#rosiesramblings

[fanficfanattic]

Got some recent fic recs for @puppypeter (and for the rest of you I GUESS 😘)

My Mummy and My Simon by @rosiesramblings (Rated G) Gen

Jamie has his mummy, and his Simon, and football. Roy lets him realize the last piece of the puzzle. (Not a ton of Roy content but what is there is IMPORTANT!)

big top tent up high by @howdyrowdypartner (Rated E)

It isn’t actually circus themed. Not any more than something featuring AFC Richmond I suppose 😜. (It’s been 10 years since Ted left, 7 since Jamie left, and there is only one OG Greyhound left. It’d be bittersweet except…)

Portrait Mode by @pghumfort (Rated G)

Phoebe and Jamie adoring their shared favorite person. (It’s Roy).

fix and fertig by @jamietarttsnorthernattitude (Rated G)

Roy gets a migraine just in time for their first Champions League match. He’s been fighting his body for the sake of football for years now, he won’t let it stop him. But he forgot that he has people now who will step up.

[gigglyrambles]

Of Campaigns & Revelations (Steve/Eddie)

Fandom: Stranger Things Characters: Steve Harrington & Eddie Munson Summary: Eddie loves planning campaigns, Steve loves planning events. So how exactly did the dream team get so sidetracked? Words: 2700+

Notes: Ahhhh not only is he late with his first fic on this account, but he's late for SS too. I was lucky enough to write a fic for the absolutely incredibly talented @rosiesramblings! I tried to use all of your prompts (earning a reward, too much energy and boredom) somewhere in the fic and apologies for the late post, but I hope you like It!!! A big thank you to our lovely host @hypahticklish too. Happy happy holidays and a wonderful new year to everyone.

Sometimes, Eddie Munson laughs and Steve swears it could shatter that Garfield mug he’s so obsessed with— despite the fact that he only uses the damn thing for hot chocolate.

Like the breathy laughter that burst from his lips last friday, When Robin spent a little too long comparing an old photo of Steve to the baby from The Labyrinth. Most memorably, a joke about their shared fashion taste had the party’s favorite dungeon master quite literally wheezing on the shag carpet, clutching his sides as if he’d never recover from the sheer hilarity of it all.

Or perhaps he was thinking of the high pitched yelp of laughter that broke free every time he was caught off guard. As much as Eddie hated to be genuinely scared, he found way too much amusement in getting jump scared. Shitty horror films, friends hiding behind doors, or even that lame haunted house from Halloween— All of the above earned the same result, a shriek that dissolved into laughter about halfway through.

Then again, they weren’t all bubbly and loud. Eddie’s laughter could be soft and sweet too, harboring an almost shy cadence when the time called for it and…

It’s at this exact moment, with utensils ever so neatly tucked into napkins and plates set along the grand mahogany dining room table, that Steve realizes he’s been thinking about Eddie Munson way too much. All it took was one crappy little chuckle, one silly reaction to a half assed joke, for his thoughts to wander. Anything the other said during his trance was a mystery, though as that playful voice came back into frame, Steve figured the context clues were probably easy enough to figure out.

��-not a fighter, clearly. Maybe a Paladin or a bard. One thing is for sure, you’d definitely play an elf or a half elf. A prince maybe. Estranged?” Eddie’s rambles are definitely pointed towards him, although it’s clearly more of a conversation with himself than anything else.

Calf crossed over thigh, he sits on the kitchen counter. Pale hands hold a green piping bag steady over a tray of freshly cooked sugar cookies, adding some ghoulish finishing touches. “Just say the word, Big Boy, and I’ll create the most perfect, personalized Steve Harrington campaign of the year.”

“You mean the only Steve Harrington campaign of the year?” Steve retorts.

Just like always, sarcasm drips from his lips like honey. Even after volunteering his house, time and energy to Eddie and his Hellfire Goblins, the self proclaimed babysitter still can’t seem to fight his natural born grumpiness.

That persona was like a security blanket or a teddy bear; Steve’s always relied on it to make the world less scary or more accurately, to make himself less vulnerable. The Harrington Boy, The King, The Babysitter, every new iteration had improvements, but they also had one thing in common: A security mechanism, an off switch of sorts. Something that Eddie Munson clearly lacked.

“Only cause you’re a buzzkill.” Eddie insists, licking a bit of green from his fingertips.

The cookies are far from perfect but they’ll undoubtedly impress the kids. Dark eyes examine each one with a precision he definitely didn’t supply when creating them, though eventually he deems them good enough with a dimpled grin and a cheeky thumbs up.

With two hours left on the clock, Eddie finds himself at a loss. All the fun tasks for the campaign tonight have been finished. Food and snacks were the first on the list to be crossed off with pizza scheduled for later and fresh baked cookies set to the side. Decorations were next. Everything from miniature figurines to home made maps to origami dragons and mini potion bottles for the kids filled with juice.

The idea to spike the potion bottles had been vetoed with a very amusing yet indignant huff. Despite Eddie's insistence that he was a 'born rebel' at fifteen, Steve refuses to give them a lick of alcohol before they hit senior year.

Aside from that, all that was left was mundane tasks like vacuuming or cleaning up the newly created mess in the kitchen. Most people would have cheered, thankful to finish their list of chores before the fun could begin. Though most people didn’t have as much energy as Eddie Munson.

“Well this is it, Stevie.” Eddie pipes up a few moments later, watching the other brunette readjust the table settings for a bunch of soon to be sophomores who definitely wouldn’t notice if the fork was on the left side or the right. “Two hours left and you’re too busy turning my campaign into a murder mystery dinner to pay attention to me so clearly? I’m dying. I can’t believe I’m gonna die of boredom in the Harrington Household… So big. So cold. So… white and mundane for someone as vibrant as myself.”

Eddie’s melodramatic performance is enough to peak Steve’s interest, but not his amusement.

“Finish Vacuuming the living room or stop complaining” Steve answers flatly. Over time, he’s learned that playing into the antics only magnifies them. Ninety nine percent of the time, just disregarding Eddie’s insane childish tendencies made them go away. “Besides, you can’t die from boredom.”

Ninety nine percent of the time, that would have worked.

Unfortunately, there was still that worrisome one percent to worry about.

“Well you might.”

“I might what—” Oblivious as ever, Steve finally ditches the table settings. Turning on his heel, the brunette’s lips are already parted, ready to question what the hell that response implies when he catches sight of the other’s stance.

Kitchen counter long since abandoned, the feisty dungeon master is taking stake across the room. Socked feet slide across dark polished wood, eerily unsettling in the quiet pace they set. Pale hands are held up, turned into claws with wiggling fingers that make Steve’s stomach flip as uncertainty settles in.

“Okay, okay. You might not die from my boredom.” Eddie hums lowly, lips curling into a grin that can only be described as downright mischievous. Each word is drawn out slower than the last, anticipation building between the two. “But you might not survive the cure. Let's see. I already tried knock knock jokes, barely effective. Funny movies, ehh somewhat works— Unless they’re too weird. Then you just sit all grumpy and confused— Anyway, not the point! Dear Steven, my point is…”

Similar to those puzzles Nancy used to force on him while babysitting Mike, he should’ve figured it out sooner, but he’s definitely seeing the picture a bit more clearly with time. They’re approximately halfway through Eddie’s villainous monologue when it clicks. Every example revolves around making him laugh which is an incredibly flustering thought all on its own. Out of all the ways to cure his boredom, Eddie wanted to do so while making Steve smile. Most people focused on his hair, his ass, his better known assets.

Eddie Munson was the first person to ever fixate on something so mundane.

Thankfully, Steve doesn’t have a second to worry about the heat crawling up the back of his neck, or the slowly developing crush that he’s most certainly going to ignore.

“… that I never asked if you were ticklish. Always felt like a cheap shot, you know? Low hanging fruit, but in the name of science, we do have to test every—” And that’s all it takes. The second the word ticklish leaves Eddie’s lips, the former jock is sprinting across the length of the dining room table and out of the room.

Heart hammering in his chest, the beat is so loud Steve can practically hear it ringing in his ears. White converse round a corner, running into the living room while quick footsteps sound close behind.

“Oh come on, Pretty Boy.” Eddie snorts through a laugh of his own. “Don’t run away from me!”

If he just looked back, he would have seen the way Eddie smiled at him from ear to ear, excitement and giddiness bursting from his pores. He would have seen the way the other nearly slipped in his socks, clearly lacking any grip as they ran around like little boys again. He would have seen the way those dark eyes lingered, how they drank him in, admiring his toned legs from years of athletics.

If he just looked back, maybe he would have registered how close he was to his demise. Then again, if he looked back, then Eddie might have seen how flustering that pet name was, or worse: He could have seen the smile tugging at his lips.

One foot rounds the corner of the couch but never gets the opportunity to touch down. Instead, fingers curl around the back of his sweater, swiftly pulling Steve until he’s falling. His back hits the sofa cushions with a soft grunt, brown locks splayed across the decorative pillow.

Everything flips in an instant. Eddie’s upper hand turns to shit the second he jumps onto the couch. Leaving more than enough room in between them, Steve takes the opportunity to act. Lightning quick reflexes give him just enough time to weave underneath the metalhead’s arm, flipping their positions until Eddie’s the one with his back against the couch and wide eyes looking up.

Though rather than looking scared he looks… exhilarated.

Any anxiety written across Steve’s face a minute ago is missing from Eddie’s now. As the general surprise wears off, he goes from wide eyed to giggly, immediately throwing his hands up in a mercy pose he knows won’t work. Wild curls fall in every direction, the occasional soft breathy laugh stumbling from his lips as he tries to worm out from underneath Steve’s pin.

“Stevie, C’mon. I was just trying to have a little bit of fun- Wait wait- Steve Hey-” In the long debated question of Dungeon Master Vs. Varsity Athlete, they finally know who comes out on top. Eddie’s rambled mixture of explanations, apologies and pleas fall on deaf ears the second nimble fingers touch down on his sides.

One of the most accessible vantage points, it proves rather successful when one squeeze elicits a sharp huff, all the air in his lungs leaving at once. Eddie’s body instinctively tries to pull away again, hands attempting to intercept Steve’s insistent poking and prodding of the soft flesh.

The silence lasts all of seven seconds. Any attempt to threaten Steve dies on his lips, choked out to make room for all the laughter taking control. Immediately thrashing around to the best of his ability, it’s clear that Eddie’s not going down peacefully.

“A little bit of fun doing what, Eds?” Steve questions. “Annoying me? Chasing me around my own house? I mean, shit, Munson. How the hell do you even have all of this energy? Honestly. I did you a favor flipping the tables, you clearly needed to tire yourself out.”

Each new guess and tease is accentuated with another poke at his vulnerable sides. One to the left right below his ribs, one to the right closer to his back, two on either side near his tummy, and one aimed in that squishy spot directly above his pantline— One that has his giggles interlaced with squeaks and squeals, struggling to handle any sort of stimulation that close to his hips.

“Nohohoho not thehehere!” Eddie whines half heartedly, though Steve can’t help but notice how little he fights back, hardly using any strength whatsoever in his attempts to grab onto those tortuous digits.

Thankfully for the thrashing Dungeon Master, Steve doesn’t get the chance to drill his thumbs into the divots of his hips for very long. An incredible stop on his grand tour of Eddie Munson’s giggle buttons, the destination proves to be too much. One sharp dig earns a yell so piercing the neighbor’s dog begins to bark, rough hands diving forward to grab onto anything for some sort of stability.

What Eddie’s trained fingers find instead is that squeezing Steve Harrington’s thighs renders the guy practically useless. A loud shriek splatters around the room, high pitched almost desperate giggles flying from his mouth. Any ounce of strength was sapped, curling up against Eddie’s chest in a way he’d swear was romantic in any other circumstance.

Umber eyes meet hazel, gazes locked with recognition on both sides before the tables are flipped yet again. Eddie hooks a leg underneath Steve’s knee, an arm worming out from below to wrap around his waist.

Before the Family Video employee can so much as suck in a breath from his fit of giggles, they’re back in the original position with a self proclaimed babysitter pretending not to enjoy himself on bottom and a metalhead who couldn’t hide it if he tried on top.

It turns out that Steve Harrington fucking shape shifts when you tickle him. The former jock’s confident sarcastic persona changes to something else entirely. If Eddie’s attempts to get away were half assed then Steve’s attempts don’t exist. Every new spot or tactic is brought with a new form of laughter, but they all have the same thing in common:

Steve’s leaning into it.

There’s no denying it. When teasing nails drag up his side, he turns into the affection rather than away from it. When his lower stomach is kneaded like a fresh pile of dough, he leans forward instead of pushing back. And when thumbs drill into his armpits, the brunette actually attempts to keep his arms up or at least not locked at his sides god forbid their fun ends too soon after being blocked.

Of course, Steve doesn’t notice this. Nor does he realize that Eddie was noticing this, but one of them has to be the observant one and it’s not the mess of giggles currently turning rosier with every passing second.

It’s almost as if their enjoyment is the key. Once that last bit of hesitance drains out, calloused fingers waste no time. Eddie changes spots again, this time clawing at his ribs with a smile that reeks of both vengeance and affection, a combo punch that would have made Steve breathless if he wasn’t already dissolving under deep belly laughter.

There’s way less talking now too. While Eddie’s an incredibly wiggly and talkative victim, babbling and thrashing through his hysterics, Steve seems to struggle getting anything out other than his laughter, only managing the occasional babble or squeal induced ‘Eds!’.

Finally those skilled guitarist fingers choose to take pity on him, allowing Steve to actually get a word in.

“Nohot… fair.” He breathes out through residual giggles. It doesn’t matter that the tickling has since ceased. Ghost sensations still tease and taunt across his sensitive skin, mentally swearing that he could still feel those fingertips dancing across his torso.

Eddie’s endearment drips like honey, dark eyes warming at the sight of his friend still struggling to get his act together. “No? I think that was totally fair. Plus, I slaved over those cookies, Stevie Boy. Heart and soul. Body and mind. Don’t I deserve a little prize?” His lips curl into a wicked grin, knowing damn well that his next words would fluster more than soothe. “Perhaps shaped in the form of those cute ass giggles of yours?”

Just as expected, heat begins to crawl up the back of Steve’s neck at the sentiment, though the rosy hue on his face from earlier makes it easy to mask the blush currently spreading. As if proving Eddie’s point further, playful pokes return to Steve’s torso, randomly nudging little spots until he’s back to bubbly uncontrollable giggles.

Using the last bit of strength, he reaches out to give Eddie’s side a squeeze, earning matching breathy laughter in return.

The fight grows less clear after that. Stray pokes and occasional squeezes keep both boys giddy, lost in their own little bubble.

For as long as he could remember, Steve Harrington had been a fixer. Even when the most misguided, he tried to right his own wrongs as well as everyone else’s around him. What began in early childhood as a terribly sad attempt of bringing his parents together had warped into a personality trait, a role he constantly forced himself to play out of fear of feeling useless.

But now the pressure of planning a perfect event for the kids is long forgotten and somehow he knows it’ll all work out. Because Eddie’s laughter is interlaced with his, their cheeks rosy and breath staggered. Suddenly, that familiar ache in his chest doesn’t feel quite as heavy as before and Steve realizes while doing absolutely nothing important at all, that he doesn't feel useless. He realizes that maybe…

“Hoholy Shit, Harrington. Forget weed. I think those damn giggles of yours got me high.”

Maybe this feeling between them was something else entirely.

Sometimes, Eddie Munson laughs and Steve wonders if love has always sounded like this.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🔥 Books to Read After Watching Avatar the Last Airbender

🦇 Good afternoon, my beloved bookish bats! Are you a fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender? We're watching the live-action adaptation this weekend! Here are a few books to add to your TBR if you're an Avatar fan!

❓ What's your element?

⚡ I've been holding onto this post since BEFORE casting was announced, and I'm so glad I can finally post it!

🔥 An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir @sabaatahir 💧 Set Fire to the Gods by Sara Raasch @sara_raasch and Kristen Simmons @kris10writes ⛰️ A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown @rosiesrambles ⚡ The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni @lynettenoni 🌪️ Infinity Son by Adam Silvera @adamsilvera 🔥 The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala @swatiteerdhala 💧 The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee @yeebookauthor ⛰️ Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake @kendareblake ⚡ Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard @victoriaaveyard 🌪️ Child of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi @tomiadeyemi 🔥 Nocturna by Maya Motayne @mayamotayne 💧 Furyborn by Claire Legrand @clairelegrandbooks ⛰️ Guardians of Dawn: Zhara by S. Jae-Jones @sjaejones ⚡ Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron @renathedreamer 🌪️ We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faizal @hafsahfaizal 🔥 Truthwitch by Susan Dennard @stdennard 💧 Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin @shelbymahurin ⛰️ Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian @lauraksebastian

[nhasablogg]

Lessons in comforting Eddie Munson

Fandom: Stranger Things

Characters: Eddie, Wayne

Anonymous said: Could you write a story where Uncle Wayne cheers Eddie up for failing senior year?

...and I said a whole story about Wayne comforting Eddie? Sure thing! Thank you to @rosiesramblings for the last two scenarios!

Warnings: Mentioned homophobia, mentioned drug use

Words: 2k

It wasn’t that Wayne didn’t have any experience with kids before Eddie came to live with him. He saw him every year, for birthdays and holidays and the occasional weekend where Eddie’s dad decided he’d had enough of being a parent and dumped his one and only child with his younger brother. Perhaps Wayne had been a little too good at handling Eddie, as he found him literally on his front step one day, backpack in hand and tears spilling so generously as Eddie refused to look at him.

“Did you run away?” Wayne asked, taking the bag from him, mentally trying to figure out where the hell he was supposed to put a 12-year-old that hadn’t spent the night in the past five years.

Eddie shuffled into the trailer, closing the door softly behind him. “He kicked me out.”

Now Wayne wasn’t an animated man. Where his brother lit up like a firecracker at the slightest inconvenience he’d always held back, letting it all settle in his mind before he allowed any emotion to show on his face. He suspected that was one of the reasons he could handle Eddie so well, who got angrier and angrier as the years went by (not that Wayne blamed him, with a father like his). He also suspected that was why Eddie liked him. Liked his calm and his quiet humor and his thinking before speaking. He felt bad that he got to witness one of the few times Wayne really snapped, screaming into the phone and threatening his brother and telling him he was never seeing his son again.

“Good,” he sneered back. “Keep that homo away from me.”

When they hung up Eddie was staring at the floor, angry tears freely flowing in a way that broke Wayne’s heart.

He turned his small extra room, which had been used as storage for the past ten years, into a bedroom complete with a mattress on the floor, and gave his own bedroom to Eddie the very same day.

The first week was the easiest, as they were busy adjusting to each other all while still somehow assuming Eddie’s father would show up, apologetic but not apologizing. It was only once they passed the seven day mark that they both realized that maybe this was it, this was life for the next five or so years.

That was the second time Eddie cried since his arrival, at the very least loudly and visibly enough for Wayne to realize it. He found him curled up on the bed, bag thrown across the room in a way that had littered all its contents over the floor. Wayne had noticed he hadn’t unpacked. Had held onto that last shred of hope.

“Hey.” Wayne had never been good at comforting people, so he perched on the side of the bed awkwardly, hand finding the back of Eddie’s neck. “He’s not worth that.”

Eddie looked up at him, sniffling. “I know.”

They sat in silence, Eddie still silently sobbing and Wayne holding onto his neck, stroking the skin slowly until Eddie fell asleep.

The next day he took him out to the junkyard and let him smash as many cars as he needed.

*

The first time Eddie had an unrequited crush while living with Wayne - Wayne could tell so very easily it was almost ridiculous - he pouted for four days before Wayne finally sat down a bowl of ice cream in front of him without a word, a hand on his shoulder as he sank down on the couch next to him. Eddie looked at him wordlessly before picking up his spoon, digging around the chocolate and vanilla for a moment before finally taking a bite.

Wayne leaned back, wondering how to approach this. It would’ve been easier had he not been 90% certain Eddie had a crush on a boy. While not seeing anything wrong with it himself, he knew it probably wasn’t easy to talk about, especially since they’d never once mentioned it before. He tapped his fingers on his knee. He knew Eddie probably understood that he suspected it, and while they spoke well through silence he reckoned sometimes words were needed, too.

He hummed and Eddie turned toward him, as if he was expecting it. “What?”

Wayne met his gaze. “Is the ice cream good?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

Eddie narrowed his eyes, but didn’t say anything else. Wayne started tapping at his knee again, a nervous habit. Sometimes, when Eddie commented on it, he started tapping on Eddie’s knee instead, relishing in how he giggled and tried to evade him. Wayne would sometimes grab onto his leg and hold it in place, claiming Eddie needed to make some sacrifices if he was forbidding him from tapping on himself. Eddie would fall into hysterical ticklish laughter as Wayne turned his tapping into squeezing and eventually into wiggling.

He knew it probably wouldn’t solve things now and so he didn’t do it, although he missed his laughter. Had gotten used to it the past three years.

He hummed again, and when Eddie looked at him this time he put his hand on his knee only briefly and told him to finish his ice cream before it melted.

*

“I fucking failed again.”

Wayne winced as the door slammed shut, Eddie’s parting words ringing in his ears. He wasn’t disappointed more than he was upset for his nephew, who’d been trying so hard to finally graduate and failing each time. He knew what it meant for Eddie to have to stay here, stuck in this town which shunned him in several ways and had been for the last seven years.

He sighed, giving Eddie a moment before knocking on the door and waiting in vain for a response. “Kid?”

Nothing.

“Eddie, I’m coming in.”

He found him sitting on his bed, smoking something Wayne had never questioned, with his gaze stuck on the ceiling. He wasn’t crying. He rarely was nowadays.

“Are you okay?” He knew it was a stupid question, but Eddie wouldn’t talk unprompted.

Eddie huffed out smoke. “Just peachy.”

“Eddie.”

“I just.” He leaned forward, hands waving in the air as if he was looking for the right words. “I’m so.”

“Angry?”

“Yes.”

“You have every right to be.”

He leaned back again, blinking at him. “You’re not mad at me?”

“Why would I be mad?” Wayne placed a hand on Eddie’s calf, squeezing it lightly. “I can see how hard you try. The school’s not accommodating at all, is all I know.”

Eddie exhaled loudly. “Right?”

“Next year.” Wayne patted his leg. “I really believe next year will be your year.”

“86.” Eddie took a drag, let the smoke come out of his nose. “My year.”

“All yours.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

*

Wayne didn’t gloat much, or at all really. But according to Eddie he was a bad winner, which probably was only amplified since Eddie was a sore loser.

But Wayne didn’t gloat. Truly. Scout’s honor.

Okay, maybe a little.

“When will you learn?” he was saying now, grinning as Eddie threw his cards on the table. “I never lose at card games.”

Eddie pointed at him. “You cheat. I don’t know how, but you cheat.”

“I don’t need to do that to win.”

“Stop smirking.”

“I’m not!” Wayne held up his hands. “You stop pouting.”

“I’m not!”

“Yes, you are.”

Eddie huffed, pushing his chair back to stand. “I’ll figure out how you cheat one day. Just you wait.”

“Oh, come on, Ed, don’t be upset with me.”

“I’m not, just disappointed.” Eddie shook his head. “I thought better of you, Uncle Wayne.”

Wayne sighed, somewhat dramatically. “Come here, I’ll make it up to you.”

“No.”

“Come here.”

“I know what you’re gonna do.” Eddie started walking when Wayne stood. “Stay away from me.”

“But I have to comfort you since you’re so upset with me.” Wayne picked up his pace. “Eddie, wait.”

The chase wasn’t long-lived, but intense enough that Wayne all but tackled Eddie to the couch by the end of it, fingers worming under his chin to the sound of high pitched giggles. His favorite sound. He’d been hearing it for most of Eddie’s life, but it had become less frequent as he got older. He’d started doing it again only because he realized Eddie wouldn’t kill him afterward.

“Wa-hayne!”

“Ye-hes?”

Eddie kicked his legs, hands gripping Wayne’s wrists but doing little to push him off. “Asshole.”

“Oho, you’re gonna turn me comforting you into a punishment if you keep that up, kid.”

“I’m not a kid- gah, no!”

“You’re barely 20. You’ll be a kid to me until you’re at least 35.”

Eddie didn’t reply, his giggles rounding out into full on belly laughter as Wayne used one hand to poke at his ribs, the other staying put at his neck. This was one way to mellow him out, but Wayne only used this method of comfort occasionally. It had been a trial and error, figuring out what actually worked and what only agitated him in the moment, but Wayne felt he’d compiled a pretty accurate list of ways to comfort his nephew now.

He reached back to squeeze at his knee, relishing in how he squealed.

*

“Goddammit, I can’t get it right.”

Wayne glanced at Eddie, who was sitting on the couch with his guitar on his lap. “The new song?”

“Something’s off.” Eddie shook his head. “It doesn’t sound right.”

“Well, I’m sure it’s a difficult song.” Wayne admitted he knew absolutely nothing about instruments, but had been hearing Eddie play for the past few years. The kid was talented. Patient.

Well, most times.

“Listen to this.” Eddie played something elaborate and semi-identical to the songs he usually played (okay, Wayne really knew nothing of this type of music), turning to him with a frown as if Wayne himself was responsible for whatever was wrong.

“It sounded okay to me.”

Eddie sighed, exasperated. “Of course it did.”

“Hey now.”

His face immediately softened. “Sorry. It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t take it out on you.”

“What you need,” Wayne said, ruffling Eddie’s hair which earned him a whine. “is some food. Dinner’s almost ready. Then you can tell me all about what it is that isn’t working out, okay?”

Eddie nodded. “Okay.” A beat, and, “Thanks.”

Wayne was already walking away. “For?”

“For listening. For caring.”

Wayne grunted, unwilling to turn back to let his nephew see his pink face. “Don’t mention it. Wash your hands.”

*

Wayne woke up confused, blinking into the darkness of the living room, which he fell asleep in more often than not since giving Eddie his room. He’d been flung out of sleep, so something must’ve woken him up. He lay still, listening to the rain, the wind, but it was all faint. Not enough to get through to him, being a heavy sleeper as he was.

He rolled to his side, grunting as his back protested. Maybe the mattress on the floor was better after all. Maybe he should get a real bed.

He heard it then; something quiet and heartbreaking. He was standing within seconds, walking toward Eddie’s room.

“Kid?” He pushed the door open, finding Eddie fast asleep, but twitching, mouthing words around his sobs. A nightmare. He’d been having more of those, but since he sometimes worked nights Wayne rarely caught them. Unsure of what to do now, he crossed the room, placing a hand gently on Eddie’s arm. “Eddie.”

“N-no...”

“Eddie, it’s me.” He shook him lightly, evading Eddie’s flying hand just in time as the kid woke in a panic. “Woah, woah, it’s okay. You’re safe.”

Eddie sat up, shaking his head as if trying to shake off the dreams. “Wayne?”

“I’m here.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“I’m sure he’s also here somewhere.”

Eddie let out a laugh, something hysterical, bordering on a sob. “God- oh, don’t say it.”

Wayne let the joke die at the tip of his tongue, both of them laughing weakly in the darkness.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Wayne asked later, once they’d calmed down and Eddie was rolling onto his side.

“No,” Eddie said, although he seemed to be hesitating. “Not now.”

“Okay, well, I’ll be here if you do.”

“Thank you.”

Wayne put his hand on Eddie’s cheek, pushing hair out of his face as he did. “You want me to sleep in here with you?”

“Oh, come on, Uncle Wayne, I’m not 10.”

Wayne huffed out a laugh. “Just checking.”

[cantwritethetword]

Squealing Santa 2k23: Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot

(originally posted December 25th 2023)

~A/N  - I return out of the depths of my writing hiatus to bring rosiesramblings her squealing santa fic for this year!!! This will be the last fic I post on this blog…

because I’m moving to my writing account for 2024 onwards (hehe don’t worry I’m not quitting writing). I’ll link the writing blog soon ^^

This will also be my first ever Red, White, and Royal Blue fic which I’m super excited about, and the prompt was:

“lee annoying the ler into tickling them”

As I couldn’t choose who I wanted to lee more, I decided that after the initial round of annoyance-to-tickles, the tables would then turn. Just for funsies hehe.

Rosie, I hope your holidays have been nothing but wonderful so far, I hope you enjoy the fic, and I wish you a fantastic finish to 2023.

The best of vibes to you, and to anyone else reading this <3

(EDIT: SDJFHASDFLKSHJKLH I FORGOT TO ADD A TITLE LMAO HERE’S MY LAST MINUTE BRAIN THINKING UP SOMETHING THANK U ALL LOVE U)

- Enoy! ~

Tag List: 

Masterpost Link

In the early days of Alex and Henry’s interactions, anyone on the inside of the respective families could tell you they annoyed the crap out of each other. Whether it was intentional or not was another debate, but it was clear the pair got on each other’s nerves.

As the two grew closer, the taunts and jabs thrown between them were often accompanied by a cheeky grin or smug eyebrow raise to lighten the tone. And sure, the comments themselves had turned from competitively one-upping each other into playful conversational love-bites. But that doesn’t mean the subject of their incessant banter had changed.

“I’m surprised you could get that all by yourself.” Henry smirked from the doorway, gesturing to the glass of juice Alex had in his hands.

“Good morning to you too,” Alex quipped back with a grin, “and I’m not the one with hundreds of servants at my every beck and call.”

Henry chuckled softly, allowing his boyfriend to give a quick peck to his cheek. “I thought you would have at least needed one to help you reach the glasses, the shelf is awfully high.”

With a playful shove, Alex’s mouth lay agape for a few moments. Taking his chance to be even more of a little shit, Henry softly lifted the glass from Alex’s hands and took a sip.

“Not to mention,” he continued, wiping his mouth momentarily as Alex snatched his drink back, “the juice itself is on one of the highest shelves in the fridge…”

With a chuckle of disbelief, Alex rolled his eyes. “Someone woke up on the asshole side of the bed.”

“I don’t know if it’s the different sides…” Henry grinned. “I think it’s just your bed.”

With a look of shock and playful outrage on Alex’s face, the First Son retaliated with a soft jabbing finger to Henry’s ribs.

Apparently, this was the first time Alex had poked that particular area. Because Henry jerked away in a motion that Alex had never seen him do before. And the squeak that accompanied it was nothing short of mortifying for the normally very composed future king of england.

“Oh~?” Alex chuckled, raising an eyebrow. There was a hint of question in his voice, but Henry barely registered it past the strong tone of mischief accompanying Alex’s growing smirk.

After a flash of panic darted across his face, Henry straightened himself up (though he couldn’t help the nervous bark of laughter that came out of him as he spoke). “Alehex no…”

“What’s the matter?” Alex moved closer. “Ticklish?”

“Of course I’m nOT-”

Timing his launch perfectly, Alex near-enough tackled his partner to the ground. With all of Henry’s nervous energy the poor guy’s limbs weren’t following instructions very well, so it was almost too easy for Alex to sit on top of his legs and pin him to the floor.

“Alex- wait- please- you’ll kILL MEHEHE!” Henry babbled desperately. His arms flailing wildly in front of his body, hoping that in some way he could catch Alex’s damn hands and save himself.

“Worth it.” Alex grinned, fingers wriggling in preparation for his attack (and also to mess with Henry).

“Thahat’s treasohohon!”

Alex bent over, lowering his face so his nose was almost touching Henry’s. “Anything to hear you laugh baby.”

With his face blocking Henry’s view, Alex caught his boyfriend completely off guard as his hands began spidering at Henry’s sides. The prince squeaked in surprise before bursting into giggles - accompanied by the occasional ‘stohohop it!’.

Adding insult to injury, Alex started to nuzzle his mouth into the crook of Henry’s neck. The mixture of the soft kisses and scratchy stubble brushing against Henry’s poor skin was driving the man insane, not to mention the fingers that were now wreaking havoc on his hip bones.

“AHAHALEHEX!” Henry screeched out between bouts of laughter. “PLEHEHEASE!”

“Please what baby?” Alex grinned into Henry’s jaw. “Please accept your apology for teasing me earlier?”

“NEHEHEV- AHAHALEX!”

A man had never regretted his words faster than Henry did in that moment, as Alex rushed his fingers to claw at Henry’s armpits after the prince’s audacious response.

What Henry did next, or more accurately what his body reacted with next, was nothing short of a miracle for his situation.

Whilst trying to shove Alex off him, Henry had grabbed at the man’s thighs. And whilst normally this wouldn’t elicit much from his boyfriend (aside from perhaps a smirk or raise of an eyebrow), something about his finger placement and strong grip made Alex collapse to one side in a weird flailing motion.

It took only a few moments for Henry to catch his breath and realise what had happened.

“Seems I’m not the only ticklish one.” Henry gasped, but the smile on his face was completely different to before.

“Henry…” Alex laughed nervously, starting to scoot himself away. “that’s classified…”

“I’m your boyfriend.” Henry propped himself up on his elbow and leaned forwards, an almost predatory look across his face. “Be honest.”

Alex laughed again and tried to start sitting up. “Sorry, I’m legally not allowed to tELL YOU.”

Before Alex could even finish his sentence Henry scrambled onto hands and knees and charged towards Alex.

The now panicking First Son yelped and tried to wrestle his way back into a safe position. But his efforts were fruitless, and Alex soon found himself lying on his back with Henry sitting on top of his legs.

“Don’t worry sweetheart.” Henry cracked his knuckles. “I can always find out myself.”

“Yohou don’t have clearahance for that!” Alex tried to steady his voice, but anticipatory giggles kept interrupting his flow of speech. “Ihihi can throhow you in jahahail!”

Henry couldn’t help but laugh. “What was it you said earlier…?” He brought his hand to his chin as if deep in thought. “Something about doing anything to make someone laugh?”

“Henry, baby, please!” Alex spluttered, frantically trying to cover his entire torso from his hips to his ribs with his arms.

But little did he know, Henry already had a plan in motion.

The genius little Prince himself had sat just high enough on Alex’s stomach to have a little pocket of access behind him right to the man’s hips. And, with his knees blocking most of Alex’s ability to protect the area, Henry only had to dart his hands behind his back and squeeze.

Alex’s torso launched itself off the ground for a few seconds in a half-situp position, before his laughter finally exploded out of his chest and let him collapse back to the floor.

The future king of England had to pause at that moment. He figured Alex would be ticklish, but holy shit this was a whole other level of sensitive. His thumbs were barely rolling over Alex’s hip-bones, so one could only imagine how bad this could possibly get.

“HEHEHEHEHENRY!” The poor guy squealed, writhing on the floor with a cheek-splitting grin worthy of the front page of a magazine.

“Yes my dear?” Henry laughed softly, moving his hands to now target Alex’s ribs.

“STAHAHAHAP!”

The Prince’s chuckles continued. “I’ll consider it.”

[sistahscifi]

Where were you the first time you learned of Children of Blood and Bone? For us, it was late 2018, and we were standing in a Barnes and Noble in Downtown Seattle - this was before @IsisAsare started Sistah Scifi - and we were sold by the cover.

Children of the Blood and Bone would be a harbinger of a new sub genre of young adult fantasy - West African YA Fantasy - and pave the way for several other series inspired by Orishan mythology with a central female hero such as Skin of the Sea by @Natasha_Bowen_ , Raybearer by @JordanIfueko , Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron, and A Song of Wraith and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown, The Gilded One by Namina Forna, and Forged By Blood by Ehigbor Okosun to name a few!

What other series would you add to the list?!? Which is your favorite???

You can order Children of Blood and Bone and other West African YA Fantasy titles from our @Shopify, @Instagram, @Facebook, @TikTok, @Twitter, @Librofm and @Pinterest stores. Link in bio: @SistahScifi | www.sistahscifi.com

#SistahScifi #ChildrenofBloodandBone #tomiadayemi #LegacyofOrishaSeries #WestAfricanYAFantasy #youngadultfantasy

@tomiadeyemi

@henryholtbooks

@renathedreamer

@rosiesrambles

@Namina.Forna

@okosunreads

[penguicorns-are-cool]

ID: a tweet from Roseanne May Flowers Brown @rosiesRambles saying "Tired: Hades/Persephone retellings where he kidnaps her and is all sorts of creepy Wired" Hades/Persephone retellings where Persephone broke into the underworld and won't leave, Hades is begging her to go bc she's eaten all his snacks and Cerberus likes her more than him" and image two is a picture of entrapta and hordak and entrapta is lifting his arms up with her hair and Hordak is standing there looking very confused

[adarafaelbarba]

Rosiesramblings Musical Bingo Masterlist:

Wicked (Mike Dodds x reader)

West Side Story (Sonny Carisi x Rafael Barba)

Rocky Horror Picture Show (Rafael Barba x reader)

Moulin Rouge (Nick Amaro x reader)

Jersey Boys (Sonny Carisi x reader)

Mary Poppins (Sonny Carisi x reader)

Cabaret (Rafael Barba x reader) 

Chicago (Angel Reyes x reader)

Evita (Rafael Barba x reader)

Sweeney Todd (Frederick Chilton x reader)

Oklahoma (Marcus Whitmore x reader)

[rosiesracers]

i was tagged by @blueathens

rules: spell out your url with song titles, then tag as many people as there are letters in your url

Boyfriend- Dove Cameron

Evermore- Taylor Swift

No Romeo- Dylan

Snap Out Of It- Arctic Monkeys

Motion Sickness- Phoebe Bridgers

Always Been You- Jessie Murph

Superheroes- Stormzy

Olivia- One Direction

No Role Modelz- J. Cole

tagged:

@enchantestuff @footballershavemeinachokehold @benchvlwell @calswhitelies @benedict1310 @judeswhore @pinkydec @papayaben @cesarazpi28

[gigglyrambles]

Tag 3-5 blogs you want to text but you are to shy to reach out to

This is very sweet! Maybe this will motivate me to reach out more but here are some very lovely talented blogs for incredible art and writing to check out regardless!

@nhasablogg, @rosiesramblings, @tickle-bugs, @feathergil & @ssnicker-doodless!

[gigglyrambles]

this is so cute hello, ty ras! tagging @rosiesramblings & anyone who wants an excuse to goof around on picrew!

ty for the tag, @happyandticklish !! xo picrew link | tagging: @gigglyrambles + @bigirlgiggles

[dreamlover31]

My own rendition of Chicago with Rafael Barba

For @rosiesramblings music bingo

He had it coming

He had it coming

He only had himself to blame

If you'd have been there

If you'd have seen it

I bet that you would have done the same

**********************************************

Tagging: @madpanda75 @thatesqcrush @karens-imagined-world @tropes-and-tales @beccabarba @laceybellerain @dreila03 @misssirenlove @xemopeachx @southern-magnolia @glimmerglittergirl @caked-crusader @prurientpuddlejumper

[the-ronan-cycle]

Happy Pride! Enjoy this book rec list of fiction books with LGBTQ+ and Black representation, written by Black authors! Goodreads and Bookshop.org links and text version of the list below the cut.

Some of these books involve some pretty heavy content, be careful to check content warnings!

ETA: I’ve also compiled a list of ✨ sci-fi/fantasy ✨ books with black & lgbt+ rep by Black authors! You can find it here

You Should See Me in a Crown - Leah Johnson 

While running for Prom Queen for the scholarship that comes with the title, Liz Lighty starts to fall for her competition. 

bookshop goodreads

Felix Ever After - Kacen Callender

Own voices novel about a Black, Queer, and Trans teen who deals with transphobia, fights back, and falls in love. 

bookshop goodreads 

The Only Black Girls in Town - Brandy Colbert

Middle-grade novel about Alberta and Edie, two girls who discover a box of old journals in Edie’s attic and learn about the past. 

bookshop goodreads 

The Black Flamingo - Dean Atta

“A boy comes to terms with his identity as a mixed-race gay teen - then at university he finds his wings as a drag artist, The Black Flamingo.” 

bookshop goodreads 

Cinderella is Dead - Kalynn Bayron 

In a post-Cinderella world, young women are brought to balls to be selected as wives or never be heard from again. Sophia is expected to attend but is in love with Erin, her childhood best friend. Sophia finds friends along her way and they work to overthrow their oppressors. 

bookshop goodreads 

Meet Cute Club - Jack Harbon 

Romance novel enthusiast Jordan starts a book club that’s joined by a (handsome) coworker Jordan hates and maybe learns to love. 

bookshop goodreads 

Full Disclosure - Camryn Garrett 

“The uplifting story of an HIV-positive teen, falling in love and learning to live her truth.” 

bookshop goodreads 

Jake in the Box - Ryan Douglass 

A supernatural horror story about Jake, a boy who can see the dead. 

goodreads (This one isn’t on Bookshop or indiebound, I’d recommend requesting it at your library or local indie bookstore!) 

I found some of these from Roseanne A. Brown’s twitter thread here: https://twitter.com/rosiesrambles/status/1267462532589125632

[readerleedigest]

Shout-out to @tkpuke and @rosiesramblings y'all are the best. Your reblogs/comments/tags on the newest post made me smile :)

[libraryinthecountry]

★ Which sequels would you love to be reading right now?    I have a bunch, but A Song of Wraiths & Ruin by @rosiesrambles was one of my favorite reads of 2020 and I am eagerly anticipating the release of A Psalm of Storms & Silence this summer!    I have so many feels for Malik and Karina and this incredible world and story, I’m excited to see what happens next!    Hope everyone is having a fabulous Sunday. I’m almost finished listening to my third rom-com of the weekend and am planning to listen to at least one more! It’s been a quiet, relaxing weekend.    ★ Featured is the @fairyloot edition of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin    ★ CURRENTLY //  🎧 Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams  🎮 Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla     ★ CHALLENGES //  #tumblesoverbooks / nehemia : rebel with a cause   #starsinthedark / i did this myself    ★ HASHTAGS //  #bookstagram #booknerd #prettybooks #bookworm #vscobooks #bibliophile #yafantasy #booklover #bookstagrammer #fantasybooks #bookmail #bookaholic #instareads #myfavoritethings #bookphotography #shelfie #homelibrary #bookshelves #shelfiesunday #weekendreads #librarylife #diversereads #diversifyyourshelves #fairyloot #harperteen #epicreads #asongofwraithsandruin #apsalmofstormsandsilence https://www.instagram.com/p/CLkTQwbgZei/?igshid=mi1uounbndti

[nhasablogg]

Some replies

jennyrcrimson88 said: I AM SORRY SHOULDN'T OF SAID ANYTHING

Hey hey, no, it wasn’t just aimed at you, there’s no need to apologize! I’ve gotten asks too (about my old fics) so it just got a little too much, I’m sorry if I upset you or made you feel targeted!

@nerdstrings said: Check out the RAADS-R test, you can take it online!

I did and it told me I might have low/mild autism so thank you!

@rosiesramblings said: I definitely experience this! For me it has more to do with textures and how light or heavy a touch is? Like I really really hate touching water beads (orbeez? is that the main brand?) and generally try to avoid light touches. Which obviously causes issues with the tickling thing because it often starts with light stuff which i hate but then people assume I hate all tickles and it's like no you're just doing it wrong lol. Feel free to dm me if you ever want to talk!

I definitely feel the light or heavy touch thing! Thank you for replying!

@achilleean said: that sounds super in line w an autism thing!! I’m allistic (I think lmao) but hella neurodivergent and have sensory issues, mostly with sound but some w touch, and a lot of my autistic loved ones struggle with touch in various ways too!

I know people not on the spectrum who struggle with sensory stuff, which is why I’ve not suspected anything until I recently realize I mask like crazy and that’s why I find existence so hard lol

chaotickly-ticklish said: Never been diagnosed or anything but I’ve always been super weird about what textures of clothes I will wear. I can’t do think knitted sweaters or wool socks. I prefer leggings and hoodies if I can get by with it. Tickles don’t bother me but sometimes I don’t like super light tickles cause I feel like it feels like bugs on me. Idk.

That makes sense!