#so eventually that will be a thing

[tblsomedoodles]

The Preferable Alternative - part 14

Start - previous - next

rare 6 pg update! b/c the pacing was better if i stopped the scene there.

Leo: That was weird.......ANYWAYS!

: )

[lunewolf13]

Tim and Jason were munching on Batburgers mid-patrol. Entirely out of the blue Tim says: By the way, I'm bi.

Jason pauses, then swallows his burger: Uh, okay?

Tim: I just wanted to tell you. In case, you know, you think no one would accept you.

Jason: ...Huh??

Tim: Yeah, there's a reason why I brought this up. What I'm trying to tell you is that B told me to tell you that you can bring your boyfriend over for dinner whenever you want.

Jason just stares at Tim, wondering if he's experiencing a fever dream because what??

Jason: What boyfriend??

As far as he knows, there is no boyfriend. Why does Bruce think there is a boyfriend??

Tim being understanding but for a completely different context: It's okay, Hood. I'll tell him you said no. No need to deny it.

Jason continues to be baffled: Thanks. But I don't have a boyfriend.

Tim does not believe him: Sure, sure. So, when's the next time Arsenal plans to visit Gotham?

Jason goes back to eating his burger and pretending he's not totally confused by the change in topic: Uh, this Thursday. I'm gonna help him with Lian's birthday cake, and brainstorm gift ideas.

Tim: Uh-huh. Hope you have guys have fun :)

[egophiliac]

since Eng is getting 7.5 soon(?), I felt motivated to go back to my Meleanor rig and make her a couple of lesson animations! ...except for alchemy, because the cauldron bubbles proved too hard to photoshop around, whoops.

maybe she just got lost on her way to the classroom...?

(credit: backgrounds are from the game, I just put her on top of 'em)

(aside from the backgrounds, this is not an edit, I drew her from scratch! please do not tag or treat as an edit!)

[courfee]

17 December 1975 / 15 May 1976

[rendevok]

Act I ~ The Prince

A tapestry for Let No One Sleep by @azalawa-scroggs on ao3

[humbuns]

pieced together till they're no longer broken apart

[forgettable-au]

FORGETTABLE-AU (page 82-85)

THAT LAZYBONES!!

[BEGINNING] [PREVIOUS] [CONTINUE]

[idkwhatimdoingbutslay]

I am NOT constantly rewatching the sex scene (to think that Vi has gone YEARS without intimacy. She just keeps going in and in and in and taking and taking and taking in this scene because of how much she NEEDS it. And she DESERVES it!!! Vi leads and Caitlyn lets her, laying all the cards on the table and letting Vi just have whatever the hell she wants. Cait goes in for another kiss, but Vi wants to explore her neck. Cait wants to take a second to acknowledge her misdeed, Vi needs to keep kissing her. Cait wants to take care of Vi, Vi just wants to take. Vi is a lover at heart and life HATES that about her but Cait accentuates that in her!!!!!!)

okay maybe just once or twice

[paperbackribs]

[bigfatbreak]

dad villain au: did emilie just. not consider at all that adrien was literally dying at the time. wow

she's in the habit of deciding when Adrien's suffering is acceptable, and if it is, she'll just fix it later.

[last-flight-of-fancy]

The Third Promise

[deikshen]

Shen Jiu—father of a little Shen Yuan—who never joined CQMS after saving Qi-ge's life, both father and son rogue cultivators now. Shen Yuan is a curious child who quickly turns into a nosy teenager, and Shen Jiu enjoys spending time doing small cultivation jobs, helping his brothel Jiejie, and having a peaceful life with his son.

Over time, Shen Yuan grows large enough to be indistinguishable from Shen Jiu. Just a little bit of their eyes and expressions can differentiate them at a glance. The Meimei in the brothel who don't know them for a long time often refer to them as the Cultivator Twins, and that is a bit of the reputation they have. They are not important enough to attract the attention of large sects, and their low profile keeps them working without problems. Shen Jiu is in charge of making talismans, fighting monsters, and making medicines!! Shen Yuan transcribes manuals, compiles bestiaries, and sells information. Almost any time it comes to gathering plants, herbs or mushrooms, or working with some beast, Shen Yuan will be there to do it!

Eventually and under some circumstances, Shen Yuan ends up poisoning himself with Without-a-Cure- He swears it wasn't his fault!! It was an unforeseen accident, it could happen to anyone! But his cultivation base is damaged, and the only person Shen Jiu knows to help with the poison and create a treatment, is the Peak Lord of Qian Cao, Mu Qingfang.

However, Shen Jiu refuses to introduce him as his son!! He even refuses to get too close to the sect of his own. What's more, even so, he urges Shen Yuan to show up at Cang Qiong Mountain, impersonate him to the Sect Leader and demand that medical help be provided.

... Shen Yuan doesn't believe it will work. But apparently, it really does! Because Zhangmen-shixiong turns pale when he sees him, and he orbits around him as if he wants to hug him, but without making any sudden movements. Shen Yuan does his best imitation of his father, being sullen, hostile, rude and demanding, and it works beautifully. He is sent to receive medical care. Mu Qingfang prepares tonics and medicines, and he will need to visit Qian Cao Peak once every three weeks to have his meridians cleansed.

And, while in Qian Cao, Shen Yuan meets Luo Binghe.

He is a young disciple of Bai Zhan! Cute as a bun, but apparently, he had defeated at least ten of his martial brothers in battle!! So powerful!! Shen Yuan is not surprised to see him sometimes, when he visits Qian Cao for his meridian cleansings; Luo Binghe shines like a wounded sun, and seems to want to get closer to Shen Yuan more and more, always talking, asking, wanting to talk to him. Even if Shen Yuan has to force himself to imitate his father, can't help but smile behind his fan! He's a good, adorable boy!!

The boy is exceptionally intrigued by Shen Yuan, where he comes from, how he became infected with the Without-a-Cure. The boy also seems to be waiting for him, looking at him with barely concealed curiosity, doing meaningless things as if he were waiting for a reaction from him. He pours tea for him and looks at him expectantly, he drops his tray and stands still as if expecting a harsh scolding. But even if he could, Shen Yuan would never scold him! Luo Binghe is a wonderful boy.

Shen Yuan greatly enjoys visiting Cang Qiong just to see him, even if he has to hide his emotions behind his father's mask. Even if he's supposed to be hostile or not too nice. He... He really enjoys the company of the young disciple Luo Binghe. And maybe... Maybe he's considering telling him the truth. He's kind of like, a friend! Right? He thinks he can tell him the truth... At some point. Perhaps after the Immortal Conference Alliance, so that Luo Binghe can fully concentrate on that and emerge triumphant!

(What Shen Yuan doesn't know is that this adorable boy is not a simple young disciple. Luo Binghe was once the Emperor of the Three Realms, a ferocious heavenly demon... who had perished after a fierce qi deviation. Horror! And he had become aware just before Cang Qiong's disciple selection. A cycle of torture repeated endlessly!

But there was no Shen Qingqiu to select him. Instead, he was selected for Bai Zhan by Liu Qingge; Qing Jing's Peak Lord was not even Shen Qingqiu.

... And Luo Binghe is freaking lost. Where is that horrible Shizun of his? He's raised through fights, through steady cultivation, through... friends? Through a good Shizun. He's having a nice new life. It's not like the life he had, but, he thinks, maybe it's retribution from the universe? Giving him what he should have had, not forcing him into a life of suffering and hatred. Luo Binghe is not going to complain about it.

Then, Shen Qingqiu appears. Well, not Shen Qingqiu. Shen Jiu.

Even though he's hostile, there's something... different about him. He's softer. His cutting comments aren't entirely poisonous, and when Luo Binghe speaks, he... listens. He looks at him as if he sees him as an equal, and more than once he found him smiling!!! Behind his fan, yes, but he was smiling!! Luo Binghe doesn't understand. Could this be... the same kind Shizun whose glimpse he managed to get in that other world? Did the universe put him before him, for him, in this world where Luo Binghe is not suffering? In this world, so that Luo Binghe doesn't have so much pain and can instead find peace?

Luo Binghe doesn't know. He only hopes that at the Immortal Alliance Conference, the Abyss won't open up and swallow him up. ... Or just let it happen. Then he can return as a Demon Lord to see if this No-Shizun really still sees him as an equal. If he remains kind, if he continues to smile behind his fan, if his face continues to light up at the sight of him even when he becomes a monster upon exiting the Endless Abyss... Luo Binghe isn't sure what he'll do, but he doesn't think a harem is necessary this time. His No-Shizun alone would suffice.)

(For his part, oh. Shen Jiu has also died and woken up in his own loop of suffering watching the flames of the Qiu estate. And he remembers everything.

This time, however, he welcomed into his the life that Qi-ge had unknowingly given him after a chance encounter, and allowed this life to exist far away instead of joining Qing Jing. He will never go near that cursed sect, nor its demonic disciple, nor all the horrible martial brothers who abandoned him to his fate to be tortured.

Shen Jiu will stay safe. He will survive. It's more than he could do before.

He doesn't mind reliving the past. He doesn't mind sneaking away. He will stay alive, and he will keep his son safe, no matter what he has to do.)

[imvec]

Proposal

[strangersteddierthings]

Jealousy Looks Different On You

[Part One] ✨ [You Are Here] ✨ [Part Three]

Steve can be a jealous man. He can be.

Just not in the same way that Eddie seems to thrive on it. Steve doesn't have a right to jealousy outside a relationship, so even if he feels jealous, he'll never act on it.

He thought it was just one of the many ways Eddie and he were incompatible romantically.

It was the same song and dance when they'd go out. Eddie would drag someone onto the dance floor and spend most of the dance making eyes at Steve until his catch of the night got jealous enough to pull Eddie out of eyesight.

Steve is used to that. That's the routine.

Except.

Well, except Eddie's broken the routine now, hasn't he?

Flipped the entire script by saying the things Steve has wanted to hear for years. I wouldn’t have rejected you and Jesus, Steve, you’re the only one I’ve really wanted.

Steve knows Eddie well enough to know that Eddie believes he's telling the truth or believes he really does want what he's saying to be the truth.

And now, sitting in silence in the back of a taxi that Eddie's gotten them, Steve can't bring himself to hope about it. Eddie's not a liar, as far as Steve knows, but that doesn't mean he actually wants Steve. Not for real. Not in the long run.

Steve can't give Eddie all the things Eddie seems to enjoy most. He's heard enough about Eddie's sex life to know they aren't super compatible in that department. And as far as he knows, Eddie's never even had a relationship. Just one-night stands and friends with benefits situations, which, y'know, Steve's not judging him about because Steve had all that once, too.

And maybe it's shitty of him to think but because Eddie's never been in a long-term monogamous relationship, Steve's not sure that one between them will work.

Okay. It's a lot shitty for him to think.

There's no real basis for Steve to think this other than that everything Steve wants out of a relationship, Eddie's shown him he wants the exact opposite.

Maybe Steve's just thinking shitty thoughts because it's easier than hoping that this might work.

The ride to the apartment is awkward only for Steve. They can't exactly talk about liking each other romantically in the back of a taxi where a stranger can clearly hear them, so they don't. Instead, Eddie chats up the cabbie about everything and anything that comes to his mind and Steve sits with just his thoughts.

Which are not being kind.

God, he's kind of a shitty person, isn't he?

Steve lets them both into the apartment and it feels different now. It's not like Eddie's never been in Steve's apartment. Hell, he's been sleeping in his old room for this whole 'break from the LA stress' he's taken. Has been here three days already, so this isn't even the first time this week that Steve's let them both into the apartment.

It's just different now that Eddie knows. Steve's been living his life with the assumption that Eddie knew but now he knows and everything is different.

"You, uh, want a beer?" Steve asks as he toes off his shoes, stalling because he doesn't know how to start this conversation. Isn't even sure he wants to because having this conversation means there is no going back. He won't be able to unsay these things, Eddie won't be able to unhear them. It'll be out there. All his hurt and love and fear and hope.

"Steve," is all Eddie says, in a tone that says 'we need to talk'.

So, Steve swallows thickly, nods, and heads for the living room. It's so stupid but he suddenly feels exposed, so he picks up a throw pillow from the couch before he plops onto it. He turns completely sideways, back to the armrest of the couch and legs crossed, pillow in his lap to act as a barrier of some sort. Something to feel less exposed.

Eddie takes longer to join him because, unlike Steve, he'd gotten completely done up for the bar and that includes full lace up combat boots that he can't easily slip out of.

Eddie finally joins him in the living room, pausing when he sees Steve before he moves to sit on the couch, one leg folded under him and the other on the floor. He leaves a respectable foot of distance between them and Steve's not sure if he's disappointed by that or not.

There is a tense silence that falls on them, neither brave enough to really begin the conversation that could be the end of everything.

"Steve, I- I don't even know where to start, man," Eddie finally says, running a hand through his hair.

"Me either," Steve says, looking down and picking at the pillow. "You were the one who said we needed to talk."

"Because we do?" Eddie sounds confused. "I, fuck man, I basically accused you of being in love with me and you confirmed it. We gotta talk about that."

Steve frowns because he doesn't agree. They don't have to talk about it. As far as Steve was concerned, they've been successfully not talking about it for years. Nothing has really changed from Steve's perspective. "What's there to talk about?"

"That you love me! And that I was, am, in love with you, too! That feels like a big deal!" Eddie cries, voice not loud enough to bother the neighbors yet but he can easily get that way. "You- why don't you seem as happy about this as I am?"

"Because I'm not," Steve says, stern and biting as he finally looks up from the pillow. "How am I supposed to be happy about this? This is going to change everything between us. Everything! And I've been- I've made peace with how this wasn't- with how things were between us."

Eddie stares back at him, eyes wide and mouth agape in his shock. It takes him a moment to recover. "I don't... understand. Why, why aren't you happy? Of course this will change things between us, but you make it sound like it'll be for the worse? I thought-"

"What? You thought you'd tell me you love me too and I'd jump into your arms?"

"Well, kinda," Eddie starts, but Steve doesn't want to hear it.

"I can't! Eddie, I can't. I'm not- I-I get that you, that you've just realized I loved you, but I've been living with the assumption that you already knew. I thought you knew for years. And now you're sitting here, telling me that you've felt the same. What, this whole time?"

"Yes! For longer, probably!" Eddie argues back, anger and hurt mixing on his face. "I've never known you to not go after the person you want, so why did you say anything sooner?"

"Why didn't you!?" Steve shouts, feeling the heat of tears in his eyes. He throws the pillow at Eddie and jumps from the couch to pace the living room. "We lived together for years! And I watched as you brought home guy after guy after guy. I listened as you waxed poetry about the perfect man for you; a fellow metalhead who would want to go to concerts with you, someone who'd play DnD with you and enjoyed your other nerd things, and-and-and," Steve stutters over the word, fighting back making a sobbing sound because it's one thing to let Eddie see his tears; it's an entirely different thing to let him hear the whole sob-fest Steve's fight back. "And a laundry list of all the kinks they have to b-be into so you don't get bored. I- God, you'd laid out your incredibly long list of standards that I didn't fit before I'd even realized I liked men. That I liked you! Why would I even try when I already knew I'd never measure up?"

He's pacing still. Movement helps him push the urge to cry down and makes the tears dry up. It takes him a while to realize that there's been no answer from Eddie. So, Steve finally gets his emotions under control and turns to look at the couch, to see Eddie's response.

He's not expecting to see tears falling down Eddie's own cheeks and wearing a face of heartbreak and regret.

[frownyalfred]

things that are not easily separated: a Green Lantern and their Ring

things that are unfortunately easily separated: a Green Lantern and the extremity their Ring is attached to

[zeldalizzy]

@x-i-l-verify, here you go!! Sky has chosen Four as his unfortunate victim for nap time... but after a while, Four doesn't mind too much 😂

I hope you like it!! halfway through my ipad like had a heartattack and like started glitching so the saturation looks different between panels but oh well 😂😭 i couldn't figure out how to fix it, so let's just say that the sun moved a little bit lol

EDIT: i fixed it 🤣 youtube helped me