#seems like maybe a lil too much to spring on someone?

[domsaysstuff]

Trying to be vulnerable sucks, like how one does it if it's not after 10 pm in your best friend car in the lidl's parking lot?

[bridgetoesoteria]

💌💟Realistically...What would they write in a love letter to you?

Surpriseee bish! Here is my double post as puh-romised. Its spring break, I aced my midterm, I had a nice lil chit chat with my crush where I high key let on to having feelings . *ahem* Now I wanna smoke and pull cards with my internet besties <3

So, I don't like those mushy-gushy readings that tell you the most ideal outcome, not the most realistic outcome. I am hoping to channel an authentic "letter," from the person you are here for.

Options are left to right. I hope it resonates 🥰

Pile 1

4-card spread: Page of Swords, Girl w/ Violin, Strength, The Sun. BOTD: 3 of Swords

I just want to see you happy. I hope you know that. I miss the feeling of you holding me. I think about all the times, I got to hold your hands in mine. I think you are amazing and angelic. If I ever seem difficult, or like I am pushing you away, its just because I don't want to hurt you even worse. You're the whole package. You can shine with or without me.

If there is still bad blood, I will make it right. At least that's what I think about doing. All the time. Can I step up? Can I really have my happy ending; The car, the house, the family, building a life together. I need to get over my cold feet, because the only person I see is you.

P.S.

I love your eyes. I love how much hope I feel when I look into them. I love your hair, especially the length/thickness. I love how balanced you are, and how you can consider different points of view. It has taught me to be more compassionate. It has taught me to care about someone other than myself. You show me that I can get over my demons. We could be a power couple.

(If you have a "butt chin," your person loves this too lol)

Pile 2

4-card spread: 8 of Swords, 9 of Swords(R), 9 of Wands, The Star. BOTD: The Emperor

This person is definitely very attracted to you, but we are here for a love letter, mkay? Not a sext.

I don't know why you are acting like you don't want me anymore. You better not be giving away my ____ to anyone else. I want to be with you. I consider us to be a couple, no matter what happens. If you question where my head is at, my loyalty is with you. I don't want to see you with anyone else. I hate thinking about you being out there, living like you're single. I think about us having kids, animals, a family life. (If you already have kids they want to keep the family together).

I am working on my temptations. I know I need to be more responsible and I am willing to do that. I want to try having self-control. If that means cutting other people off, or waiting until you are comfortable being physical, I will do that. I respect your boundaries. You have every right to have them. I know you are just trying to love yourself. You should always stand your ground...even with me.

P.S.

You have a beautiful heart. You are so nurturing. You keep everything flowing. You completely fulfill me. You are more than enough. You definitely know what you are doing. I wouldn't have taken you for a "lady in the streets, freak in the sheets" type.

Right now, you probably are focusing on yourself. I hope you find the happiness that you are looking for. After pouring into everyone else so much, I hope you will start pouring into you now. I hope you will be receptive to all the good things you deserve.

Pile 3

4-card spread: Ace of Pentacles, 6 of Swords, Page of Cups, The Empress. BOTD: Justice

I can't figure you out. And its...amazing! It keeps everything so fresh. Maybe you don't feel like you are being mysterious but you are. I want to know what goes on "behind-the scene." I don't mean that in a pervy way. I mean, I want to know who you are, where you come from, what is currently going on in your life. I want to make the cut. Do you ever think about what your favorite diamond cut is? 💎

(Where ever your connection is, move up a step. This is not a literal proposal for everyone)

I want us to be on track. If I have to apologize, I will do that. I want to finally start something new. I want to make you feel like the king/queen that you are. I want us to be happy together. Especially if we are expecting 🤰

P.S.

Can I just brag on you really quick? I love your face shape. I love when we lock eyes. I love how you style your hair, even if I have never said so aloud. Even if I tease you about it sometimes. Its cute and so you. Everyone says we (would) go well together, and I have to agree. We could be our town's MGK and Megan Fox 🤣🤣

On a more serious point, you make me want to do better. Internally, I always feel challenged by you. I have my old beliefs, and then there's you. You make me want to throw out all the BS I believe about myself and start valuing myself more. I see how magical life can be, because I see how many miracles happen when we are together. I know I can do better.

Pile 4 4-card spread: 8 of Wands, 10 of Wands, The Emperor, 8 of Swords. BOTD: Ace of Swords.

(Your person could actually be the type to spill their feelings over texts or in the notes section of their phone)

I think about saying this all the time. I build up the courage to start typing, but I can never hit send. I just feel this lump in my throat. I'm a man! (or they are just someone who suppresses their emotions). I shouldn't have all these feelings. I feel overwhelmed by my attraction, my thoughts, my unexpressed feelings.

That's kind of what I grew up with. It was normal. People call it "traditional." I always thought (one of their parents, but I am really getting mom) could do better. Why are you still with them? I don't want that to be you. I don't want that to be our story. You always carry yourself well. I'm proud to be with you. I know you're a catch. I know you are the full package. I can't let you go. Please reconsider. I want to be with you.

P.S.

I hope you're getting rest. Don't lose sleep over me. Which is hypocritical, because I stay up thinking about you. Don't be scared...but I may have watched you sleep. I like how peaceful you look. I feel like I have privacy to fully process my emotions. I look at your face and I think about all the possibilities. It makes me nervous. If I have made a proposal of some kind, maybe to reconcile, I hope you sleep on it before you make a decision.

Pile 5 4-card spread: King of Cups, 4 of Swords, 9 of Wands, The Sun. BOTD: 8 of Swords

I think a lot of you are asking about a feminine energy, but flip the roles if needed. You could be the feminine energy being described, so maybe they want you to know you are "seen". It just started raining, so that makes me feel like this person is definitely more on the feminine side, or in touch with their emotions. You could both be young, or they're younger, or someone has a baby face.

I think about you all the time. Even when I am sad. I don't know if you know how much I struggle. My mental health isn't always in the best place. But you take my mind off of everything. I love when you look deep in thought. I come up with all these random ideas about what you could be thinking of. If you are away getting better, overcoming an ED, I hope you are being strong. I look forward to seeing you again.

You make me so happy. I miss being playful and messing with you. I could see us having babies. I think I would be a great mom/dad. But I know that's daydreaming and wishful thinking. I don't always understand your moods or what you want from me. Could you make it clear without it becoming an argument. I don't want to make you upset.

P.S.

You are soo pretty. I think your haircut really compliments your face. I love your side profile too. You are so smart. You know so much about the world around you or you are always willing to learn. I am impressed by your writing and/or creativity. I love everything about you. If I were an artist, I would make a portrait of you. You would be my muse. I just want you to know how special you are. You are 1 of 1 forreal. I am so grateful to have ever met you. You bring so much joy to my life.

Whew. GD! That was a lot lol. This took me two days. I am going to relax and enjoy the start of Spring Break. Whoop whoop 🙌

And don't laugh at me...but I just discovered archives so I might stop updating my masterlist, since you can find all my readings there too.

Lastly, I am also doing personals if you have not heard! Take a gander.

~ K

[charliemwrites]

Before charmed slasher Simon revealed his true identity, what were movie nights like? I’d kill for a lil section on them almost cuddling on the couch while watching a scary movie and Simon absolutely adoring when you jump and scooch closer to him on instinct 🥹🥹 please charlie I beg you 😭

*Checks notes, chats with The Council* Yeah okay... we can do that.

CW for a bit of somnophilia and Simon being a creep!!

You open the door looking like some kind of pastry with too-big eyes. Soft, cream-colored pair of joggers and a thin pink jumper, so fuzzy he just knows he'll find fluff on him after this. You look so cozy and sweet; he wants to put a pretty belled collar on you. Maybe watch you curl up in a nest of blankets, safe behind the bars of a cage.

But maybe not, he muses as you chirp a greeting, taking his hand to tug him into your apartment. A lamb inviting a wolf to the pen. He likes you best like this, all loose limbed and free to roam. Thinks maybe you'd lose some of that mischievous glint if he locked you up.

The collar though... he'd like to hear it ring as you bounce around him.

"I am the bestest friend ever," you declare, squeezing calloused fingers so much bigger and crueler and blood-stained than your own. "You know why?"

He arches an eyebrow. Your impish smile widens with delight. "Why's that, luv?"

"Well, you know that one place you wanted last week, but they were closed?"

He grunts and nods. Last week was your choice to pick the movie, which mean he was in charge of dinner.

"Well... they're still closed for repairs but! I talked to the owner, who talked to his mum, and she gave me the recipe for that dish you like. So guess what I did!"

He stares at you for a moment, teeth aching his jaw with the urge to sink them into soft flesh. Mark you as his. How the hell are you real? How the hell are you here?

When he's silent a beat to long, you click your tongue.

"You're no fun - I tried to make it," you explain.

Only then does he become aware of the scent in your apartment. Garlic and red meat and savory spices. His mouth fills with saliva as he focuses his attention on you again.

"Smells great, luv," he says, flicking the corner of his mouth up.

You beam. "Hopefully it's good! I tried it first and it seems alright, but I'm not sure it's as good as the restaurant."

It's almost not a conscious thought to snap his arm out and scoop you up, dragging you in against his chest. You yelp initially, but it devolves into a little giggle as you flatten your palms against his chest.

"Thank you, luv."

Every time he comes into your home, it's a struggle not to keep you. Not to take this place for himself, keep you for his own among all your pretty, soft things. Blood washes out; he'd show you how.

"Rileyyyy!" you mock-whine, pushing at him. "C'mon, before it gets cold."

He wants to make a comment about eating you. Simon thinks he could survive a winter on your taste alone. Instead he lets you on your feet, eases his snake-like grip around your waist. You cast him one last, warm look and skip off to the kitchen to fill bowls with food.

"So what movie are we watching?" you call.

"You ever seen Sinister?" he asks.

You make an annoyed noise. "You know I haven't!"

"Well, that's what we're watching."

You appear with a full, steaming bowl and a beer, shoo him to the couch with a little kick to his ankles. "Get it set up while I finish serving."

"Bossy thing," he tuts, voice a little too low for teasing.

The bridge of your nose darkens with a flush, but you make a cheeky little face in return. "Someone's gotta keep you in line!"

You're gone before you can hear the rumble in his chest. Some days he could swear you know what you're doing; that you know just what sort of animal you're poking at. That you're seeing just how much you can prod before he springs.

He tries not to imagine that cheeky, smug little smirk going all wet-eyed and desperate with lust. Sits to hide the bulge forming in his pants and sets up the movie.

You saunter out with your own, less-filled bowl and a glass of white wine. Take one look at the screen and shoot him an exasperated look.

"I should have known," you complain.

"Literally called Sinister, luv."

"Yeah, I know," you lament.

As soon as the movie starts you're curling into his side, eyes huge. Meal forgotten in your lap.

"Oh, no," you whisper, tilting your face to give him a pleading look. "I can't eat like this!"

"Eat quick, luv. You'll have a break after this first part.”

You do as you’re told; take a big sip of wine when you’re done - just in time for the first jumpscare. You save the wine but quickly put it away, shrinking down against the cushions.

“You’re mean, awful, terrible,” you mumble, fumbling a blanket off the back of the couch.

“‘S not very nice,” he snorts, licking his fork clean. You’d made it quite well for a first time. Not necessarily as good as the restaurant’s but better for you having made it special for him.

“You’re not very nice,” you reply, going stiff with fear as the “home movies” start playing. “No no no, fuck all of that.”

As soon as he’s set his bowl aside, you’re clinging in his arm. Bicep squished against your breasts, little fingers curling hard into flesh. He hopes you’ll leave cute little bruises. Your eyes are huge trained on the tv, bottom lip caught between your teeth.

“Holy shit,” you squeak, hiding your face.

Chuckling, he nudges at you. “Uh uh, no hiding. C’mon, I’m right here.”

You whimper and snuggle in even closer, wedged up against his ribs, leaning into him. Nearly climb into his lap when the creature starts moving on the screen, hands flapping.

“Fuuuuuck that,” you whine, “he’s so fucked oh my god.”

Simon chuckles, setting his other hand on your thigh. Indulges in stroking his thumb over the inseam of your joggers. You barely even seem to notice, engrossed in fear.

By the end, you’re fanning yourself of the panic, shooting him a look that’s meant to be accusing but mostly just owlish.

“You have to make it up to me,” you declare.

Oh, he could think of a dozen ways to do that.

“Yeah?” he rumbles. “What do you need?”

“We’re watching something else. My pick this time.” You pause, shoot him a worried look. “Can you stay for another?”

He smirks. “Couldn’t kick me out if you tried, luv.”

You really couldn’t. Because you’re adorable when you’re scared. Look like something to ruin. But the aftermath is almost better. When your body melts into warmth and (false) safety. The anxiety drains away, leaving you sleepy and pliable. You’ll fall asleep within the hour.

And you do. Clue playing (subtitles on) you’re snoozing against his shoulder before long. He waits until the movie ends for plausible deniability, then takes you to bed. You hardly stir, save to press your nose against his collar with a little hum.

He eases you out of your joggers, eyes flickering at the pretty lace clinging to your hips. Tiny little bows at the sides.

Snuffs out the bedside lamp and fishes his fully-hard cock from his pants. He teases his free hand along your inner thigh, over the lace front of your panties. Scrapes his nail a bit where your clit is hidden. Nearly purrs when you moan softly, wiggling on the mattress to open your thighs wider, still out cold.

Fucks his other hand vicious and brutal, relishing the slight dry pain. Fast and hard, already worked up from having you trembling against him for over an hour. It doesn’t take long to fall over that edge, the memory of your squeaks and cries finishing him off.

He covers the sensitive, angry tip as he cums, no matter how much he wants to paint you with his spend. He takes a deep breath as the pleasure courses through him, twitching through aftershocks. Cracks his neck as he peeks your peaceful expression.

Can’t help himself. Smears his wet thumb over the front of your panties. Nothing you’ll notice in the morning, but you’ll spend all night with him marking your cunt. Maybe even all day tomorrow.

He should go.

Ends up gently, carefully, glossing your bitten bottom lip with a drop of cum as well. Gets rock hard all over again when your tongue flicks out at the sensation, tasting. Still unconscious. You roll over with a sleepy sigh and curl up.

Simon pulls the blankets over you and returns to the living room to clean up from dinner. He’s not yet willing to slink back to his den.

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Masterlist

[superblysubpar]

🥺 so um for your dad blurbs, what about like a lil ‘meet cute’ sitch with singledad!eddie x singlemom!reader. maybe their lil toddlers become friends on the playground or somethin’?? idk idk feel free to ignore me!! 💗

cece um what? why why why would I ignore you or this?! Sorry this one too got away from me, I can't seem to write teeny tiny blurbs guys. Thank you so much for requesting and I hope you like it! 💛dad blurbs

summary: see above Eddie deals with his daughter throwing a tantrum but - this is fluff warnings: single mom reader, descriptions of wiggling worms and reader touching them so if you ain't into bugs sorry | even if a fic is not marked 18+, my blog is - please respect this

1.5k words

Why Do Worms Exist?

singledad!eddie munson x singlemom!reader

Hands tugging at his curls in impatience as he juggles the backpack, the keys, the twelve leaves left in his custody and the angry toddler in his arms. 

“Down!” she tugs harsher and he huffs. 

Haircuts and baths seemed to be the only time his kid felt like reminding him that she was in fact his kid. Squirming and wrestling and shrieking loud enough the glass on the apartment windows could pop. He was grateful for his daughter, don’t get him wrong. Reminding himself whenever the demon possessed her during those moments that she’d be his quiet and wonderful kid again soon. 

But no one could have predicted that walking and exploring and learning would hit around the same time as Autumn in Hawkins - well okay, maybe someone else could have other than him. But no one, including Eddie could have foreseen that his unique and already quirky baby girl would be fascinated by any and everything that season had to offer her. And, really, how could he have predicted the meltdowns about these things when he told her she couldn’t take them all home with her?

Fucking leaves. 

And worms. Why’d his kid have to like worms? 

Maybe that was his own fault for calling her Bug. Were worms bugs? Were they their own…species? Jesus Christ he barely got his diploma and now here he is with a kid having a level thirteen meltdown about leaves. What happened when she got older and had questions about these things she found fascinating and he had nothing to offer her? Maybe Dustin would have a book on it. Or Robin. She’s into weird stuff and random facts. 

Eddie sucks in his breath as Sam yanks one curl particularly hard and realizes that if it’s bad now, the very near future of Spring would be even worse. And oh god, the rain and the mud and even more worms and his heart starts racing faster as he thinks about how much bigger she’d be come then. She’d put up even more of a fight. 

He finally gets the pack over his shoulder, the keys tucked safely in a pocket. Sammy’s butt supported under his arm and his hand with the leaves wrapped around her back. Twelve leaves - they’d barely made it down the sidewalk. 

She pushes against his chest, cheeks red and flushed to match her bright red rain boots dangling and kicking dangerously close to unwanted territory and he winces, “Hey, hey, watch it Bug. Getting too close for comfort there.”

Eddie knows she didn’t catch any of that and her tiny hands wind fists into his hair and her chin wobbles as he prepares for the wail to come and he squeezes his eyes shut. Only to be met with fiercer squirming and a head butt to his jaw that makes his ears ring, “Ouch! Sammy, come on, you can get down soon!”

He didn’t yell, but he definitely raised his voice more than he meant to. Sam cries and cries like he’d seen other kids do when heading in the opposite direction of the park. As they round the corner he can see the bright reds, yellows, and blues of the slides and jungle gym.

“Look, Bug, swings,” trying and failing to calm her down with a favorite word and activity. He sighs as other parents look his way as he gets closer. Sure, his kids shrieking was disturbing the peace but theirs screaming on the playground was fine. Gossiping and judging girls from high school who grew up into moms but didn’t outgrow anything else.

He sits on the bench as Sammy pulls and yanks more, closing his eyes again. Eddie presses his forehead to hers, wincing every time she hits against it. He speaks quietly, “Bug, come on, listen to daddy. Calm down.” 

He sets the leaves on the bench and the crying stops almost instantly. He opens his eyes, Sam’s temple to his nose, crocodile tears trailing down her cheeks and tiny chubby hands reaching towards the pile. 

“Leeb,” she hiccups and grabs at the pile. 

Eddie holds her in a firm lock, hand rubbing soothing circles up and down her back, “Leaf?”

She grunts, trying to squirm away again and she whines, “Pwease!”

Heart aching because she’s trying to say please, and she knows that’s the nice way to ask as she calms down. But god, he can’t have her bringing home every leaf from the park.

“Bug,” he taps the pile, “Leaves stay here. Not coming home with us. Leaves stay outside.” 

She huffs and he watches in wonder and awe as she nods and whispers, “Owside leebs.”

He grins. He did it. He dealt with a tantrum while judgey moms watched and his daughter is smart. She understood so much and she was probably gonna be a scientist or some crazy awesome shit he couldn’t even come up with. 

Eddie kisses her nose and wipes her cheeks with his thumbs, body relaxing, “Right. Outside leaves. Ready to go play?”

She shimmies out of his grasp, legs dangling until her boots hit the ground and she wanders toward the playground only to pick up a stick. Poking at the dirt and he covers his smile when she sits. Her plaid jumper and tights dragging and collecting all the dirt and leaves they can manage. 

A little boy sits next to her and she smiles at him, a dimple popping out and extending a stick to him like Eddie had taught her to share. He swallows harshly when she grabs his hand and they waddle to a particularly muddy puddle. 

Oh fuck. She’s gonna get even older and the meltdowns aren’t gonna be about fucking worms they’re gonna be about boys or drinking or-

“You look like you’re dealing with some extreme and sudden realizations right now.”

Eddie glances up to see you standing near his bench, smiling kindly and a cup of coffee in your hands. He’s taken aback one because an adult is talking to him instead of standing off to the side and judging and two because holy shit were you pretty. 

He gulps audibly, “I-uh,” he glances back at his daughter who’s fully laying in the dirt on her stomach now and he smiles, “Yeah, uh I guess you could say that.”

Gesturing to his kid and the little boy, “I see yours is corrupting mine. Believe it or not we’d managed to stay away from dirt until today.”

Eddie grins widely, “Well wait till he finds all the things crawling around in the dirt and wants to take them home.”

Your gloved hand presses to your cheek, dragging it down as you groan loudly, “Why do worms exist?”

He watches you watch the kids, your face melting into warmth and that sappy wow that’s mine look he knows he gets with Sammy all the time. He’s a goner if you’re single. 

Gesturing to the bench and scooting over he sighs, “Pretty sure only to torture parents.”

“Great. Can’t wait,” you deadpan and sit, removing your gloves and extending a hand to him and introducing yourself.

Just because there isn’t a ring doesn’t mean anything. He shakes it back, “Eddie.” 

Nodding your head to the little boy who’s flinging dirt around wildly with his stick, “That’s Parker. My right hand guy.”

Eddie straightens and sees the webs across the backpack you’re stuffing the gloves in and smirks, “As in Peter?”

Clearing your throat and taking a sip of your coffee before continuing, “Yeah, I’m shameless. I named my kid after my favorite superhero, okay? I was alone and drugged up on all the painkillers they could legally give me.”

Alone. 

He waves his hand, “It’s okay, mine's after a Lord of the Rings character.”

You smile at him, shy and sweet. He should just ask right? Or offer up his own information. Is it like just sharing your phone number with a girl? Hey, I’m Eddie, I’m a single parent are you? Not sure what’s about to come out of his mouth, but he’s stopped as his daughter decides she wants to be the worst wingwoman on planet earth right at that moment. 

“Hole pwease,” her tiny voice brings his attention down, extending her dirt smothered hands out to you.

Your mom instincts kick in, holding out your hands like it’s nothing but Eddie knows exactly what Sammy is about to drop in your hands. He’s not quick enough when he leans forward though, 

“No, Bug, don’t-”

Several squirming worms drop down into your palms and he watches your eyes go wide. You don’t freak out or grimace though, instead you smile and extend your hands out further when your son drops more into the pile. 

Your smile is bright, cheeks popping and eyes shimmering and your laugh swirls around his heart as you speak to them in a way that makes his stomach flutter, “Woah you guys! Look at all these awesome worms!”

He watches in awe as you ask their names and sit patiently with wiggling worms in your hands as they point and poke at them and his daughter holds one up closer to your face and your eyes go wide and she giggles.

He’s a total and absolute goner. 

[andiwriteordie]

hello! ✨sending you good vibes in this stressful month✨ (why is february Like This?)

if you feel so inspired for the valentine’s day fic prompts: byler where someone asks one of them out and the other cuts in like “he has plans” and (one the person is gone ofc) they share a cute lil moment? 💕🫂

lark i LOVED THIS PROMPT!!!! this was so fun!

here you go, have some post s5 byler set in the winter of 1989 in a not-destroyed hawkins!

—

1: take my hand, wreck my plans.

Mike hates high school.

Yeah, that much was a given, and honestly, Mike fucking hates high school. Middle school was bad enough, but then high school came around and turned out to be a million times worse—a tall order, considering the fact that middle school was full of things like the demogorgon and the Mind Flayer and then the Mind Flayer’s fleshy form.

…

Okay, technically, high school did have One and the near interdimensional war that could’ve ended the entire world. That sucked too. So maybe, high school was always destined to suck just as bad as middle school.

Or maybe Mike just has rotten luck.

That has to be it, because there’s no other reason that Mike would find himself here, waiting by his best friend’s locker and watching stupid fucking Jennifer Hayes flirt with Will.

Will, who most definitely seems uncomfortable right now, and Will, who most definitely does not like girls in a romantic way, and Will, who Mike is almost positive actually likes Mike.

Like… like-likes Mike. You know. In a romantic, more-than-friends kind of way. In the “Hey, I want to make out with you underneath the bleachers” kind of way and in the “I know we can’t because this is Hawkins, but will you be my date to prom this spring?” kind of way and in the “I don’t ever want to lose you again, so please don’t go” kind of way.

…

Okay, fine. Maybe Mike is projecting a little bit. But he likes to think that after knowing Will for over ten years, surviving all the horrors of the Upside Down with him, and coming out on the other side of all of this with a stronger friendship than ever, he knows his best friend pretty damn well.

Mike’s like… ninety-five percent certain Will has feelings for him too, which is exactly why he’s been trying to work up the courage to ask Will out for Valentine’s Day. He had planned to do it today, since the rest of the Party is busy today, and Will is planning on coming over to do homework with Mike. 

But then stupid fucking Jennifer Hayes had to come and mess all of Mike’s plans up.

Look.

Sometime around sophomore year, something weird started to happen. Girls really started to notice Will—or maybe Mike just started to notice how they noticed Will. Either way, it was like everywhere, left and right, girls were coming up to talk to girls. Will’s reputation as “Zombie Boy” had somehow disappeared in his year spent away from Hawkins, and suddenly, all the girls seemed to view him as the cool and sweet and lovable California boy. 

Suddenly, all the girls at Hawkins High wanted to date Will.

Right around the same time, Mike suddenly wanted to kill all the girls at Hawkins High.

Looking back on it, that really should’ve been Mike’s first clue (or his second… or tenth… or twentieth) that he had feelings for his best friend. Honestly, Mike knows that he’s a decently smart person (not as smart as Dustin, but smart enough), but sometimes, he can just be downright stupid.

Oh well. At least Mike knows now, and he can finally do something about it.

“Yeah,” stupid fucking Jennifer Hayes says, and she does that stupid girl thing where she twirls her hair and smiles really big at Will. “Mrs. Elliott canceled practice for the musical on Tuesday, since it’s Valentine’s Day and everything!” 

To his credit, Will smiles back at her, and to anyone else, it seems like a genuine smile. But Mike can tell that Will seems incredibly uncomfortable right now and is just looking for a way out of this awkward conversation. “Oh, that’s fun!” Will says with a bit of an awkward laugh. “I’m sure everyone was, um… excited!”

Stupid fucking Jennifer Hayes smiles widely again, and God, Mike wants to punch her in the face. “We were!” she says brightly, taking another step towards Will and leaning up against the lockers. “And um… anyways, I was just thinking about it, and well… I know this is so awkward, but I was wondering if you were maybe free on Tuesday? To… you know… go on a date?”

Mike’s going to punch her in the face.

Mike is actually going to punch her in the face, and hey, it’ll actually do some damage, because unlike little fifteen year-old Mike with noodle arms, absolutely no hand-eye coordination, and a complete inability to hold his own in a fight, Mike… can sort of do some damage now. He still has noodle arms, mind you, but the hand-eye coordination has improved (who would’ve known that he’s needed glasses this entire time) and can hold his own in a fight, thanks to many long days spent training with Steve and Jonathan and Hopper and literally everybody else in their Upside Down group.

So, yeah. There’s no way stupid fucking Jennifer Hayes is winning in a fight against him.

“Oh!” Will squeaks—like actually squeaks. He sounds like how he used to before his voice dropped near the end of middle school, and his face is bright red right now. He looks completely panicked, which is actually sort of adorable if you ask Mike. “I, um. I-I mean, I—”

“He has plans,” Mike blurts out, before he can stop himself.

Both Will and stupid fucking Jennifer Hayes turn to look at Mike, with varying looks of surprise on their face. Stupid fucking Jennifer Hayes also obviously looks a little disappointed (which makes Mike feel incredibly smug), while Will looks caught off guard but also a little pleased (which makes Mike feel even more smug). 

Will recovers first, and he smiles again at stupid fucking Jennifer Hayes. “I’m sorry,” he says, even though he’s definitely not. “I… I’ve already got plans.”

“Oh… okay,” stupid fucking Jennifer Hayes says, and she shifts awkwardly, glancing at Will then back at Mike. “That’s alright.”

Judging by the look on her face, it definitely isn’t alright. Mike fights the urge to grin at that.

Then, with another forced smile, stupid fucking Jennifer Hayes picks up her wounded pride, and she waves at Will. “I should get going,” she says awkwardly. “Bye, Will!”

“Bye, Jennifer,” Will calls faintly, though stupid fucking Jennifer Hayes is already gone, her ponytail bouncing stupidly behind her as she walks down the hall. Mike can’t help but roll his eyes.

Goodbye, and good riddance.

Beside him, Will clears his throat, and Mike flinches slightly, glancing at his best friend. There’s an amused look on Will’s face, and once Mike catches his eye, Will raises a brow. “I have plans, huh?” he says with a bit of a teasing smile.

Mike feels his face go warm, and he clears his throat, leaning his hand against the lockers. “Something like that,” he says, trying his best to ignore the way his heart is pounding inside his chest. “I figured anything’s better than having to go on a date with her.”

A soft laugh escapes Will’s lips. “Jennifer’s not that bad,” he says, rolling his eyes. “But you’re right. I definitely don’t want to spend my Valentine’s Day on a date with her.”

Once again, there’s a playful smile on Will’s face, and when he meets Mike’s eyes, Mike becomes like… ninety-eight percent certain Will has feelings for him too. 

Oh, to hell with it. Ninety-nine percent.

So, Mike just decides to take a leap of faith.

“Well… is there anyone else you’d want to spend your Valentine’s Day with?” Mike asks softly.

Another little smile tugs at Will’s lips, and he shrugs, leaning against the lockers slightly. “Maybe,” he says, just as soft. “That depends though.”

He’s teasing Mike—again, which… fuck, is driving Mike absolutely crazy. Will’s always been a little bit mischievous, but now, over the past few months of settling into their friendship and finding peace after the mess of the Upside Down, it’s like he’s become more and more comfortable to do little things like flirt with Mike more openly.

Mike absolutely loves it.

So, all he can do is grin back at his best friend. “Depends on what?” Mike asks, and Will’s eyes crinkle as he smiles again.

“On what these plans are that you were talking about,” Will hums, a playful glint in his eyes. “Because last I checked, Lucas had plans to take Max and El to the movies, and Dustin plans on calling Suzie that evening, so…”

Will’s voice trails off, and he looks Mike expectantly, a hesitant but shy look on his face. There’s a rosy little blush on his cheeks and a dozen different emotions in his eyes, and God, Mike just wants to kiss him.

“So… it sounds like it’s just you and me for Valentine’s Day,” Mike says, soft and shy. 

“Sounds like it,” Will agrees.

“And I don’t know… I was thinking that since it’s just the two of us… maybe we could make it a date?” Mike asks softly. 

A huge smile stretches across Will’s face, and Mike’s heart does a stupid little somersault because of it. That ninety-nine percent certainty increases to a solid one hundred percent, and  inside of Mike’s mind, it sounds like one of those game shows after someone has finally won something—like DING DING DING, WE HAVE A WINNER! YOU’RE THE WINNER! YOU DID IT!

“I’d love that, Mike,” Will whispers back, just as shy. “I’d really, really love that.”

Mike can’t help but grin like a complete idiot, and he nods, probably just a little too excited. “Cool,” he says breathlessly. “It, um… it’s a date then.”

Somehow, Will’s face turns even redder, and he beams. Luckily for Mike, he nods just as enthusiastically, so that’s definitely a good sign. “Yeah,” he agrees softly. “It’s a date.”

[sqarletsworldlesswandering]

Talking about glasses... wonder how that would work with starfolks? Especially Eclipsed! Wanderers.

Also music! Do they have musical instruments and songs pre-Conflict? What are they like?

Glasses seem...tricky.... For something that projects a mask over its core, they could work, but for a the Eclipsed! Wanderers, that gets a lil' tricky.... Ooo, ideas:

Floaty bits are pretty normal, so maybe the glasses float in front of them after being "linked" to a starfolk? and just hover in front of their face.

For maskless folk, the glasses are a mask of sorts that fits onto the front of their core and focuses light. Number of eyes is flexible and custom to how the Wanderer perceives the world.

As for music! *rubs hands together*

Absolutely they have music and instruments pre-conflict, but they work a bit differently.

Songs in particular are tricky because of how sonar works, but the short version is that songs are only partially sonar, and use a bit less verbal communication. Most of their music is instrumental in nature, but story, meaning, and concepts are embedded into the music. This can be a vague notion or feeling, or it can be a full blown story, but it's conveyed almost subliminally rather than through sonar-style "words." This meaning is woven into the music itself, not the instrument, so while certain instruments and voicing can bring it out more strongly, any instrument can technically play it. The only issue is with number of instruments, really - if a song has 5 voices, and you can only cover four, you lose the information in that 5th voice until someone covers it. However, a lot of their instruments are capable of handling multiple voices, so that plus the addition of their own singing usually handles it for anything that isn't specifically an ensemble piece.

Starfolk music, just like ours, has any number of moods achieved through key, tempo, instrumentation, etc., but the one staple is the downright ethereal sound. It's nearly impossible for starfolk music to sound bad. Interestingly, their audible pitch range is also much wider than ours. Stylistically, their music tends towards a hybrid of what we'd call choral, chant, and symphonic, but that's just a general underlying base from which everything else springs out.

Their music also has an enthralling effect, and in the right hands carries magical force. Some starfolk hone this craft into a tool, the most notable use being charming - while it doesn't work too well on sapient starfolk, on the non-sapients it works quite well, and is an effective way to avoid conflict with them while traveling. This music can be used in combat, but this is generally frowned upon. (Post-conflict, the art is all but lost. As sad as it is, that loss also spared some serious hurt, given the damage that could be done.)

As for genre:

Folk songs usually have 1 to 3 voices if they're meant to be done by one person, 4-9 if it's an ensemble piece. These are the songs the average star hums to themself, sings to their starlet, or chorus in groups as they travel and work. It's the lively music that fills ambient public space.

Then there's the big pieces - these are much larger groups with more voicing and more part doubling. Sometimes they're much more difficult, meant for trained groups. Other times, they're approachable by laypeople, such that an entire city can sing it at once. These are a staple of festivals, and can often be heard well outside city or town limits.

Interestingly, this is also something they use for long distance communication. They have something much like our own battle horns or bagpipes, and these can carry signals across serious distance with their volume and pitch. They're used for more abstract communication - "danger," "safe," "nightfall," "sunrise," and such.

Instruments get interesting, given the diversity of digits and usable anatomy for playing stuff. They have many instruments similar in sound to ours, but they're shaped differently to work with the starfolk and show up in different subgroups based on they're nature. For instance, wind instruments don't have mouthpieces - they have a receptor for starfolk to channel wind through, and appear primarily with Dark starfolk. Some instruments use heat or fire to produce sound as well. Light starfolk have a series of instruments that work similar to tesla coils, using electricity to produce music. Some instruments require ice, or even are made primarily of it (these are usually temporary, for obvious reasons). Stringed and percussion instruments are more universal. Instruments closer to the violin popped up in Light circles first, while the Dark stars developed things like lyres.

As for singing, that works the same way they produce sonar, but sounds a little different. They have three main tones - a whistle, a hum, and an open "oo" sound. They don't use much articulation in their singing (save for a couple genres), but they do have it: a click, a sharp stop to the tone, and a soft hiss.

Starfolk also have inherently good pitch - their capacity to match pitch and harmonize is both precise and widespread. They also don't need directors, really. The song is the director. The act of singing allows a widespread synchronization between starfolk - a sense for when each one moves, where their harmony is going, and how each voice works together in the ethereal whole. Music is one of their most social activities over which bonds form and strengthen. Singing as a whole is an acknowledgement of community, peacefulness, and safety. Traveling groups would hail cities with a traveling chant to signal their peaceful intent, and the guards would respond in kind. Settled conflicts and agreements closed with song. Social gatherings, no matter how big or small, often opened and closed with song of some kind. Music and singing almost served as a barometer for a healthy city. Where there was music in the air and song came easily, starfolk were happy and healthy. Where music came grudgingly or fearfully, where the streets held no music? That was a sign of internal struggle.

Okay, I'm done rambling now. Don't mind me pulling worldbuilding out of thin air-

[harus-simp]

Big bear baby

-Gunwook x reader-

Warning:none

Requested:Hello, I love your work so much! Could you maybe write a fluffy drabble about cuddles with Gunwook and soft Gunwook? (Anonymous)

Author's note: hey there anon, thank you so much for requesting this cute lil gunwook, I hope you enjoy it thoroughly :))

°□°□°□°□°□°□°□°□°□°□°□°□°□°□°□°□

As the wonderful boyfriend he is,gunwook decided to surprise you by coming over on his day off to enjoy his time with you.

Ahh spring, a wonderful season to go out due to the perfect weather, not too cold nor too hot either. The warm rays of sun and the delicious aroma of the flowers bringing a calm and peaceful atmosphere to your quiet and cosy house.

The problem was that you didn't have the time or the motivation to go out, too stressed thanks to your exams that were approaching at a ridiculously quick pace.

As a result you hadn't had the time to check on your boyfriend, who was also kinda having an hectic schedule as he was preparing for his debut on june. Boys Planet was a rollercoaster of emotions and a hell of a ride for gunwook. But in spite of the difficulties he was able to achieve his dream and get to perform with his new group.

On the other hand let's say that all gunwook's hard work would be rewarded with some days off and the first thing he did was to think about you, anticipating your reaction when he got to your house.

On his way there he remembered how you said that your exams were approximating and that you couldn't go out much, which was a pity because you were really missing out on the good weather outside.

But when he was getting there he stooped on his tracks as he saw something that caught his eyes, a flower shop.

It seemed to be a new shop because he remembered the cafe that was installed right there, an idea popped into his head, how about he got you flowers? As you couldn't get out to see the beautiful flowers he would bring them to you.

So he got there and picked a bouquet of your favourite flowers as he continued his way to his destination.

.

.

.

*toc toc*

You turned your head finding strange the sudden noise coming from your door as you weren't expecting any visits or any packages, so you thought they had got the wrong house.

*toc toc toc*

As the knocking got louder you decided to go and check out.

"Coming!"you shouted back

As you opened your door you were greeted by someone holding a huge bouquet of flowers I'm front of his face, hiding it from you. But the little ring he held on his pinky finger gave it away who the owner was, making you giggle on the process.

"Gunwookie, I know it's you"you said sighing at his antics.

He gave you the flowers laughing at your response and giving you a big hug.

"I missed you so much"

"Me too, but aren't you supposed to be practising right now?"

"Well I've got some days off"

You looked at him smiling widely as you separated from the hug.

"Really?"

"Aha, so let me in and let's cuddle for a little bit"

You accepted gladly his request as you went to your room and gathered all your things that were spread on your bed.

After organising for a little bit he jumped on your bed like a little kid and got under the blankets.

"Come here bubs, it's so comfortable"

You threw yourself on top of him taking him by surprise as he wasn't "en garde" (yes I did that) and filling the room with both of your giggles.

He positioned himself on your chest as he loved being the little spoon and he was really tired due to practising non-stop for his debut.

He wrapped his arms around you as you were carresing his soft locks in order to help him relax and take a nap.

As you continued for over 5 minutes you heard soft snores and his chest going up and down softly and steadily.

"Sleep well pookie, I love you"you said as you kissed the top of his head

"Mhmm I love you"he murmured in his sleep

°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°◇°

[theodoraflowerday]

heartstopper s3e3 live episode reaction

omg the beginning of this episode with nick like the first episode of the past two seasons w charlie

THE RUGBY LADS

DARCY WEARING PANTS AAAAAAAA

bro it makes me *so* happy that imogen is now hanging out with the girls too like yeah babygirl get yourself a nice group of friends

NAOMI AND FELIX!!!!!!!!!

NATHAN AND YOUSSEF I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

JSKFJSKFJSKGJDKGK MS SINGH LMAO

she's so right I want them to be engaged by breaktime let them get married please

NO KISS? HUG FIRST

my lil baby boys who LOVE EACH OTHER!!!!!! THEY SAID ILY!!!!!!!!

oh they're just. full on making out then. huh.

i love how you can see the progression of their relationship, physicality wise. like that's two people who will be going at it raw and nasty in a few episodes

they're holding hands under the desk I want them to die

THIS ISN'T MR AJAYI'S HIPPIE CLASS KSKFKSLFKSLFKSLFIDLGUDOGI that's ur future husband

oh nick's following the whole plan he made with auntie diane I'm gonna sob

god charlie's making me so anxious idk how I'm gonna do it next episode

LNDLSKFLSFJSLFJ we get it elleargentupdates

TAO'S IG BIO NAKDOSIFOSIFLSJFSLIDLGIDOGK HE REALLY WAS SHORTER IN HIS PREVIOUS LIFE IM DYING

but also "you two need to get a life" same isaac

LMAO HE WALKED IN ON NATHAN AND YOUSSEF SKFJSKFJDK

oh

oh yeah the rules. the ocd. that's also massively important. oh lord

NICK

I THINK HE'S DATING MR FAROUK KSJFISJFISFJODFJDKFU ok gossips

oh nick's not gonna gossip is he

ok, trying to mentally prepare for this

oh okay that wasn't bad thank god

oh he fell asleep :(

TAO COME ONNNNN

"I love you" "aw I love you too" I'm gonna rip my tits off perhaps

AW I WISH I HAD A BOYFRIEND HSKFJSKFJDKFJ ME TOO JAMES not the boyfriend part, the general feeling of loneliness part

JAMES NO LMAOOOOOOOO someone save isaac from all these allos

ARE YOU AROMANTIC oh my god james I could KISS YOU

im not used to hearing the word "aromantic" so many times it's really starting to feel overwhelming

oh is the wrapping a compulsion? I see it

also friendly reminder that I would kill a man for victoria spring

tori's older sister magic working overtime huh

bro if one (1) nicktori scene has me in *shambles* idk how I'm gonna cope during this winter

✨FRIENDSHIP✨

IT'S LIKE A MINI CHARLIE AAAAAA

oh oh OH OH OH IMOGEN AND SAHAR

SEEMS A BIT GAY TO ME LETS FUCKING *GOOOOOOOO*

time to reunite the meddling gays? please? for me?

I LIVE for established relationship narlie please god let us keep this energy

darcy questioning being called a "lady" oh I am getting fed from EVERY angle this season

tao no

TAO DONT

OH FUCK

lmao not [imogen humming nonchalantly] jskgjdkgjdkgj me

IM NOT APOLOGIZING YEAH WELL I'M NOT APOLOGIZING EITHER COOL COOL COOL COOL COOL COOL

I love that imogen can just be like "oh yeah I used to be into nick" with her whole friend group that includes nick and the love of nick's life

sahar we GET IT you don't wanna hear about imogen's boyfriends we get it

LITTLE PLANE omg

elle calling tao out on his bullshit is so good we love elle

god. will gao is a national treasure

THEYRE *NOT* HAVING THIS CONVERSATION OVER FISH

oh my god nick should grow up and be a therapist honestly

UH ME AND SAHAR AREN'T A COUPLE - BUT WHO SAID WE WERE

MAYBE STOP ACTING LIKE A COUPLE THEN?????

"I don't think we're talking about fish anymore" yeah honestly darcy we kinda got that

WHEN I FIRST REALIZED I LIKED CHARLIE I CRIED AT AN AM I GAY QUIZ NOIOIOSKFLSJFKSJFKSJFKDFJDKFKDLFKDLFKDLFK

NICK IS WESR TO GODKFLDKFOSOFLFKDLFKDLFKDLFLDLFK

oh he's tired, baby boy :(

god tao I love you but you come on SO STRONG sometimes oh my god

"cause he can barely talk to ME about it" bro 😭😭😭😭😭

HE GOT HIM A LEMUR PLUSHIE I WILL *KILL MYSELF*

those casual I love yous are going to destroy me

YOU LIKE MY SMELL?????

oh that was absurdly precious

"oh wow it's wrapped very neatly" haha yeah..... about That........

I KNEW the sneak peek cut right before nick said "I love you" I KNEW IT oh my god

bro if they say ily one more time I might genuinely end it all

oh

yeah, speaking about ending it all

god

god if they don't shower them with awards after this I'm gonna petrol bomb every academy

Oh he's gonna read it

HE'S GONNA READ IT NO I WASN'T COUNTING ON THAT

oh well

that was a thousand times worse than I anticipated

like, a MILLION times worse than I anticipated

oh my god

and it's only gonna get worse I can't deal with this

[eunchancorner]

I wrote a lil drabble based on the RatQueen hcs from yesterday

Carmen sighed softly as she stepped into her house, smiling a bit as she heard her husband approach. He’d gotten off work early today to pick up Roy from school, which meant he’d arrived a lot earlier than she did. It also meant that she’d had to walk home, which she didn’t mind. Tonight was surprisingly warm and her home wasn’t too far from her office, in fact she often found walking to and from work quite nice. However, it also allowed strange things to happen while she did so.

Tonight wasn’t quite as strange, but it sure was different.

“Hello, darling, how was your ride?” she greeted him as she turned to kiss him in greeting, brief but sweet, and he smiled in response.

“It was nice, as nice as a drive can be at least. And your walk?”

“Quite warm, actually. It seems that the world is giving one last hurrah before winter fully takes hold.”

“In January? It sounds more like spring is trying to take hold early, to me.”

“Maybe, maybe. But, something did happen.”

This seemed to catch Richard’s attention, his expression gaining a tinge of curiosity.

“Oh? What might that have been?”

She paused. How should she put this?

“Do you remember how, in the beginning of our marriage, we agreed it’d be an open marriage? I’d understand if not, I suppose we never really acted on it.”

“I do, actually. I also remember never having much luck talking to anyone else, and just being grateful I had you, and the only people that seemed interested in you were all the kind to think open marriages were just ‘cheating with extra steps’ for some god-forsaken reason.”

“Yes, well… I may have found someone, Richard.”

He raised an eyebrow. Now he was interested. Who in the world deserved Carmen’s attention in such a way?

“Go on,” he urged, genuinely curious.

“I believe his name is Dexter. Not the kind I’d normally go for, I’ll admit. He seems to be quite poor, his hair is an utter mess, he has an eye injury, wears goggles, and seems to be in the business of capturing animals.”

“A trapper?”

“An exterminator, actually. He also seems to work freelance, so he doesn’t quite have an employer. I’ll admit he’s also erratic… in fact, I have reason to believe he may be a bit violent. I do believe I’ve seen wanted posters for him on one of the light posts.”

“I see. And what, pray tell, do you find attractive about him?”

“Just… the opportunity, I suppose. To show the love to someone others may deem unlovable. To prove I can love what others can’t. He struck up a conversation with me, remarking about my beauty, and when I flirted back, he seemed to grow quite flustered. I do believe I… how would Reynold put this? That I could ‘pull him’.”

“Hm…” Richard thought on this for a second. On the one hand, he knew it was a bit morally questionable that Carmen wanted to try to be with this stranger to prove a point. But on the other hand, he got the feeling that this may end up being more than Carmen thought it would, and frankly, he was ok with that. Besides, it might be nice to have someone else around the house. Sometimes it felt lonely with just the three of them there.

“Well, if you’re confident in yourself, I think you should try. He seems interested in you, after all. Perhaps there’s something more to be discovered here.”

She smiled softly at her husband’s support, a warm feeling spreading in her chest.

“Thank you, darling.” She leaned in and kissed him softly, still smiling upon pulling him away. “I’m glad you’re who I married.”

~-A few weeks later-~

“Richard?” Carmen called into the house as she entered, turning to see her husband approaching upon her call.

“Yes, dear?” he asked, a little worried about being called so soon after she arrived.

“I think I may have fallen in love with him!”

[partly-cloudyskies]

tagged by @big-meows always happy to talk about mah storeez

How many works do you have on AO3?

29. seems like a lot, where does the time go?

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

630,542 where??? time??? go??????

3. What fandoms do you write for?

lessee we got ur ducktales, ur gundam with from mercury, night in the woods, amphibia, outer wilds, xcom and deltarune. man i really forgot about that single xcom fic i wrote. i really did intend to write something in that fandom. i still might maybe idk

4. Top five fics by kudos?

There Will Be No Dancing i've always been really happy with this one. i feel like I really caught the energy of the characters. i'm glad people seemed to catch that energy y'know

Hypothesis i wrote this almost immediately after deltarune came out i think it was like the 2nd one with that pairing and i always kind of felt like it got kudos mostly cuz it was so early. i mean it's not bad but idk, i think it just got out the door early and that's why it got attention. my favorite part is the bit with berdly

Under the Shadow of the Snack Falcon the first fic i posted when i started writing fanfic again after, like, over 20 years. i'm glad it's in the mix

Orbits imo this is my most, like, technically accomplished fic. in terms of structure and theme and that. there's another outer wilds fic i wanna write. been sitting on it for a while. hope i get to it someday!

Rite of Spring my night in the woods magnum opus (that i completed, sorry glass factory). i named it after the stravinsky ballet. i felt like it was thematic, idk. i really had fun writing for lori

5. Do you respond to comments?

i try to. i mean people make a stink about comments being important so i try to reply to the ones i get, even if it's something innocuous like 'thx for reading!'

some fics i don't respond at all and it's usually cuz of any number of badbrain circumstances i am under at the moment. always feel a lil bad about that. not enough to make a stink of it, bad in the sense that you see a banana that you left out too long and now it's all brown and mushy. that kind of bad

well, all any of us can do is try

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

the view from mars, i suppose? or maybe it's monument. or quests! i kind of liked quests.

view from mars is kind of a bog standard teen crush melodrama, but i liked writing the girls from amphibia so i thought i'd give it a try. would like to do another amphibia story someday.

monument is an outer wilds fic, so everyone dies (spoilers i guess) and it's about, like, your work outliving your life and then even your work eventually disappears and then what's left? and maybe asking what's left isn't even the right question. you know. existential stuff. play outer wilds

quests is me indulging myself cuz i have a thing for pairings where one half is gonna have to take care of the other half and like, is lena really up for that and what happens when she gets in over her head cuz webby gets in over her head. idk i'm too much of a sap to take this to its angstiest conclusion and it gets resolved p quickly which might make it seem a little pat but the story did what i set out for it to do so i'm cool with it

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

there will be no dancing, probably. it's got a pretty sweet ending. just don't read the stories in the rest of the series. it's fine it's cool

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not that i've seen. i did see a comment where someone was asking a leading question like they wanted to get into some Discourse but i just ignored it and nothing came of it and we all lived our lives

9. Do you write smut?

ya when the notion strikes. if we're examining the ways characters interact with each other sex is one of those ways and it'd be weird to exclude it over all the other imo

10. Craziest crossover?

i never actually tagged this is how we grow as a crossover huh. but @big-meows was the one to initially conceive of a stardew/ducktales crossover so i ain't taking credit. i guess the only other option is red brithright, my current wip: star wars and witch from mercury

it's not really a crazy crossover tho. they're both sci fi franchises that started in the 70s and prominently feature protagonists with complicated relationships with their parents and have laser swords. kind of an obvious crossover

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of. it's hard to know if i'd care even if someone did. i guess i'd be miffed if someone were making money off of it somehow

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

i have had requests, never saw if they actually did it but i always said yes

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

i've had some beta-ing but idk if i'll ever co-write. i've got a pretty light presence in fandoms so i doubt i'll get involved in anything more collaborative then, like, prompt weeks

14. All time favourite ship?

idk man i mean i wouldn't devote days of writing to any ship unless they were my all time fave to some degree. weblena's always gonna have a place, sulemio is the new hotness but i think there's something enduring in it. i'll always have a soft spot for barrisoka

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i like to think i'll finish all wips eventually. yes i know that's dumb but i still like to think it

16. What are your writing strengths?

idk i like to think i'm p okay at juggling an ensemble. like when there's a lot of characters and giving them all a little moment to characterize themselves. even if it's just a single line. i hope that comes across. and i love to have a sense of place, like an environment that feels authentic. i love a good place and want others to feel like they can see it. who knows if that works

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i think i tend to get bogged down in details to the point where i have to step back and ask myself if i've lost the thread of the story. like i'll get preoccupied with how characters get from point a to point b when that shit don't matter

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

don't think i've ever done

19. First fandom you wrote in?

starcraft. used to be part of a writing group that did varying degrees of starcraft. all ancient history by now

20. Favourite fic you've written?

hm. probably there will be no dancing. like yeah again i feel like i was pretty on for that one. punchy and funny and written deep in the perspective of the pov character. i really do wish i could keep that kind of writing for long projects! but alas

if you see this feel free to do your own!

[newhavengossip]

Who do you think is trying to hard to get laid around here? Some of these guys seem a bit too desperate if you ask me.

Samson. Lux. Stolas.

Samson is really working the angle of ditzy blonde with nice tits but I think all that bullshit is a sham. Obviously, the tiddies are real - if you haven’t felt them, you should give it a try. But that personality is bullshit. I know too many ladies and fellow gays who play up the airhead sexbomb act just to attract a certain type of man. That ain’t a himbo, Maury! I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t actually a natural blonde. @evendarkerdays

Now, Lux doesn’t really give me desperation to get laid but I think the need for affection and love is there and that can make you look even more crazy than craving knot or tail. He’s kind of adorable, maybe a little annoying at times, but that’s just typical lil twink behavior. @goodbuckhavefawn

Stolas needed impregnated last-fucking-month. This little queen needs bred the house down. She needs someone to go spelunking in that cub cave and, as much as the world doesn’t fucking need another, build a fucking Walmart in that bitch. Ask him, he’ll probably agree. @scalesandspclls

And every alpha is constantly sniffing out the next spring of slick he can take a sip from, myself included. Some like to act like we’re not ready to split an omega in half every second of the day but those alphas are fucking lying bitches.

[therottenkingsreckoning]

[If It Makes You Happy]

finally wrote another one of these silly fluffs! This time a platonic, friendly thing between two characters whomst I don't think interact nearly enough: Frank and Barnaby (the latter being called Barbie here, and using she/her pronouns). Enjoy!

One wouldn't call Frank Frankly particularly "friendly". Sure, they could be quite pleasant towards others once he'd gotten to know them, and even look forward to spending time in their company on occasion. But it had always been very clear that he preferred his time alone, tending the garden or studying bugs.

The former of which they were doing one particularly pleasant Sunday morning, a fresh new tulip bulb in hand as they dug out a hole in the soil, humming a cheerful tune and thinking about all the chores to be done that day. He liked chores. Most folks would probably find that quite strange, but to Frank there was something so satisfying about writing up a detailed and organized list, doing each task with care and precision, then stepping back once they were done to admire all that he had done. There weren't that many he could think of today- a bit of organizing, the usual making of meals- but just meant more time to do their other favorite thing: catching bugs.

And what a day for bugs it was! Bees and butterflies fluttered and buzzed round the garden in the warm spring air, worms crawled in the dirt, and all manner of critters had their daily goings-on among the leaves of his precious garden. Frank though happily about how he might try to nab a few once all the chores were complete. There was one butterfly that looked quite-

"Frank! Hey Frank!" A familiar canine voice called out suddenly across the road, scattering his thoughts like the butterflies that scattered in the wake of Barbie's footsteps. Barbie. In all the time that they had known her, the two had never been very close. Yes, they would talk on occasion, but those talks were usually her annoying Frank with her stupid jokes, or being talked *at* by them whilst seemingly ignoring everything that was being said. Plus, he disliked her habit of chasing Eddie around whenever he'd stop by her house to deliver mail. All this to say that when they turned around to answer, he was already mentally preparing for whatever would ruin their day.

So it was a pleasant surprise indeed when he noticed the cup she held out to them proudly, lidded by a broad and fuzzy paw. Inside was a rather large butterfly, it's wings turquoise fading to pink and veined in gold.

"A Golden Sunrise!" He gasped, immediately taking it to inspect further. "I've been looking for one of these for ages! Oh I've gotta find a jar for you."

She grinned, hands on hips in a triumphant pose. "Ha, I *knew* I found something good! Saw the lil guy in the bushes outside my house, and he didn't look like anything you've mentioned before!"

At this, Frank paused, turning to look at her again. "You...you pay attention to that?" It's true, his speeches were rather long, and the hound had always seemed rather bored when they'd glance up to check. Not that it stopped him. They had long since accepted that these talks were done for himself and the love of the bugs, and that everyone most likely hated it besides him, and maybe Julie. But now?

Barbie awkwardly rubbed her neck with a paw, laughing softly. "Yeah, I mean...sometimes. I'll admit I don't always get what you're talking about...but, I can appreciate how happy it makes you."

His heart was filled with sudden love. To know that someone really listened, and her of all people! They chuckled softly. "It does. Thank you."

"No problem buddy!" She said. "You want me to keep an eye out for anything else? I'm a dog, so finding things is my specialty."

"Oh that would be lovely, yes!" He really meant it too.

Then she was off, and he was back to looking for a proper jar. They didn't have much reasons to stay and chat together for very long. But, Frank thought as he smiled, you'd never say that they weren't friends.

[jamiedc-they-them]

Reflection on Past and Future (Platonic) (OC: Marle Skywalker)

Summary: The war is over - at least for now, and Marle has a moment to think about things. The future, especially, is something that they never thought about before. Rey, meanwhile, fears looking backwards.

Post TROS lil fic with Rey and my OC Marle both struggling to process everything that happened over the ST, and attempting to find some way through.

Marle had meditated before. It helped calm them during the moments where the war and life and their mind all got too much, and jumbled all together into one giant mess. Despite not being force sensitive - or, at least, not enough to fully tap into it, if what Poe said about the force and how it flows through all things meaning that everyone had it to varying degrees - Rey still helped them meditate. It, usually, helped. Didn’t do the trick all the time, but either way, they were in a less stressed state than they were before the activity.

This moment in time, however, was different. There was no war. Not anymore. Instead, there were the beginnings of peace - or some kind of it anyway. The First Order were down (even if cells of it always survived; that was one of the things Finn had said they needed to watch out for, how those cells could grow into something bigger.) and the Emperor had been destroyed by himself. The Jedi survived, even with Rey creating new things for it. Continuing the legacy, but also building on it to make sure another Anakin Skywalker never happened again - in all senses; chosen one and all.

That was the problem for Marle, there was no action. Only stillness. On Jakku, stillness was never completely allowed. There were always creeks in the distance of Star Destroyers; always the sounds of winds hallowing; sometimes even screams in the night or blaster fire to match it. Despite the planet being almost barren to the eye, it wasn’t.

Marle had learned from a young age to never fully let your guard down. Always be ready. Prepared at the drop of a hat to spring into action.

That wouldn’t be happening for a while, or maybe even ever again.

They didn’t know how to process it. Marle was glad, don’t get them wrong. The victory was what they wanted, both for themselves and their family - but also for the galaxy at large. For people to be able to make choices and be themselves with no real fear.

Marle’s fears, however, never left them.

They knew it wouldn’t be an instant thing. The trauma they went through over the past year wouldn’t just go at the click of some fingers - though the pained look Rey sometimes gave them made her wish there could be such a thing. They all had to process it in their ways. Rey trained a lot, meditated, and then spoke to someone. Poe and Rose especially did that a lot with the same person, just at different times. Finn was slowly opening up to that idea. He, himself, started to do that as well with captured First Order people, and other Resistance fighters. He was a natural at it. A kind soul. Marle smiled at the thought of their brother.

That smile soon dropped when it came back to themselves. They were meditating too. Why wasn’t it working?

“Marle?” A gentle voice asked. Marle looked up. Rey had come for them. She didn’t look worried. Her features were more relaxed. She had a small smile on her face as she looked at them. Marle mirrored it with a small one of their own. Rey’s one dimmed a bit.

One thing about being in each other’s lives for so long and in desperate situations of life and death? They could see what other people couldn’t: the true emotion of the other.

“What’s wrong?” The older sister asked. While reading people wasn’t always the younger Skywalker’s best quality, Rey’s soft tone continuing seemed to say that it was ok if they didn’t want to say for now.

When Rey didn’t receive an answer, she instead sat down, legs crossed like Marle had done. Marle shut their eyes again, but Rey kept her’s open.

Some silence went by, but Rey still felt the disturbance within her sibling. Something wasn’t sitting right with them. She always knew that sisterly instinct within her wanted to solve it. But, she also knew that Marle would want a chance to do it themselves. They weren’t different people per se now, but - Rey especially - instead saw different sides to each other. Their appreciation for each other had grown deeper, as well as their understanding of the other. Rey saw Marle’s ability to adapt and keep fighting; Marle saw how far Rey fully goes for those she loves, alongside letting her walls down with other people and letting herself love others and be loved. Those sides were always there, this…journey was what brought it out of them. Both were thankful for that part of it, at least.

“How did you do it?” Marle asked. Rey felt, and even saw by their stance alone, something shift within them.

“How did I do what, sorry?” She watched her sibling carefully here, trying to detect any more shifts as they opened up.

They opened their eyes again, a sigh leaving them. Not one of frustration at Rey, but more so one about their inability to describe it.

“How did you get better?”

While Rey appreciated the bluntness, it did also take her back a bit.

“I don’t think I am. Not fully, anyway.”

“Oh…”

“I - I think I’m better than I was then, for sure,” Rey said, hoping that these were the magic words she needed to get things back on a more positive track.

“But like…how did you know that?”

“Well,” Rey repositioned herself slightly, getting more comfortable as she took a moment to genuinely think about it - the whole process was new to her; and, according to the person she was talking to, there was a lot to process.

“To be honest,” she continued, “it felt like a weight being lifted. A metaphorical one, but a weight nonetheless. I asked Poe about that feeling too, if that helps.”

Marle smiled a bit. Siblings in a lot of ways it seemed, and not fully knowing how to cope was one of those things apparently.

“Do you think I ever will get to be like that?”

Rey’s heart clenched. Marle saw the internal flinch, and their eyes softened.

“Sorry…”

“Don’t,” Rey was firmer with tone this time, “don’t be sorry. It’s a question that is on your mind and — has it been for a long time?”

Marle nodded. Rey did too, even if it were slower and more weighted.

“Everyone has different timelines with it and —“

Marle stood up, and looked to the water on Ajan Kloss. The jungle took their breath away at first, then the water did for real. For Marle, it was too much for them. They flinched at it all of the way. They couldn’t go very far in, but no one blamed them for it.

Rey stood up, and moved next to Marle.

“Marle it…there’s no one way to this. Some things work for some people, but some things don’t for everyone. But, there will be a day when —“

“I don’t like that saying. I don’t…I don’t know how long I can hold on for.”

Rey found herself speechless. Marle’s eyes continued to bore into the water, but there was a vulnerability now at the surface. She’d seem to find it in spades what was going through her sibling’s head. Nothing nice. But now, it seemed, with all the time they all had now after the war, everything was hitting Marle at once.

Rey seemed more controlled with it. To be truthful, the only reason she was, was because of the rest of her family - how they all huddled around each other and kept an extra eye out.

Marle didn’t join them as much, she noted at the time. They didn’t completely close off, but they were around less so much that it became noticeable.

Rey shuddered. Feeling those emotions hit her as well. The confusion, malice of the self, the worry of the wait for it to all get better - but also the worry on the how it would improve and whether it ever would.

She knew every Jedi had doubts in themselves, the force, pretty much anything - it was a vary natural thing to do. Doubts were always going to crop up. Especially after events like what the Siblings of the Sand had gone through in such a short amount of time. So short that they didn’t ever fully get a chance to slow down.

They had that now, but Rey seemed more adjusted to it than Marle.

Marle looked at the water. The memory was still there, the feelings still somewhat raw whenever they thought about it. But maybe…maybe they could go a little deeper next time. Maybe if they sought out their friends instead of the other way around. Rey was trying. They all were. Marle appreciated that, even if the voice in their head and the inability to adapt to this shifting situation lingered.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

Marle looked to her, bewildered, “why are you sorry?”

“I didn’t - I didn’t act fast enough.”

“I’m not angry at you.”

“…I would be.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t do my job.”

“Your ‘job’?” There was a slight bit of hurt to the younger sibling’s voice.

“I’m your sister. Your sibling. Your friend. Whichever way we want to say it, I care about you, and I failed in being there for you. I’m sorry about that.”

“I guess I failed too, then. I didn’t really help you either. Especially after you…passed.”

It had been the first time it had been spoken about between them. For once, Rey didn’t instantly jump in. Neither did Marle. They both processed what was just said.

“You didn’t fail me,” Rey decided on.

“Then how can you say that you failed me?”

Fair point. The feelings stayed, however.

Marle sighed, then slightly chuckled, “I think this is the first time we’ve actually spoken to each other.”

Rey nodded, “I’m glad we are now. I just…I just don’t like that I took us so long.”

Marle shrugged, “we never really had any experience with it.”

Rey snorted. That was true.

“I’m glad we’re trying to,” she nudged them slightly. They nudged her back.

“When do you leave to start building the order again?”

“A few months,” she said, “still preparing.”

“Are you scared?”

“Terrified. What if - what if I fail them?”

Marle looked to Rey with a soft look. They put a hand on her arm, “you haven’t failed me,” they said, “you’re a good person, Rey. The darkness calls to you, as it would all of us —“

“But what I came from, Mar…I’m glad I have my actually family still here,” she said, putting a hand on their’s, “but…I don’t know. Sometimes my blood scares me. What it can do. What I can do. What I could do.”

“You aren’t your blood.”

“But I feel like at any moment…maybe I could be. Maybe it could all go wrong in a moment of anger —“ Rey took a shuddering breath. She blinked a few times, the tears still being there unfortunately.

Marle took their own breath, hugging Rey instead as they looked to the lake.

“We’re not doing so good, are we?”

“We’ve been better,” Rey laughed, running her fingers through Marle’s hair.

When she looked at that binary sunset and declared the name of her true family, she meant it. She always will. She’s a Skywalker, not a Palpatine. Blood meant less and less to her each day. But still, there was a part of her gnawing at her. A rage at the world for all it had done to herself and Marle. She overcame it with Palpatine. She did. But she hated that it was still there. That it hadn’t fully left her.

She supposed, in some way, just as those feelings of inadequacy and self hatred continued to bubble in Marle, despite the efforts of the others and the impact they had each had on the younger individual.

She let herself go lax, weight leaving her once again. She let herself see that the battles never ended. Apart of that drove her mad, another part made her look down at her younger sibling, seeing them looking to the water with a mixed look.

“Maybe —“ she sniffled, “maybe we just…maybe we just take it one step at a time. You and me, yeah? Both together and separate.”

Marle nodded, “I can try that…” they’re hiccuped, “I can try that.”

“That’s all any of us can ask.”

Marle hugged Rey tighter, “you’re a good person, Rey Skywalker.”

“And you, Marle Skywalker,” she pushed them back slightly, making sure they met eyes, “are someone who deserves all the space to understand your emotions and move in your own time. You understand me?”

They nodded. Rey mirrored it.

It wasn’t perfect. It was some sort of start, however. An acknowledgement. They weren’t fully ok. Still not fully fine with all the bad things that happened. Maybe they never fully would be. Maybe those scars would never fully heal.

That was ok. Well, not ok, but at least understandable.

They didn’t have to bare it alone, however. They had each other, the siblings of the sand; but also the new people added to that family. The people of the resistance and the Jedi.

They had to look back at some times to move forward; and also look back to see how far forward they had come.

It was an odd push and pull. Maybe they’d never fully master it. But they could try. They could do that at least.

That was all anyone could do.

[mxpseudonym]

Mx's Gender Neutral and Queer Fics

Note: While any character I write is probably at least bisexual in my head, this is a list of explicitly stated queer pairings.

3.9.22: At first I was going to just put GN and Q next to the relevant stories, but then I realized I was making femme-coded stories the default. That's something we do constantly in fandoms, which I already know, but this just made me realize how much I personally want to do better at not upholding that. My systems not perfect, but all stories show pronouns used for the reader, so there's no default.

Ada

> A Little Lipstick To Sell The Look (Q) (she/her pronouns) Cis woman reader dresses masculinely for work, and Ada approves.

> Ada Is Just Perfect (Q) (she/her pronouns) Ada and Reader meet working at the library. The 1920′s gays amirite ladies?

> Familiar Terrain** (Q, GN) Ada’s visiting from the US and there are some things she’s missed that she can’t get anywhere else.

.

Alfie

> Hungry For It** (GN) - You finally coax Alfie into letting you please him like this, and you’re not going to let him hold back.

> Water Your Plants (platonic) (GN) - Alfie makes his friend join him carrying out his doctor’s suggestions.

.

Arthur

> Paying For Haircuts (GN) Cute, domestic, plotless, haircutting moment

> A Good Man, Maybe (GN) Just a lil somethin’ for Arthur, Ace friendly

.

Michael Gray and Isiah Jesus

> Three Musketeers (Michael x Reader x Isiah) ** - Isiah makes a saucy proposal, Michael agrees for once, and you can’t help but go along.

*Though this is a threesome, Isiah and Michael have an established relationship outside of your relationship with them

.

Polly

> A Woman Like You (Q) (she/her pronouns) Polly works through the seeds of doubt planted by Tommy with her new love.

.

Tommy

Tommy x Reader

> Bad Habits; or, To all the bad habits you pray you’ll never break (GN) - You and Tommy both have bad habits, including each other.

> Happy Birthday… Eventually (GN) - To your dismay, Tommy is both private and stubborn

> Magic Trick (GN) You’re quite perceptive when it comes to Tommy's fixation with Grace.

> Socks and Scarves and Jumpers, oh my! (GN, Q) - Despite it being Spring, Tommy’s winter socks have still fallen victim to your quest for warmth.

> You’re not a mindreader…right? (GN) - Can you or can you not read Tommy’s mind, that is the question.

> Worth The Fall (GN) - Tommy tries to charm the one person who seems the least interested.

> Catching On (GN) Tommy… he’s tryin’ y’all, but you're aloof as fuck.

> Falling in Love Isn’t Fair (GN) You're in love with Tommy Shelby. You're also married to someone else. Tommy can fix that, easy.

.

Tommy OCs

> Too Easy (Tommy x Luke) (Q) - Tommy's best friend and business partner has Tommy's love, loyalty, and lots of special treatment

> One Bad Day (Tommy x Jack) (Q) - Jack would be dead if the tables were turned, and he’d done what Tommy did to him.

> Too Many Questions (Tommy x Jack) (Q) - Tommy finds himself in need of first aid, so he turns up at his frenemy's guest house. The one he isn't supposed to know about. Also, Jack is hot and cocky.

[animeomegas]

MY FELLOW ANON ARE VIOLATING MY EMOTIONS TODAY 😂 god I’m acc crying. Your writing is amazing. I’m gonna combat the sadness with a wholesome thing of them finding a pup in a bin (or something) a few months after the loss of the first pup (Neji is currently shut down entirely) is like “lol gimme”. Proceeds to take the pup home, put it in his nest scent the lil bean (gender is your choice) and just be like “yeah this mine now”. Any nay sayers are ignored bc it’s still his baby (maybe almost like his pup reincarnated 👀👀) regardless of how baby was obtained. Idk I just think my guy needs some positivity after life kicking the ever loving shit out of him

This is beautiful and you’re right, Neji deserves the world, but I’ll settle with a quiet life and some happiness for my boy!

Okay, so things haven’t been…good with Neji since you had to let your pup die to save him.

It has been two months and still he lays in his nest every day, sometimes crying, sometimes whining, but mostly just staring at nothing. He had incorporated a bunch of baby stuff (blankets, toys etc.) into his nest before he went to the hospital, in order to make his pup feel more at home in the nest when he was supposed to bring them back. You had tried to take them out to stop him having to be confronted with what happened in his safe space, but Neji almost attacked you for doing so, so you let him keep them.

But it’s very concerning when he spends hours at a time just stroking the pup's blankets and staring at nothing.

So, you decide to take Neji on a walk to get him out of the house. It would be his first time leaving the house since the funeral.

You go at night time, because Neji is still refusing any contact with anyone he knows and this way he’s less likely to be confronted when he isn’t ready for it. To make extra sure that you can be alone, you decide to walk around the edge of the woods around one of the quieter training grounds.

Neji doesn’t speak much, but he doesn’t whine or cry either, and the night air brings a little colour to his cheeks, and you’re so happy at the small improvements. It doesn’t matter how long it ends up taking him to feel better, you’ll be here with him the whole way.

…

“I was thinking about cooking something special next week,” you make idle conversation, not expecting Neji to reply. “It’s our anniversary after all, do you have any preference?”

Neji stops walking suddenly. His shoulders are tense.

“Neji?”

He hushes you harshly.

“I can hear…”

Without another word of warning, Neji makes his way a little further into the trees. You follow him, confused and worried.

“Byakugan!” he calls, scanning the area. He gasps as he scans over a nearby bush and immediately he drops to his knees beside it.

“Neji?” you ask, now more than a little concerned. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

You watch as Neji pulls something out of the bush. He turns around with a bundle in his arms.

“It’s a pup,” Neji says, obviously shocked. You can’t blame him, you’re feeling more than a little shocked yourself. What on earth was a pup doing out here? “They’re freezing. Give me your jacket.”

Without hesitance, you quickly slip your jacket of and hand it to Neji who promptly bundles up the pup in it and brings them to his chest. The pup is making small whimpering noises that had been almost impossible to hear over the wind. Neji must have hear them, thank goodness.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” Neji coos to the pup. “You’re safe now, I'll take you home and make it better, I promise.”

“We need to get them to the hospital asap," you say, shaking your head. "They must be freezing and they look underweight as well. We’re not mednin, Neji.”

“Our home is closer.”

“Neji…”

“We need to make sure they’re warm,” he argues. “We can bring them home and alert a medic to make a home visit.”

You look at the earnest look on his face and know that he won’t back down, and now isn’t a time for arguments anyway.

“Okay,” you swallow nervously. “We’ll bring them home.”

…

You bring the pup back to your home and before you can protest, Neji brings them into his nest with a mumbled ‘they’ll be warm in there’.

Neji bundles himself and the pup up in the corner of the nest, turning on a little heater beside him, and tucking the pup into his shirt to share body warmth.

“We’ll get you nice and warm, it’s okay, you’re safe, I won’t let anyone harm you,” he whispers while stroking their cheek with a finger. The pup wriggles around, already looking more energetic, and starts mouthing at Neji’s chest.

“Are you hungry?” Neji laughs softly before turning to you. “Go and heat up a bottle for the pup, all the supplies are in the… the nursery.”

You nod dumbly and do as you’re asked, astounded at how much life is in Neji’s eyes. It’s the most life you’ve seen from him in months. But you can’t help but worry. What if Neji gets attached and you can’t keep the pup? Of course, you want nothing more than to keep the baby, it almost seems too good to be true that she literally fell into both your lives at this trying time, but what if it is too good to be true? What if they’re sick? Or their parents are looking for them? Or… something else. Neji doesn’t deserve another heartbreak, and you don’t want to destroy the small amount of progress he’s made in the last month.

But for now, all you can do is heat up the bottle.

…

“Here, it’s a good temperature, I already checked,” you pass Neji the bottle. He checks it again anyway and you can’t help but smile at how overprotective and parental he's being. It's so bittersweet to see him like this.

“Here you go sweetheart, just for you,” Neji smiles, cradling the pup as they latch onto the bottle with fervour. “Shh, shh, shh, slow down, it’s not going anywhere.”

Neji feeds the pup and then burps them, and you pretend you can’t see him smiling when he notices that they are starting to smell like him. You need to know you can keep her before you let him get even more attached.

“I’m going to send a clone for a medic, now.”

The room became tense all at once.

“They’re fine, I’m looking after them,” Neji protests.

“I know, and you’re doing a good job, but we still need a medic, Neji.”

Neji holds the pup more tightly to his chest, tucking an extra blanket around them. He's using the special blanket you had got commissioned for your pup. You can feel your heart break at the sight. He's already attached. Now you just have to hope you can keep them. For his sake.

“I don’t want them to take the pup away like last time,” Neji admits softly. "I can look after them, I won't let anything happen like last time, I promise. They'll be safe, we don't need a medic."

“We need to know their primary and secondary gender, omega, and we need to make sure they aren’t sick after being left in the woods…”

Neji hesitates but nods his consent in the end after you explain that your pup could become ill if left untreated. You don’t tell him that you are also sending a clone to the Hokage. Naruto will be able to grant you and Neji the right to keep the pup, and you hope that as Neji’s friend, he’ll be able to see how much he needs this.

…

You have to move Neji and the pup downstairs to wait for the medic, because Neji would not appreciate someone unknown seeing his nest he made for his pup. He’s not expecting Naruto to show up as well so you go to the door to intercept and prep them both.

“Thank you so much for coming, Naruto, I can’t tell you how much this means to me and Neji,” you say, hugging him as he walks through the door.

“I’m going to do everything I can,” he promises. “If the medic finds signs of long-term neglect, I can take the parental rights away from the biological parents straight away, even if I don't know who they are, and transfer you the rights.”

Your face visibly brightens, but Naruto continues.

“But if the only injuries are from laying in the forest for a few hours, I’ll have to try and find the parents first, because the child may have been taken from them by force, when the pup was otherwise a healthy baby being looked after sufficiently. In that circumstance, I’ll have to take the child back with me and put them in foster care until a three-month window has passed. And if the parents are found…”

“I know,” you sigh. “Let’s just get this done as soon as possible.”

The three of you walk into the living to see Neji cradling the pup tightly against his chest.

“Hey Neji,” Naruto greets softly with a sad smile. “I haven’t seen you around for a while.”

Neji tenses upon seeing Naruto.

“Naruto? Why are you here?” Neji clearly misinterprets the situation, holding the pup even more tightly and turning accusatory eyes against you. “Why did you bring him here?”

“I’m here to determine whether the pup was abandoned or kidnapped to the best of my abilities, once we have that done, we can decide how things are going to happen, okay?”

“How do you decide that?” Neji asks with distrustful eyes.

“The medic will give them a check-up, completely routine, I promise,” Naruto speaks with a soft voice like he’s talking to a cornered animal. Well, you look at Neji for a moment who is coiled as tightly as spring, he’s not far off.

It takes about five minutes for you to convince Neji to let go of the pup and hand them to the mednin, and then the next fifteen minutes involve you holding him in your arms to stop him wrestling the pup back from the mednin.

And then, rather ominously, the mednin pulls Naruto aside to talk.

Neji is shaking in your arms.

“It’s okay, calm down, Neji,” you try to comfort him.

“I can’t-“ Neji chokes, hands fisting in your shirt. “He has our pup, you let them take our pup.”

You don’t bother to correct him on his use of ‘our’, knowing it would only upset him more.

“I know baby, but they need to see that they’re healthy, nothing’s wrong, just breathe.”

Neji doesn’t take your advice.

"Last time they took them-"

"This isn't like last time, omega. Come one, try and settle down a little, that's it."

...

Naruto eventually walks back in, holding the pup securely, the mednin nowhere to be seen.

“So,” Naruto says seriously. And then his face breaks out into a wide grin. “Am I right in thinking you want to adopt?”

You can almost feel your relief in the air. Thanking every power that be for this stroke of luck. Losing this pup could have easily meant losing your mate, and the gravity of the situation all comes crashing down at once. Neji looks as though he is feeling much the same.

“Give me them,” he orders, arms out.

“Her,” Naruto corrects. “The mednin said she’s a female alpha.”

Tears start welling up in Neji’s eyes as he takes her. Their bio pup was a female alpha, too.

“Thank you,” he whispers to no one, holding his new pup as tightly as he dared. “I’ve got you now, you’re safe and sound with me, I won’t let anything hurt you ever again.”

Naruto slips out of the house without a fuss, dropping the mednin’s recommendations for feeding the underweight pup on the coffee table.

...

You and Neji take your new pup upstairs and bundle her back into the nest. Neji lays down with her, stroking her cheek as he watches her sleep.

“You need to get some rest too, omega,” you suggest, running a hand down Neji’s back.

“Guard?” he asks in response.

“Yes," you smile at his protective instincts. "I’ll guard the nest while you sleep, I promise.”

“Okay, alpha…” Neji settles down, still with one hand resting on the pup. “But if I don’t wake up when she cries, wake me… I want to be the one to feed her.”

You laugh gently, “Of course, now get some sleep. I’ll guard you both.”

[volkswagonblues]

a lil guide to the Fire Nation for the ATLA fic writers out there

(aka. a no means exhaustive primer on east asia by an asian person)

This is a guide for fic writers want to write a canon-era story set in the Fire Nation, or featuring Fire Nation characters. A quick little primer on the tiny details of everyday life that you might not think about, but certainly stuff that would make me, an asian person, wince if I were to encounter it. BRUSHES, not quills. CHOPSTICKS, not forks. 

(note #1: this was partly inspired by a chat with @elilim​) 

(note: #2:  I originally intended it for zukka fic writers before realizing that other writers might find it useful. so apologies for a slight Zuko-bias for that reason)

(note #3: this is all stuff i was thinking about when writing firebender’s guide, in case anyone was wondering)

1. CLOTHING

Okay, I think the most straightforward way to describe what everyone’s wearing most of the time is “tunic”. They’re all just...tunics of different colours and varieties. Later when Zuko’s the Fire Lord he wears robes. The show provides a better visual guide than I could, here are a few notes to keep in mind:

a) Japanese people wear their collars LEFT crossed over RIGHT

I don’t think this would come up in writing as much as it would in art, but it’s considered bad luck to do it the wrong way because that’s only for dead people. Let my boy Zuko demonstrate:

b) There are no buttons

This is picky, but Wikipedia says “Functional buttons with buttonholes for fastening or closing clothes appeared first in Germany in the 13th century.[6] They soon became widespread with the rise of snug-fitting garments in 13th- and 14th-century Europe.” I kinda believe it. If you look closely, characters’ clothes are always tied together or wrapped in some way with a belt. If there are fasteners, they’re braided frog closures that go into a little loop, like the qipao-style dresses women wear in Ba Sing Se, or Zuko’s casual prince’s clothes in the topmost image. Anyways, I don’t think Zuko or Azula or the Gaang would technically button or unbutton anything when they’re changing clothes. Clothing is designed to be tied, not buttoned.

[so much more under cut]

c) This isn’t a real rule, but there’s something called koromogae, or the seasonal changing of clothing in Japan.

This is something I learned when I was writing firebender’s guide, and I just liked the fun detail about there being a strict calendar for when to wear something. I liked the idea of someone like Zuko, who actually spent most of his formative years outside of the Fire Nation, coming home and just suffering mutely through the summer heat because upper class etiquette says no changing into cooler clothes until August 15. 

From My Asakusa: 

And this website:

Generally, people change from thick, heavy, dark-coloured clothes for winter to thin, lighter, bright-coloured clothes for spring and summer. In traditional Japanese culture, particularly in formal settings such as tea ceremony, it is important to acknowledge the changes of seasons—in such circumstances, not only the patterns and colours of the kimono that are worn but also the utensils and furniture that are used are required to change. By changing their clothing, people notice and appreciate the change of seasons. [Japan Foundation]

Here are some visual guides from the official creators for clothes: (notice how it’s pretty much always left over right)

2.FOOD AND EATING

a) Traditional cuisine

It seems like the most common foods in canon are Fire Flakes and meat, to the point where poor Aang had to eat lettuce out of the garbage at some point.

HOWEVER, the Fire Nation seems to basically a big subtropical archipelago, so I would guess that seafood and rice are common. If you want to write about characters eating, a. quick google for “traditional japanese cuisine” would help you come up with a menu really quickly.

Wikipedia says:

The traditional cuisine of Japan, washoku (和食), lit. "Japanese eating" (or kappō (ja:割烹)), is based on rice with miso soup and other dishes; there is an emphasis on seasonal ingredients. Side dishes often consist of fish, pickled vegetables, and vegetables cooked in broth. Seafood is common, often grilled, but also served raw as sashimi or in sushi.

But before we get too serious, at one point the Gaang eats a “smoked sea slug” (Sokka’s Master) 

Oh ATLA, never stop being you.

b) Utensils

One thing to keep in mind is chopstick etiquette. Someone like Zuko or Toph, for instance, would have completely internalized all of these.

Another thing is that there are no glasses. Cups and bowls are made of ceramic or clay. Let the Gaang show you:

And another note: characters won’t eat “bread” in the European sense, ie. a baked lump of dough. Steamed buns, yes. Fried pancakes made from batter, yes. Flatbreads, okay I’ll give it a pass. Rice or noodles should be the most common carbs of choice.

3.ETIQUETTE

“In the homeland, we bow to our elders” - angry schoolmistress in The Headband.

Japan Guide has a list of etiquette rules for visiting Japan, which is interesting but not too necessary to read. In general, based on what The Headband tells us, Fire Nation characters would have been raised with a strong nationalist curriculum that values communal contribution over individualist expression. Even someone like Zuko, who openly rebels against that, probably couldn’t help but be affected by it. In general the Fire Nation seems to have an East Asian-ish set of values. It’s patriarchal, all the positions of authority are filled by men; there seems to be a strong emphasis on patriotism; there’s a sense of diffidence and respect towards one’s elders; and finally, there’s an emphasis on “knowing” one’s place in society and fitting into what’s expected of oneself.

I don’t really know how to describe it, but in China and Japan I sometimes feel like there’s rules for everything, and even people born and raised there acknowledge it could be stifling at times. You could go down a rabbit hole researching points of etiquette (for instance, rules on who has to sit where in group dinners...), but to me the most important thing is acknowledging that Fire Nation has a rigid system of etiquette, and also, they’re an imperialist power who’s pretty prejudiced against foreigners. Poor Aang/Kuzon gets called “mannerless colony slob” just for being slow on the bowing action (!!!)

(in firebender’s guide I had a lot of fun imagining the stupid microaggressions Ambassador Sokka has to face in the Fire Nation, so obviously I’m just biased)

4.WRITING AND DESKS

Characters would probably write on paper, with a calligraphy brush. Not quills or pens -- a brush. Technically, old Japanese and Chinese texts should be written top to bottom, right to left, but the show itself doesn’t do this, so I think you’re fine. 

One fun thing about traditional calligraphy is that you don’t use bottled ink. You have something called an ink stone, and then you grind your ink yourself by rubbing the ink stone in a special little dish with a bit of water. In my (very few) encounters with this stuff in the calligraphy lessons of my youth, the ink stones can be plain or have beautiful designs on the side. It looks something like this: 

ATLA is an East Asian-ish universe, so characters are likely to be kneeling at a table, not sitting. To demonstrate, here’s my boy Sokka doing his famous rainbow at Piandao’s:

and here’s the war chamber meeting when Zuko speaks out against a general’s plans to sacrifice some soldiers:

THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS: This is Zuko’s cute little setup when he’s writing his goodbye letter to Mai. In this case he’s writing in a chair and table. It’s possible that some furniture items, like a sitting desk and a bed in a bedframe (not a bedroll or futon) are special royal palace features. Normally in a private setting we see characters sitting on the ground or on a slightly elevated platform with a low table. Maybe Caldera is just different? Or rich people are just different: the Bei Fongs also have a sit-down dining table + chair setup.

(That little rectangular box is his ink dish!!)

5.A NOTE ON GENERAL CULTURE

It’s worth talking about a few general points of East Asian culture. I can’t claim to speak for ALL of Asia, and I don’t think I should. But I do think ATLA fic writers who want to set something in the Fire Nation should take a few moments to at least skim the wiki pages for filial piety and Nihonjinron (literally, "theories/discussions about the Japanese"). There’s a certain...vibe to...asianness... that I’m not sure I can explain without like, a doctorate degree in sociology. 

It’s a bit like gender, I guess. There’s no definitive checklist to what is a woman and what is a man, and we can argue that gender is performative, that it’s a construct, but at the end of the day gender is still (tragically) real in the sense that it still shapes people and affects how we walk and talk and dress and think. Nationality is the same. Obviously, the Fire Nation is a made up place in a made up show, but out of respect to the cultures that inspired it, I do think it’s worth familiarizing yourself with some of these cultures’ codes and values.

Also, ahem, if I can direct you to war crimes in the Japan’s colonial empire. Again, worth remembering that the Fire Nation was an imperalist colonizer too.

I might do a continuation of this post and talk through my more abstract takes about Fire Nation culture - Is Zuko an example of filial piety gone right or filial piety gone wrong? Why I think Zuko’s flashbacks are like, at least part teenage melodrama bullshit (the reason is son preference), how someone like Sokka might be treated once he’s openly Water Tribe in the Fire Nation (probably with racism...), specific aspects of asian homophobia and racism, etc. We’ll see.

This is not a definitive guide. Comments and critique welcome.

If you think there’s a factual mistake, PLEASE hop in my asks and let me know. I also think there’s a huge blind spot in ATLA for South and Southeast Asian representation, so I acknowledge that I can’t speak for all Asians, and there is no such thing as a “pan-asian” identity.

If there’s something else you’re curious about, I’m not a historian or anything, but I like research. Ask me and I’ll try to answer the best I can.

And oh, one last thing, this is how I do research when I wrote firebender’s guide, in case anyone’s interested in learning more (LINK)