#personally i think beard deserves a cat !!!

[coachbeards]

beard adopting a stray cat ………. Yeah

[dekariosclan]

First of all, thanks for your sweet, informative and entertaining thoughts on Gale you keep sharing with us! I love reading them!

Sooooo... how do you think Gale would handle jealousy between spouse-Tav and Tara? After all, not every Tav felt instant love for Tara and vice versa, as can be seen at the Epilogue Party (which I found hilarious personally!)

Thank you!! I’m delighted to get to answer an ask about Taaaaarraaaaaaa! 🥹

I’m assuming everyone is aware of what happens during the rooftop meeting if Tav rudely decides to take the missing letters from Tara without asking?

I’m mentioning this not to throw any shade on Tara (I’m on her side—you want to act rude and steal from Tara?! Get burnt) but because Gale’s response is, I think, a perfect summary of how he would respond to any jealousy between the two:

(side note—as a cat owner myself, I can also confirm this is 1000% the most cat tressym owner thing to say, ever 😂)

I think that Gale, upon seeing a hint of jealousy from either one, would be desperate to not take sides and would try his utmost to cheerfully smooth out any tension between them. After all, he cherishes these two! His best friend since he was a child, and the love of his life. Surely he can help them see eye-to-eye?!

There might be more than one discussion over dinner, in which Gale mentions how “Tav was admiring your wings yesterday, Tara,” or “Tara was saying you did an excellent job organizing some of my rather scattered potion bottles, Tav.” Of course all of these discussions, productive or not, will end with: “And for the last time, Tara, no, I will not be shaving this beard, no it’s not because Tav likes it, its because I myself like it—”

But I also think any Tav that truly deserves to be with Gale would be decent and good-hearted enough that they wouldn’t be jealous of Tara—or at least, not for very long. Because it takes very little for Tara to be accepting of Tav! At the epilogue party, if Tav invites Tara for some tea and reassures her that she will still get to be in Gale’s life, Tara warms up immediately. Gale is her “little love,” after all. How could any Tav that loves Gale deny him that? 💜

It’s actually my personal HC that Tav and Tara are not only not jealous of each other, but actually become fast friends and bond over something that I think Gale would be somewhat chagrined about: their shared dislike of Mystra.

Imagine the commentary. The sly digs against the Goddess anytime she’s mentioned in conversation. Tara flatly stating she finds Mystra’s style ‘gaudy’. The snickering. The way that the small Mystra statue in Gale’s study mysteriously ends up broken on the floor. Gale suspiciously asking “What are you two whispering about?” and being assured it’s nothing, merely discussing the weather!

…Gale’s earring then somehow disappearing from his nightstand—where he’d placed it for just an instant!—and ending up in Tara’s litterbox.

“Oh dear, Mister Dekarios!” The delight obvious in Tara’s voice. “However did that happen? Well, we’ll simply have to get you a new one, dear.”

“Yes indeed!” Tav nodding vigorously. Smiling widely. “Clearly this was an accident, of course, so you can’t be mad at Tara, Gale. Shall we go shopping for one now?”

And Gale, his gaze bouncing suspiciously between the two of them, both looking absolutely delighted with each other, thinking that perhaps it would have been better if they’d remained enemies.

[hihhasotherfixations]

John Price headcanons sfw & nsfw

I don’t usually do headcannons so please bear with me 👉👈

I hope you enjoy them tho :3 Will I use many of these in my writing? Yes, yes I will. These are both in general as well as him with you ;3

Part 2

Sfw:

He has an entire routine for his beard. Keeps it trimmed regularly and takes very good care of it, which causes it to feel very nice and soft to the touch.

Absolutely LOVES when you’re the one doing it though. It’s a small act of love that he can never get enough of. Whether you’re the one trimming it or just putting some products in. It’s a moment where he can sit on the bath rim and have you stand between his legs - or the other way around where he props you up on the sink and stands in between your legs. He just places his hands on your hips and closes his eyes, trusting you with something so important to him. It’s a very intimate thing that he treasures.

He has reading glasses. I won’t budge on this. Square(rectangle) ones with a very thin frame. Tends to forget whenever he puts them on his head and proceeds to go searching for them for five minutes.

He is very warm blooded. Always runs hot like a furnace. A blessing in the winter, a curse in the summer. Especially because he loves to cuddle.

Has a little trinket on his desk representing each of the 141 (+ Nik, Laswell and Farah). Be it a gift they gave to him or something that reminds him of them. There’s something for everyone. It clutters the edge of his desk a bit but it’s worth it because whenever the paperwork gets too much, he can just look at the little shrine he built and smile.

His love language is physical touch and quality time. While he loves giving you gifts and being romantic too, nothing beats holding you in his arms while you cuddle on the couch or in bed.

Speaking of- this man absolutely adores you. He doesn’t think he deserves the love you give him because of the things he’s done in his life. But every day he sees you, you prove that you do love him and he wants to return that love twice over.

His biggest fear is coming home after deployment to an empty house. Finding a letter on the table stating you can’t wait for him any longer. He’d understand, of course. But it would crush him.

While we’re on the sad train already- he suffers frequent nightmares due to PTSD. Feels really guilty for waking you up but also can’t stop himself from seeking your comfort after one of them - craving it. If you allow him to (he wouldn’t bring it up unless you suggested it), he’ll call you if he’s out on deployment or at base. Give him that privilege to phone you awake just to comfort him? There is nothing that man won’t do for you anymore.

He is terrified of being the one to leave you too though. He knows that if he’s ever faced with the option to sacrifice himself for one of the 141, he would. But it also breaks his heart because it would mean he’d leave you for them. He tries not to think about it like that, but it’s a constant conflict in his mind.

While he’s probably more likely to be a dog person, I can also really see him with cats just curled up on his chest. Once again, this man is always warm. The little felines will search him out like a bloodhound, preferring him over laying by the radiator.

THIS 👏 MAN 👏 CAN 👏 COOK 👏

And he loves to do it too. His idea of a hobby is either reading, building models or cooking. You can often find him in the kitchen with a cook book, making a five star meal. Loves to see your reaction to the taste of it, makes him proud of himself.

Also, yeah, he likes building models :3. Miniatures. In his spare time you can find him on the couch, bent over the coffee table with his reading glasses perched on his nose while he’s building a ww2 bomber plane out of matchsticks from some random pattern he found online. He has very steady hands and it causes the models to always look fantastic. His best and biggest work is a ship in a bottle from a kit you gave him for an anniversary between you two. He only works on that in short increments to make sure he doesn’t screw it up - it’s about 2/3 done. You’ve repeatedly tried to get him to share his work online but he always gets bashful and refuses.

If he ever got the chance to do it together with the team though?? He’s gonna be beaming about that single evening for a week straight.

His favourite colour is dark green, like the forests :)

This is less of a headcannon and more just snippets of canon proof that I found. But he can speak English, Russian, Arabic and Spanish. Maybe even more.

He’s a tea person. Can’t stand coffee. It’s not about the taste, simply that every time he tried it, it gave him a headache.

When he first introduced you to the team, he was very nervous. Really wanted them to like you. So when Soap immediately took you into a hug and thanked you for ‘taking care of the old man’, followed by Gaz introducing himself with a warm smile and a praising regalia of the things he’d heard from Price, he couldn’t be happier. And when he at one point saw you at the kitchen table with Ghost, talking calmly and laughing with the hulking man who’s tension had dropped from his shoulders? He knew you were the one.

Loves going on double dates with Laswell and her wife too. You’re all good friends and it’s a chance to truly unwind and just catch up with Kate outside of work.

Please for the love of all that is holy, take a bath or shower with him. He ADORES them. Really wants so bad to take care of you. Will do your whole cleaning routine for you if you let him. If it’s something he’s not used to? Teach him, he’s very eager to learn.

All in all, this man just loves you so much. He finds himself so so lucky that you chose him of all people as your partner. Whether you’re civilian or military, he’ll protect you with life and limb. Literally.

So, those were the sfw thoughts bouncing in my head. I hope you liked them. Now we’re moving onto the spicy stuff. Please respect the banner, thank you and more stuff for this man is coming! ^^

Nsfw:

He is an ass man. All the way. Don’t get me wrong, he LOVES your thighs, seeing the way his fingers indent the flesh when he squeezes, being buried between them - it’s heavenly. But there is just something about your ass that he can’t get enough of. If his eyes aren’t on it, then his hands are.

He won’t randomly smack your ass - doesn’t really sit right with him, doesn’t find it proper (except for certain situations ;3). But dear god does he always have a hand on your ass to squeeze if he gets the chance. Walking somewhere together? If he can, he’ll slide his hand from your back/waist down to your ass and hold there. Sitting on his lap? You already know it, his hand is on your ass, keeping you in place. Brushing past you? One hand on your waist, one hand on your ass while he apologises and squeezes past.

A gentle over a rough lover. While he can go both ways, he prefers to go slow and deep. Watching your face contort in pleasure as he fucks you, hearing every noise you make.

This man is an absolute pleasure dom. He gets off on seeing you get off. There’s plenty of nights where he solely focuses on you and doesn’t cum himself.

Doesn’t like the word daddy but for the love of god PLEASE use honorifics. Call him captain and sir and you’ll have an entirely different man on your hands.

Prefers giving over receiving oral. There’s just something about working his tongue and mouth on you that never fails to make him groan against you - even if his mouth is otherwise occupied.

Will always properly prepare you. He doesn’t like hurting you. He’s big and he knows it so he doesn’t want to take any chances.

While he doesn’t mind quickies (in his office is a favourite), he prefers the actual thing. Like stated before, he wants to focus on you and give you all the pleasure he can and a quicky just doesn’t allow for that.

For those instances where you rile him up enough to forego his gentler side however? He knows how to work you. He can push every button you have and have you seeing stars while he fucks the life out of you. Don’t expect to be standing on strong legs the day after.

Man has stamina for DAYS. Prefers to make you cum multiple times before he cums himself. Need a moment in between orgasms to recover before you can go again? That’s okay, you can cockwarm him while he waits.

Speaking of cum. It’s thick, potent and by god he cums a lot. Properly stuffs you if you let him.

Big on marking you. Loves leaving bites, hickeys and handprints. Give him the same too. Scratch marks, bite marks, hickeys. He loves checking his body over in he morning to see what you left.

He has quite the libido on him. He can’t help it, you’re the most inviting and enticing thing in his eyes. Bend over to pick something up and his cock can already be hardening in his pants.

He’s very considerate of your wants and needs though. If you don’t want to have sex, he’ll cuddle you and hold you instead. If you’re not into a certain thing, he’ll refrain on doing it next time. Very much wants to make it a time of pure pleasure and love for you, because that’s what it is for him too.

Very into kisses. Sloppy, long kisses where you moan and whine into his mouth. Better yet if you muffle your moans in his mouth while he fucks you.

Favourite positions are missionary, mating press, doggy style, lotus and spooning sex. He loves them for different reasons.

Missionary because of how close he can be, feeling your legs wrap around his waist while all of him touches all of you.

Mating press because of how deep he can hit and keep such control. He can see your face contort in pleasure while folding your legs up and holding you down.

Doggy style is obvious as to why. But he also really loves watching the way your back arches with this one. He can hold onto your hips and just let his eyes rove your body.

Lotus he loves a lot when cuddles on the couch evolve into more, or when he’s in his office and the need arrises for you both. Just having you seated on his lap, your legs around him, body pressed so closely into his while he gently fucks up into you? Heaven.

Spooning sex? You mean cuddles + sex? Hit. Him. Up. He absolutely loves fucking you like this in the morning. Lazy, tired, properly waking each other up with pleasure.

If you’re into it and allow him to, he’d even actually wake you up like that. Big on somnophelia like that for the thought of pulling you out of your dreams and your sleep with pleasure. If he gets to the stage where he’s opened you up and his cock is filling you without you waking up until then, he’s oh so proud of himself. Would only do it if you’re comfortable though.

Very big on cockwarming. Watch a movie together on the couch and let him rest his cock in you from behind. Can evolve into spooning sex on the couch while making you try to keep your attention on the movie. His hand on your chin, keeping your face pointed to the screen while he whispers against your ear.

I said it before, he’s big. Long and thick and knows how to use it well. He’s a very hairy man all over but he keeps it neatly trimmed down there.

The h a p p y t r a i l of this man. Run your nails over it and it instantly sends blood rushing into his cock.

Overall, John will fuck you whenever he gets the chance. And by the gods he will show you what it’s like to be truly worshipped.

Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to interact or send me any asks, I’d love to chat ^^

Part 2

[cuddlytogas]

an incomplete list of terrible but extremely popular Our Flag Means Death takes that I would like to never see again please

(and I do mean popular, as in, lots of people seem to think they're canon, to the point where I feel slightly insane and like I was watching a different show to everyone else)

1. Ed's mum was loving and nice and supportive, if hampered by her bad situation

this comes up more in fic than analysis, to be fair, but good god, what show were some of you watching? this isn't to vilify her, because yeah, she's clearly a product of colonialism, white christian supremacy, and domestic abuse, but like. that doesn't make how she raised Ed good. clearly she was trying to keep him safe, but "we don't deserve nice things", and especially "it's not up to us, it's up to god", speaks to me of someone who squashes down any ambition on her son's part, has fully bought into the lies of christian colonialism, and tries to pass them down to her son.

as does happen in colonised communities, particularly among older generations. I know us white people like to think that every indigenous person is a perfect left-wing anti-imperial activist, but that's simply not the case, and Ed's mum is so clearly an example of an older conservative christian indigenous parent who had to believe the lies told by their coloniser in order to survive, but is now passing on that trauma to their children. and I just...

if I read one more fic where Ed's mum is a perfect loving supportive angel who always believed in her kid and always supported and protected him, I'm gonna scream. yes, it's sweet, and it's fun to sometimes veer from canon and give your blorbo nice things, but it's still veering from canon. and yet, I see very few people acknowledge that, or actually talk about the nuances of Ed's mother, and how she definitely tried to protect him, but was far from sweet, doting, and unconditionally supportive.

2. Ed's loving look when Stede is picking food from his beard in 1x07

like most of these things, I enjoyed it as a joke or exaggeration at first, until I realised that people were actually being serious. but every time I watch that scene, I see Ed looking absently-mindedly over Stede's shoulder, because a) that's what you do when someone leans in to pick something off you, and b) surely the point of the scene is that they're so comfortable and easy together that they don't notice the intimacy of what they're doing, but Lucius, an outside observer, thinks it's obvious. right?? I can't be the only one seeing it???

[sigh]

anyway. finally, the really really big one:

3. Ed is a soft uwu babygirl princess femme bottom sub who loves her cat collar and is teaching Stede how to dom him in the "say you're the captain" scene

I mean, there's not much to say except to link to duke's absolutely phenomenal twitter thread about "how the 'babygirlfication' and infantilization of ofmd ed teach is an extension of racist perceptions of indigenous men being inherently violent and thus needing to be emasculated to be considered sympathetic"

but especially That One Fucking Scene, good lord. talk about taking shit out of context. everyone looked at a slowed-down gif of one shot in the trailer and cried "babygirl!! he's such a simp, he just wants to be dommed!!", when actually that scene is about how a) Stede is cringefail and terrible at being a typical harsh, commanding pirate, and b) Ed is lovingly embarrassed by this. he encourages Stede to assert himself (and give Ed something to do during his probation/help him make amends with the crew), but like. normally. he's acting perfectly normal in that scene, and mostly annoyed by the outfit and embarrassed by how badly Stede fails. but just because he's sitting down while Stede is standing, and he happens to take a breath in that one shot (because, you know, people breathe sometimes), everyone's doubled down on their "submissive babygirl" bullshit, and I can't get the fuck away from it.

which - listen, it's fun for me, too! it's fun to explore exaggerated aspects of a character, it's fun to read/write/draw that angle in smut, I get it! but I keep seeing people keep claim it's literally canon, and I cannot stress enough that that is Straight Up False. for the love of god, please just watch the show without your (potentially kinda racist) bias glasses on, and remember to treat the characters with respect instead of projecting onto their every interaction a shallow dom/sub binary just because you find it hot.

Our Flag is a show very specifically about masculinity, and what it means to be a man; how assumptions about that can harm and restrict men; and how men can grow beyond them. it's a nuanced and sympathetic examination of this. the whole point is that Ed is allowed to like nice fabrics and be tired of violent piracy and still be a man. the point is that two men fall in love - equal, honest, sincere love - and are still men, still exactly who they are.

(on that note, insisting that Ed is canonically trans or femme because of these things often ends up just leaning into gendered stereotypes: men are harsh and active and dominant, and women are soft and passive and submissive, and if Ed's not the former, he must be the latter, right? it also tends to hetero-ify the central relationship, casting Stede as "the boy" and Ed as "the girl", needing one to be masc and one femme. not always, and again, I understand and have enjoyed transformative works that take those elements and run with them, and explore what the story could be like if Ed were trans/nb/etc - but it's still a transformative interpretation. it's not canon.)

relatedly: those fucking wedding toppers! it seemed blatantly obvious to me that half the point of those scenes was that Ed is distraught and blaming himself for Stede leaving because he wasn't the ideal partner. it's his entire arc for the first half of season 2! Ed hates himself and believes there's something wrong about him that makes him unlovable. so he keeps and then discards the wedding toppers, painting himself onto one of them, because he's projecting himself onto an image of ideal/successful romantic love that he thinks Stede wants, and in which he doesn't fit. he's trying to mould himself into someone else to make himself lovable, not realising that Stede already loves him for himself.

so it's important to the whole narrative that Ed's yearning for/projection onto the wedding toppers is false, and born from his insecurity. he gets drunk, and play-acts a stereotypical image of romantic happiness into which he doesn't fit, but real love looks nothing like that, because real love isn't found in stifling hegemonic cultural structures, but honest, emotional connections between people allowed to be their whole, vulnerable selves. Stede is not like the groom, and Ed is not like the bride, because they shouldn't have to be. Ed should not (and does not) have to warp himself into a demure bride in order to be worthy of love: he's already lovable and loved exactly as he is! that's the point!! of the scene!!!!!!

like, it's important that the groom figure isn't actually like Stede, either. yes, it's blond and has a nice, peach-coloured suit, but a) Stede was very specifically unhappy in the posh, heterosexual, married state the figures represent, and b) Stede by this point looks nothing like that figurine. it's directly contrasted with the image of him in the rowboat, scruffy and plain and earnestly in love, rather than fancy, cold ceramic.

[EDIT 29/12/24: I ended up writing a whole Twitter essay about the wedding cake toppers that I then gussied up for Tumblr; so if you want a clearer, more substantial, and better supported argument about those, check that out!]

but no, I have to wade through swathes of art and fic and meta about how badly Ed wants to be a sweet little demure kitty princess, how he wants a wedding night and a ring to prove he's Stede's property, and acting as if this is somehow canon, because people on the internet have zero reading comprehension and are scared of brown men.

the whole point of Our Flag is that you don't need to compress yourself into prescribed social roles, and in fact, doing so will only make you miserable; and that racist, patriarchal, colonial institutions should be resisted and dismantled at every opportunity.

so tell me again why the ultimate message is that Ed and Stede should get married under an arch in front of an altar and their lined-up friends, with flowers and rice falling around them, all dressed in white, one in a suit and one in a dress, with rings and a kiss and a honeymoon after, before they move into a detached house with a yard and a fence and re-adopt the kids that Stede abandoned? and this isn't about promises, fidelity, or even monogamy - I'm specifically talking about everyone in this fandom who seems to think that the ultimate goal is the most stereotypical 20th century cisheteropatriarchal christian wedding, but with the name "matelotage" slapped on top, as if that takes away all of the underlying baggage.

just - I know we're all meant to hate men and masculinity and yadda yadda yadda, but actually, to be earnest for a second, men deserve respect too, because all people and all genders do. and two men are allowed to be in a relationship and still both be men - complex men, with their own, layered relationships to their gender - without having to fall into neatly-arranged dom/sub masc/femme roles, or seal the deal with a hegemonically-approved ceremony.

so please, stop reducing an indigenous lead character to a caricature of a femme uwu princess bottom just because he has long hair, wore a robe once, and you're too scared of brown men to imagine him with proper agency. and then please, for the love of god, stop claiming that that interpretation is canon.

[stevetonyweekly]

Hiiii friends! Ok, here’s what I’ve read this week. Enjoy them and be sure to let me know what you’re reading. And leave a comment/kudos for your authors! 

I’m considering changing up the format of recs next year, and I’d love to hear your thoughts--I’ll probably post a survey for what you’d like to see. 

~ 

Cat's Out of the Bag by FestiveFerret

This was just supposed to be a once-in-a-while cat sitting gig to get Tony back on his feet. It wasn't supposed to be weeks on end at an amazing apartment, it wasn't supposed to be mysterious locked rooms, it wasn't supposed to be masked men in the middle of the night.

And it definitely wasn't supposed to be falling head over heels in love.

Growth Spurt by FestiveFerret

Tony: Remember that guy I had the hots for in high school that I was telling you about?

Rhodey: The Steve guy? Yeah.

Tony: He's here.

Rhodey: Oh shit.

Tony: He grew a beard.

Rhodey: ...

Rhodey: You're fucked.

Tony: IKR.

Cozy by KandiSheek 

Tony seems to have a propensity to hug Steve whenever he's sleep-deprived. Which would be all well and good, if Steve had any idea why Tony chose him of all people to be his personal teddybear.

Take Another Little Piece of My Heart Now, Baby by blue_jack

“I think we should get married,” Tony announced as he let himself into Steve’s apartment, plopping next to him on the couch.

All-American Pride by imafriendlydalek 

The press seems to think Tony and Steve are in a relationship, and so many people seem so happy about it that Steve just runs with it, dragging Tony along. To a Pride rally.

Whoever gave Steve that flag he's wrapped himself in deserves a medal.

[egosweetheart]

hi, this isnt an actual art post, i just wanna share a thing i did recently. so hazbin hotel came out. i have mixed feelings on it, but the important thing for this post is, i wanted to redesign some of the characters.

i did angeldust, alastor, lucifer, and husk, because those seemed like they needed the biggest push design wise.

i've seen a lot of redesigns that come for the shows entire design ethos rather than just addressing individual issues, which are all cool and good, but i really wanted to meet vivzie where she's at and focus on improving what's already there with the lore that's available.

i will not be doing any actual fanart for the show or talking about it beyond this post. which, btw, is going to be long as fuck.

tdlr: i did some paint-overs. theyre under the cut next to the original design.

alright, so this one is the most different. why? idk i think alastor could be really cool, but none of the things in his original design speak to his themes or personality at all. if he's a deer, why are his horns hidden? if he's half creole, why is he beige? if he cares about his suit enough to take it to a tailor over one rip, why are there rips in his design?

this is also the start of my crusade against bowties.

so i get the idea behind lucifers design. hes the ringmaster, the rest of the sins are his circus, it makes sense, its very cute. it just needed editing. there's so much white in his costume, it all clutters together visually, you dont know where to focus, and the pops of red just make it even more confusing. by moving all the white up, it keeps the focus on his face. i also gave him a beard because he looks like charlies brother and i'm not allergic to facial hair. i also removed the apple from the hat because it seemed redundant.

i dont know if im 100% happy with how husk turned out, but i am happy he's more readable now. he was so cluttered before, but i removed a lot of it in favor of leaning into the disaster ex-magician angle, and making his vibe slightly more 70's. also, cats with mustaches are adorable, and i like how disheveled he looks in comparison to alastor. alastor is ruining this mans life and i think it should be a little more obvious in his design.

ok this one is personal for 1 reason and 1 reason only: he does not need a fucking bowtie. it just floats there with no visual anchor, right underneath a choker that's essentially doing the same visual footwork and thematically says so much more about angel dusts situation. i also noticed he has like, a feather bustle in the poison musical sequence? so. thats staying to make him more Spider Like. he deserves extra fluff.

the show is overall very whatever to me. i just wanted to see if i could tweak these to make myself happier with them, and i succeeded, and that's all that matters.thank u if you read all this, i wrote it at 1am. MWAH i love you

[imfinereallyy]

“You hurt me.”

“I know.”

Steve sighs, and he looks at Eddie in his doorway. So much has changed in five years. But Eddie seems the same. Just his hair is a bit longer, he’s got more tattoos, and he’s got scruff on his face that Steve knows when they saw each other last in 87’ would have driven him nuts.

Steve has always liked the idea of Eddie with a beard. It doesn’t matter now, though. “I think you should leave.”

“Steve, I—I just need a chance to explain.” Eddie moves side to side on his feet.

“Explain?” Steve scoffs, crossing his arms across his chest. “You had the chance to explain five years ago before you left. You had the chance to explain the weeks after with no phone calls to me to any of the kids. You had the chance to explain the year after when you talked to everyone but me, and I thought you just needed time. You had the chance a year ago before you cut everyone else off again.”

Eddie hangs his head in shame. “Stevie, please. I know I don’t deserve it. But I just want to talk.”

Steve’s resistance wavers slightly. He moves out of the doorway to let Eddie in. Eddie rushes inside, knowing Steve will change his mind at any moment. Steve shuts the door behind them. “I’m only letting you in because if Robin finds you in our doorway, she will kick your ass. And as much as you hurt me, I don’t actually want to see you in physical pain.”

Eddie smiles a bit, “Still the dynamic duo? You and Robbie? What’s stopping her from beating me up inside?”

“Our cat Sylvia might see. And she’s trying to shield her from as much violence as possible. Says one Sylvia has seen enough.”

“Oh please tell me she is out by now, because that is a giant gay flashing sign.” Eddie chuckles.

Steve can’t help but laugh a little, “Yes, she is. It would be hard if she weren’t, considering she’s dating Nancy. And Nancy is a lot of things, but subtle isn’t one of them. She shows her off any chance she gets.”

“Wow, Robs bagged Wheeler? Never saw that coming.” Eddie lets out a low whistle. “Must have been a blow to the ego for ya, Stevie. Your ex and your best friend.” He mock clutches his heart.

Steve lets out a big laugh this time, “Nah. I encouraged it. They’re my favorite people; they deserve to be happy.”

Eddie softens, “Yea, being a favorite person of Steve Harrington is a very special thing.”

Steve feels ice water in his veins, “What are you doing here Eddie?”

Eddie sighs, “What do you want to hear? Why I needed to come, or why I wanted to? Cause the truth is I needed to come to apologize to you. Give you the explanation you deserve. What I wanted, though, what I wanted is to tell you that I love—“

“Don’t.” Steve chokes.

“Right apologies first.”

“First? First?! Eddie. I don’t know what you could say to me right now that would make anything make sense. We had something good. It took us so long to get to that point. And it was great because we learned about each other and knew each other inside out. Our friendship blossomed into something more, and we were just getting started, and you left. I had thought I was done with love before I met you. But then you came along and made me feel seen and cared for, and then you got weird and distant so quickly, and you fucking left. And then I knew for sure I was done with love. Don’t think it was meant for me. Sure, that’s not on you, but you don’t get to—you don’t get to open old wounds because you feel the sudden desire to come around again.” Steve swallows tears.

Eddie’s face goes through hundreds of emotions. Anger. Shock. Grief. He doesn’t say anything for a minute. They stew in Steve’s words instead. Then finally, Eddie settles on. “I’m an addict.”

Steve, who has thought about a million ways this could go, has never thought of this. “What?” All the tension releases from his body. He just stares hopelessly at Eddie.

“I’m an addict. I'm sober now, I just reached a year, but yeah. I'm an addict. Never thought I would be. But after everything with Vecna and the painkillers they put me on…it got hard. Denied it for a while. Said to myself a little of everything here and there to forget wouldn’t hurt anyone. But then we were becoming something alongside, me spiraling deeper into addiction. And I—fuck this was easier to practice at the meetings.” Eddie runs his hands through his hair. “You didn’t do anything wrong. But I would have hurt you. More than me leaving did. And I couldn’t live with that. I could live with you hating me. It was selfish of me. I wasn’t ready to give up the drugs so I gave up you, and it’s not fair. Not fair that I did that to you, to anyone of you really, but especially you Steve. You just deserved someone who could love you all the time, love you fully. And I thought I did but I think I was using you a little to make myself feel better. That’s not to say I didn’t love you. I did, still do, always will. But we both deserved a better version than what we had.”

Steve feels tears on his cheeks, he isn’t sure what to say. “You didn’t get to make that decision for me.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Steve chokes on a sob, “Dammit Eddie. It was my birthday.”

Something breaks inside them, and suddenly they are in each other's arms, weeping together. There is this fragile broken thing between them, a love that never went away. It is horrible and beautiful and needs so much work to be wonderful once more.

But it was nice to break together again.

“I know. I’m sorry. I can’t say it enough. I’ll make sure every day for the rest of my life that I make it up to you. In any way I can.”

“I don’t know how we can get back Eds. Don’t know if we should.”

“I’ll take you any way you’ll have me. Friend. Lover. A person you only call when you need a ride to the airport. Just let me try; it’s all I ask. I promised I wouldn’t go back to you until I knew I had put the work into myself first. You don’t owe me anything. I would understand if you kicked me out right now. But I need you to know that Steve, I love you anyway you’ll have me. And I have never stopped thinking about you.”

Steve lifted his head from Eddie’s chest. “I’d like to try to get to know you again. This you. See where it goes. But Eds, no matter what, no matter the version of you, I will always care. And I will always be your friend.”

Eddie kisses Steve’s forehead, “Thank you.”

It’s there where Steve and Eddie hug on the wooden apartment floor; they hear the door unlock. “Oh no, she’s home early.”

Eddie doesn’t get to respond because, suddenly, Robin is in the doorway. “Hey, dingus! I brought home an extra latte—“

She freezes at the sight of Eddie before rebooting with a dark look, “Steve, is your nail bat still under your bed?”

——

Wanted to try the whole break up thing, I have a lot of different break up/makeup ideas in my head. maybe pt. 2???? Kinda feels good to stop here. But if you think so I have more ideas for this.

[laurelnose]

Forgive my desperate urgency but you are The Person whose opinion I must have on this topic-- I don't know very much about D&D and especially not about dragonborn, I am only in the BG3 fandom for Vibes, but this came up as of course it did because I'm me--

DO DRAGONBORN HAVE GIZZARDS

please we must discuss this

A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION DESERVING OF SERIOUS CONTEMPLATION

So dragonborn are descended directly from chromatic/metallic/gem dragons in some way (the exact way is a point of theological contention). The difference between those three dragon types is, to the best of my limited knowledge, not germane to the discussion. I will consider dragons as a single category.

Dragons are definitely not reptiles. They are warm-blooded and they act like cats. I do not actually think the cat thing is relevant to them being reptiles or not, Forgotten Realms wiki, but thank you anyways. So they are not like crocodiles, but are they like birds? Probably not. Although they did evolve from proto-dragon species which were among the few survivors of the cataclysm that killed the dinosaurs. Much like birds! (Or maybe they were created by the gods. Whatever. I’m not getting into a Faerûnian creationism debate. Anyways, in this context only, por qué no los dos.)

Dragons are preferentially carnivorous, but functionally omnivorous, with an emphasis on the omni. They can eat and digest just about anything, including inorganic materials. This ability is because of their “innate elemental nature”, which kind of makes me think dragons don’t really have digestive systems as we know them. They’re more like great primordial engines. I think this precludes gizzards in the dragons themselves — how would they get stones in their gizzards if their digestive system can break down stone? What would they even use them for? So if dragonborn have gizzards, they did not get them from the dragons.

Dragonborn do not seem to usually be capable of regularly digesting rocks, so if they swallow inorganic matter it should stay where it’s put. Baby dragonborn are born toothless and are fed by a lactating parent (dragonborn → monotremes??) until they grow teeth, and then are graduated through soft foods up to regular food (consisting of much more meat than your average humanoid). They are capable of digesting non-meat foods, but it doesn’t look like they have the dentition to chew non-meat foods. Which is why birds of just about all diets have gizzards — they don’t got no teeth! I’m going to go with either dragonborn have trouble eating vegetarian meals, as they have no grinding molars, or they do have gizzards. Courtesy of whatever primeval force or deity created them, maybe.

I also considered whether, if dragonborn are normally gizzardless, the Dark Urge specifically might have been created with special dietary capabilities, but you don’t need a gizzard for, say, osteophagy. (Notably, the only primarily osteophagous bird, the bearded vulture, has lost its gizzard.) And I feel like the other things animals use gizzards to digest are not quite On Theme, as it were. However, they might possibly, like bearded vultures, have a hardened, partially keratinized digestive lining for dramatic osteophagy (involving sharp broken-off pieces of bones).

On a different hand, dragonborn manifest draconic abilities at different levels, ranging from different or multiple breath weapons, dragonfear, or abilities from Bahamut or Tiamat. I wonder if some dragonborn, maybe those with particularly strong breath weapons (since the breath weapons are formed from elemental energy produced by dragons’ unique diets), might also manifest the ability to Just Eat Fucking Rocks. Not a glamorous ability! But very fun I think! Possibly more fun for dragonborn which do not natively have gizzards, as having a sort of elemental furnace in their belly instead of a stomach would then enable them to more comfortably eat food like salads.

On another totally different hand, polymorphed dragons (or not polymorphed, if you’re not a coward) are supposed to be able to hybridize with most of the humanoids, producing children that may take after either or both parents, and aarakocra and kenku are Right There. I mean, not in BG3, but, y’know. Half-dragons and dragonborn are different, but still interesting.

Also, dragons in the Forgotten Realms taste like turkey. I don’t know what you can do with this information but I feel like you would enjoy knowing it

[the-brash-spud]

Honestly, if I ever got Isekaied into a DC universe I'd do so much silly stuff.

Start a podcast that swings between 'true heartfelt spoken letters to what makes a hero in my heart and what struggles they may have, but they continue for us' and conspiracy theories that are so incredibly incorrect the heroes publicly beg me to stop. And I mean stuff like claiming aliens aren't real, but Batman is a cryptid. I would do them at random with no way of telling, which is which until you listened in and found out for yourself.

Cause chaos in Gotham by openly talking shit about villains/companies/individuals who deserve it. Start with Joker just to hope mf will track me down just so I can show him the yee old fuck around and find out. If there happens to be one of the Riddlers plans that I remember, imma get my ass purposefully kidnapped and solve the whole bitch before he had any real fun and then if I know that bats can hear me snitch the location. If it happens to be in the current comic time, track Jason's ass down and flirt with him with the most unhinged pickup lines I can think of (he is in my age range, and oh lord, have you seen him? I don’t expect him to actually be interested in any romance back, but I'd still have a good time). Tell Bruce I know his secret then say that lowkey if Batman was my age I'd also sleep with him but don't make enough to be a sugar mama.

Refuse any interviews until the daily planet sends someone and then be like "me no likey that person 🥺👉👈" until they send Clark and then talk really ungodly things about Superman before the real interview, then say something like "honestly of you stood straighter and lost glasses you probably could be him but that would be just silly haha. Imagine if I just said all that right to Superman himself." All casually just to watch him try to laugh it off as he dies inside.

Say to Oliver that his beard reminds me of Green Arrow's beard. How they generally seem to have similar personalities in a way that would make them great bros if they ever got to meet. Tell Flash to stop fucking jumping between universes/timeliness and all other in between because there are Gods and one of them is surely in charge of that shit. Hal happens to flirt with me when I visit his city? Hell yeah time to fuck with him. Write down that "Batman says you have reports to write" and do his disappearing act. Look at all of the exhibision Diana was involved with. See what stuff she likes to work with. If I happen to meet her talk military history, if she knows it.

Avoid Martians at all cost. No offence to them, but I'm not giving them an existential crisis because I happened to think of their world in comic book terms.

If it's the universe in which Billy is homeless, try to adopt him like you would a street cat. Get him close by offering food and shelter. But if he does allow me to be his guardian, I will have to be straight with him that I know about Marvel and then say that I have meta-knowledge and hope he understands it as me being a meta that can just access random information.

The Justice League would probably be on my ass real fucking quick but I'd have a good time while they try to figure out what is up with me.

[krystaldeath]

Do have any headcanons on a Silktea wedding?

OKAY. ANON. I CANNOT APOLOGIZE ENOUGH FOR HOW LONG IVE MADE YOU WAIT FOR THIS. YALL. THIS ASK WAS SENT ON VALENTINES DAY. ITS BEEN ABOUT HALF A YEAR. I AM SO SO SO SORRY.

Anyways uuuhhh Silktea wedding hc’s :)):

* I know I’ve talked about this before but: flowers in Hunt’s hair and Sandy’s beard! Sandy also has his Mohawk laid down to one side and it looks very pretty

* Mo is the ring bearer

* MK and Mei are the flower people (it wasn’t planned originally but they drag Redson into it as well) ((part of me wants Goliath to also be a flower person but that’s simply way too many. But maybe he just carried the traffic light trio as they throw petals around lol))

* Spider Queen planned the whole thing (and she took in to account Sandy’s interests and aesthetics as well! Idk how she makes it (spider hunter and cat & tea loving sailor-therapist) work but I believe she can do anything)

* Pigsy is Sandy’s best man, ofc. I’m a bit conflicted on if Spider Queen or Goliath should be Hunt’s best man/maid of honor… hmmm…

* You decide lol

* Syntax programs a bunch of spider bots to serve as waiters/servers of sorts (MK takes some time getting used to them)

* He even made a robot cat as a wedding gift. Mo takes some time getting used to it

* Sandy cries. When he sees Hunts, at random intervals during the ceremony, at Hunt’s vows, at his own vows, etc you get the picture

* Hunt’s also cries during both vows, albeit a bit more subtlety than Sandy

* I think they both have bouquets. When they toss them each one goes to Spider Queen and Scorpion Demoness. They look to each other and smile softly (VENOMQUEEN WEDDING? VENOMQUEEN WEDDING!)

* Ofc all kinds of tea are served, but the kind Sandy originally gave Hunts is considered the Special Tea of the event

* Hunts: You know, food gifting is considered an act of courting in spider society Sandy: Really? Then I guess this was a long time coming then, huh? ^u^ Hunts, softly smiling: Yes, I suppose it was…

* A bit past the time I would probably put this but Hunts has to jump into Sandy’s arms to kiss him bc of the height difference lol. Syntax will never let him live this down

* Pigsy caters, ofc. Everyone is very well fed

* Let’s say Chang’e meets Sandy at some point and makes the wedding cake. How does it get from the moon to the earth? Idk, teleportation or something I just think they deserve a Chang’e cake (while on that topic let’s say she made the cake for the Freenoodles wedding too bc her and Pigsy are cooking bffs)

* Spider Queen couldn’t be happier for Hunts, even if he’s marrying a friend(?) of Sun Wukong’s

* Speaking of that monkey and his shadow counterpart: they both owe a lot to Sandy bc he probably helps them work out their issues and such so they help out a lot with the setting up and Wukong even allows the venue to be in a very nice spot on Flower Fruit Mountain. Macaque puts on some shadow plays for entertainment as well, mostly second hand retelling a of some of silktea’s moments (minus. The fighting. And such. Not the greatest wedding story lol-)

[fair-dinkum-mechanic]

Just … going to get really depressing and vocalise my self pity for a second under this bc I’ve woken up and immediately want to cry

I don’t know how to do this life anymore. I’ve just been taking my days minute by minute and it’s been working, but lately I can’t see any way forward. I’m 31 soon, I’ve never lived out of home, not because I don’t have the means to but because I don’t feel like being totally on my own is safe or healthy for me. And why would I do that to myself anyway? Also, my parents are older than other peoples parents. And my dad died when I was just 19 leaving my mum on her own and I can’t leave her on her own just so I can also be on my own that’s not fair and awful for the both of us. But she’s getting older, and my cat my little baby is getting older too. And my dogs getting older as well. Everything I live for is going to leave me and I’ll lose it forever. The last little bits of unconditional love I have are going to be gone. I make friends so easily, I’m lucky in that way, that’s I’m personable and likeable and people do naturally want to be my friend but I also don’t have the energy anymore to chat daily or initiate conversations. But it’s also, so hard to be easy to get along with but struggle so so hard meeting boys. In fact, feel absolutely worthless and disgusting whenever I have a boy look at me. I know it’s because my dad made it clear that he never wanted me and proceeded to make me feel pretty worthless and unworthy for mostly my entire life, and then when I finally came out thinking it would be okay bc I was being myself and my homophobic family would come around, it turns out it wasn’t even my family who made me feel awful for being gay… it was other gay people. And even worse, my first long term boyfriend who I’d given everything to. Then was in two toxic relationships, situationships, dating was hell, boys would get attached to me telling me that they really liked me, calling me to see me hang out hold my hand, and then suddenly tell me there was someone else, someone better, and leaving me but “oh I still want to be friends I can’t imagine you not being in my life” like… what the fuck is wrong with me. When can I ever be good enough. Then I see everyone else being so handsome, and can keep their bodies looking nice and trim their beards and go outdoors and swim and do things like that but I can’t even get out of bed until lunchtime. I work so hard at my job, and again I make friends with literally everyone I work with, and I make the customers feel so welcome and make them laugh and I love that I can do that and I love making friends but it’s work. Sometimes I dread not going to work because it’s the place I can avoid my life I don’t need to worry about any of those expectations. Sexual ones, the way I should look, or behave, or the values I should have or what I should be doing it’s just work it’s simple. But again it’s demanding, it’s exhausting, customers are insanely rude and demanding, and all my coworkers get to go home to someone. Someone who WANTS to see and love them. Someone who’s chosen to be there. I don’t have that. I haven’t cuddled in fuck knows how long. And friends are great but don’t I deserve that special thing from someone again? Like I’m not worthy? Or I’m not good enough? The hard part is I look at myself and I don’t objectively think I’m hideous. I’m not the most handsome or sexy guy, I know, but I don’t think I’m disgusting. But my heart and my body dysmorphia feels like I’m truly hideous, but if I look at it logically I don’t think I am. So what is it? It has to be who I am as a person. I don’t know what’s worse.

Look I just don’t know how anyone is meant to live like this and not constantly have a shadow of ending it all constantly looming over their head, I really don’t.

I don’t know what the fuck to do anymore. My life is fucking nothing and I know it’ll just rot away in the end.

[dirtwatchman]

PARTIES: @dirtwatchman and @disinfernus TIMING: Current SUMMARY: Two people are up to nefarious business. One chickens out and runs into the other who, as always, keeps their cool. A deal is struck but deals don't mean exemptions from a fae's natural impulses. CONTENT WARNINGS: Unsanitary tw, allusion to domestic abuse tw

“A simple address and I will be gone. You won’t see me again. A simple address and I can make all of this… stop.” That wasn’t a lie. While the shadow nymph could lie, there was always some sort of repercussion that fit the size of the lie. There was no wince to be found, no headache that throbbed or stomachache that threatened their dinner. But without that address, the knife that had buried itself so deeply into the man’s gut would only go further and twist tighter. There was a refusal and a curse through the pain; they were brothers, after all. There was no way any of them could give up family to a stranger. 

The middle-aged man, peppered at the temples and in beard, groaned when Dīs gave another twist. With that address, he could live, but a too big heart got in the way. All they wanted were some answers — that was it. “You’re the one who put that knife there when you tried to attack me with it. This isn’t my fault,” their hand went to their chest, offense in fabrication only. Without that address, things would end with more bloodshed and a corpse on the ground. And that lead would be severed. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get much further when they suddenly felt someone else’s eyes on them.

Business like this was conducted under the guise of darkness and usually in nondescript locations, usually when everyone else was already tucked away in their beds. There was an unusual amount of nocturnal in Wicked’s Rest, but truthfully, they thought they did a good job at choosing somewhere with less foot traffic. Apparently they were wrong.

Dīs turned away from their suspect in a way that concealed most of the damage done to his abdomen, but still used their power to strengthen the shadow between them. They did hope that this was just some lowly and boring human, otherwise the smell of blood could be a monkey wrench in the illusion. They nodded politely to the stranger as they passed, hoping dearly that nothing seemed amiss to them — aside from the blanching of the man’s skin and blood upon the ground.

In all the time that Caleb had been thinking of doing the unthinkable he found it so fascinating that his mind had not yet gone to the one person that deserved death more than any other. That day with Gael, the day he had rushed away from the man who seemed so concerned, the zombie had spotted someone from his past and knew in his heart that the man needed to be a life that he snuffed out, a life that was owed to Caleb and Caleb alone. But with that realization came another. He didn’t have the nerve. After following Gary that day and reliving the past trauma the man had put him through, it was discovered that he couldn’t even show the older man his face. It was the most disappointing, soul crushing event that had happened to him recently. 

So, instead Caleb followed. For days now he’d been following his foster dad through the street’s of Wicked’s Rest, getting quite good at ducking behind walls or lowering his head behind a newspaper to keep from being detected. It was satisfying, watching Gary getting more and more paranoid as the days went on, and so Caleb kept aggravating that paranoia even further. A small noise near an alley, a chuckle that reverberated off the walls of the close buildings, all small tricks he had picked up from movies. It was so nice to watch the slow mental decline in his foster father that Caleb was slightly worried about his own mental state and how much he was…enjoying this game of cat and mouse. 

Until the tables turned. It wasn’t as fun after losing the man in a crowd that had come out of a closing bar and the paranoia decided to transfer from fake father to fake son. Had Gary spotted him? Was Caleb about to be hunted down and thrown right back to his twelve year old state where he couldn’t fight back? That man had an iron grip in the form of fear locked around Caleb like a snake coiling around its prey and the panic sent him fleeing.

He was in a seemingly deserted alley leaning against a brick wall, his head slamming back into it as the force of his body connected. It took several minutes for Caleb to calm his nerves only for him to notice a couple of people who seemed…not in great spirits a ways down the alley. A deserted alley that wasn’t so deserted was never a good sign. All he had to do was pass though, his lips pursing into what he hoped was a smile though it was so tight that he knew it couldn’t possibly resemble one. The zombie placed his hands in his pockets and started to move to get past them.

Even with his poor eyesight, Caleb could clearly see that the ground was wet beneath one of the men and nowhere else. Either the man had messed himself after drinking too much or…well, he didn’t want to think of any other alternatives. He had every intention to keep walking but his dead heart still seemed to beat in some metaphorical way. Two steps away from them, he slowly turned to face the one who had nodded as he passed. “Um, are you both okay? Because…it doesn’t seem like it...” His eyes went to the one on the ground as the words trailed off, the sallow skin a dead giveaway that something was amiss. ‘All you had to do was keep walking…’ “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Why them? Why did it feel like every time they had someone on the ropes, someone had to come in and ruin it? Where were all of these good samaritans even coming from anyway? The tall fae mentally cursed the stranger and hoped that their position was enough to keep anything too incriminating from view. Naturally, the wetness of the blood that had pooled between them was noticeable by the toe of Dīs’ shoe.

They tried not to show their irritation with being interrupted on their face, they really did. It was probably inevitable, at this point, considering how close they were with, hopefully, getting an answer. There wasn’t much hope, with how reluctant their victim seemed to be, but maybe with a bit more prodding and twisting, something would come to light. Now with this audience member, however, they weren’t sure if they’d get the chance.

“Yes,” “N-no..” “We’re fine, we appreciate it.” Their voices overlapped a tick and Dīs drifted their gaze to the man who currently sheathed their knife in order for him to get the hint that he really needed to keep his mouth. “Ple..” “We’re just.. Having a bit of fun.”

This didn’t look like fun. The man on his knees was almost whimpering, not able to get out his answers as the other person spoke over him. The wetness on the ground, the fear Caleb could now see…no this wasn’t fun for at least one of them. Why he felt the need to continue interfering was beyond him and yet the zombie took another step towards the two. “He doesn’t seem okay though.” Blue eyes went to the ground and Caleb took in that wet spot again, dark but with the little bit of light that was coming into the alley he could see a red hue this time. Shit.

“Maybe we should call for an ambulance?” His eyes lifted to the person that was standing, an urgency now appearing in them. Giving the person an opportunity to come back from this, it was more than most people got in this town. Then again, Caleb had no clue who or what this person was and he was most likely making a grave mistake of his own. His only advantage was they didn’t know what he was either. 

He looked at the man on the ground again, they’re eyes meeting, and he wondered if he’d done anything for this to happen or if he’d just been an unlucky victim. Then it occurred to him that it shouldn’t have mattered, right? Caleb’s thoughts were starting to mold themselves around his reasonings for his own chosen victims…or victim at this point, and it was a little scary. “I think he’s hurt.”

Dīs tensed their jaw. They felt a tingling just at the edges of their eyes, the burn from their light that wanted nothing more than to escape the magic of the glamour and bare itself into the man before them. But there were still too many passersby, too many opportunities for someone or something to see their most successful disappearing act.

They had to do something.

“He is hurt,” they admitted. The truthful angle could work, if they used the right cards and pulled on the right heartstrings. If this young man was eager to help someone out, maybe the shadow nymph could turn that compassion towards themself. “But he deserves it. He killed my family.” Their previous facade of playfulness melted away into a tone of vengeance laced with grief. 

“N-n.. No.”

“No. I’m not too keen on calling an ambulance for him.”

The story was compelling, that was for sure, but was it true? Trust was hard to come by and when you come into a situation where someone has one leg up over another already it was hard to believe anyone who said it was at the fault of the person on the ground. But then something in Caleb told him that he could be in this situation someday himself, that someone could come across him stalking the man who had tormented him his whole life or even trying to get rid of him, and if they didn’t believe the zombie when he told the tale then he would be screwed. Or maybe he just wanted a reason to believe this person. He wanted a reason to tell himself that hurting someone else could be justified. 

After all, it’s what he’d been trying to work up the nerve for himself. It was most likely the wrong move though he found himself not backing down, but not without another question.

“Are you going to kill him?” The nerves that had been coursing through him were only getting worse but he needed to know for multiple reasons. Caleb didn’t want to help with the murder if that was what was coming but the clean up? Yea, he could be a part of that purely for selfish reasons. If this was inevitable, which it seemed like it was, there was no reason to waste the meal that could come out of it. “I might…have a deal for you if you do.”

“A deal?” The man suddenly started squirming, objecting to being killed. Dīs had no idea who this inquisitive stranger was or why he would want to make a deal after the deed had been done (usually people liked to make a deal in favor of the other person’s life, not against it), but they would be lying if they weren’t interested. 

One of their hands went up to cover their victim’s face, muffling him, but not silencing him completely. “No. Shut up,” the lampade commanded, though they didn’t take their eyes off of the brunette before them. “What kind of deal?” Death left the limp body - its bones, organs and tendons and blood. Is that what he wanted? The corpse afterward?

Truthfully, it mattered not to Dīs what became of the body, as long as they were able to get the information before his last breath. That’s the only thing they cared about.

The protest of the man whose fate seemed sealed had his stomach sinking so low. Why was he doing this? The man was bleeding but not dead yet and it seemed Caleb had been the last factor to his impending doom. It didn’t feel good. He was already starting to regret the words he’d previously spoken but he had to push forward or he could meet the same fate…not that a stab to the gut would do much to him. It could certainly send him after another though and cause more pain to unsuspecting victims. 

Looking up from the victim’s covered mouth to the person standing over him, Caleb stood his ground. The underlying anxiety would have been so much worse had his heart been able to beat as fast as it probably wanted to. It became one of those rare moments where he was glad he was dead or else his body would betray him. “My silence and my services for his body. I’ll take it off your hands, clean up your mess. Just don’t touch the brain.” 

There it was. If this person had any inkling of what went on in this town, knew anything about the undead, Caleb had just revealed exactly what he was to them. Why was it so much easier to tell a complete stranger what he was and not the people who cared for him? Probably because this stranger was in a predicament of their own. He briefly glanced to the man on the ground, seeing the fear in his eyes grow, and looked back at the other before the zombie could change his mind. “What do you say?”

“My silence and my services for his body. I’ll take it off your hands, clean up your mess. Just don’t touch the brain.” 

There were probably a plethora of uses for a human brain, more than any that Dīs could procure, but their most immediate thought led them down the undead route. More specifically, the zombie kind. Now, they weren’t about to play a rousing game of Twenty Questions with someone who was so willing to take the body off of their hands once they were done with it. Why ruin a good thing with questions? But this seemed to be in line with their assumption and what limited knowledge they were going on.

The nymph regarded the other man for a quiet moment — as quiet as it could be with the human man’s muffled sounds of pain and disagreement. He started to fade, quickly, which left them with little time to get the answers they needed. They needed to get better at where they stick the knife or how long they hold their stare for. They needed to fine tune their interrogation skills as it seemed they’d just ruined another one.

Dīs then looked to their captive with a rather listless expression. “I think that’s up to him,” they started and raised a brow. “What do you think? Address or would you rather go with our new friend?” A spat of blood was their only answer, despite the obvious fear that reeked off of him. What a waste. Was all of this as dead of an end as it seemed? With a sudden and twisted thrust of the knife that was already embedded in the man’s body, he was dead. A few sputteres escaped his open and bloodied mouth, but that was it.

The knife was pulled and held gingerly while the now corpse dropped to the ground and uttered its last remaining heartbeats. A disgruntled sort of sound escaped the nymph; they were disappointed, to say the least, and it showed on their face. “There, take it. I’m sure you will find more use for it than I could.” The blade was then wiped on a black handkerchief and stowed back into an inner pocket in their long robes. They then gave pause and turned their gold eyes to the young man who so graciously offered their… help. Or hunger — it mattered not to them.

“How might I find you, if I have more?”

‘Just give them what they want.’ It was like Caleb was trying to put the thought into the other man’s mind, the phrase repeating over and over while he stared down at him. But the efforts were lost, the man only spitting out the contents of his mouth in their direction, and he knew right then what was about to happen.

Knowing didn’t stop the flinch of his body as the stranger sunk the knife deeper, his eyes closing but the unmistakable gurgle of someone’s last breath thick with blood still filled the air. His heart sunk so low that time that it felt like it had left his body altogether, the void of not feeling only there for a split second before it all came rushing back again. He wished it had stayed gone, wished he had stayed numb to it all. Instead, when his eyes opened at the sound of the thud on the ground, Caleb’s chest started to ache at the sight in front of him. 

Something told him that the callous way the person spoke of him afterwards meant he wasn’t getting much more of this story. It would have made him feel better to know if the tale of this man killing the other’s family was true. He assumed it wasn’t since an address was the object of their desire before. That didn’t seem like something a person full of grief needed unless they were going after others.

Others. Caleb swiftly looked up at the word ‘more’ with shock that probably should not have made an appearance. What made him think this would be the last of this person’s transgressions? It was said so nonchalantly, like they were making a business deal, which the zombie surmised was exactly what they were doing. “How many others are you planning on killing?” It was the wrong question and he knew it as soon as he’d said it. Did it matter? Not really, not when they were already implicated together. What was another body? Besides, wasn’t he doing this same thing with Anita? 

Maybe…maybe this was the business venture he needed.

“You know what? I don’t need to know that.” He shook his head, looking back at the body on the ground while knowing he didn’t have too much time before rigor mortis started to set in and it would be even harder to move. He didn’t want to give them the funeral home’s business card, that would unnecessarily put people he loved in danger, so instead Caleb pulled out a random rewards card to an insignificant shop from his wallet. The pen was in the dead man’s front shirt pocket but he only hesitated for a moment before he was pulling it out and writing his cell number for the other. “You can reach me here if you have more.” When. He should have said when. He knew how this went. “I’m available…most of the time. What was your name?”

They were glad that he quashed his own curiosity, though they weren’t abashed enough to tell him to mind his own business if the question still stood. Dīs wasn’t ashamed of what they did, not in the slightest, but they weren’t going to have a full blown discussion about their plans with someone they’d just met, even if they both seemed to share similarly questionable morals. This wasn’t the place for it, anyway — it was much too public despite their shroud darkening the area. Maybe one day, if their nefarious no good deed were to ever cross paths with four walls and no wandering eyes. But until then, a made deal was enough to trust him with their leftovers.

It wasn’t like they were going to do anything with the bodies, anyway — these corpses weren’t special, they weren’t sought after. They were all killers, in their eyes, and they didn’t deserve a place among the decaying remains or jewels that littered their old, decrepit home. At least the nymph’s scraps would go to use elsewhere.

Dīs turned the piece of thin cardstock between their fingers and read over the phone number once before sliding it into a pocket. The rewards card was inconsequential, a throwaway, like the corpse before them. The nymph would save the number and the card would find its way to the bottom of a garbage bin. “Most of the time? I will leave my voice messages vague, then, if need be.” They stepped around the body to give the young man room to do whatever it was he was going to do. It would make sense to take the bounty home and then to take care of it, but they couldn’t exactly blame him if any… urges… became overwhelming.

“It is Dīs. That is what you may call me,” they answered coolly and smoothed out a wrinkle in one of their sleeves. There was always the opportunity, especially with people they’d never met before — gratitudes and greetings were plenty and easy to procure. The nymph could practically feel the inkling and goading of magic; a want, almost like an obsession, that tempted them to take and take and take. “And you? May I have your name?” 

Deals did not mean exemptions. But that’s only if the fineprint went unread.

“Yea, I do have actual jobs too.” He hadn’t meant for the words to sound harsh but for some reason that was how they came out. As many dead bodies as he’d seen, as well as the few murders he’d already committed, it was completely different to watch someone else do it intentionally, to see them take that light from a person. He’d always thought the worst part of seeing someone die was watching that life drain from them. It wasn’t the before or the after that bothered him but the moment when the before became the after, that one second where everything went dark. He’d closed his eyes so he didn’t have to see it this time but Caleb’s mind was still replaying its own version back to him over and over which was unnerving to say the least. “Maybe just, say a location, I don’t know. I don’t think I’ll forget your voice.”

Dīs. A name for the face of his newest client, the face of someone he hoped he didn’t have to see kill another again. The after was where Caleb belonged, where he hoped to stay, and if this were to become his new business venture he really hoped that the after could become his new home.  “Of course, yea…” Hopefully this time his voice didn’t portray how shaken he was, his hand reaching out to shake that of the killer’s before him. “It’s Caleb.” Not realizing what it was that he had just done, the zombie turned back to the body and tried to think of the best way to start this clean up. His truck was a couple of blocks away, he’d have to move it closer to the alley, possibly back it in if he could. All the possibilities were whirring inside his brain while oblivious to the fact that he’d just given Dīs more than a new business agreement.

[rosyvvoods]

Not that anyone had asked for it but I got hit with inspiration for a His Dark Materials / dæmon au for CoD characters so !! For those who don't know it's generally just the concept that you're given a soul companion when you're born and they take the form of an animal that is representative of who you are as a person- its a concept I love and figured I'd tack on to some characters I've come to love [:

Price ; Bateleur

Ghost ; Bearded Vulture

Gaz ; Red Fox

Soap ; Indian Grey Mongoose

Laswell ; Wolverine

Alex ; Rhodesian Ridgeback

Farah ; Crested Caracara

Alejandro ; Coyote

Rudy ; Kit Fox

Nikolai ; Wandering Albatross

Graves ; Beauceron

Shepherd ; Bloodhound

Valeria ; Black Footed Cat

Hassan ; Secretary Bird

And bc I can't not include ocs-

River ; Common Nightingale

Markus ; Beagle

Some explanations under the read more!! And sorry for the long post in general 😭

A lot of the animal analysis came from THIS website!!

A lot of it comes from actual in-universe lore about what kinds of personalities align with certain animals. In the His Dark Materials universe for instance, dogs and canines tend to align with those who dedicate their lives to being in service of others, because of basal attributes dogs have: loyalty, devotion, protectiveness, etc. Birds are sharp witted and driven, especially birds of prey- and they can also travel further away from their person than other dæmons, and for longer periods of time. They also tend to be solitary though they can work in groups. Dæmons also tend to change forms more when their person is young and discovering themselves, and they settle as they get older. This is both interesting, and very sad- considering characters with trauma can have dæmons drastically change from what they were as a child.

I also tried to steer clear of stereotypical answers as well. Animals like snakes, spiders, and insects have long been associated with "villainous" characters and associated with characters from locations like Mexico and the Middle East.

I'm still working on BlOps CW dæmons bc it's fun to figure out, and I don't know what any of the MW dæmons would be named per say, but!! On to the brief analysis.

Price & his Bateleur;

Bateleurs are birds of prey, known to be hardy, thick skinned, and unflappable. They're associated with passionate individuals, loyalty, close bonds, and strong boundaries. Work ethic is resourceful and efficient, dutiful and cooperative while being ambitious.

Ghost & his bearded vulture;

So first things first- aside from the fact that I think they're cool as hell and Ghost deserves a cool as hell dæmon- these things are STARTLING to look at. They're large, and very distinct in their appearance. They're extremely private, socially selective, slow to trust, straightforward, and non-expressive. That being said? They're also patient. They're cooperative and the bonds they make are close. In work ethic they can represent efficiency, dedication, prone to obsessive tendencies, and proactiveness. But despite its terrifying appearance, it only feeds on the dead- specifically on bones. They can get the reddish coloring seen above by mud bathing or drinking mineral rich water- despite how bloody it may seem, the reality isn't quite as frightening.

Gaz & his red fox;

I think Gaz can be written off sometimes, overlooked and underestimated- but he's very clever, adaptable, cautious, and expressive. He's got a lot of big thoughts and feelings that he's had dismissed in the past. I went with a fox because they've got a similar loyalty to canines but have a bit of a skittish edge to them, are a little more opportunistic and methodical. They're tenacious and confident while being very perceptive- and I feel like Gaz would be represented well by a fox!!

Soap & his mongoose;

Now, Soap initially seems like a canine type; ridiculously loyal, dedicated, so on and so forth. But I still uphold the bit from the original games that he and dogs do not vibe!! And he doesn't seem the type to not vibe with himself!!

That being said: mongoose are notorious for taking on enemies far larger than themselves or those that have some kind of an advantage, including venomous snakes (as in the notable story Rikki-Tikki-Tavi). They're capable of living independent lives and being solitary but are also capable of deep set loyalty and devotion to a family group. They're also scrappy and make use of their surroundings.

Laswell & her wolverine;

Laswell is a force to be reckoned with, as seen in-game both in the field and behind a desk. She's happy to interact with her people, but outside of that she's a little more curt and to the point. Wolverines are confident, assertive, and opportunistic, and can even be a bit aggressive at times. Laswell herself I think is more willing to compromise than what this choice implies, but I feel like that's more of a learned nature; inside, she's ferocious, and isn't one to back down from larger and more formidable targets.

Alex & his Rhodesian ridgeback;

Alex is loyal, willing to do what it takes to complete his mission- but for the longest time he was looking for something meaningful. Something more than just orders.

Rhodesian ridgebacks were bred for endurance, to protect against large predators, and are hardy in harsh environments. But too much alone time- too many orders that have no heart behind them- can make them unhappy and on edge. They prefer well known, trusted company over strangers. They're also notoriously stubborn. I don't know Alex as a character all that well but I think the connection is there!

Farah & her crested caracara;

While Farah is very intrinsically tied to her people and her community, she stands out as a leader as being guarded and forward thinking. She has a keen eye for skill and tactic, and her loyalty is only to those she chooses and it's something she holds close to her chest. She works smarter AND harder, holding her duty above all else. Most of these traits are associated deeply with the crested caracara. She, and the caracara, can also both be thick skinned and untrusting (understandably so).

I can only put so many pictures into one post so 🫣 I'll have to continue on in another one!!

[cryptic-bonez]

Jules posting again because I have massive brainrot of this creature. (Bonus Mica posting!!)

This time it's Headcanons and dynamics I think fit the characters. My girl Mica is underappreciated me thinks, so I'm gonna fix that.

Reminder that these are HEADCANONS! They aren't actually canon to the characters themselves, and this is just information about the character's personality and background that I think fits them. If anyone wants to add theirs, feel free, because I love reading peoples headcanons and comparing notes! :3

Fair warning, the last two of Jules' headcanons are a bit heavier, so trigger warning for SH and dysphoria mentions! There are also Hemophobia and Emetophobia mentions as well

Jules headcanons;

✧ T4T, or just an overall preference for a Trans/Genderqueer partner, pansexual possibly

✧ Has a pronounced accent when he's angry, excited, singing or acting. Like he definitely has one, but it comes out more when he's being expressive if that makes sense

✧ Definitely looks back at his old clothes from his emo phase and almost cringes because of how bad the style he used to dress in. He just fixes everything up with other absolutely ruined clothes and makes them better.

✧ Cleaned and donated his binders for sure! I feel like he'd deep clean them and everything, gives em away to other trans teens/young adults in need

✧ Studed gauges, spiky earrings, just.. out there and absurd jewlery that somehow goes so well with his outfits

✧ Was definitely a cowboy almost every year for Halloween growing up.

✧ Active protester against waste dumping! Very vocal about it too! Even makes awareness posts online and such! Made a GoFundMe to help protect land, especially indigenous land or ranches!!

✧ When he dances, it's not just generic or free style dancing. He's like.. expressing his emotions and soul with it, letting his body move without thinking about it. Like Goth dancing would be, but more expressive and fluid and just overall freeing if that makes sense

✧ Still finds glitter everywhere because he's probably spilled some as a child when doing arts and crafts. They're a very artistic person, me thinks.

✧ Definitely had his nipples tattooed on instead. You can't tell me they wouldn't find a really weird, goth or just overall funky design for a tattoo to replace their nipples after post op healing. Something like a skull, or a cowboy hat.

✧ Loves any kind of animal. Doesn't have a preference. Probably somehow tamed a bearded dragon when they were younger?? And they just. They just had it as a pet for a while. His parents never found out for a while either?? Until he just brought it out like "hey look! This is my new pet!". They also screamed the first time the bearded dragon shot blood at him from it's eyes. (Yes they can do that. Yes it's weird. And yes it's also cool)

✧ Plans on getting tattoos on his surgery scars. Animal skulls or something like that, a mix of alternative/goth and western.

✧ Probably had an unhealthy way of coping with dysphoria. Binded a lot more than he should, stuff like that.

✧ more than likely has a few scars from sh when struggling with self image and dysphoria. He's been clean for years now, and he most likely got tattoos over the scars because they accept that part of them, and they aren't ashamed of it

some Mica headcanons because my girl is swag and deserves some recognition!!

✦ Genderfluid, any pronouns. Doesn't even care if you call her an "it" (probably takes it as a compliment)

✦ Used to be irrationally scared of horses until she met Jules

✦ Hates house parties, only goes for the drinks, food and if Jules is going.

✦ Neurodivergent! Probably has a sleeping disorder too

✦ Has a scorpion belly button piercing. And a scorpion tattoo as well. They're her favorite arachnid

✦ Prefers reptiles or arachnids as a pet, but would totally foster black cats. Most likely pagan/wiccan

✦ didn't talk to Jules for a week because he showed her the bearded dragon defense mechanism. She fainted.

✦ Hemophobia + emetophobia (the fear of blood & vomit)

✦ either has the nicest nicknames or the most rancid god awful nicknames for her friends.

✦ Drives a hearse! Decorates it for festive stuff. Also named it (She'd name it something like Salaman or Pamantha just because it'd be funny)

✦ Mild scoliosis and chronic back pain probably. Has to wear a back brace for it

✦ Enjoys costume design! Makes her own clothes from scratch

✦ Supports small businesses/creators/artists. She has a lot of skincare products from indigenous businesses to support them.

✦ Very vocal about protesting against waste dumping and using land for things that'll harm nature in general! Goes to protests with Jules. Even has social media platforms to help spread information and stop waste disposal on indigenous lands

✦ Supportive of Jules getting into his culture! Very interested in learning about customs and traditions. Also goes to festivities to be his emotional support friend

✦ Was a theater kid in middle and high school, started her alternative phase in 6th grade(she boasts about this to Julien sometimes just because)

character dynamics; Julien + Mica

Hates the theater kid stereotype but unknowingly plays into it + Also hates the theater kid stereotype but doesn't play into it.

absolutely terrified of spiders + loves spiders

neurodivergent + neurodivergent = chaos

Hates porcelain dolls + has a porcelain doll collection

Bone collector + specimen collector

yallternative + alternative/goth

Accident prone + "What did you do this time?!"

Stupid + also stupid

Grew up on a ranch + grew up on a farm

loves horseback riding + prefers to watch instead

bites to be affectionate + bullies to be affectionate

[starligtgalaxy]

chapter 12: A little blood therapy

A hand holds a cup, filled with a dark red liquid, watching it slosh around in it. Not having taken a single sip.

"Heeyyyy shǔǔǔǔǔǔǔǔ~" a voice mutters next to her.

She sighs "Hey, Wukong"

The mentioned monkey clings to her arm and looks up to her head with a drunk expression on his face "Did you always have those things?"

Pointing with a shakey hand towards her ears.

"Wukong, control yourself" a different voice chimes, coming from the other side of the table.

The one saying it was a monkey with dark fur. Drunk aswell, but not as much as his sworn brother.

"It's fine, Mihou. He isn't doing any harm, he's just being a bit clingy" she answers.

A bit wasn't the right term as by now the ginger monkey was basically full on hugging her, clinging to her as if she was a tree.

The eagle next them scoffs, being too drunk himself to do his usual teasing.

She feels her throat ache. She coughs in her hand, and looks to discover blood in it.

She sighs "I need to go, I won't be gone for long" she stands up, making the ginger monkey glide off her.

She calmly walks away, quickly out of her teammates' views. Most of them didn't bring any attention to it, since it was pretty normal for her.

But he did, he knew she was hiding something from them. Something big, but he never had the courage to go after her as she had told them many times to not follow her.

★・・・・・・★

(Y/n) grabs the order of the counter. She was about to walk out of the door, only to be met with a chest. A blue one specifically.

She steps back to meet a giant with an orange beard and Mohawk. A purple bead necklace around his neck and some white sweatpants.

(Y/n) cranes her neck to look at his face "Wow, you're...tall" she pauses when she realized what she said "ah, sorry. That was rude of me"

"It's fine, I get that a lot" the giant chuckles, patting the girl's messy Hair "So, pal, what are you doing here?"

"I'm just gonna deliver some orders, I work here" (Y/n) answers.

"Well, it's nice that Pigsy got some new help" his big smile falters a bit.

"Were you a friend of Mk?" (Y/n) asks, slightly tilting her head."Yeah...I am" (Y/n) frowns at his reponse.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

(Y/n) sits on a couch holding a cup of tea, being surrounded by an army of cats.

"I haven't see this much cats in my life" "These are my therapy cats, my therapist recommended them to me" Sandy explains, holding a tea cup himself in his big hands. "They help against stress"

A brown cat with white feet climbs on the girl's lap, sitting down.

"If you don't mind me asking, how was Mk? Tang, Pigsy and Mei always avoid the subject" (Y/n) asked, patting the cat on her lap.

"I can't blame you for you curiousity" Sandy chuckles "Mk was a brave young man. He was quite trouble maker, but he had a heart of gold"

(Y/n) looks down at her cup of tea, looking at her reflection in the hot liquid. She turns her gaze back at the giant.

"He sounds like a good person, I would've love to meet him"

"I think he'd also love to know you"

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

I do Sandy always so dirty, he deserves better.

This is the last chapter before revenge of the spider queen aka a pretty important chapter.

It will be longer so it will be in multiple parts. And Redson will finally appear, He's the second person I do very dirty

[babybabymerrychristmas]

My autistic ass read that and agreed with everything. Literally I don’t do anything romantic with my husband in public except maybe occasionally hug him or hold his hand. Is he my beard?

THAT'S MY POINT.

Like, literally everything they say about Joe is just ableist bullshit and I hate it so much because everything I hear in Taylor's music reminds me soooooo much of my autistic boyfriend, for example "staring at the ceiling with you, you don't really read into my melancholia" is so autistic to me!!!

And i'm not saying joe is definitely autistic but like I said, when you demonize autistic traits, even in allistic people, it will have harmful effects on the entire autistic community.

It's all speculation and guesswork at what Joe is actually like, what he actually thinks and feels and believes, who he actually is as a person and it's not based in any evidence whatsoever.

Like, you just see a quiet, shy, reserved man who doesn't post on social media, doesn't talk about his personal life in interviews and only keeps his public life about his work and you think "oh yes, he forced taylor to give him a grammy because he feels entitled to it for all his hard beard work" that's ableist as fuck, i'm sorry.

It's not the assuming itself, it's what you're assuming and WHY. There is no reason for people to make fun of Joe as much as they do, on both sides of the aisle.

Gaylors and Hetlors all make fun of Joe for "being boring" and it makes me so mad because he's literally just a dude living his life. Why does he have to be "exciting" to deserve respect from the fandom of his girlfriend? Why do we have to call him poor and mediocre and bland, all because he doesn't share his personal life with strangers on the internet?

It feels so fucking ableist to me, because it's me! I'm Joe! If I was famous, I'd be Joe. He just wants to act in movies and go home to his girl and his cats, leave the man alone for fuck's sake.