men will follow manyyyy hot women and their following will consist mostly of models and influencers lmao

They just love looking at women. Not in a pornographic way but in a sensual way??? They think like women, so they have a very erotic mind. The type of man who dreams of a woman wearing a certain kind of outfit (down to the last detail) , perfume, with her hair a certain way, them going out and being in a certain ambience. They're just sensorial creatures and every Venus guy who has described his fantasises to me sounded like a teenage Wattpad author lmao

They enjoy romance ✨ and sex alone feels meh to them. They want the whole experience ✨

5. Usually tall and bulky

But they can also be more lean. I've never met a short Venus guy so I feel like they don't exist lmao 🤣💀🤡

But yeah usually they have a very masculine build and physique. They care about it too.

They have a very rogue-ish charm. A rough kinda handsome over the hearthrob vibes of Solar men who look perfect in a classical sort of way.

Venus men have that cave man type appeal 🤤🫣😜��� what you'd call "raw masculinity"

6. If they're in love, they go all out

They'll pull out the red carpet for you everytime you step out

They literally want their women to never do anything hard so they go all out with the princess treatment

I've seen them and omg so cute 🥰🥺 my friend's bf is Bharani Moon and he feeds her, puts the shoes on her feet, carries her bag for her etc Venus men just act like they're your slave 😩😩😩they say that about themselves as well. Their biggest weakness is their woman because they'll be completely enslaved to them

7. NSFW 🚫 DETAILS AHEAD, IF YOU'RE A MINOR DONT READ SHOOO

they love to give head lmfao and that's not surprising given everything we know about them but these men exist to 🍑👅 they're straight up demonic with that tongue 🫣

They love to please women and they're the type to make you cum 3 times before they've even entered you 🙈🙈🙈 they're good lovers, I'll say that much 🙈

If I had a penny for everytime a Venus man said he wanted me to wet his beard 🥵🤭😩 like hold up king I'm trying to 😩😩😩

They enjoy making love which is rare af in today's porn addicted world. They really truly care about appreciating the woman that's in front of them. Nobody has had sex until they've had sex with a Venus man. I said what I said 🫣😍 they make you feel so beautiful and desired that you become like putty in their hands, which is what they want hehe 🤭

They care about your satisfaction 😜

And they feel satisfied by satisfying you 👀 so they don't even want anything in return 👀not that they'd be mad if you offered but they're not like those men who give to get 👀if ykwim

Yk what it's like when a guy's the perfect mix of gentle and aggressive 😍🫦that's a Venus man for you 🫦

8. They'll spoil the life out of you

Not kidding. You'll be sick of it. They'll ruin other men for you.

They genuinely don't care about spending on themselves, they just need their essentials, everything else will be devoted to making you happy.

This can be hella risky bc they will literally go into debt spoiling their woman and if the woman is a greedy vampiric one, she'll take advantage of his generosity.

My uncle is a Bharani Sun and 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻the way he treats his wife throughout their changing financial statuses is 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻 (he's not perfect in any way and that's on his Jyeshta Moon) but people think you have to be rich to spoil your loved ones and that's not true at all. It's more of a mindset, mentality and attitude than anything else ✨

If they're not generous with their energy when they're broke, they won't magically be that way when they're rich.

If he only has ₹10 to spare and buys you , your favourite packet of chips, that's real generosity 😌

My uncle works extra hard so that he can travel with his family and give his wife a break, like how sweet??? How many men do that??? Esp if they're not well off?? Long story short, if he wants to, he will

They genuinely just want you to be able to chill. My aunt spends extended durations at her home because my uncle thinks she has to work too hard when she's at his home?? (She's a housewife with 2 kids) Have you heard of housewives getting paid vacations?? Now you have lmao 😭😂 he stays back at their house and does all the work so that she can genuinely just chill at her parents home 🥺🥺🥺

When she was sick with a mysterious illness no one could diagnose and hospitals started failing them, he went to holistic and ayurvedic doctors all across the state to help her 🥺🥺 (and she was successfully cured 😌✨ bc the greatest remedy for anything is love)

Venusian men in love are just 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻✨

9. They're veryyyy good with kids 🥺🥺

Every breed of Venusian men (Bharani, Purvaphalguni or Purvashada) has spoken about how marriage and kids is a big priority for them and they're genuinely so cute with kids 🥺🥺

They just have that fatherly instinct tbh which makes sense bc they themselves have daddy issues and want to be the dad they never had 🥺🥺

That's it for now, I hope this was insightful 💛💛💛💛

[mmunson86]

Off to rough to a rough start jesus everyone’s telling us not to go to Hawkins, but look I think all of you are tripping. I think that it’s safe now and we’re gonna be fine sheesh we do not mess with rumors or speculations soooo bye bye off we go to start fresh💗

Bestowed with a curse my butt, this little town just needs some love, after the events it endured who wouldn’t need a little bit of healing, i am glad everyone is getting back to life before you know..the “earthquake”

Sunshine Coffee is getting a little re-vamp and i really like the color choices we picked out , its going to give it a very inviting & bright

Staaahp Max & El are going to he working here for our little coffee shop!? I freaking love this perfect mix of employees with these two😅💗

I am swoon the way that you described Eddie is for the first time was perfection, truly a work of art! Buuut boy did he break my little heart when he left the coffee shop without even telling us his name 🥲

Screaaaming! That was pure genius! The little fun facts on his coffee cup!!? Eeek he finally gave us his name! Progress y’all progress🥹💗

“Eddie Munson, are we becoming friends?”

You know darn well you can make your own coffee at home Eddie we are becoming friends just admit it you grump🙈

Naaah these teens know something is up they just dont want to tell us, lol come on now guys not funny😅💗

Well we have something in common Eddie we both dont like the dark, and i mean rain can be relaxing but in this case its not

Him inviting us to come by while he works even if its during his shift is progress! And he drove us home even if it is no more than 30seconds? We are slowly very slowly getting a peak at Eddie Munson & i love it🫶🏻

Indeed Chance sounds too perfect i dont trust him sir kindly fuuuck off, oh we are crushing bad on Eddie but i mean can ya blame us?🙈

Such a drama king lol try our cookies and tell us what you think Eddie😂

Screaaaming he said we are friends ahhh omg omg omg my heart😩💗

Summary: The year is 1988. After the loss of a beloved family member, you find yourself inheriting an old coffee shop. The quiet bartender at the Hideout across the street just so happens to catch your eye.

(8k+ words; eddie munson x afab!reader; sunshine!reader x grumpy!eddie vibes)

Warnings: Vignette style (sorta); Eddie’s post S4 trauma; panic attacks; nightmares; family member loss; grief; alcohol use; mild smut in later chapters so 18+; additional warnings to be added.

(AO3 Link) || Master List || NEXT CHAPTER ||

*

Winter, 1987

*

Everyone tells you it’s crazy.

They say to take the money and sell the property your grandfather left you in his will.

They say to take it and run.

They say don’t move to that town, the shop’s a lost cause, the place is cursed.

They tell you they’ve got murderers and the literal gates of hell were open there for a time.

‘Satanic worship,’ some say.

‘Cultists.’

‘Don’t want to mess with their kind; might rub off on you, make you evil.’

‘One of them Freaks.’

‘And whatever you do, don’t ever go to that trailer park,’ is the gravest of warnings you’re given. Apparently some girl was sacrificed there, and that’s when it all started.

Eyes ripped clean from her skull, body broken, just like two others around the same time.

Mangled beyond repair.

The work of pure evil.

‘They’ll tell you everything’s okay now,’ people warn you, ‘but it’s not.’

It’s all lies.

Meant to try and preserve that place.

To try and bring life to a town many believe should have been erased from the map.

But you’ve never been one for rumor or superstition.

So you pack some bags with your things and get in your car.

Hawkins it is.

*

All in all, Hawkins is…quaint.

A small town with a modest population. People turn and look as you pull into the shop parking lot with bags spilling out of your trunk and piled high in the backseat.

It’s the kind of town where they wave as you get out, curious gazes trying to get a glimpse of the new girl.

Only you’re not new. A stranger, maybe, but this town made up your formative years.

Memories of walking in the streets, getting ice cream with your grandfather, enjoying a day in the park, riding your bike in the neighborhood flit in your mind. They bring a smile to your face as you climb out of your car and take in the front of Sunshine Coffee.

It’s…different than you remember. Darker, somehow. But what’s darkness against a little love and light, you think, as you brush your fingers along the front door and push the key inside the lock.

A bell chimes above you and suddenly you’re a kid again, running inside to snatch a cookie freshly out of the back oven.

You brush your hands along your face to wipe your tears away at the memory as you step further into the building, taking in the place.

It seems like your grandfather had kept up with the place up until his death, or had at the very least hired someone to maintain it.

Sure, it needs a little love and updating, but it’s still got that homey feeling. The sort of place that immediately makes you feel at peace when you enter.

It’s so funny to think this is the same town.

This town people back home said is bestowed with a curse. It’s a little more rundown than you remember. Buildings here and there with wooden planks in windows, or burn scars, regrowing grass.

But it looks like it’s healing.

Like everything they’ve gone through is becoming more and more a thing of the past.

People seem joyous now, your heart swelling when you later see your new neighbors, an elderly couple that owns the local flower shop, and they offer to help you unpack.

You only thank them, telling them you’re more than okay, but that you appreciate the offer.

And they wish you well on your ways, saying they are proud to see your grandfather’s shop open up again.

You spend the afternoon walking back and forth from your car to the building, unpacking your things, making yourself at home.

Home.

This is home now.

What a funny thing?

Just wanna make you proud.

*

It takes a few weeks of deep cleaning and reorganizing, but Sunshine Coffee gets back to its normal splendor, with a few new personal touches thrown in.

You’ve updated the place, replaced the darker hues your grandfather preferred with paler shades.

Creams, tans, whites.

You’ve removed the drapery against the windows and swapped them for billowing curtains, delicate laces, whimsical accents.

The windows are full of fresh poinsettias and other red and green offerings. Whatever blooms are in season at the time, given to you as donations from your new neighbors—the sweet older couple who own the flower shop next door.

There’s also a new bar you don’t recognize from the last time you came to visit nearby.

The Hideout, the scrawling font declares.

It glows through your bedroom window at night.

The little upstairs apartment your grandfather had built is small, but suitable for your needs. It’s no more than a kitchen, bathroom, living area, and bedroom that you can access from the back entrance of the coffee shop. You have little other than some necessities at this point, but figure you’ll take a trip to the thrift store in the upcoming months once you have cash to spare to spruce things up to your liking.

At night, you can hear music filtering in through your windows—a different genre each night.

Most nights, it lulls you to sleep.

And it’s not long before the coffee shop is ready for opening, and a ‘NOW HIRING’ sign stands erect in the window.

Now we wait, you think, pride blooming in your chest.

Because it’s not much.

But it’s all yours.

A legacy upheld in a town that maybe needs a little bit of hope.

*

Max and El are life saviors that blow in a few days after you hang your sign up in the window alerting the whole town you’re here to stay and looking for help.

Opening day is set for a week from now, and you still need to train the potential staff on how to make the treats on your menu, and the coffees and teas you intend to offer.

And there they are, a flash of red and brown hair as they pull up one day in front of the cafe and knock on the front window. You can’t help but think they’re solicitors at first. You’ve really not ventured far from your shop and apartment yet, still getting used to the new town you’d only visited over the summers throughout your childhood.

You interview them both at the same time, finding them more than capable, and offer them to start training that afternoon if they’re available. Your grandfather had left enough in his will to ensure you have a little money to last you for a bit, and until you have a steady stream of customers you intend to use it to pay them.

Training goes smoothly.

The girls are naturals, it seems, understanding within a few hours how to make most of your drink offerings and work the register.

The three of you spend the afternoon in your new work aprons—black in color with Sunshine Coffee written across in pretty white detailing with little daisies underneath—and suddenly it starts to feel real.

Even if it’s a failure, even if you have to pack up and go home, it’s real and it’s yours and you’re doing this.

*

Spring, 1988

*

It starts as a…well, it starts as nothing.

In the beginning, there’s this nothingness.

Held together only by a mutual love for coffee.

Or rather, his need for coffee to get him through his shifts. You’re the supplier, really. But that’s where it starts. Humble beginnings, fleeting glances, soft exchanges. In those breathless seconds, where neither of you speaks, but silence screams.

He’s the boy with eloquent sadness, a way about him unfamiliar and curious, and you’re the girl who wants nothing more than to break down his walls.

To find out who Eddie Munson is at his core.

And maybe, just maybe, it’s best this way for things to start.

It gives things a chance to start, to grow, to thrive.

To begin…

*

The first weeks of the coffee shop opening are better than anything you could ever imagine. It seems like the town has been in need of a place to get away, to enjoy the company of friends and community. And it doesn’t take long before you’re adding chairs and tables both inside and out to make more room for those wishing to buy a drink or a treat and stay around.

El and Max mill about behind the register. El tending to money exchanges and Max perfecting the foam on her cappuccino for the table of boys sitting near the front of the building who just so happen to be their boyfriends. They’re trying to be subtle about it, probably to keep their interest a secret from you (their boss) but you find it endearing, seeing them glance over every so often to look fondly at them.

“Girls,” you call over to them. Two heads whip your way. “You’ve both stayed late the past two days, I’ll close up shop. Go to the movies, have fun, be teenagers. I’ve got things here.”

“Really?” El asks, looking over your shoulder to the longer haired boy to give him a shy little wave.

“Yes,” you say, tying your apron around your hips and slipping behind the counter. “Go—both of you, or else you’re both fired.”

Max snorts at that, untying her own apron from her hips and blowing a red strand of hair away from her face. Her blue eyes clash with your own as she hooks the apron on the racks you have hanging against the back wall.

“You’re sure?” she asks.

“Yes,” you tell them. “Although it looks like we’ll be needing more help sooner than I expected. If either of you know anyone looking for work, let me know. Now shoo!”

The group of teenagers rushes out the door with no further protesting, leaving you alone with the hustle and bustle of your shop.

And soon, the morning rush slows into the afternoon lull.

It’s during this time of day, you’ve noticed, the building quiets and you have time to clean up a bit around the place.

Patrons sit around in hushed conversation, writing in notebooks, or reading their books as you maneuver about the tables with a rag, wiping down surfaces until they sparkle in the setting sunlight.

It’s then that the door jingles and in walks your next customer.

He’s a vision in all black. Dark pants, dark jacket, dark Metallica shirt underneath. His hair is pulled back behind his head, strands coming to fall in curls around his face, forehead full of raven colored bangs. But it’s his face that’s striking. He’s all hard lines and sinewy bone, pale skin that accentuates the small dimple in his cheek as he regards the room upon entering. The shadow of his eyes reach yours as you rush behind the counter to serve him, and his head only tilts up just enough where you can see a scar crawling up the side of his face, and another on his neck. But it does nothing to detract from the fact he’s striking.

Beautiful, in a way you’ve not seen before.

At your gentle perusal, he tilts his head a bit, angling himself in a way where it’s hidden from view once more.

“What can I g—”

“A black coffee, two sugars. Please.”

Short.

Clipped.

No nonsense.

Your head dips swiftly and you rush over to pour him a cup from the freshest pot, fingers trembling a bit as you rip two sugar packets and pour them within, before stirring the drink with a wooden stick.

You walk back over to the counter, grin sliding across your features as you announce, “I don’t think I’ve seen you around yet. First coffee for a new customer is always free.”

He grasps the cup in his hand as you offer it to him.

There’s a brief tick in his cheek.

Not quite a smile, but not a grimace either. “Thank you…”

You tell him your name, pausing at the end to leave him room to say his.

He doesn’t, though.

His head only dips and he leaves, the door jingling on his way out.

Well, nice to meet you, too, stranger.

*

The man in all black comes back every day after that.

Every day at four in the afternoon.

He orders the same black coffee with two sugars and never says much more than a few words.

Good afternoon.

I’m fine.

Thank you.

Every day he seems in a rush, everyday he seems caught up in his thoughts, every day he makes you wonder what it is about him that makes him so distant from the rest of Hawkins.

You’re mid sweeping one afternoon when you decide to ask Max if she knows anything about the man who says little and regards you even less.

“You mean Eddie,” she states, wiping down a countertop.

“What’s his story?” You ask.

“It’s not really for me to say,” she admits, pausing in her cleaning. “What I can say is…two years ago some stuff happened and he was kind of…in the middle of it all. Why?”

“He’s a customer,” you tell her, resuming your sweeping. “Just trying to get to know everyone. New girl in town and all, you know?”

*

Over the next few weeks, you make it your mission to try to get to know your elusive customer.

You start with writing silly facts on his cups; you figure it’s lighthearted and pleasant, a great conversation starter even.

Or at least that’s your hope.

You set his cup aside a little while before he comes in, whatever fun fact is in the newspaper for the day already ready on the outside of his cup. He doesn’t react at first, and even when he starts to, you can almost tell what kind of day he’s having by his reactions.

A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

A twitch in his dimple.

He’s really not looking to stick around, probably has to be somewhere.

Almonds are a member of the peach family.

A soft uptick of his lip.

He spares you a few extra words that day.

Tells you to have a nice afternoon before slipping out the front door.

A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.

He finally tells you his name, even though Max told you weeks ago now.

It’s nice to hear it from him, though.

“Eddie…Eddie Munson.”

He says it slowly, as if he’s expecting some sort of response out of you.

Except it never comes.

You only smile, and that seems to calm him a bit, his shoulders slouching comfortably.

He glances down at the factoid on his cup and lets out a laugh.

The sound catches you off guard, just as his voice does most days.

It’s beautiful and your heart twists in your chest, knowing you’ve brought it out of him.

“You really think someone sat around and counted?” He asks.

“Obviously,” you tease, handing him his change. “It’s in the newspaper. Doesn’t that mean it has to be true?”

He lets out another laugh and tosses his change into your tip jar, shaking his head as he slips away and out of view.

*

You don’t mean to find out where he works the way you do. You’ve been steadily slipping factoids on his cups for the better part of eight weeks when you close up shop for the night and decide to go on a little walk around the neighborhood.

Spring is finally getting warmer, your thin sweater more than enough to block out the chill of the night as you slip out the front door and step out beneath one of the street lamps.

You can hear the familiar thumping coming from the Hideout, but what isn’t familiar to you is the sight of Eddie leaning against the front of the building with his leather jacket unzipped, threadbare navy tee in place, and a cigarette between his lips. You spot the flash of silver in the dangling earring in his ear, the curls that dance about his shoulders freely today.

He looks like a phantom in the night, all shadows and pale features bathed in moonlight.

“Streets aren’t safe at night,” he calls from across the short distance.

“I think I can handle my own,” you shout back, stepping further along the parking lot. “You know, those are terrible for you. My grandpa needed a quadruple bypass after all the years he smoked.”

He lets out a low whistle. “I’ll give ‘em up one day.”

“Just not today?”

“Not today,” he admits, glancing over your way. “Heading home for the night?”

“I…actually live in the shop. I have an apartment upstairs,” you tell him, crossing your hands behind your back and clasping them there.

You sway lightly on the balls of your feet, a little nervous to be standing before the man who spares you a few words on a good day.

“You got a lock?” he asks, snubbing out his cigarette on the concrete below with a dark boot.

“A chain one for now. The deadbolt doesn’t work well.”

“You need a new deadbolt then,” he tells you, not quite making eye contact. “These drunken idiots get up to who knows what when they leave here.”

You bite at your bottom lip, trying to hide your grin. He arches a brow in question, pushing up off the wall to step nearer to you. “Eddie Munson, are we becoming friends?”

“There are no other good coffee shops in town,” he says with a shrug, and if anything it makes you grin wider. “I’ll install it on the weekend if you’re around. Before my shift.”

You ask, “Here?”

He nods. “I bartend, yeah.”

“Saturday is good.”

He dips his head once, feet moving him backwards a bit toward the bar. “I have to head back. I’ll see you.” He pauses at the door and adds over his shoulder, “Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” you echo.

He doesn’t smile.

Not yet.

But he waves, and something hopeful flickers in your belly.

*

True to his word, Eddie Munson shows up at three in the afternoon on Saturday.

El and Max wave as he enters, and you wonder if they know him more than they let on, with the way he lets them come forward to press themselves into the crook of either of his arms and they lead him toward your shoddy apartment entrance.

You tend to the front counter as Eddie works out back, showing your newest hire, Will Byers, how to perfect foam on a latte. He’s El’s step-brother, you learn very early on, and a son to Joyce who happens to be a regular. Her husband, Hopper, also comes in from time to time.

And though you were hesitant at first in hiring siblings to work together, you learn pretty quickly that Will is the quietest of the bunch, whereas it’s El and Max who tend to get a little rowdier.

“Was that good?” Will asks gently, holding the lid to the cup a few inches above the drink, closing it as you nod.

“Perfect!”

You clap excitedly, earning a smile from the boy just as Eddie comes stalking back in with the girls at his heels.

He glances at you as you approach from around the counter, the skirt about your ankles shifting as you move, his eyes dark as you hold out a coffee cup in hand.

He takes a sip and hums, the toolbag he brought with him over one shoulder shifting as he moves closer to you. “Thanks.”

“How much do I owe you for this?” You ask, not wanting to be a bother.

He was the one to offer in the first place, and yet you feel like you owe him something.

“This is fine,” he says, holding the cup up for emphasis.

“Eddie,” you start to argue softly, chewing at your lip.

The girls look on with equal expressions of interest from over his shoulders.

“This is payment enough,” he promises, tipping his head up at Will over your shoulder. “Hiring all the kids, huh?”

“They don’t seem to mind,” you say, smirking slightly to the girls. “Plus, I think I’m a fun boss.”

The girls nod in agreement, and over your shoulder Will echoes the sentiment. Eddie snorts, hooking his bag higher over his shoulder. He glances about the room one last time before he cups El over the top of her head and ruffles Max’s double braids.

“Gotta start my shift,” he announces, turning about the heel and heading to the door. He stops to turn and look at you, the shop mostly empty by now. “Thanks for the coffee.”

“Thank you for fixing my door.”

And he’s gone, out the door and crossing the parking lot to the bar across the way.

El is the first one to burst into a fit of giggles, and soon Max follows. Will urges the girls to keep their composure, but you suddenly have three teens laughing at you—or at least you assume they’re laughing at you, because their dark haired friend is long gone now.

You whirl on them all, feeling heat bloom beneath your skin. “What?”

Your response is their giggling, each kid one by one resuming their job tasks.

Will to his lattes, El to the register, and Max back to cleaning the shop.

You never find out what’s so hilarious.

*

You decide to switch things up in the weeks that follow, as the month of May starts to bleed into June.

The weather starts to rise and the people of Hawkins start to wear less layers.

Except for Eddie.

Eddie’s always wearing his leather jacket.

Always.

On those days, when Eddie’s storm cloud over his head seems a little extra heavy, you swap his cup with a grinning factoid on it with one that has a corny joke written across instead.

What do you call a pig that does karate? A pork chop.

He’s…well, he’s not impressed with that one. Only offers you a pitying hum before he marches off and heads to the Hideout.

Why did the golfer bring two pairs of pants? In case he got a hole in one.

You think you catch the slightest curl of his lips.

Maybe you imagine it, but it makes you feel warm and giddy inside long after he’s gone, humming a Beatles song as you wipe down tables.

What did the policeman say to his belly button? You’re under a vest.

That one makes him glower.

Actually glower.

But you know it’s only half-hearted, because he says, “This one was ridiculous and even you know it.”

“I’m trying!” you whine the words and he chuckles, humming as he slips out the front door, chime dangling as he goes.

Why do seagulls fly over the sea? If they flew over the bay, they would be bagels.

He’s not happy with that one. But you can also tell he’s not happy in general.

A group of people around a table had looked at him as he entered that afternoon, whispering amongst themselves.

In the months you’ve been at Hawkins, you can tell there’s an affinity for gossip here.

But Eddie?

He’s always to himself, never says much more than he needs to, makes himself seem smaller whenever possible.

You can’t imagine what anyone might have to say about him.

But you hand him his coffee all the same and don’t miss the way he tucks his hair over the scars along his neck and face as he walks back out.

Why are there gates around cemeteries? Because people are dying to get in.

Something happens that day.

It takes your breath away.

Eddie laughs, a genuine, joyous laugh.

And what’s even better? It’s paired with a smile.

The first you’ve seen on his face, and it’s absolutely beautiful.

*

Lightning slashes across the sky and you know it’s only a matter of time before you hear the resounding boom that fills the air.

It sends you shooting up in bed, heart hammering away in your still unfamiliar apartment, moving across your bed to try and flick your bedside lamp on.

Only nothing changes, and you’re still left in darkness.

Power outage.

Your heart kicks up at the dread curling in your chest as you try and navigate about the room. Thankfully you can see light seeping in through your bedroom window. The familiar glow from the Hideout sign catches your eye.

You open your blinds enough to let some of the light in and move about the room to pull on a pair of jeans and some shoes, and then rush over to grab your backpack and raincoat hanging from your closet.

The distance between your shop and the Hideout seems daunting with it downpouring as it is, feet barreling beneath you as you rush across the parking lot and shove the door open.

Hawkins is a small town, you know this, but you realize just how small when everyone in the room whirls around and you recognize them as regulars of the shop.

And just as you recognize them, they recognize you.

You figure very quickly you have three options: rush to the bar and seat near the currently busy Eddie who is making a drink for an eager patron; try to sit with some of your regulars and mingle for a bit; or pick the furthest corner of the bar to hang out in and keep to yourself.

Keeping to yourself rules out, your sleep deprived state carrying you over to the furthest seat, which happens to be a little booth in a corner, away from prying eyes.

You intend to read.

Really, you do.

Pull out the book from your backpack and everything, open to the page where you left off, but the hum of the music from the jukebox in the corner has your eyes fluttering. The mingling of customers as they talk about their weeks, the shuffle of feet against hardwood floors, the tinkling of glasses as groups toast to life has you propping your head up with your hand. You glance over to Eddie and catch his gaze briefly, his hair moving about his face as he works, talking with one of his customers, all stoic and hard like stone.

You remember his smile and you smile.

Your eyes scan the words on your current page but they start to blur. The room dissolves around you. And finally, with the sound of thunder faraway in your mind, you drift off into sleep.

*

“We close at three in the morning,” a voice says.

“What time is it?” You groan against your book, face pressing into the cover, eyes bleary.

He's walking toward you when you rouse, slow movements and long limbs. Light on his feet in a way that seems otherworldly, but makes sense for him.

“Three ten? Fifteen?”

Even in your sleepy state you know who it is right away.

Dark hair, pale skin, chocolate brown eyes.

Eddie.

His body slides into the vinyl booth across from you, a towel strewn over his shoulder, hair pulled back in another one of his signature ponytails.

You blink twice, wondering if he’s about to disappear, but his image only solidifies further the more you come to. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I’m sorry—seriously. You can kick me out. I'm sure you want to get out of here and I’ve kept you late. I…my power went out and I saw your lights were still on over here so I walked over and I—”

You sound tired and it’s a little pitiful on your ears. The new girl who can’t even sleep in her own apartment because of a little storm. You curse under your breath, hoarseness lingering as you utter another ‘sorry’ under your breath.

“Breathe,” he says, sliding a glass of water across the table. “Drink. Slow sips; don’t want you choking on me.”

You lift the glass and take a slow sip. That sandpaper feeling gnawing in the back of your throat lessens. “Sorry…again.”

“It’s fine,” he says, and the silence between you lingers.

You’re not used to this. This quiet that breathes and settles into the atmosphere around you. And yet, you’re not sure how to fill those spaces.

Eddie only leans back in the seat, one ankle hooked over his knee, a forearm across the table.

“I…uh, don’t like storms,” you admit softly, sliding your cup around the table in a circle, settling on trying to get something out of him beyond your normal short responses you’re used to. “The dark either. Not really. So when my power went out, I just didn’t want to, uh, be alone.”

He’s silent again for a while. Reaches across the table to thumb at the condensation on your glass. It feels familiar, and yet it’s not. You’re still mostly strangers. Two people who live in the same vicinity as one another, and yet you’re not friends.

Not yet.

You can see the twitch in his fingers, the tapping of them along the surface, rings on his fingers glinting in the light.

You’ve noticed them before, sure, but never like this.

Never so close.

He swallows and you catch the bob of his throat. The shift of his silver chains around his neck. “I don’t like the dark either.”

His voice is so soft, eyes focusing on a rivulet dripping from your glass. He’s not looking at you, and that’s okay, because you’re still shaken by the sudden vulnerability of the admission.

I don’t like the dark, either.

You can’t quite mask your disbelief. Him of all people, afraid of the dark, catches you off guard. “Really?” Your voice wavers at the end.

He finally looks up at you, and his eyes are softer than you’ve ever seen them. “Yeah. Haven’t for—well, for a while now,” he says quietly, slowly. He drags a hand along the back of his neck, rubbing lightly. “Kind of why I work here. By the time I get home there’s only a couple hours till sunrise.”

You sense his hesitance at sharing that. The way he shifts ever so subtly against the vinyl, glancing back away from your gaze. You soften, heart warming at the fact he chose this moment to open up, even if only slightly. Your thumb grazes the side of your glass, eyes intent on a droplet that cascades down the side, and you force a sly grin across your lips.

“It’s why you’re a secret coffee fiend too.”

He huffs out a laugh at that, sides shaking from the effort. “I don’t really think it’s a secret.”

You swallow, throat a little dry as you softly ask, “Hey, Eddie?”

It’s a gamble and you fear you might push him too far too soon, but the question rests in your mind all the same. Has been for some weeks now. This wonder as to where Eddie goes when all of Hawkins goes to sleep at night. Why you’ve never seen him elsewhere, except for the four walls of your shop and now this bar.

“Hmm?”

Your fingers toy with your napkin sitting beneath your glass of water. A corner rips away and you ball it up between your fingers, letting it soak in the slickness of the table from your melted ice. “Where is…home? I never really see you around town, except for when you stop by the shop.”

“It’s in the next town over. I like the…privacy.” He sounds faraway, even though he’s sitting right across from you.

You understand what he means. Since moving in, you feel like you’ve been thrust into a world where you’re constantly under a microscope. People want to know at all times what the ‘new girl’ is up to. You’re used to all the gossip. The hush of whispers on the streets, the questions of what you’ve been up to, if you’re seeing anyone, what a young girl is doing moving into a town like theirs. And while most people are accepting and kind, you can’t help but to feel like they’re simultaneously picking you apart or waiting for you to fail.

“Hawkins is small, so I understand that. I unwillingly know everyone’s drama.”

You notice he’s started to fidget with his hands. Pale fingers curl around those silver rings adoring his knuckles and begin to twist, metal jangling against metal. “Everyone?”

There’s an innate urge to reach across the table and soothe him. To brush your fingers against the back of his hand, remind him that you’re there to talk and nothing more. To be a friend to him, in whatever capacity he allows.

It’s clear that there’s trepidation there over your words. Fear, unbidden.

You shake your head rapidly, wishing to urge away his worries. “Not yours, if that’s what you’re worried about. Believe it or not, you’re a tough one to crack.” You let out an uneasy chuckle, and add, “but I think I’m starting to.”

“Think so?” His brows perk up at that, body shifting to lean forward on his elbows. From this angle you can see every detail of his face, the span of his lashes, the way his bangs tickle his forehead and those shorter curls brush the highest point of his cheeks.

“Yeah,” you say, leaning forward onto your elbows. You drop your voice into a whisper, like you’re about to share the deepest of secrets and mutter, “you prefer corny jokes to facts, for one. You laugh more at them.”

He’s, well, he’s magnetic like this. You’re not sure he even sees it. This quality of curiosity that brims when he’s near, to know, to learn about him. “That’s because they’re so awful I have to. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, you know?”

Mirth bubbles in your gut at his words. “You actually love the kids that work for me.”

“They’re…they’re good kids.” He says it looking off into the distance a little.

You imagine he’s thinking of El, Will and Max. You drift off all the same, thinking of them with their glowing kindness and effervescent personalities. Each one a bright spot in your life and valuable both to your business and personally as the children that brighten your days.

“You like black coffee with two sugars. Fitting. Tells me a lot about you.” It’s said brightly, practically giddy as your elbows press further into the tabletop.

“Yeah? Like what?”

“You like a little sweetness in your life.”

He guffaws. Head drops back as he shakes with it. You pout as he meets your gaze, his voice light as he opens his mouth to speak. “That was about as bad as your corny jokes,” he tells you. “Plus I gave you that one for free. Doesn’t count.”

“That's all I’ve got so far from you.” You slide the glass closer to your form, fingers circling around the base. “but I’m patient.”

He’s suddenly very interested in the clock resting over your shoulder. You know it’s there when you follow the line of his sight and see it there, his dark eyes flickering between that and you, and then the bar on the far side of the room. His fingers drift up to the towel over his shoulder, curling around the edge as he slides it down and holds it within his palm.

“I…should really close up the place. I’ll drive you home. Just give me a few, okay?” He’s already standing. Long limbs slide out of the side of the booth, his earring glinting in the moonlight drifting in from the open windows.

You immediately feel a burning in your gut at the thought of inconveniencing someone you barely know, hands coming up in front of you as you urge, “You don’t have to. It’s a short walk.”

His response is a hard stare and a monotone, “It’s pouring.”

“Okay, if you insist.” You force an uncertain smile onto your face, pushing your glass away from your form to let it rest in the center of the table.

He’s already walking behind the bar when he says, “I insist.”

You sit in silence as he works. He’s diligent and swift about it, moving in and out of tables and chairs, making sure every inch of the building is spick and span. You remain with your head in your hand, elbow on the table, simply watching him. You try to remain inconspicuous about it, not wanting to linger too long on his features. And yet there’s the part of you that cannot look away from him. That magnetic quality sparking something unfamiliar in your gut; this pull to figure out his secrets, crack the code to what makes him him.

You notice he hums as he works, a tune you vaguely recognize spilling through pursed lips, his lithe arms shifting as he does.

He watches you, too, you notice after a while.

Dark eyes haunting and imploring, drifting to your frame every so often.

You wonder what he’s thinking.

You wonder how he sees you—if he looks at you with as much curiosity as you do him.

And then he’s reaching for his wallet and keys from a lock box kept in a secret space behind the bar, fingers jingling as he holds the silver metal aloft before him.

You rush over to him when he waves you over, moving to go stand at his side as the two of you slip from the building doors and he locks up behind you. He leads you to a van in silence and opens the passenger side door as you walk around the vehicle. There’s a brief moment of touch as he extends a hand to you and you climb inside, trying to move quickly to avoid being soaked to the bone once more. Eddie drapes a hand over his head and rushes around the other side, clambering in with a loud huff and slamming the door shut beside him.

His head shakes as he enters, the audible jingle of metal in his ear echoing in the space as water droplets flick from the moist ends of his hair. You toy with the edge of your sweatshirt awkwardly, uncertain of where to look. Where to focus as he turns the radio on and metal music blares out. Catching your sudden jolt, his fingers move to lower the knob, eyes meeting yours in the dark of the moonlight. The music settles into a quiet hum, lyrics swirling around in your mind as he regards you carefully.

There’s a beat of silence, and then he says, “You know, you can come to the Hideout after your shop closes. I might not be able to talk much, but…well, it’s there.”

It’s an invitation.

An opening.

A welcome to his world.

You don’t miss that; you don’t miss the clear implication of his words. The fact he doesn’t mind you being in his space, being near him, spending time within his company.

But you can sense his nervousness. The way he shifts in his seat and curls his palm around the steering wheel, hands a little shaky as he lets out a slow exhale. Trying to ease the tension, you turn in your seat and glance up at him through your lashes, passing him your kindest of smiles.

“Across the parking lot from me,” you say, a little uneasily, a little nervousness brimming at the surface.

You’re only feet away from one another on a good day.

A thirty second walk, if you were to time it.

“Yup,” he says, turning his eyes onto the building in front of him as he puts the key into the ignition and starts the car.

It’s a short drive.

The shortest really.

He turns around in a giant circle and ends up in front of your building, car jerking lightly as he puts it into park and pulls the key from the ignition. Your hands slide across the fabric against your thighs, throat burning as you look across the space between the two of you and see him regarding you carefully like he expects you to flit away into the wind. Like he expects to blink and your appearance will disappear from his mind, there one moment and gone the next like an apparition.

You gather your things in your hand and reach for the door handle.

“Well, thank you for keeping me company tonight and for driving me home,” you say, opening the side door.

“Not a problem at all.” His voice is quiet.

But he gives you one of those smiles, and that brings an unthinkable joy to your heart.

“Goodnight, Eddie.”

“Goodnight.”

*

It really starts with trips after work.

They’re quiet and tentative.

Nothing more than glances over the top of your glass of wine or whatever you choose for the night as you sit near the bar.

Eddie hadn’t lied when he said he might not be able to talk much. He’s typically occupied for a majority of his shift, and when he’s not he’s cleaning or trying to maintain the place.

Even when you can catch up to talk, it’s brief conversation there and there about the day to day.

His remarks about whatever fact or joke you put on his cup that day, talks about the weather, how your day was.

But you find you enjoy it, and soon enough routine takes place: everyday you open up for your shift, stay till close and help the kids clean up, and then rush across the parking lot to share space with your work neighbor.

So yes, it starts as strangers, but it’s grown into this.

Into this something.

You find that you like it.

*

“So what’s your story?” It’s Chance Muller who asks you.

Chance with his dark hair and brown eyes.

Chance with his muscular stature, honed by years of sports in school and maintenance thereafter.

He’s pretty, in this almost too perfect kind of way.

And he likes you; that much is obvious very early on, simply because he’s been coming every time he has the early shift at work just to see you before getting in his cop car.

He’s nice and he makes you smile.

But he’s not Eddie.

It’s an acceptance that came crashing earlier that morning, just days after your encounter with him at the Hideout.

Your curiosity for the dark haired metalhead has become an undeniable attraction.

A crush.

Something that feels so silly as an adult, and yet it’s your reality all the same.

“What do you mean?”

You snap yourself from your thoughts, remembering that Chance is there in his tan uniform, hands on his hips as you walk about the mostly empty coffee shop.

It’s still early.

Barely minutes after opening your doors for the day. Most people don’t come until the morning rush that starts around seven in the morning.

It’s five now.

He steps closer to you, his cup of coffee against the table he’s set it on.

Broad shoulders fill the empty spaces in the room, the outline of his arms visible even in the long sleeves of his uniform.

He’s broader and bigger than Eddie, you think.

Eddie, who is all lithe and less hardened. He reminds you of the way elves are described in his favorite books he’s recently lent you to read.

“You’re the new girl in town. From what I’ve heard, everyone loves you. But you’re still single—what gives?” He leans his elbows against the countertop, dark eyes swooping up to meet yours.

You don’t feel the gentle kick up of your heart, nor the rustle of butterflies in your belly.

“Chance…” Your chest burns at his insinuation, shifting awkwardly on the balls of your feet.

“I’m serious.”

“I don’t know,” you shrug, whirling back around to face him. “I guess I just haven’t met the right one.”

It’s been a while since your last relationship, and even then it hadn’t been anything serious.

You’ve always been moving, always on the go, trying new things and never lingering in one place for long enough to try.

You know what he’s about to ask you even before he gets a chance to say it.

And yet your stomach tumbles as he says, “I was thinking…if you’re up for it, we could grab dinner then?”

You let out a nervous laugh. “Chance.”

“Come on now.”

“I have my employees and my business to look after. It’s still so new, I don’t really think I can take time off.”

It’s not a lie, but you know it’s not the best excuse, either.

You haven’t really taken any time for yourself, no; with the business, you’re constantly working on trying new things, making sure your money is on track, payroll is upkept.

And then there’s the cost of supplies and the repairs here and there that you’ve needed done.

“Would you at least think about it?” His eyes are soft and your resolve dissolves a bit, recognizing that it is only one date.

It doesn’t automatically mean there will be more.

It’s an opportunity to try, however.

“You’re my customer.”

His fingers trail along the petals of the flowers you’ve set up in front of the cash register. Pretty, in a bright arrangement of purples, pinks and greens. “Pretty sure everyone in Hawkins is one of your customers.”

“Fine, I'll think about it.” You offer him an easy smile.

He begins walking backwards toward the door, keys in his palm jangling as he grins at you widely and says, “Just two adults out for dinner. Doesn’t have to be anything crazy, just us getting to know each other. Everyone in town knows of you, but I get the feeling that no one really knows you knows you. Was thinking we could change that.”

“I bet you use that one on all the ladies. I told you I’ll think about it,” you reply. “Don't you have to get to work? Writing traffic tickets and all that fun stuff.”

His hand is around the door when he tips his head up and raises a hand to wave. “I’ll see you around, okay?”

“Bye, Chance.”

*

Eddie’s head perks up as you come barreling in the front door to the Hideout. It’s a quieter night, as Mondays always are, and he barely has a moment to blink before you’re hopping up onto one of the barstools across from him and tapping your fingers along the tin you cradle close to your body.

He eyes it wearily, tucking some bills away in a cash register.

“I need your opinion,” you say, sliding the tin closer to him.

“What’s up?” He crosses the distance between you two, ringed fingers tapping along the counter.

He’s wearing red today beneath his jacket and you’re pretty sure it’s your favorite color you’ve seen on him yet.

“Try these,” you tell him, not failing to catch the slight wince he makes, “don��t make that face, they’re not poisoned.”

He moves to lift one of the foil corners, glancing in hesitantly with his head tilted back a bit. It’s as if he expects something to jump out at him. “What’s wrong with them then?”

“I can’t make you cookies and expect you to eat them?”

“I don’t want pity cookies.” He shoves them back your way, though there’s no malice in the smile that adorns his lips.

“They are not pity cookies. They’re ‘I'm-trying-a-new-recipe-for-my-shop-and-need-an-unbiased-opinion-cookies.’” You push them closer to him once more. “You’ll tell me they’re crap if they’re crap.”

“How do you know?”

You fix him with a blank stare. “You laugh at my jokes because you hate them, not because they’re funny. Need I say more?”

He doesn’t, because despite his bumbling, there’s one thing you’ve learned about Eddie in these past months: the way to his heart is through his stomach.

The man loves sugar.

You figured as much with his coffee order, and have brought him extra treats from the shop here and there whenever you can.

So it comes as no shock to you when he takes a bite of the cookie and turns away from you to hide the way his dimples immediately pop as a smile blooms across his cheeks. “Oh…oh.”

“Good?”

“Mm.” It’s a hum around a mouthful of food as he puts the rest of the cookie in his mouth.

Yet he’s still not given his answer. Nervousness wells and bubbles.

“Eddie, if they’re garbage tell me they’re garbage. I won’t cry.”

“You cried last week at The Hobbit,” he points out.

“That’s because you didn’t warn me that everyone dies. I walked in blind. Blind.”

“Yeah, but you loved it. You asked me to keep my copy after you finished.”

You had.

And he’s right, because you did love it. You loved even more he’d felt comfortable enough to share something so special to him with you.

“I’m still upset you said no.”

“I’ve had that thing for ages. I’ll never give it away. Just admit you loved it. It’s okay to be wrong about things sometimes.” He’s enjoying himself. You want to wipe the smug look clean from his face.

“All I said was I like books that have love in them.”

“I’d say The Hobbit has love. Maybe not romantic love, but there’s love there.”

“True. Although I’m stuck on Tom Bombadil in The Fellowship of the Ring.”

“I thought you’d enjoy him, seeing as you’re Miss Sunshine around town. It’s what everyone says, at least.”

“And what about you?” you ask. “What do you say?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“You’ve known me for almost three months now. Here I thought we were friends.”

“Are we?” He tips his head to the side.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“I don’t have many of those these days.” He winces at that.

“Well, I have one of those these days.”

His eyes narrow, disbelieving. “That’s bull.”

“Everyone knows me in town, sure, but they don’t know me.”

“Sometimes that’s best,” he admits quietly. “Sometimes that’s safer.”

“Is that how it is for you?”

Him keeping people at arm's length at all times.

Him only going out in the later hours of the day, staying up late into the night.

Him never opening up beyond a certain point, cards always close to his chest.

He goes quiet at your words, and you worry you’ve offended him.

“The cookies are great,” he finally says.

Conversation over.

“I’ll make you more tomorrow.”

“I’d like that.”

There’s another pause.

You can’t hide the fear of his upset, your mouth curling downward.

His eyes slide across your face, and he reaches over to grab another cookie.

A peace offering.

“And for the record, I think we can be friends,” he says.

It really begins as friends.

*

[1d1195]

Hiiiii!

It's been a while, I love the way you explain stuff😭 Ding is so freaking amazing.

So, oh, before I forget, I do study English literature and translation ( Arabic - English) btw you're a teacher? I saw some anon I think (💜 anon?) Wishing you a happy teacher's day idk about it cause we don't celebrate that here but yeah I didn't know that sounds fun! Let me guess (English teacher?)

So you know, yesterday I had a relaxing shower and afterward I wanted to style my curly/wavy hair naturally, so I think k it's a mix of 2a and 2b and that's funny cause I really tried like I saw some pics on pinterest and some videos on tiktok that motivated me but I kinda failed? 😭😭 I just rubbed the cream into my hair and pulled it back into 2 low buns but that's funny cause just before going to bed (I'm struggling with insomnia I've been staring at the ceiling since 1am and now it's 4am😭)anyway so I just fixed my hair to bed and it looked good! Like I had put effort into it, but I didn't! I think the curls aren't gonna make it till the morning🙈

Ehhh I dont know why in the freaking freak did I just say this whole story to you but I think you'll tolerate me right?

So back to classes and huffs and puffs, my finals start on the 20th. I'm not nervous, tbh I'm excited, I wanna get over with these freaking exams to read my books in peace.

So.. Love and Other Words and The Rose Code, huh? They really sound so interesting. I'm gonna need to read them. I'm also planning on reading the Twisted and King series, and do you mind if I tell you that you need to check Interlude right the tuck now? It's so freaking good you need to read it. You'll shed many tears, istg never have I ever cried this much in my whole life in "that" specific chapter, but I just love angst! But I promise it's not like that, okay? It's just amazing amazing I'm currently reading insurgence (the sequel) it's still on going bur I just love this book so much. I hope Mikii considers publishing it someday!

And I've always wanted to ask! What is your favorite piece that you wrote? I read a couple of series that you wrote, but I just wanna know which one js your favorite 🎀

Thank you so much I think you're kinder and better thank you 🩷🩷🩷🩷

I'm gonna need to study 3 novels tmrw cause I promised myself to do so! (Pride and Prejudice, David Copperfield, and The Portrait of a Lady) we studied them for my finals, but i just want to start my revisions, so... to teach and please ig😭😭

Have a very wonderful day, Sam!!! (BTW, my childhood bff's nickname's Sam! We're still friends, and we still love each other the same but not bffs anymore)

Oh now I remembered that I wanted to rant about the future and how I'm afraid of it being a (soon to be 19) girl who is (soon to be a junior) trying to be independent but in reality she will cry if you dare give her a nasty look but I guess it'll have to wait for next time cause my eyes seem to be dropping finally😭😭 I'll tty lysm🩷🩷

-🎀anon

😭 idk what I explained, but I'm glad it came out well and that you liked it! 💕

I am a teacher! A math teacher actually if you can believe it. Writing is just a hobby of mine and I love it, but it's only for me. Teaching math is much more enjoyable than teaching English (at least I imagine so). In the US we have teacher appreciation week to recognize teachers' hard work. I had one of my current students write me a letter and one of my students last year messaged me to wish me well. But it's not that exciting tbh--well, I do get a lot of coupons emailed to me hehehe

I know NOTHING about hair. (Literally had to google what 2b meant) I make my sister figure out what I need to do and then I just do what she says. I think we might have the same hair type though based on the pictures I googled! I have one curl cream thing that I put in my hair and scrunch each morning and then hope for the best (and that there will be low humidity). It's cool to experiment with your hair, even if it doesn't turn out the way you want it to in the morning! Then you know for the next trial. Of course I tolerate you--even though that's not what I would call it, I love to hear what you're doing!

I bet you're going to crush your exams! It sounds like you're ready for it! Books in peace is a MOOD. I'm excited for you!

My favorite piece I've written oh boy. Umm...I think it would be Protection. Or maybe Zipper. Idk I feel guilty picking one over the other and I love writing them all. I will tell you I think I like Protection more than Traditional which is probs sacrilege to write on my own blog because I think everyone under the sun would choose Traditional over Protection hahahaha but I liked planning Protection more than Traditional. Although Dolcezza really took hold of my heart VERY hard. Especially lately. Probably one of the three: Zipper, Dolcezza, or Protection.

I hope studying has gone/went well and you got some sleep after being up so late! You're going to have a wonderful future, I'm sure of it, and don't worry about forgetting something. I'm not going anywhere! 💕

xoxo

[otwdfanfic]

Hello it is me again with no part 3 posted

I am working on it IN THE MEANTIME @artinandwritin tagged me in this!

Rules: tag 10 people you want to get to know better

Relationship status: Single indefinitely lmao I do not trust any men who aren’t fictional and if you look at the otwd guys you’d see that i dont trust men who are fictional either             except bjorn im sorry king #NotAllMen

Favorite colors: I really like seafoam green and other pale green shades, also bright sunny yellow and burnt dusky orange. I like a lot of colors though!

Song stuck in my head: I woke up with wouldve couldve shouldve by taylor swift stuck in my head, particularly the line “now that I’m grown I’m scared of ghosts” isn’t that funny? it’s on Cato’s playlist linked on the blog too

Last song I listened to: well just now I listened to wouldve couldve shouldve because I was writing about it but before that the last song I’d listened to was venus fly trap by marina, for a new character that’s introduced in chapter 4 of itpn named Tryggir  😈 (also the name is real norse not me clowning I swear, it means true, faithful, and fearless)

3 favorite foods: this is SO hard because i’ve gotten inexplicably really picky over the past 2 years. I really like chicken fajitas. I also love a brisket and kimchi banh mi. I’m the kind of person who can eat the exact same thing every day so I usually eat a quesadilla on white corn tortillas with green cholula almost every day

Last thing I googled: “tired dad from coraline” bc that’s me getting home from work and needing to write all evening

^ he’s smiling bc I still love writing

Dream trip: obviously I want to go to norway someday and maybe iceland, but more than that I really want to revisit london and explore the rest of the UK and ireland bc that’s where my family is from and there’s so much good history. And I want to go back to rome sooooo bad and also would love to visit some spots in greece

Anything I want right now: TO BE DONE WITH THIS CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!

Tagging: I don’t know anybody else that well I’m sorry  🙈 anybody who wants to do this you are tagged by me!!!!!!!

[gavinsmg24]

I’m gonna respond to the most recent one first baby. Meaning what you just said❤️‍🔥 I know you shouldn’t.. but. Idk. Obviously I’m lovey. N cuddling and hugs and such are flirty n lovey. But also. I am your friend too! You’re someone I care about. So. I know it doesn’t change things. But. I just want you happy n safe and loved. And I’m sure you are! Even thru the bad. For example we had bad times. And. Looking back then. Maybe you would feel how you feel about current partner about me. Like. Idk. It’s hard to be with someone every single day. Like Ben n chase. Love em to death. Irritate the shit outta me sometimes. But I know I do too. It’s just like. Everyone is so different it’s so hard to live with someone else’s routines n habits especially if they effect your own. And like. Not trying to be negative about us. I know good n bad come with everything. But like. I’m not sure if you would consider our bad times as bad as your current partners. Not that I want you to answer that cuz that’s a big thing to compare. Plus all people are different. Anyways. I may seem like an angel and lovely etc. just compared to your current partner. (Maybe just now idk about the soo the time) anyways. What I’m saying is. Yoh left for a variety of reasons. And even tho I know it was hard on us both. I Definitely know we were having a rough time. But. That’s also bcuz we had been together day after day. And that’s why it’s nice to live alone sometimes. It’s sucks. Bcuz. I dont wanna be alone. But I wanna be alone 😂 I feel like that’s such a reality. At least for me. I’d love to be back living alone but also thinking about it I dont. It’s nice to have silly interactions with other people. Walking out of my room just to flip chase off then go back. It’s just silly stuff. Rambling!!

My main point of all that was. It makes me immensely happy the things your saying. And yes. Maybe you shouldn’t say it. But. Idk. Your mental state is more important. Which is selfish to say but also. Legit! If your not happy n sad and all the other stuff I skimmed (and will read eventually) then you deserve some form or dopamine relief. And im sorry that it has to be me! (That’s me being silly. I’m sure you could get by without me. In fact I know it. Bcuz that’s life. We live and roll with the punches!) (And your strong, cool, great personality, lovey and caring. Truthfully baby! I’m sure you could be anyones perfect princess! You just need a king who deserves all your amazing ness!)

Rambles! Goodness! (Don’t feel like your rambles make me ramble. You know even when you don’t say anything I can go on! You saying stuff just makes it easier for me to say things bcuz I can just respond to you 🙈)

But. Yes. The past and rose tinted glass. I kinda went into the past talking about living alone n such. But like I know how you feel. Like. Maybe the way you’ve been feeling and so on is making it easier to imagine what it would be like if we were still hanging and enjoying each other’s company. It might cloud the arguments and other bad times (not trying to be negative just trying to say that. Partner maybe be meh rn. And it may be easier to enjoy the thought of me. Bcuz! I’m not there. Yanno? Like truthfully we won’t know unless that day comes but. It’s also possible that. In a timeline that we’re still together / get back together that we’d resort back to negative feelings. But at the same time. I loved you then. I love you now and I always will. I just enjoy making you happy. And knowing your happy and well. I’m just a lovey person. And you’re my princess! Blah blah blah ramblinggg!

Gonna flip to the frito thing bcuz I’ve rambled a lot here. I feel it baby. Wanting to go back to what we once did. Like I’d love to be back at my old FedEx. 10x better than this one. But also. Then I wouldnt be here. And for you like your strong but also any physical job has it’s negative effects on the body. So. Im glad your not doing that. But also do what you want! I just didn’t like that job for you only bcuz your manager or whatever. That dude was an unreasonable person. Not really but like. He was way to high strung n picky. Just a person who stressed people out. (Idk if I mentioned but every so often I see a frito lay box being shipped at FedEx and I think of you💘)

I’m sorry I put this at the bottom but I wanted to save the best for last 🙈😘

My H. Absolutely :,0) you know you’d wouldn’t even have to ask🙈 you could walk thru my door rn. I’d squeeze you then hold you in my arms in my bed. Squeezing each other under blankets (although onto your other question. It is warm! It’s currently 78 degrees here! So! I sometimes forget that it’s just now March! So other colder states. Are. Cold!!!) My poor chilly baby! Please! We gotta keep you warm 🥺💘 that’s right. Warmth! Sooo! Come take a nap with me. It would be so blissful. We can just sleep and feel the safe presence of each other ❤️‍🔥

This post is long! So! Enjoy your reading 🙈 I know you won’t mind anyways but imma still say this. I probably will nap here soon so I may respond to the rest when I wake up later. But of course I’ll be able to respond even if you need to delete. Normally once you post I hold onto it just so you can get rid of things if need be.. I hope that’s okay. Anyways! Ending this with!

Nap with me princess. Just sleep. And maybe cuddling 🥺🥰. I. Love. You. H. Promise I’ll respond sometime soon. I’m sure before the weekend if not during I’ll have responded to everything you’ve said (unless you say more 😉🙈) but of course. You never have to! But also. You’re just ranting sometimes 🥺 the point of the blog! I just happen to be responding to your thoughts 😖

Done! Now! I. Love you! Cutie💎

[mmunson86]

Baby nothing is wrong with you, you are simply crushing on us which come on Eddie its not that bad let yourself go, try a girl who isnt throwing herself at you accept the chase and come get us🙈💗

I mean i am not saying go off and buy us flowers (which you can if youd like) but a thank you would be nice you crazy man lol thats the thing baby we dont have to fuck in order to have you, clearly have occupied empty space in that beautiful mind of yours🥰

Yes! We love Wayne i am glad he is getting the king treatment as he should! He worked his butt off for Eddie so i am glad that he is getting a nice little break💗🥹 periodt KING , Wayne is never wrong if he didnt have a good feeling about Chrissy you should have listened Eddie , you sadly learned the hard way,

Eddie my love the reason Wayne doesn’t see through our “innocent act” is simple…its not an act Eddie ! Its who we are , and we are not Chrissy

Baabe i love Richie that little snickering … lol Richie is having a filed day bahahah i love that man he knows what he is doing and doesn’t care if Eddie likes it or not😂

Oh Eddie chill the fuck out you know damn well you don’t want us to stay away put your big boy pants on and stop being such a stubborn ass😅

I swear to god Richie has me kicking my feet and screaming because he is insisting we go to dinner & Eddie is fuming, it’s making me giggle like a school girl🤣

Eddie keep lying to yourself about us being annoying. Look like I said Richie has me LMAO, & the fact that this man is mentioning us during breakfast …interesting . Do not be mean Jeff has every right to be up his girlfriends ass because guess what he’s in love as he should take notes my guy.😅

The fact that Eddie is so pressed about Wayne seeing through his bullshit and being nice to us. Oh my God it’s genius. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop smiling because this man is in denial. Look, Let me tell you this we would never do anything to harm Wayne. We love him and did you really show up at our door at 1 AM just to ask this?..sir… or is it just an excuse to see us in our jammies?

Oh my God the way I am screaming! the way you described the kiss! Oh my goodness. Oh my god oh my god oh my God I’m freaking out because it really happened. I’m kind of nervous because you mentioned there’s gonna be some drama in the next one, but I really can’t wait because this man is falling hard for us, and I know he’s fighting it with every fiber in his body but come on Eddie. Let’s be real baby you are missing is somebody that can love you & that somebody is us what we can give you some thing no other groupie ass bitch will ever be able to give to you because we’re not here for those reasons we don’t want your money we don’t want your fame we want you and I think you’re scared of being loved the right way, but we can change that just let yourself go💗🥹

PRICE OF FAME (PART 4/?)

AHHH HERE WE GO, ENJOY!!!

————

18+ — MINORS DNI

pairing: rockstar!eddie x journalist!reader

summary: wayne is in town and eddie thinks he kind of hates you... maybe

contains: enemies to lovers trope, smoking, drug and alcohol use, scary and sticky feelings, king richie being king richie, and eddie thinks you taste sweet <3

word count: 3.8k

| previous part | -masterlist- |

Eddie’s going insane, he thinks.

There’s something wrong with him. Something seriously wrong.

It’s been two days since Eddie slept in your room. Forty-eight hours have passed since you so graciously offered him the peace and solace of your extra hotel bed, and Eddie has yet to stop thinking about you.

The morning after sleeping in your room, Eddie snuck out as quietly as possible to avoid any awkward conversation, even if nothing was particularly awkward about the situation. He didn’t want to have to thank you for letting him stay with you, and he knew that if he’d waited until you woke up, he would have to thank you. So, he escaped first thing in the morning, as any avoidant and coward-like person would do.

He spent all day with fleeting thoughts of you— remembering the sight of you smiling under the light of the TV, the sound of you laughing, the visual of you swallowed beneath fluffy sheets and pillows, pouty lips parted to let out the cutest, most annoying, and fucking nerve-grating snores that gently lulled Eddie to sleep. 

He spent time wondering what you were doing, how you looked and sounded in the morning, and being annoyed with himself for depriving himself of the chance to witness that. He wondered if you looked for him when you realized he was no longer in the room— if you were annoyed that he left without saying anything, or if you didn’t care. God, why does he care? It’s not like you two fucked, he just crashed in your room.

That same morning, Eddie had the phantom of your scent all around him. Soft, inviting, and all things alluring, and Eddie wanted to sink his teeth into it and gnaw at it like some fucking teething dog. What the fuck?

There’s something wrong.

However, those weird and unwanted feelings have died down since Eddie hasn’t seen you in the past forty-eight hours. Granted, that’s probably because he’s been subconsciously avoiding you like the plague, which has been relatively easy, considering they’ve been on a short break.

Thankfully, Eddie had a solid reason as to why he fled your room so early that morning— to pick up Wayne from the airport. He took Wayne to a breakfast diner and treated him to a warm meal and coffee to ease the stress of traveling from his bones. 

And Wayne has never been to New York, so Eddie took the time to show him around. Eddie’s been to the city many times, and he likes to think he’s somewhat of a pro now that he knows his way around the subway. Eddie swears learning the subway was easier than passing senior year, and that says something.

After breakfast, Eddie took Wayne to the Brooklyn Bridge, where they could see the Statue of Liberty in the distance. From there, they took a cab to Times Square so Wayne could witness the absolute chaos that is New York City. They spent some time in Times Square, watching street performances and snacking on greasy foods, and they had a good time until a few people spotted Eddie.

Wayne always tells Eddie he doesn’t mind fans coming up to them and enjoys watching Eddie interact with his supporters. Still, Eddie gets weary of crowds becoming rowdy around anybody he loves, so he tries to keep the interactions to a minimum when he’s out with company.

And Wayne isn’t much of an expressive person, but Eddie’s been around him long enough to read his microexpressions easily and understand that Wayne seemed to like New York so far.

Eddie hasn’t told Wayne about Gareth, partly because he knows he’ll get a long talk about how violence solves nothing, but more importantly, because Eddie doesn’t want to admit that Wayne was right about Chrissy. 

Wayne never trusted Chrissy all that much. Chrissy was friendly, respectful, and all things socially acceptable, but she lacked in the caring department. Wayne didn’t like that Chrissy never supported Eddie’s dreams, never showed up to a single show, or didn’t even bother learning the lyrics to at least one song. She didn’t care to show up for Eddie, but Eddie was always there for her. Always.

Chrissy was greedy with love, and Wayne saw right through her innocent act.

And given that Wayne is quite the expert at seeing people for who they really are, Eddie doesn’t understand why he doesn’t see through your innocent act.

It’s Wayne’s third night in New York when you finally cross paths. You’d been passing by each other in the hotel lobby; Eddie, Wayne, and Richie leaving while you were on your way in— and Eddie was content with ignoring you, but god, you just couldn’t help yourself, could you?

 “You must be the infamous Wayne,” You smile as you shake the older man’s hand. Eddie stands between Wayne and Richie as he stuffs his hands in his pockets while Wayne greets you, pursing his lips and rocking on the heels of his feet as you and Wayne share a short introduction— Richie snickers beside him.

“You three look fancy; what’s the occasion?” You wonder aloud. Wayne smiles, and Eddie doesn’t know when Wayne became so kind to strangers, especially annoying strangers. “Eddie here is treating us to dinner,” Wayne explains, reaching over to pat Eddie’s stiff shoulder. Eddie thinks that may be your indication to leave, but he’s sadly mistaken when Richie adds, “Have you eaten yet? Would you like to tag along?”

Eddie thinks the age is getting to Richie’s head because Richie must be out of his fucking mind. 

His head snaps to glare at Richie, about to cut in until you speak up, “Oh! I couldn’t; I don’t want to impose.” You shake your head with a kind smile. Good, Eddie thinks. Don’t impose, stay far a-fucking-way.

But Richie— god, Eddie can’t believe Richie, “Ah, the more, the merrier,” he waves you off, “And the rockstar will pay for us. Who turns down a free meal?” Wayne jumps in, causing you to erupt in soft laughter.

Eddie has to end this, obviously.

“The reservation is for three,” Eddie chips in, and finally, the three of you acknowledge his presence, turning to him as he shifts on his feet. “And we don’t have time to wait for you to get ready.” He adds, pursing his lips and shrugging in an ‘oh well’ gesture.

If Eddie weren’t watching you so intently, he wouldn’t have noticed the tiny shift of you caving into yourself, but he does, and he kind of feels bad for a quick second. He doesn’t know why he feels bad because he wasn’t even lying. The reservation was for three, and with New York traffic, they should’ve been on their way roughly fifteen minutes ago.

You open your mouth to respond, probably throw in the flag and let the three men be on their way, but Richie opens his fucking mouth again, “Well, we can wait, and I’m sure you can pull some strings for a third chair, son.”

And Eddie could. He can definitely get a fourth seat because he’s friends with the restaurant owner, but Eddie doesn’t want to. And he sure as hell doesn’t want to pay for your goddamn meal, but, as always, despite Eddie’s wishes, Richie insists you tag along. 

He, Wayne, and Richie end up sitting in the lobby waiting for you to get dressed in your room. Wayne and Richie are sitting on opposite sides of the couch, Wayne quietly flipping through a magazine and Richie mindlessly people-watching as Eddie impatiently bounces his leg and pouts in the seat across them. Wayne doesn’t bother looking at Eddie when he says, “You’re gonna leave a dent in the floor, son.”

Eddie glares at Wayne and Richie, “Why did you invite her?” He snaps.

Wayne flips the page of the flimsy book, heavily sighing and shifting in his seat, “This is the girl you mentioned at breakfast, right?”

Richie snickers and raises an eyebrow at Eddie, “You mentioned Birdie at breakfast? That’s interesting.” He jokes, to which Eddie grumbles a short and snippy, “Shut up.”

And yeah, maybe Eddie did mention you to Wayne, but it wasn’t… it wasn’t like that, okay? You just piss Eddie off, and now that he’s not on good terms with Gareth, and Jeff is too busy with his head stuck up his girlfriend's ass, Eddie has nobody to turn to for a good rant, and Wayne— well, Wayne was just there. 

“Yes. But did you also hear me mention that I can’t stand her, or did you just stop listening after I said her name?” Eddie grumbles. Wayne smiles behind the magazine, and Eddie can hear it in his voice when he responds, “No, I heard it all… sounded like a load of bullshit.” 

Richie laughs, but Eddie ignores it as his face twists in confusion at Wayne’s words, “Excuse me?”

Wayne closes the magazine and looks at Eddie, “Boy, did fame take away what little common sense you had? You don’t hate the girl.”

Before Eddie can respond to Wayne’s encrypted comment, you appear, pulling their attention, “Thank you for waiting; I hope I wasn’t too long,” you huff while hastily adjusting the strap of your bag over your shoulder.

For a moment, Eddie doesn’t remember what he was groveling about or that he kind of hates you.

And you’ve always been pretty. Eddie never thought you were ugly, and quite honestly, if you’d met under different circumstances and you weren’t a pain in the ass, Eddie might’ve fucked you. But Eddie’s hatred for you outshined your beauty… most of the time. However, that film of dusty and grey disdain has been clearing recently, and Eddie’s not sure if he should turn away or keep looking because you’re breathtaking.

He doesn’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the dress you’ve chosen and how perfectly crafted it is for you, how the colors compliment your skin in an achingly perfect way. Maybe it’s the way your eyeliner is slightly smudged and smoky from your rushed movements to avoid being late for the reservation. Or maybe Eddie’s just lost his mind right along with Wayne and Richie. For now, he’ll stick with the latter.

Eddie stands up with a loud huff, “Let's go. Before they give someone else our table.” He grumbles, brushing past you and walking off without another word.

Eddie misses the slight and amused smirk on Wayne’s lips.

Wayne, you come to learn, is funny.

You’d thought the ride to the restaurant would be awkward, given that Eddie clearly doesn’t want you here, but Wayne and Richie left no room for the tension to rise. They both told stories and jokes the entire drive, and by the time you arrived at the restaurant, your stomach was sore from laughter. Honestly, you’re not sure how Wayne raised Eddie only for Eddie to end up like… Eddie. Wayne is kind and inviting and all things opposite of Eddie. You almost believe they’re tricking you.

“Since when did you become a stand-up comedian, Wayne?” Eddie sarcastically asks as he opens the door to the restaurant. Wayne had just made a joke about how Eddie was a troublemaker in high school, which Eddie clearly didn’t think was funny, given the scowl on his face.

“I’ve always been a comedian, son.” Wayne pats Eddie on the back as he steps into the fancy establishment. You glance at Eddie and thank him for holding the door as you follow behind Wayne, Richie stepping in behind you.

Eddie was able to get a change of tables, so you were able to join, and you thanked him on your way to the table as the waiter walked you all to your new designated seats. Eddie either didn’t hear you, or he didn’t care to respond; either way, you don’t take it to heart.

Once you reach your table, Wayne and Richie take the seats on the other side of the table, leaving you no other option but to take the seat next to Eddie. Eddie scoffs upon this realization, and you subconsciously chew the inside of your cheek as you settle in the chair.

For the most part, dinner goes by smoothly. You suppose Eddie’s distasteful attitude diffused once the food satiated his hunger— and you think Eddie has the character of a toddler that’s missed their nap time, and a part of you thinks it’s cute, watching him huff and fuss until he’s happily eating. You try your best to focus on the plate of food in front of you and the conversations between the four of you, but you often find yourself glancing over at Eddie. 

Because the way Eddie moves is like a movie.

Animated and smooth and all things annoyingly beautiful. The way he speaks with his hands, the way his hair brushes and sways back and forth over his shoulders when he shifts, the sound his rings make when clinking against the silverware. The way his cheeks carve lines when his lips stretch in a smile-soaked laugh, and his eyes widen when he gets excited while telling a story.

It’s captivating.

And a few days ago, you’d thought the wine was the cause for your unwanted attraction, but alas.

You blink away the haze of your short-lived trance and resume eating. Better to leave that road untouched.

Despite Eddie’s low expectations, dinner was good.

He had a nice plate full of food he couldn’t be bothered to learn how to pronounce and a glass of whiskey to wash it down. Wayne and Richie held a good conversation, though those two have always gotten along well since Richie entered Eddie’s life. Richie and Eddie tell Wayne all about life on the road, updating him on the craziest shows and sights, and Wayne informs Eddie about everybody back home.

The kids are soaking up their last weeks of freedom before college, and Max even got a nose piercing, “Somehow, that made her even more of a firecracker, that kid.” Wayne joked.

Wayne says he doesn’t know much about the older half of them, but he runs into one of them every now and then at the grocery store and such, and Eddie makes a mental note to call and check in before the holidays.

And then there’s you.

Eddie wanted to believe you were ruining the vibe of dinner, but you annoyingly made it… better. 

You eased into the atmosphere as if you weren’t a complete stranger, asking questions about Hawkins and adding stories of your childhood in Michigan. Eddie had expected you to shy away for most of the dinner since they were mostly discussing things you weren’t there for, but you were as involved as the three of them, if not more.

And Wayne and Richie adore you.

Richie has always made it known that he has no problem with you, and some might even think the two of you have a relationship akin to a father and daughter. But Richie has always been that way. He’s always quick to accept people into their circle and give them a chance. 

But Eddie didn’t expect Wayne to warm up to you as quickly as he did.

Wayne is usually wary of strangers, and just like Eddie, Wayne hates the media. Wayne witnessed the hell Eddie initially went through with the press— messy rumors and misconstrued words— and when Eddie almost threw in the towel for good, Wayne was there to wrap it back around Eddie’s knuckles and shove him back into the game. So, you can imagine the confusion reeling through Eddie’s mind when Wayne immediately becomes fond of you.

It’s annoying and stupid, and Eddie thinks you might be a witch because you have everybody under this weird spell that makes them like you. 

After dinner, everyone decided to enjoy the nice weather on a walk back to the hotel. Even though Eddie would’ve much rather liked to call a car and make it back to the hotel in less than ten minutes, he can admit that it feels nice to just walk around in light conversation. He doesn’t get much of this anymore. Most days, Eddie is busy doing shows, writing songs, talking to the press, and rolling through each day, so he doesn’t have the time to have simple and lighthearted moments like these.

He’s walking beside Richie, blowing through a cigarette and listening to Richie ramble on about… well, Eddie’s not sure what Richie is talking about because he’s so focused on you.

A few paces ahead of Richie and Eddie, you and Wayne walk together, wrapped up in an intriguing conversation, considering how intently you seem to be listening. You’re watching where you’re stepping, but you routinely turn to Wayne and nod to let him know you’re listening, and every now and then, you even glance back at Eddie and Richie with a soft smile.

And you’re so fucking cute for that.

Eddie thinks he might admire you for that— for being so kind and attentive to Wayne. And you’re like that with everyone: kind and perceptive in a way that makes people feel like they matter, like every word they speak matters. But this… this is different, Eddie thinks.

He’s unsure what it is, but seeing how you interact with Wayne makes his chest warm— like he’s drinking tea on a cold autumn day. Like he’s spent the day shivering in a cold building only to step out into a sunny sky and thaw the cold from his ribs.

It’s endearing, watching you.

Chrissy was never close with Wayne in any way, shape, or form. And although Eddie would’ve loved to see Chrissy interact and get along with Wayne, it just never happened. Not because Wayne was adamant about hating Chrissy or because Chrissy hated Wayne but because they just… never clicked. (And yeah, maybe Wayne disliking Chrissy had something to do with that, but that’s neither here nor there.)

And Wayne is a big part of Eddie’s life. He’s the main reason why Eddie is where he is today and not following in his deadbeat father's footsteps. 

Wayne is Eddie’s family.

And the fact that you can acknowledge that and treat their relationship with such respect and care— it makes Eddie feel things that he’s not very keen on feeling.

But the moment of admiration for you is quickly shattered when he catches a snippet of your and Wayne’s conversation.

“You’re a good journalist, I take it. Will I be getting interviewed for this article, too?” Wayne jokes, and you laugh, “If you’d like to, I'm sure I can make the time before you leave.” You respond.

And Eddie doesn’t like that. He hates that actually.

It’s nearly one in the morning when Eddie knocks on your door. They returned from dinner hours ago and called it a night, but Eddie is standing at your hotel room door, knocking at one in the morning. It’s a heavy and loud knock, enough to wake you out of the deep slumber you’d been in, given the way you grimace when you open the door.

You rub your eyes, blinking a few times before settling into a visible state of confusion once you realize the person in front of you is Eddie. You clear the sleep from your throat before sleepily blinking at Eddie and asking if everything is okay. 

Eddie doesn’t waste time cutting to the chase, “Are you trying to get my uncle in your piece?”

And yeah, maybe the question could have waited until tomorrow, and maybe the question is dumb and not all that serious considering it was clearly a joke, but Eddie smoked a blunt and couldn’t stop thinking about you— and looking at you now, god, Eddie believes if he hadn’t smoked too much to teeter on the edge of paranoid, he’d kiss you. You’re so cute; painted toes digging into the plush carpet (he thinks he should ask if you’ve iced your ankle tonight), oversized shirt hanging over your body like a blanket, messy imprinted lines of sheets on your cheek from your slumber, and a cute little frown gracing your lips. Eddie’s chest tightens.

“…Huh?”

Eddie almost forgot you were stupid.

“Wayne. Are you interviewing him for the article?” Eddie repeats.

You blink a few times, glancing around the empty hallway and shaking your head, “Eddie, this— this couldn’t have waited?” Your voice teeters on the edge of whiney as you speak.

Eddie raises an eyebrow, and you huff, rubbing your eyes again before shrugging, “No, I— I don’t think so. I mean… he’s the one who offered to talk. I’m down to do it if he’d like—” “That’s not happening.”

Your eyebrows pinch together in confusion, “Excuse me?”

Eddie shakes his head, “Leave Wayne out of your stupid piece, okay? I don’t want you interviewing him, asking him stupid questions, and twisting his words. He doesn’t need any of that shit.”

And you blink up at him like you’re having trouble processing what he’s saying, and Eddie really wants to fucking kiss you. 

Too much weed, he thinks. He should’ve never smoked that much after such a long T-break.

“Um,” you hum, taking a moment to register Eddie’s words before speaking, “Okay… I didn’t realize I had overstepped. I won’t interview Wayne.” You respond. Kind, polite, sweet, and all things that make Eddie’s brain waves spike.

You yawn into the back of your hand, “Can I— can I go back to sleep now?”

And you’re standing there, blinking up at Eddie with these soft and pretty eyes, and Eddie thinks… Eddie thinks, fuck it.

Now, Eddie hadn’t exactly planned to come here and kiss you. Or maybe he had; he’s not exactly sure at this point, but he can’t find it in himself to care because kissing you feels better than any drug Eddie could ever get his hands on.

Your lips are soft and sweet and taste like the lip balm you’d applied before bed. And here, this close to you, Eddie can smell the shampoo in your hair, the clean, scented body wash you use, and the fresh linen lingering scent of the hotel sheets, and it’s intoxicating. 

You’re shocked at first; Eddie can tell from how still your lips are, but when you realize that Eddie is kissing you, god, Eddie nearly melts.

You kiss like nobody Eddie has ever kissed before. Like you’ve spent years perfecting every single move, calculated and precise and all things electrifying. And if this is how you kiss when you’re grumpy and sleepy, Eddie can’t imagine how you kiss regularly.

But he shouldn’t be imagining that, and he shouldn’t be kissing you, and he shouldn’t even be here, for fucks sake! 

It takes nearly everything in Eddie's body and soul to pull away from you, and it pains him when he loses the feeling of your lips against his, but Jesus Christ, Eddie doesn’t know what came over him.

You look at him in shock, almost like you’ve seen a ghost, and Eddie doesn’t know what to do or say.

All he can do is turn around and go back to his room without another word, leaving you speechless and confused, with only the echo of his door slamming to aid both of your whirling thoughts.

————

a/n: GASSSPPP A KISS ?? LMAOO NEXT PART WILL BE A BIT MORE DRAMA FILLED SO LOCK IN BESTIES! AS ALWAYS, I LOVE ALL AND ANY FEEDBACK SO PLS LMK HOW U FEEL <3

————

cutie lil taglist: @mastermindmiko @whataboutbibi @ryanmxrie @ihatepeanutss @tlclick73 @motherfckerrr @emxxblog @jesssssmaybankk @eddiesguitarskills @bibieddiesgf @chloe-6123 @micheledawn1975 @demxnicprxncess @emma77645 @sidthedollface2 @mvnsonslvt @s-u-t @hereforshmut @welcometohellsock @lma1986 @animechick555 @sheneedsrocknroll92

[dreadfutures]

This is your permission to vent if you want, or not, but genuinely, how is the strike going? How are you holding up? How long do you think you'll be at it/how's the response from the university so far?

Thank you for asking!!

Once again I'm not a union official or strike captain or really plugged into the leadership, this is just what I've heard from the official updates all UAW members get and what people are rumoring on the ground. This is vibes and not official in anyway.

Except for one official thing: DONT VANDALIZE PROPERTY, DONT SKIP CLASS, DONT USE FORCE TO PROHIBIT INGRESS/EGRESS FROM LOCATIONS!!!! Ask your profs to cancel class in solidarity, instead. ;)

It's going well I think! The University (system) has a slow response time to what's happening on the ground, so I think right now we're seeing the response to the strength we showed at the end of last week (which was record, phenomenal, Solidarity). The University has quit stonewalling certain topics at the bargaining table. It seems really promising that we're gonna get some historic deals that might...reshape what these outdated models of "apprenticeship" look like going forward.

We're never gonna meet an industry level of compensation and no one is asking for that, we know we're doing PhDs for low pay, but we have limits that we just can't take anymore. "you can't eat prestige" and "passion doesn't pay the rent" really are just...trueisms.

The new deal the postdocs are getting progress with looks...astonishing honestly, in a great way. We'll see what happens with the other units!

I'd say my campus is the most conservative and complacent of the 10 campuses, and we still managed to get amazing and astounding and thrilling amount of turnout. Even in STEM, which is well paid by general standards (relative........$30k is still not good 😂)

Every time we make gains however the University then sends out new waves of threats. Departments like mine have been threatening their TAs and GSRs (illegal threats and threats of illegal actions) in a variety of ways, in particular with regard to the empty/fake "research units" we are forced to sign up for *in order to be employed by the university*. It's a blatant effort to discourage and retaliate against strikers, and illegal, and unfair labor practices have been filed. But unfortunately it sucks to have to live through. Even if my advisor doesn't go through with it, even if he does and it then gets *undone*, it's still a stain on our relationship going forward. And fuck the department.

Fortunately (?) the threats are what actually pushed a bunch of people who were anti-strike or just complacent into being like "wtf, department/university, that's evil" and made them join the picket line

I hope we'll be able to reach deals for all the units next week. The University will likely hope we lose steam over the holiday so we definitely need to keep the showing strong next week. I'm hopeful!

On a personal note it's...been really strange finding myself leading chants and being asked to make speeches. 🙈 I have given serious side eye to many people in my department who got involved with DEI and other activist initiatives just to...have something they can rule over as king or queen. They want to be known for something without doing anything substantial, and edge other well meaning people out because they consider others to be a threat to their monopoly. There are people who cry racism and sexism and corporate corruption at every little thing, just to scare people into giving them what they want, and it's kind of...ruined that reputation for anyone who wants to get involved. It makes people like my advisor think that any sort of activism or mentorship is just distractions from work, or SJW stuff in the worst sense. I agree when it comes to those people! They make it really hard to want to be associated with any sort of activism or outreach!

So I really don't want to be strike captain and I really don't want to be The Lead or The Contact, but I've ended up in that role...because no one else wants to, or can, on my side of campus. I'm literally getting "so and so from chem?! it's you!!" and it makes me want to not be here. It puts a target on my back and it puts more microphones in my hand, and it leads more people to look to me for answers that I don't have (fortunately my first year room mate and I are still right and she's a lead organizer, so I can get answers or direct people).

(Ironically, the people I mentioned who want to be Known as activists and as The Most Woke and stuff...aren't striking. 🙄 they are comfortable with the establishment because they have set themselves up as the token minority yes-man for the establishment.)

I'm really touched and honored and just trying to listen to what's needed and do my best and ask for what I can do that would be most helpful. But I'm exhausted and it feels like this is... something I have been inextricably linked to. It makes me worry about employment in the future and what the rest of my time in my program is going to look like.

Also my department (student wise) is still so complacent or anti union. It's lonely.

A friend of mine defended her thesis recently and her dad, conservative from Texas, was talking at her going away party about how good it was that we were striking and solidarity and stuff and...it was so awkward because I was the *only person there* who is striking. Everyone else is too scared of their advisors, or doesn't want to be associated with Cringe People, or just doesn't care enough because we have it good.

(we have it good at the moment.... But the department HAS denied us raises before arbitrarily, and they HAVE been scummy, and their generosity is not codified in writing... What they give they can and do take away to control us)

🥲 I really don't hold it against people and people are constantly surprised that I don't have hard feelings against the people who aren't striking. But people just have a variety of personal situations and frankly striking hurts me and my progress more than it hurts my advisors research program, so I get it. I'm not out here calling people scabs or getting bitter about people not striking. I'm mostly striking for other people, who I know, at other universities or postdocing and not being able to afford to live.

But the fact of the matter is that just by standing alone, they have set me apart as Us Vs. Them. Friends assume I think they're cowards or that I think I'm better than them, and it's made things strained.

I'm confident it'll smooth over but. It's a little lonely.

I tore off a chunk of my toe tripping while leading a chant on Monday, I have lost my voice completely and have a gunked up respiratory system from so much shouting and talking and speechifying, and my brain feels utterly empty and coming home to an empty house just feels cavernous and echoingly overwhelmingly empty most days.

Also I put my hand on a literal stove and have an electric burner branded on my palm 🙄 I am glad right now for the break, I'm so tired. I wish I could write but my brain just has no words for myself, so I'm trying to find words for others. Holiday cards. Letters.

A very dear friend of mine gave me a call in the middle of the night because I said I missed him and we'd been promising to catch up for ages, and I didn't say it but I'd felt like. we were slipping, like I didn't mean much to him in the end after all, but he was there for me. Makes me miss him more (the one with the dog I drew as a Tintin homage in #my+art tag) and all the friends who've moved on already from here.

This campus has never been my home and I have been so, so unhappy here. I hate suburbs I hate socal I miss Public transit and the Bay Area and Santa Barbara and I can't wait for the next stage of my life when I get paid what I'm due and have real person hours instead of this 60-80 hr, 6 day work week that I've had through all of grad school.

But I've survived and I really, really hope I've helped make this a better place to be for the next sucker. I've been thinking about it a lot lately and I've been intimately involved in...a lot of efforts to reshape my department and the concept of a chemistry PhD in the UC system, over my five years here. We changed the demands put upon TAs in my first year. We demanded a better deal upon arrival, when the department used to withhold our pay for a full 2 months after our program started (putting so many of us in debt right at the start of our PhDs!). We reshaped how switching labs works. And now...

This historic movement.

It's something to be proud of, and I've really enjoyed getting to know more of the people who are helping make it possible, out on the picket line. I think I've made some friends with some math grad students who actually know what it's like to party 😂 we played beer (water) pong yesterday at the picket and I hope we're gonna be friends even after all this is done.

Thank you again for asking! I haven't had a chance to see my therapist since I decided to strike so. I haven't really allowed myself to reflect on things.

[australet789]

I LOVE your ML Lion King AU!!!! And also basically any of your LK stuff I just went on a search/liking spree lol sorry. 🙈

I had a few questions, if that’s allowed?

1. What kind of lions are the Dupain-Cheng family? Since their pelts, especially Sabine and Marinette’s, are very dark. Or were you just making stuff up for the AU? I wasn’t sure, since you seem to know a LOT about the Lion King.

2. Is there a reason why Alya looks like she kinda has a mane, or was that just your way of showing off her canon hair? Either way I really like it!!!!!

3. Why does Zoè look so scared/sad in your drawing of her? Is she okay? Or is that just her being sad that Queen Audrey and Princess Chloe don’t really accept her?

4. I saw you mention the Tsurugi pride allying itself with King Gabriel. But Kagami is a member of the Lion Guard. I thought only members of the Prideland’s pride could be part of the Lion Guard? Of course that would also exclude Adrien, technically. Are you just changing it up for your AU, is there more info we don’t know about Kagami and Adrien yet, or am I wrong about the requirements of the Lion Guard? (I will admit I don’t know a lot about the canon Lion Guard, so I’m curious lol)

5. What’s a Leopold (?)? I think you mentioned Luka being one? Also I just wanted to say your design for Luka is great! I still prefer Kovu, but Luka is fun too lol. He does look a little stoned though - and honestly I find the thought of Luka being high hilarious for some reason lol

6. Are all the classmates gonna be part of the pride? I would LOVE to see your takes on them! I already can’t wait to see more of Marinette and Adrien, but I’d love to see haughty Princess Chloe too! 👑

Okay I’ll leave you alone now! 🙈 Love you and your AU k thanx bye!

Sure thing i love questions about this AU!

1. Tom is just a typical african lion while Sabine and Marinette are Asian lions! In The Lion Guard Asian lions look like this:

The lionesses specifically seem to have a very visble mark in their backs, which is what im using to differentiate them from the typical african lions. 

Grey lions, on the other hand, have been a thing since Simba's Pride:

So the grey color palette is not unusual. This is all my reasoning to make Sabine, Marinette and Kagami look that way. And im also using their clothes instead of the color skin as pelts, while with the males, is easier because their manes are their hair's color.

2. Showing off xD she has fluffier fur hehe

3. Yeah, she has a lot of insecurities and she doubts her position as The Strongest, since Audrey has made her feel like nothing and Chloé doesnt accept her as her sister.  

4. I asked some people in the fandom that has watched the show more than me and is up to interpretation? But the agreements is that, once chosen, they need to live in the Pridelands. So, in the lore of my AU, that applies as well.

 I explained that Adrien kinda loses his powers if he is not close to Marinette because of this rule. The Tsurugi pride is indeed in ally with Gabriel but it’s more of “i want to live here because i dont want to make an ally with the Pridelands royals cause they suck and is convenient” rather than being full pals lol. Kagami does end up moving to the Pridelands after she is chosen as The Bravest, and she visits her mom from time to time. Tomoe agrees to this because she is proud of her daughter’s achievements.

5. Leopon! It’s a hybrid between a male leopard and a lioness. So Jagged is a leopard and Anarka is a lioness.

6. Yes, they are all part of the Pridelands! I do want to draw all of them, but i cant promise it will be soon tho. Chloé, tho, she is coming up next! 

Thank you so much for asking! 

[ihatebnha]

Kirishima, who loves how innocent you look in the morning light, eats you out as a way to wake you up.

Wholeheartedly just wants your morning to be as sweet as you are, fuck he loves how sweet you are. Lying there on your stomach; one leg hiked up and the other straight. Nothing on but his shirt and a pair of red panties.

He’d slide up from the foot of the bed hand ghosting along your skin until he’s laid a breath away from your core. Softly grabbing your ass with one hand- he’d run his thumb along your panties, tracing the outline of you, before slipping underneath the fabric to touch you. Soft and slowly growing wetter under his touch he’s aching to fuck you but knows now is for you.

(King of consent would make sure this is okay to do long before ever thinking about it)

To keep from writing a second book in your inbox I’ll leave it there 😬🥴♥️

LEGENNNNNNDDDDDDD.... IF U EVER START A BLOG... LET A GIRL KNOW BC IM SCREAMING!!!! 

“Wholeheartedly just wants your morning to be as sweet as you are, fuck he loves how sweet you are.” this line literally has me in tears on the way to the hospital from heart palpitations and im not even kidding... 

like i know we were just talking about enji... but any kirishima love makes me absolutely swoon bc he’s just toooooo good and deserves so much love like this.. 

dont ever apologize for sending me these bc i love your lil books!! ❤️🙈🥰

hope u don’t mind me piggybacking again!!

-

Kirishima loves waking up before you. 

He loves opening his eyes to the sight of you in his arms, your hair stuck to the bottom of his chin as he holds you, even your legs tangled together with his from underneath the warm sheets; the cotton hanging over your hips as it kept you from rolling away in the middle of the night. 

He also loves taking a peak under your blankets to find that you’re wearing his favorite red panties, the ones with a little black bow that rests right in the center, and he can’t deny the twinge of heat that shoots through his gut in thinking about it, either… his hands anything but subtle as he finally lets them creep. 

He just can’t help himself from squeezing you tighter when he sees them, pressing a kiss to your head that he knows you almost never feel, too lost in your slumber to register his early morning affection. But still, his heart swells in delight when you finally shift against him, barely mumbling his name when he runs his hands over your bare shoulders, waist, and then hips… dipping into the warmth between your thighs that’s just barely started to dampen from his touch.

So Kirishima lets himself be the reason why you are pulled to consciousness, your eyes opening to the softest, kindest touches you’ve ever felt, and his eyes already bright with a smile when you look down and find his face between your thighs. 

[estellaestella]

Hi estella! I saw your post about Frantz and and then I read about the movie - I will definitely watch it! Thank you for writing about it!

Last night I watched for the second time “Cloud Atlas” and I was brought to tears again. I wanted to ask you if you watched it and what you think. I have a feeling the book will be more shattering, I still hadn’t a chance to read it. All this intertwining of destinies, predestinations, impossible love between two men (Ben Whishaw!), the anti-utopian story, the fateful significance of the decisions we make, etc. And last but not least, the great performances of all the actors!

Thank you for your amazing edits you make of Timmy!!! I love them and always look forward to them! ❤️💫❤️

You're very welcome 🤗 . Ah, I'm so glad you're planning to watch FRANTZ. I came across its name while reading a CMBYN review (two days ago) and, quite frankly, remembering that I'd seen a selfie of Timmy with François Ozon the director might've made up my mind to watch it. I went in thinking it was one thing but it turned out to be quite something else. And I have to say, I loved not being able to see where the story is taking the viewer.

As for CLOUD ATLAS, I watched it a few years ago and didnt like it that much. Which might be my fault coz I always expect so much from the Wachowskis. I felt Cloud Atlas was too sprawling and figuring out who's-playing-who-again? is almost too distracting. But yes, I can imagine a second viewing might be far more rewarding. As it is, I remember Hugh Grant and Tom Hanks doing a good job and that the Frobisher storyline was the best bit. But then again I dont think I've ever seen Ben Whishaw in a role he has not delivered on. The man is amazing. Even when he's a bear. ❤️ 

Speaking of PADDINGTON, I wasnt quite sure how I felt about the director for that -Paul King- helming WONKA. While the PADDINGTON films are warm and cuddly they dont hit any high notes for me other than the jungle scenes (specially the dream sequence in the sequel). But I looked him up and he directed the tv show THE MIGHTY BOOSH and that gives me a lot of hope. TMB is a surreal, bonkers tv series that is a genius blend of weird and wacky. I'd say it's rule-bending but it just flat out throws the rule book out of the window while driving thru a forest...with a shaman and a talking gorilla in the backseat. So yeah high hopes are back on the menu.

Thank you so much for your compliment 🙈. I do love making these weird little edits. At some point I ought to look into why I enjoy what is essentially a version of playing with dolls but till then I'm going to enjoy this silliness 😘😘😘

[aphcrunch]

dansk 4 ask gamb!!!! 😘

favorite thing about them:

i feel like every bad thing they could've done with his character they managed to avoid? he could've easily been a jerk or the egotistical kind of annoying like ame, but no they took a sweeter route with him C:

least favorite thing about them:

honestly very little complaints can his hair just look a Little less dumb its hard to draw :( but even then its grown on me so like whatever-

favorite line:

i dont wanna say the whore-mouth line so i DO have an alternative

brOTP:

gerden! i see den as germany's pesky neighbor that really just wants to be buds & hang out whenever they can, and ger just has to come around to him a little 🙈 also ofc the awesome trio is MWAH

OTP:

i do a lot of cross-shipping with the nordics, so probably between densu, dennor, or denfin? i also rlly like him with the netherlands or belgium :3

nOTP:

ig den//ice comes to mind but this feels like a cop-out. ofc i do like their dynamics as family 🙆

random headcanon:

he can clean up rlly well and has great taste in fashion, he just chooses to wear dad clothes because he's more comfortable in it. also id be doing myself so dirty to not add adhd king ✨

unpopular opinion:

maybe this is just because i struggle portraying the UWU personality types but i think he's still capable of being a scheming asshole when he wants to be, like he'll pull pranks on the others and make them pay for shit sometimes. it's all in good fun. for this matter i think he shows his softer side around the nordics but he's a bit more dudebro with his other friends.

song i associate with them:

less song more artists, i see him as the type to like early 2000s bops from katy perry, ke$ha, britney spears, fergi etc. they're just fun and trashy he'd love it.

favorite picture of them:

this or anything from his earliest comic appearances.

[nialltlynch]

i was tagged by @sleepy-skittles thanksssss 🥰

Rules: answer the questions and tag some people you want to get to know better/catch up with!

Three Ships: jordeclan 🥺🥺 lonely eyes 👁️☁️ and whatever the fuck is going on between tom and greg ..... idk man i don't have an emoji for that

Last Song: staring at you - diane birch. tell me this isnt a rovinsky song holy shit

Last Movie: uhhhh not really a movie but i recently watched the guy who didnt like musicals. didnt mean to but paul is my little meow meow......

Currently Watching: infinity train s4 has been on my list for a while. OH and i wanted to generally ask: which cursed tumblr media should i watch next, hannibal or riverdale??

Currently Reading: mister impossible....... brainrot </3 the basic eight is next on my list and i just only recently learned it was written by lemony snickett ???? weird

Currently Craving: lemon pie with a side of cheese. its good dont look at me like that 🙈

idk who has and has not been tagged so please disregard if it pleases you: @xenogl0ssia @dead-welsh-king @inevitablecorgi @insingersfall @laneway

[creepweirdo]

interview tag + 30 questions tag

okay im being lazy and am combinding two tag games sjkhakgh

the first set of rules are to answer questions and tag some blogs you are contractually obligated to know better

the second is to answer 30 questions and tag people

thank you for the tags @roombagreyjoy @butchedyke and @beefleef !!! ❤️❤️

questions will be under the cut lol

name emily

gender female and pedro pascal lesbianism

star sign gemini

height 166cm

current time 3:10pm

birthday 12th june 😌

favourite bands/groups LMAO let me check my itunes library ... fall out boy, my chemical romance, NCT 💀🖐 and blackpink ahaha

favourite solo artists JOJI MIKA TAEMIN MEGAN THEE STALLION DOJA CAT uhhh RINA SAWAYAMA MITSKI CHUNG HA (i'm also reliving my childhood so lady gaga and britney spears as well)

last movie soul

last show you binged the mandalorian 💀 who would have thought

last book you read omg i actually read a book recently - its called sexy female murderesses by eloise grills

when you created you blog this one, like late 2016 ahahha and i've been stuck here ever since

what do i post LMAO everything - mostly things that make me laugh/cry

last thing you googled nike valentines day shoes 2021 LOOK THEM UP they're so sexy im going to try and fight the drippy sneakerhead boys on the weekend and get a pair

why i chose my url i hate pretty boys and think they should be oppressed

other blogs @imaprettyboy is my “fandom” blog that is more like a shrine to my current hyperfixations lol

top three fictional universes id like to live in uhhhhh probably the avatar/korra universe, whatever the fuck sort of universe stephen king is doing in 11/22/63, and the fictional universe where im rich and dont have to have a job ❤️

do i get asks sometimes!! mostly its just @kevinhday BULLYING me

how many people are you following 890??

how many followers do you have at least 10 🙈

average hours of sleep i try for 7-8

lucky number 7 bc im basic but i also like 10 and 30 bc they were my basketball numbers ❤️

instruments ahaha i have a guitar that i dont know how to play

favourite food bbq pork buns

favourite song 😳😳😳 how can i chose ONE ,,,, my most played song of all time is yeah right by joji with 314 plays HAHAAH

dream trip europe art and history tour

what im currently wearing my cowboy pyjama pants, harry styles tshirt and tpwk hoodie 💀

dream job trophy wife (not having to work 😭)

nationality australian

tagging @kevinhday @highwarlockkareena @thisisagaysonlyevent @sharkentine @doctorfeathers @fruityumbrella @hautdrpepper @theonewherelaurynhasablog

[garfieldsladybird]

More like listing now that I think of it :)

On Netflix.

My Dead Ex 🔪 — 8 episodes, 2018.

it’s gonna be a quick small season. so sometime when i want a break from my other shows.

The last kingdom🛡— five seasons; 8-10 ep, 2015.

I think I might watch it but it’s like the Witcher without all of the magical, fantasy shit. and I don’t think I would like it so much then.

Chips 🍪 — movie; 1h 40m, 2017.

I think I’ve seen it before but I didn’t pay attention. I don’t know if I will actually get to it.

Titanic 🛳 — movie; 3h 14m, 1997.

i’ve never actually seen it. but it’s very long, I have a problem with sitting still so I do not know if I will do that.. mmmh. someday.

The King🤴 — movie; 2h 20m, 2019.

never watched it. and ik Timothée Chalamet is in there and so is Robert Patterson and I think Lily Rose Depp ;))) but i still dont know if i will like it.

Love, Death & Robots 🤖 — 3 volumes, 2019.

ngl it seems scary. i don’t do scary even tho it depends. but yeah it looks so cool!!

Black Mirror🪞— five seasons; 2011.

actually really wanna watch this one. like really doo!!

Cuckoo 🐔 — five seasons; 6-7 episodes, 2012.

it seems hilarious :D

Dunkirk 🙈 — movie; 1h 46m, 2017.

I just wanna watch it.

The Crown 👸 — 4 seasons; 10ep, 2016.

I wanna watch it to learn about England. if thats where it is set but yeah. I don’t know if I will fully be interested in it but it seems pretty cool cause it’s about Diana. so we will have to see.

The 7 Lives of Lea 🖖🏻 — LS; 7 episodes, 2022.

this seems fucking cool!! yehahh

On Hulu.

The breakfast club 🥞 — Movie; 1hr 37min, 1985.

it’s a classic. I have to watch it.

On HBO Max.

hp rewatch 🪄 — Harry Potter movies.

I just wanna rewatch some of them :)

fantastic beasts 🐉 — hp universe, all three, 6hr 47min.

I haven’t watched the movies yet, i’m quite disappointed that I have them watched yet, i want too thats for sure :// yepe

 The hobbit 🦫 — two movies; 5hrs 13mins, 2012 & 2014.

once again it’s a classic I would love to watch it. but I feel like there’s gonna be a lot of things and I might not follow along.

The Lord of Rings 💍 — 6 movies; 11.2 hours, 2001 & 03.

I want to watch all of these movies together in one sitting, that would take a lot of time. and i dont want to do that. so ueah but also same with the hobbit, there’s going to be a lot of things that I might not get. but i want to watch it !!! :DD

Kimi 🥝 — movie; 1hr 29min, 2022.

it’s been on my list for awhile.

On Prime Video.

Why Women Kill🧍‍♀️— 2 seasons; 10 eps, 2019.

i’ve watched it before but it’s so fucking good. it’s different stories each episode and i love it!! :)

$$$ garfieldsladybird.

we are going to go commentary shopping :))) who knows when I’m going to watch them ;)

[inactivestuffarchive]

for all u real ones who wanted me to infodump abt my oc. this is basically a copy and paste fron last time with some things revamped

Her name is Georgia, but she prefers to be called George/Georgie. (s/o to @/actuallynimo for helping me name her. you still outta pocket tho)

Georgia is a chimera ant/human hybrid and one of the former humans from east Gorteau who underwent the early selection and had her nen forcibly awakened. after being deemed eligible as food source for the king she was cocooned with the other 5,000 hybrids who survived.

Out of all the other hybrids, Georgia hatched early, and it was because of this that she managed to avoid being forcibly taken into the custody of Pariston and the hunter association. The morning after the palace invasion when everything was in shambles and ruins, Georgia hatched of her egg confused as hell and remembering absolutely nothing about her past life. After deciding that the ruined palace gave her bad vibes, she booked the hell out of there. Because she hatched early, she has health issues like poor eyesight and trouble digesting food. Unfortunately because she’s a hybrid she can’t rlly reintroduce herself into human society. She’s basically just lost and slinking around in some slum or abandoned house in one of the lesser known cities.

Her design is heavily based off of the hercules beetle. Her chitin is a dark green and there are patches of skin darker than the rest and that’s where her armor is the thickest. Her arms and her wrists possess the beginnings of barbs (like the ones you’d see on insect legs). She also sports a full set of wings (with the shell of course) and both sets of horns (one on her back, the largest one, and the other on her head, the shorter of the two horns). Her hair is also like a lion’s mane :) very frizzy. She has mandibles, too, and they poke out of her jaw! So she’s always speaking with some slight lisp

Her nen ability is not yet finished but it basically involves her summoning a grotesque beast by the name of Mastodon who’s ability is to turn living things into stone. Her first ability is called Eyes of Medusa: Lithovision, wherein those that stare into any one of Mastodon’s many eyes (imm thinking for a consecutive 2 or 3, unbroken seconds) get turned into stone.

Her second nen ability is unnamed but it’s basically a variation of the first one and has to do less with eye contact and more of the range. ie: if you step within Mastodon’s limited range, you get petrified.

Mastodon takes on the form of a gigantic frog with skin covered in mucus. He can best be compared to a blob fish ngl. His body is covered in eyes and his tail is basically just a plume of snakes. Overall very, very ugly (since nen is meant to be a reflection of the user's personality/character, he’s meant to be an inner reflection about how Georgia feels about herself).

Georgia basically knows jack shit about nen and developed her hatsu out of desperation once she realized a.) she essentially looks a freak of nature and people are staring at her and she hates it. so why not give them a real reason to look away? 

b.) people are trying to hunt her down because she’s too far past the point of even looking remotely human anymore.

Also I’m too lazy to figure out which category her nen ability goes into.