#sorry I kinda hijacked this post

[bagginsgotdabooty]

Hey so like as someone that is dyslexic comic sans (and other similar fonts) are incredibly helpful. It’s one of the recommended accessibility fonts for anyone that may have difficulty with written words because all the letters look distinctly different and it’s harder to mix them up as you read. Genuinely out of the standard Microsoft fonts it is one of the best.

I love dunking on it as a meme font and everything, and I’m the first one to switch to it for a joke, but it legit improves readability massively.

If the comic sans trick helped you try setting your line spacing to 1.5 or greater, and play around with pastel page colours. You might find that you read/write better off a certain coloured page (mine is sunflower yellow, I have a friend who uses light blue and my partner prefers grey/black with white text). These are all common dyslexia accommodations but honestly I’ve seen them help non-dyslexic people too!

Tldr, accessibility accommodations are for everyone, regardless of whether you have a piece of paper that says you need it.

Anybody else got that Evergiven sized writers block

[shima-draws]

Old OCs? Can you tell us about them?

Not much to say honestly LOL like I mentioned in the tags I was super into dystopian YA romance novels in high school like The Hunger Games and Divergent and Twilight (which I guess isn't dystopian but?? I digress) so I wanted to try my hand at it. Combined with an adolescent Shima who had a crush on two different guys that were in the same stage musical as her I deadass just made a cringey Mary Sue OP self-insert protag (named Sierra) and the two love interests inspired by the boys I was enamored with to make a very cliched, very barebones YA book plot. LMAO

Basically this was teenage me's way of living out her fantasies of getting noticed by Pretty Popular Boys. That. That's it. That's really it. JKDASMASD

There wasn't much more thought put into the actual plot, I came up with two groups against each other called the Renegades (bc I thought that sounded cool) and the Adherents (which iirc I looked up what the opposite of a renegade was and that's what I got. So that's what they were called??) Idk why they were fighting. I decided they'd all have cool combat suits and that was as far as I got

I called the two male characters Nathan and Avery and had them be best friends. Pure self-indulgence had me deciding this would be a classic love triangle where both of them would fall for Sierra and fight over her. Sierra and Nathan were endgame bc I just liked Nathan more as a character. One thing I remember specifically was Sierra giving him the nickname "Natan" (pronounced Nay-tan) and I still kinda refer to him that way in my head kasdmlsfafd

If I were to reboot them now I'd still probably have Sierra and Nathan end up together just to satisfy child me but not involve a love triangle. OR just make Avery in love with both of them but cool with not getting involved. Slap an ace label on his forehead. Break the cliche lol

The reason I remembered them at all was bc I actually recently rewatched the Hunger Games saga :") Nathan is very similar to Peeta so when I saw him I was like OH MY GOD THAT'S RIGHT I had those old OCs in high school! And now here we are

[necrotic-nightshade]

Alright I’m writing this pretty late right now but I've been mulling this stuff over and putting it off for a while now so uhhh just wanted to let people know that I’m trying out she/they pronouns right now! That's really all there is actually thank u bye :3

[angevinyaoiz]

Was compelled by these tags but I wanted to put my personal analysis here! Trying to keep it strictly based on the events of the movie and not on pure speculation or external historical stuff, bc I think they do a LOT of interesting things in this short scene and what it implies about the Richard and Philip and Henry (and Louis) relationship dynamics.

I think because this happened right after his back and forth with Henry where Philip felt like he was getting somewhere until Henry did his whole smug ass "Haha I win I squeezed all the information out of you ;D goodnight!" It made him jump out of his more calculated "facts and logic" mode and into a more deeper sense of his burning resentment and inferiority complex, hence the whole "you made my father nothing...and then you made him love you for it" speech. Love is kind of established as a sign of weakness and submission, even if in this case it's not in a romantic context. Louis is a "loving man" who (in the world of TLIW) gets taken advantage of by Pushy men like Henry and Philip is frustrated with that weakness. And so when Henry smugly reveals he was just probing Philip for info, Philip feels like he is "losing" and being demeaned again and so decides to pull out his secret weapon.....His Super Special Scandalous Information jfjdif to throw more fuel on the fire.

Course the main thing is Henry isn't even that scandalized like you said ("Richard finds his way into so many legends, let's hear yours" and in the play after the telling he's just like "I've heard better" lmfao...3 out of 5 stars. Also let's not forget he's also a boydiddler too from his speech to Alais in the opening scene. The royal corkscrew is NOT easily shocked!!). Philip is playing an interesting paradox where he's basically framing Richard as the Older Predatory type taking advantage of him, but also Richard is simultaneously Pathetic and weak at the same time for caring so much about not just sex presumably but wanting to be loved and desired. Philip also casts himself as the Victim in this scenario, as the younger, innocent and un-desiring party, but also positions himself as being the strong-willed clear-headed one where it's like "yes I succumbed ...but NOT because I was too Weak to Resist or out of Fear but because it was my Genius Long Game Plan All Along."

Why does he do this??? I would say like earlier, it was kind of his last card to play in their battle of wills, and allowed him to feel like he had a one-up on Henry after Henry had been smugly putting him down the whole day. I feel the purpose of this is similar to Eleanor's outburst about fucking Henry's father later in the film. Where it really doesn't do anything helpful for her, since he just leaves to do his thing. but in the moment is an emotional weapon that she knows will hurt him. Also there's something fun and cathartic about both Philip and Eleanor's outbursts where after a long day of conniving they really relish in talking about Being Bad in a more straightforward way. For Philip it does end up being helpful in that it sets the ball rolling to reveal all the sonbetrayals in the room and gets the feelings all heightened and sows distrust amongst the family.

Also, to get a bit more speculative, but still basing strictly off what is in the earlier scenes: in the end we don't know the truth of what happened between him and Richard in the forest during the event that he recounted, or what his true feelings are. I personally feel what is implied from his earlier interactions with Richard is that there was a sincere emotional connection, and that they did both miss each other during their time apart. There's implied also a little frustration on Philip's part over Richard not keeping contact and maintaining their friendship after the marriage. But also I sort of interpret it as he wanted to reframe the story in his mind as well, maybe to himself, in a way where he comes out of it feeling like he had control over the situation, especially if their encounters were really as dubiously consensual as he implies it as being. If he did love Richard at some point, that would mean he was the one being "weak" like his father, and so to be strong and be a man and respected ruler ("No man's boy" as he keeps Insisting Very Hard in public the whole movie), he can't afford to indulge in affection the same way. The sexual element just adds another layer that, viewing both from the medieval and 1960s homophobia POV, is already assumed to be deviant and something to distance one's self from. If having the affair with Richard was only A Genius Plan to Sabotage Henry all along, with only Disgust and No Real Feelings of Affection Ever, then he can manage to wiggle out of being implicated or having any responsibility for Sodomybehaviors while pinning all the shame onto Richard (and by extension, Henry.)

So the motivation I can see as being a mix of being mad at the history of Henry overpowering his father and belittling him, being conflicted with Richard for either 1) taking advantage of him back then or 2) having had maybe for real a pleasant affair but getting ghosted 3) most likely a mix of the two. Whatever the case, his main goal was to destabilize Henry and it fit into that goal, so he just poured some extra oil on the fire I guess XD

*in some ways, it's a very 60s homophobia more than a medieval kind, since I feel in early and medieval era there's nothing that would feel off about intense emotional, borderline romantic love between men if expressed in specific socially approved venues. but in modern times even emotional affection is an expression of weakness and timidity, or if a sign of a separate lesser identity being revealed, as how it is portrayed in this movie. The sexual element as deviant is important to the luridity but the part Philip emphasizes as particularly shameful is the vulnerability of asking for love from a man and wanting it returned.

a king like you has policy prepared on everything. well, what’s the official line on sodomy? how stands the crown on boys who do with boys?

THE LION IN WINTER 1968 | dir. anthony harvey

[just-my-onion]

That anon from yesterday acting like Jack never existed before he met Lili.

His on a network TV show, has a successful tiktok account and has his own brand deals. I think he could easily get a comped trip if he asked.

I know, it's a bit ridiculous!

I know i joke about the 'cabana boi' thing, and said yesterday that's it not an insult (to Lili), but i actually do find it so disrespectful. Jack's a pretty impressive person, not just Lili's +1.

Coletits love to say shit like "a TikTok star – what a downgrade!" But it's not that TikTok is all he has, more that he's so funny and popular on there that people think of it before the fact he had a lead role in a 3-season network show.

Personally i find it more impressive that he's managed to become huge on a platform that's actually almost a meritocracy, for something that takes serious skill and talent, than if he was super famous because he got lucky and a show he was in became crazy popular. (It's also a hell of a lot more impressive than Cole's shitty acting career and photography opportunities he only has because he was a child star 💅)

And while La Brea is not exactly critically acclaimed, it's just insane that he booked the first proper pilot he auditioned for. Apparently his acting isn't great in it, but he must have been exceptional (or exceptionally charismatic) in the audition.

On top of that, he's smart as hell. Like, we're talking about someone whose peers thought he should consider law school at an Ivy as a 'backup' option.

[koolades-world]

Could you do a headcannon of mc kinda being a trend setter at RAD like because of the fact that the brothers love them the lower rank demons slowly start copying their style and how they act

sure!

sorry for those of you who don’t like genshin but I can’t help but picture this mc as kinda like navia. It would be a dream come true to be her. Navia, I’m sorry I couldn’t get you haha

Trendsetter Mc

Lucifer

he never understood the whole 'trendsetter' thing

he's an old man at heart

you may have to explain it to him

after you do, he doesn't know quite how to feel but if you're happy, he's happy

Mammon

he's tripping over himself seeing all the people that want to be just like you

he would be lying if he said he wanted to keep you all to himself regardless of the reasons the other demons wanted to look like you

he doesn't need another mc when he's spending almost every night in the real deal's bedroom

but, he'd never outright say that. you'll have to infer that from his actions

Levi

he's a little afraid that you'll want to go hang out with your new followers instead of him

it takes him a bit but he realizes you'd rather be with him

after all, you like him for him and the fact that he's not trying to be you is great

no matter how many people try to emulate you, you'll always prefer him

Satan

the longer he knows you

the more you seem like a literal book character

he's honestly surprised it didn't happen sooner

he's also quite proud of you, and is happy so many people like you

Asmo

the two of you are best friends

best friends I tell you!!!

who wouldn’t want to be you? besides him of course. asmo loves asmo haha

if you want to make this a thing, he could help you since he has connections at magolish. he'd be first in line to buy of course!

Beel

he thinks it's a little uncanny

there are so many people who talk like you and dress like you

but, he kind of understands

after all, you're the sweetest human he knows <3

Belphie

since it's belphie, he going to try to mess with you and try out different things

he's always offering you different snacks just to see if your new followers start eating it too, and of course because he thought of you when he saw it

you can bet he's going to hijack your social medias from time to time and post random stuff

his favorite thing to post is either candid pictures of you or pictures of himself making stupid faces haha

[thepagemistress]

This post from @blanketforcas got the brainworms going but I didn't want to hijack the post so here's a little thing:

Castiel was woken by an overwhelming feeling of distress, of yearning.

For the briefest moment, he thought he was back in Purgatory. Listening to Dean's desperate prayers, wanting nothing more than to reunite with him but knowing it wasn't safe. He couldn't give in.

But no, this wasn't Purgatory. It was most definitely the bunker, and the warmth plastered along his bare back, the arms wrapped around his chest were most definitely Dean's.

Before Castiel could say anything, a mutter sounded from behind him.

"Sorry."

"Dean-"

The arms tightened their grip, Dean's forehead pressing in between Castiel's shoulder blades.

"'m sorry," he said again, louder this time and all the shakier for it.

Fully awake now, Castiel managed to shuffle his way onto his other side, never quite shaking Dean's grip, until they were facing each other. "What's wrong?"

Eye contact was in short supply as Dean sucked in a breath. "Happens sometimes. Kinda thought it would stop once I got my shit together-"

"We got our shit together," Castiel corrected, earning an amused huff.

"But guess that was too much to hope for, huh. I mean, I got everything I could possibly want, right? So why the hell do I feel like if I don't like crawl inside you, I'm gonna fucking combust?"

It's said in such a rush, it took a moment for Castiel to even parse the words. "I know what you mean."

Dean scoffed and it was wetter than Castiel liked. "Sure."

"No, Dean, you misunderstand," Castiel said, finally earning eye contact. "I know what you mean."

Dean stared at him, into him, waiting for him to find the right words.

"When I rescued you from hell, we were both in our purest forms. Your body was still in the ground and I had yet to procure a vessel. It was just your soul and my grace, completely entwined. Perhaps...perhaps part of your soul craves a return of that feeling. Just as my grace does."

The awe in Dean's eyes was like divine revelation. "Huh. You really do know what I mean." It was teasing, but his relief was palpable.

"I'm sorry I never made the connection before..." he started but Dean shook his head, sniffing as he curled in tighter, tucking his head under Castiel's chin.

"'s ok. I know now. It helps." They lay in silence for a few moments before Dean spoke up again. "Could we..." Castiel sucked in a surprised breath, realising what Dean was about to ask. Pulling back again, Dean's sharp eyes darted across Castiel's face before asking again. "Could we?"

With a not inconsiderable amount of effort, Castiel managed to swallow down the frantic desire to claw his way to Dean's soul there and then. "Not tonight," Castiel uttered, voice gruff and eyes wild. Things that clearly didn't escape Dean's attention since Castiel didn't pick up on any feelings of rejection from the other man.

"That's not a no," Dean said.

"Definitely not a no," Castiel confirmed, earning an amused smile. "I just...need to make sure I know I'm not going to do any damage. I need to have control. Certainly more than I would have right now."

Dean's amused smile turned into a smug smirk. "Yeah? Gets you all hot and bothered, huh?"

"Dean, holding your soul within my grace has been the single greatest privilege bestowed upon me and I have wanted nothing more than to feel it again."

"Oh," Dean breathed, sobering immediately.

"The fact that it's possible your soul might feel the same way is...overwhelming, to say the least. I need some time. Will you give me that?"

"Yeah, course. Course, Cas. However long you need." Castiel kissed Dean on the forehead, wrapping his arms around his shoulders as he felt the man slip back into unconsciousness. "Worth the wait," he mumbled, just before sleep claimed him.

"I know what you mean," Castiel whispered.

[rosesoma]

i've seen this post multiple times already, and i don't know what's funnier to me; the fact that astarion's look reminds me of that shot from blade runner 2049 (which makes it kinda ironic in context if astarion is seeking human connection through youtube asmr) or the fact that gale's pose and framing is the exact same as the "look into my eyes. are you touched?" line from scumbag system, which is just funny in and of itself to relate gale to shen yuan in any possible way

[lightofraye]

When he looked genuinely happy to be at Cons. Now in most photo ops he doesn't look like he’s enjoying them. I think it’s becoming a job for him rather than connecting with fans. I miss this Jensen

Hey there, spn300!

I'm kinda glad I didn't post this until after my big anon ask and my even bigger essay response.

Because... this is a perfect point to what I was making.

In earlier photos and cons and everything, Jensen... seemed full of light and life. But as time went on... that light seemed to dim and diminish. Staying in an unhappy marriage would more than likely do this. Staying with someone who was likely emotionally abusing them... would do that too.

Sure, sure... it could be growing older, but... I'm not that much younger than Jensen and... no. It's not getting older. It's finding less joy in life as everything around turns to ash and dust. Because so much is going wrong.

Sorry, spn300! I hijacked your post.

Yes... I miss his smiles too.

[justwritedreams]

Nowhere left to run | San

San x Reader, bffs to lovers au!, dystopian au! Word count: 5107 (sorry lol) Genre: Angst, fluff, kinda action Author: maari Warnings: Mentions of death, ship hijacking, assassins, bruises, cuts, punches, a little suggestive in the end but nothing really happens. No proofread because I was too anxious to post this one to worry about mistakes so forgive me. Note: I've been watching too many Gerard Butler's movie so I wanted to try to write something like that and the fact that I dreamed this entire scenario last night helped so enjoy! Summary: When it seems like the end of the world, you and San have nowhere left to run.

⩥ Ateez Masterlist

“Good morning, sleeping beauty.”

Y/N smiled at the voice behind her and turned after she closed her cabin door, meeting the dimpled smile that made her heart skip a beat.

“Good morning, San!” she responded excitedly and the best friend pulled her into a quick but warm hug.

"Feeling better?" he asked as he pulled his body away from hers, Y/N pouted slightly at the lack of contact, but nodded in agreement.

“Yes, I am, the medicine made me a little groggy, but I'm used to the rocking of the ship.” she shrugged and the two of them started to walk towards the main hall.

“You should have told your parents that you get sick easily.”

“Hey, I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to travel the world on an all expenses paid ship before starting university.” she said and San laughed, nodding in agreement. Y/N glared at her friend and then her eyes dropped to his outfit. “Why the sweater?”

She didn't want to stare at him for so long but even wearing such a simple outfit, black pants and a black sweater, he managed to be the most handsome guy on the entire ship full of foreigners and tourists. And well, San had been working out lately, even though the sweater was slightly too big, it framed his broad shoulders very well and the image made Y/N miss all the air.

Couldn't she have a less handsome friend? It wasn't good for her heart.

It was hot outside though, so much so that Y/N was woken up by the hot sun hitting her back.

"I saw that it's going to get cold in the next few hours, I anticipated it, I don't want to get sick on vacation." he explained and got a laugh out of Y/N.

"San!"

"What? I'm cautious."

"So I guess no pool for us today, huh?" she asked and San scratched the back of his head.

It wasn't like she was going to take it badly, seeing San wet in a tank top would be too much for her poor heart. And she wouldn't even be able to hide it or make up an excuse since she wasn't feeling bad because of the ship and she wasn't even taking the medicine for cravings anymore.

San stopped and Y/N did the same, glaring at his friend.

"I think-" San's speech was interrupted by a loud crash.

Everyone in the main hall stopped to cover their ears at the noise, but then the ship rocked hard, as if it were made of paper, and people were thrown to the ground by the impact. Y/N closed her eyes as she fell to the ground and felt San's hands clutching her body, as if somehow he was going to protect her.

The still strong noise began to hum in the ears of the people who were confused, in pain and fallen, the ship gave another lurch and the lights failed, glass was broken and the shrapnel was thrown everywhere. Soon then desperate screams were heard.

Y/N opened her eyes and tried to locate the screams, noticing San did the same, and when she saw where the screams were coming from she wished she hadn't seen any of it.

The glass elevator had broken in half and fallen, the people inside were screaming for help, and Y/N swore she saw blood. Then she looked around and the main hall looked like it had turned into a war zone, everything was out of place and broken, the lights were dim now and she strained her eyes to adjust. "Are you okay?" San asked worriedly and stood up, holding Y/N who followed him still confused.

"Yes." she replied low. “And you?” “I’m fine.” San's voice didn't sound good but she didn't question since looked around, seeing a lady lying on the ground and she ran to help.

The lady was just as scared as she was and thanked her for her help with an almost smile, Y/N looked back at San wondering what the hell had happened there.

Strangely the ship had stopped rocking, as if it had stopped where it was. People started to help each other and a group of men went to the elevator to help the victims and Y/N put her hand to her mouth, she had stopped biting her nails when she was nervous but at that moment she didn't even remember her bad habit .

And it got even worse when she saw the lifeless bodies being taken out of the rubble, she looked away at the same moment that San hugged her and stood in front of her so that she wouldn't look at the scene anymore.

She didn't want to cry but there, with nerves on edge and in complete despair, some tears came out that she couldn't control.

Everyone in the hall started talking at the same time, wondering what had happened and why the captain hadn't said anything until now, Y/N didn't know how much time had passed but it seemed like an eternity. "Okay, look, at times like this we need to stay calm." a tall, foreign, and older man spoke a little louder, getting the attention of all the tribulations that were there.

Including San and Y/N.

He must have been Y/N's father's age, if not a little older.

"And how are we going to calm down? People died!"

"It's easy for you to say that!"

People started snapping at the man's speech and Y/N took a deep breath, she felt like her body would collapse at any moment and if it wasn't for San's hand stroking her back, it would have already happened. "And what do you suggest we do?" Y/N asked the man, who turned to face her.

"Each floor of the ship has a way to contact the captain's cabin, we try to talk to him."

"What if we don't?" San questioned, making the man sigh.

"Then we'll have to go there and find out what happened."

Y/N gulped, something said they wouldn't be able to reach the captain the quickest way.

"My cell phone has no signal!" one person alerted and then everyone got their devices.

Y/N did the same and also found that hers was without signal too, she faced San who was doing the same and they exchanged an accomplice and terrified look.

The man then started looking for a way to contact the captain through the hall, it wasn't that difficult actually as people who weren't complaining offered to help him.

Y/N clasped her hands together, mentally praying that he got what he had planned as he put the phone to his ear. But when she saw him huff and hit the phone, she knew the first plan hadn't worked. "Does anyone have the ship's map?" He asked and no one answered.

"I have it on my phone." San spoke, lifting the device and Y/N looked at him with a frown.

"Can I borrow it?" he asked, extending his hand and with the other he took his phone, turning on the flashlight.

"I think you're going to need help." Y/N cocked her head to the side as she heard her friend speak. "I'll go with you."

He took a step forward but Y/N grabbed him by the arm, feeling her heart sink.

"San, no!" she asked desperately. "Y/N please, we don't have a choice." he turned to face her, determined and she eyed him suspiciously.

Why of all people did San have to go? There were so many men in the hall, why not another one?

"It could be dangerous." she warned and he sighed, bringing his face to kiss her forehead, and she just closed her eyes at the contact.

"I'll be back faster than you know." he tried to smirk, but he was just as worried as she was. "I promise."

Y/N took a deep breath and nodded. He was one to keep his promises and she clung to that, even though her heart squeezed even more. San made a move towards the man and Y/N followed.

"What is your name?" she asked the older one when she got close to him.

"Mike."

"Why are you so sure you know what you're doing?"

"I used to be in the US Navy."

This should have made Y/N feel more at ease knowing that San was accompanying Mike but in fact it only made her more nervous.

"Take care of him, please." she pleaded and saw the man nodding in agreement, before giving San's shoulder two light slaps.

San looked at Y/N one last time and she held his gaze, visibly worried, and she didn't stop watching him walk away until she lost sight of him.

In the midst of that chaos and despair, the only thing she could think about was San getting well and returning safe and sound.

[...] Y/N walked from one side to the other, she didn't know how many minutes or hours had passed since the incident, she had already helped more people than she thought she could in the state she was in, but San and Mike didn't come back yet.

San hadn't come back as fast as he had promised, and that made Y/N cross her arms so she wouldn't have to bite the skin off her fingers since her nails had all been destroyed. She was scared, terrified, anxious and seeing people hurt and scared wasn't helping her keep calm. Her heart beat faster when she saw two silhouettes coming back and one of them she knew well but when she saw San resting on Mike's shoulder she despaired and didn't think twice before running to him. San rested his hand on his forehead and smiled guiltily at Y/N.

"What happened?" she asked, putting an arm around his waist and the other hand went to his, pushing San's hand away she could see that he was bleeding. "Oh my God."

"It was an adventure" he replied and Y/N wanted to smack him for sounding so...excited.

Now was not the time for him to be so himself.

"We tried to get into the captain's cabin but..." Mike started to speak and Y/N stared at him, confused.

"But?"

"All are dead." San replied quietly, looking at the other crew members behind Y/N, as if she didn't want him to hear.

Y/N felt her jaw drop.

"How is this possible?"

"The cabin door is locked, we can't access it from the outside." Mike started to explain.

"So I had the bright idea to see through the glass." San continued and Y/N glared at him. "But the glass was all broken so I could see a masked person strangling the captain."

Y/N felt a shiver go through her body and the hand that was holding San's fell to her side.

"When he saw that San was there, he punched him in the face."

"The glove had sharp points so that's why the cut on my face." San pointed at his wound and Y/N grimaced in pain. "And what happened to the masked guy?" Y/N asked, curious and angry at the same time.

San and Mike exchanged a knowing look.

"It was him or San. I had no choice." Mike shrugged and Y/N glared at him.

She didn't want to understand what he meant but she did and although she was a nervous wreck, she was grateful that he had saved San's life.

"Look, some people here need to go to the hospital urgently!" Y/N pointed back and Mike saw the situation.

A man had a deep cut on his chest and was having trouble breathing, a woman had a piece of glass stuck in her thigh and it was bleeding a lot, but if they removed the glass she would lose a lot more blood because the glass had caught an artery. Other people had less worrying injuries, like a broken finger or cuts on their arms and face, in addition to the bodies that they had to cover with their own clothes and cloths they found in the hall, so as not to scare the two children who were there even more. "Yeah, I really wanted that to be possible." Mike responded and walked away, going to the crew to see what he could help with.

Y/N frowned and without understanding pulled San to the ground, she went to the first aid box that they had managed to rescue and returned to take care of her friend.

Seeing that the cotton and bandage were already gone, she tore off a piece of the thin shirt she was wearing to stop San's forehead from bleeding.

He hissed when she placed the cloth on the burning cut and grabbed her wrist. Y/N stared at San with concern and fear.

"We went down to the communication room." he began to speak quietly so that no one else could hear. "Mike knows that part so we tried asking for help."

"And?" she encouraged him to continue as she removed the part of the cloth already stained with blood and put the clean part back on San's forehead.

"All communication is down, something is blocking the signal." "And what does that mean?" she asked, startled.

"I asked Mike what he thinks, he said he believes they are trying to hijack the ship."

"What?!" Y/N spoke louder and San covered her mouth while the other crew members looked at the two.

"Shhhh! Don't scream." he begged.

Y/N was wide-eyed as San's long hand covered her entire mouth to muffle the sound.

"Promise me you'll keep your voice down."

She nodded and when San let go of her hand, she took her hand away from his forehead, it wasn't bleeding anymore but the cut was still ugly.

"Okay, tell me what you found out." she asked for bass and took a bandaid out of the box to put on San.

While she busied herself with bandaging his forehead, San shared what they had discovered.

The ship had received a message from a Japanese ship, warning that there had been a leak in the sea where the ship was going to pass, so they had to change the route and ended up in unknown areas, near the East China Sea, far away from the original path that it was the Philippine Sea.

San warned that he found the message very strange, he had studied Japanese and the accent of the voice in the message was completely different from what he had studied.

Hearing this statement from his friend only made Y/N's heart sink even more, because if the original theory was kidnapping, it would make sense to manipulate the ship's route.

They had probably fallen into a trap. One that not even the captain had noticed. "And the rest of the crew?" Y/N asked San after sitting down in front of him, they would have no other way to pass the time than talking.

"They're all dead." San replied, lowering his head and Y/N hugged her own knees. "Before Mike killed the masked guy, he said that anyone leaving the ship's premises would inhale a deadly toxic gas, so he was wearing a mask. When the ship's windows broke, the gas went into the saloons and rooms further exposed, the captain's cabin and killed everyone."

"Then why was the guy strangling the captain when you arrived?"

"It was to ensure that the captain had died."

Y/N felt her entire body shiver with panic and hugged her legs even tighter, to give the false feeling that she was safe.

"The lower decks of the ship may be safe."

"May?" Y/N stared at San in confusion. "We don't know how many masked guys boarded that ship." San shrugged and Y/N ran a hand over her face.

What a great vacation she had!

"I'm not enjoying this, San, not at all." she said and he sighed, moving his body closer to hers and putting an arm around her shoulder. Y/N sagged at the contact and rested her head on his shoulder.

"On the bright side, our cabins don't have windows and the locks are with keycards so we'll be safe there."

"If no killer got there before." she said. "Will Mike tell the rest of the crew?"

"Only about the gas."

Y/N took a deep breath and nodded, feeling her head spin, so she squinted her eyes tightly and didn't bring up the subject. She stayed there with San for who knows how long, he was stroking her shoulder the whole time.

When she heard more screams, she opened her eyes again and saw that the ship's lights had completely gone out, the pitch black didn't last long as everyone turned on their cell phone flashlights, Y/N didn't even bother to turn on hers since the others were enough to light the place.

"Okay, that's enough!" a woman spoke, getting up from the floor. "I'm going back to my cabin since apparently nothing is going to work around here."

She started walking towards the stairs and other crew members started to do the same as Mike got between them.

"I really wouldn't do that if I were you guys."

"Oh come on man, we paid for this trip, don't tell us what to do." a man responded, shoving Mike by the shoulder to get him out of the way.

San got up to help Mike stop the crew and Y/N did the same.

"You can't go!" San spoke loudly and practically pleaded with the couple carrying the child with them.

"And you can't make us stay here!"

"If you open that door, everyone will die!" Mike pointed to the door closest to the stairs and everyone stopped to stare at him.

At the same moment, a strong lightning echoed throughout the ship and everyone jumped in fright, including Y/N who grabbed San's arm tightly.

"What?" a chorus sounded and Y/N looked at San, foreseeing what was to come next.

"Great, now there's going to be a storm while we're out in the middle of the ocean while some guy wants to scare us!"

"What's this about us dying if we open the door?"

"I’m serious." Mike replied, glaring at the crew. "There is a deadly gas outside the ship."

Y/N sighed when Mike spoke and everyone spoke out loud at the same time, some believed, others doubted and others didn't know what to believe.

"Americans and their fantasies!" the man rolled his eyes and Mike started to laugh. "Do you think this is funny?"

"First, I'm Scottish." he replied, laughing. "And I'm not lying." he was more serious this time.

“He’s not!” San said but no one paid attention, making him frustrated. “Bullshit! If this had really happened, the captain would have warned the entire ship.” San and Mike exchanged a look, as if debating whether to tell the whole truth.

"Look guys, I really need to get back to my cabin, all my jewels are there!" A young woman spoke and her eyes hovered over San, something that didn't go unnoticed by Y/N. "Hey, pretty, you could walk me there, couldn't you?" Y/N stared at her in complete disbelief while San looked extremely confused. “Excuse you?!” Y/N spoke and grabbed San's arm tighter.

"If you help me, I can give you something." The woman took a step towards San and Y/N stepped in front of his friend, letting go of his arm to grab his waist as she kept facing the woman.

"He's not going anywhere with you!" you horny bitch, she thought. The woman glared at Y/N who raised an eyebrow, challenging her.

The world ending outside she worried about jewelry? And she still wanted to put San in danger!

That woman couldn't be serious. “Yeah, I don’t think I-” San's speech was interrupted by Mike's scream

"Sir, don't do that!" he asked the man at the top of the stairs and everyone turned to face him.

The man who was arguing with Mike had already gone up the stairs and had his hands on the door, San grabbed Y/N's arm that was hugging him.

“Now you’re going to say that a murderer is going to come in here." the man rolled his eyes before opening the door.

The moment he put his foot on the other side, a knife hit his neck squarely and the man fell forward lifeless.

Y/N's eyes widened and San took a step back, bringing her with him as he saw a person with the same mask as the guy he and Mike had found. "Y/N, run!" San spoke and she blinked a few times trying to react while the entire crew screamed.

But her legs felt as stiff as cement so San pulled her by the arm to follow while Mike yelled for everyone to run to the cabins below.

San and Y/N ran so hard that she almost twisted her foot on the stairs, hearing the desperate screams of the rest of the crew behind her made her extremely scared, it felt like she was in a scene from the movie Scream. "Which cabin?" she asked in a hurry to San

"Yours!" he answered quickly and she took the card out of her pants pocket.

Once they arrived in front of the door, she put the card in place but her hands were shaking so badly she wasn't helping to identify the code.

“Shit!” San took the card from her hand and put it back in place, the door opened and San pushed Y/N inside when he saw that the masked guy entered the corridor where they were, the knife was dripping blood and even though he couldn't see anything of the face of the person, I knew it was terrifying.

Seeing San standing still, Y/N pulled him into his cabin and the two struggled to close the door before the masked guy had a chance to reach them.

They took a deep breath, both with their hands on the closed door and when a loud thud followed by a curse was heard, Y/N backed away from the door. She stared scared ahead and San turned his head to look at her.

"He's not going to come in here, is he?" she asked, feeling her eyes fill with tears and San walked over to her.

He hugged her tight and closed his eyes, his heart was racing as fast as hers. For a second he thought he was going to die.

"No, I promise he won't touch you." he assured her and she nodded, burying her face in his chest.

San felt Y/N tremble and soon a sob escaped her lips, she couldn't control her tears anymore and all the mixed emotions that went through her.

"It's okay, I'm here." he brought a hand to her hair and stroked it as he sat her down on the bed.

Y/N gripped San's sweatshirt tightly as if her life depended on it and cried.

She didn't know how much time passed but they continued in that position, when Y/N took a deep breath and pulled her face away from San's chest, he looked at her tenderly, taking a hand to dry her face.

"Do you want to wash your face?" she pointed to the bandage she had made, they now had the advantage of having a bathroom in the cabin.

"No, it's fine. But I really need to get this off." he held up his sweatshirt and Y/N nodded, stepping aside for him to do so. The room was warmer since she had turned off the air conditioning when she left the room.

San was wearing a black tank top underneath and Y/N had to control a sigh when he saw his bare arms, but when San got up from the bed to put the sweatshirt on top of the armchair in the cabin Y/N saw that his back was also bleeding.

"San, your back!" she said and got up from the bed.

"What?" he turned to try to see but it was impossible so he put a hand behind his back, looking for what she had said.

"It's bleeding." she warned, staring at the cut on his back.

"Oh, I think it was when the guy punched me in the face, I fell against the shards of glass."

Y/N looked with concern and before she could say anything or even blink, San took off his shirt while complaining of pain.

Although the rational part told her to stop staring at San's bare back like that since he was bleeding and apparently in pain, the emotional part of Y/N completely ignored it.

She'd seen him shirtless, of course, but that was before he started working out, when he was still skinny. Before she saw him more as a friend. And seeing him so close, made her legs shake and it got even worse when San turned to face her, showing his defined abdomen, right there in front of her eyes. Y/N cleared her throat to try and disguise that she was staring intensely at her best friend, not that she succeeded because of course he noticed, she was far from acting discreet even after they went through all that panic. "I will..." she pointed back, taking steps back trying to focus on San's face, which had an almost imperceptible smile. "yeah, I think there's a first-aid box..." San nodded for her to continue and she lost focus, ended up hitting her back against the bathroom door. "Ouch! Yeah, I'll get it from the bathroom." she spoke too fast and looked for the box while San laughed quietly, going to bed. Y/N glanced at the mirror quickly as she took the box.

"Jesus Christ!" she spoke quietly, raising her eyebrows in complete surprise.

Yeah, San had the famous chocolate abs and she loved chocolate. How could it be the same boy who had the cutest dimples in the world?

She shook her head to clear the thoughts surrounding her best friend's strong body. Now wasn’t the time to be acting like a fervent teenager.

When Y/N returned to the room, San was sitting on the bed and she placed herself behind him, placing the box on her lap. She treated the cut with care as San hissed when she touched the wet cotton to the cut, first cleaning and then bandaging. During the process they both remained silent, he sighed every now and then as she tried not to focus on how soft and warm his skin was. As soon as it was finished, Y/N sat next to San and tried to properly take care of the cut on his forehead, the first time it had been in a hurry because of the confusion but she didn't want it to get worse so she would take advantage of having all the tools to take care of it. She noticed that the apple of his cheek was purple, probably from the punch he had taken, and after he finished the bandage, her fingers went to the bruise. "It hurts?" she asked, quietly.

San took her hand and brought it to his mouth to kiss her fingertips.

"Not anymore." he stared straight into her eyes and Y/N pouted as she couldn't smile after so much tension.

"You scared the shit out of me."

“I’m sorry!” “Yeah, you should be. Never do that again.” San nodded nonstop and she sighed. "I'm scared, San. What are we going to do now? We have nowhere to go."

"We should have gone to the kitchen, at least there's food there."

"And knives." she remembered, she was still tense, thousands of thoughts swirling in her head, coming and going without permission.

"Hey." he called, bringing both hands to her face, gripping both sides to make her face him. "We'll figure it out, don't forget we're not the only survivors, Mike will probably find a way to get us out of here. Someone will miss us."

"What if they don't?"

San saw the concern in Y/N's eyes and stroked her cheeks trying to give her hope.

"We'll find a way to send a signal!"

She took a deep breath and gave up, San gave her so much confidence that she couldn't do anything but believe his words.

"I'm not going anywhere." he guaranteed.

Y/N laughed wearily.

"Because you can't go anywhere else." she answered and waited for San to laugh but he didn't.

"Even if there was any other place, this is where I wanted to be." he intensified his gaze and Y/N stayed quiet, unable to speak. "With you."

She continued to stare at him, San's gentle eyes didn't make her want to look away from the dark iris.

That was all she wanted to hear for a long time.

And no words needed to be said, she didn't need to ask him if he was serious because she felt the truth in his voice.

As if it were a magnet, San approached Y/N's mouth and captured her lips with such desire and desperation that she sighed before she could even reciprocate in the same way.

Holding her by the waist, he started a quick and at the same time sweet kiss, she was forced to take her hands to his shoulder gently, not wanting to hurt him.

San's hot lips were driving her crazy and the room became hotter, she then climbed her hands to San's neck as he pulled her onto his lap.

When their tongues met, Y/N adjusted herself better on San's lap and rested her knees on the bed, making him stay between her legs, the position made the kiss intensify and his hands went up all over her extension of her back.

She wanted to continue but the lack of breath was greater than her desire and she broke the kiss, touching their foreheads.

San's heavy breathing against her face made her smile before she even opened her eyes.

And when she did, she saw San smiling widely and the dimples showing, making her take her hands to caress, without restraining herself now.

"We should have done this sooner."

Yes, they should.

[18jewels]

Hello sweets,

I just wanna say that, along with my adoration and absolute dedication to Jelsa (Jack frost X Elsa), I share a safe space for Blackice (Pitch Black X Jack Frost), Hijack (Hiccup Haddock X Jack frost), Fear (Pitch Black X Elsa) ships as well. The order of preference kinda decreases as it goes though, if I'm being brutally honest.

Whether it's a romantic or platonic ship, that is secondary. For me, it's the dimensions and dynamics which I care for the most. Which is boosted by the fact that this is all a "fan's work". I can explore and navigate their interactions with the freedom of "just doing it for fun" and also learning how to write and design various characters. And this can be implemented when creating my ocs, and their worlds and stories as immersive as possible, too.

Sorry for the small rant post. Kinda wanna yap about idk, "after effect for an individual after spending some time in some 'x' Fandom".

As an official all time tumblr newbie and lurker, who has only been signing in using Google accounts until this year, I've been in the ROTBTD X Frozen Fandom for most of my time here. (I MEAN 7 years is no joke, unless it's considered one, idk).

And I just have to say, in a way it is a good thing, you know, to atleast know a tiny bit of each Fandom, EXCLUDING social demographics, and just floating around. Just enjoying for the sake of it while being interested in the way their respective stories unfold within the audience and devotees of the Fandom's ships and crossovers. It's all fine. You need not involve too deep and still enjoy the delicacy. Each to their own.

And then there're people like me. Who just have the feral urge to know about everything even from the most basic interactions, between NPCs even. Every nook and cranny has a hidden treasure and a new concept ready to be discovered. The concepts that mend your reality and answer questions, while allowing you to stay in own pace of discovering, genuinely speaking to your soul. Instead of just enjoying the end product, the meal brought to the table, I need to know whether the kitchen chefs have made a deal with the vendor for early access to fresh portables, or are they just making it out of magic (it's a metaphore guys, I'm not THAT crazy). You know, that sorta thing. Plus I love to design and make compositions, colour palettes, shape languages, based on these factors alone, I'm afraid. The factors that I've come up with and the lore that was unearthed and was documented under the aid and guidance offered by the Fandom, and it's talented and dedicated members, to make the end product as best as I could and to do the whole concept of "fan's work" justice. So thank you so much creators for being an inspiration by just being you. Love you all.

✨️💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞✨️

✨️🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔✨️

[chongoblog]

I'm gonna take this moment to tell everyone who does not already know to play Tunic.

You play as this adorable little fox friend who goes on a big adventure fighting bad guys, traversing dangerous temples, picking up fun items and uncovering WILD secrets. Gameplay-wise it's The Legend of Zelda with a good bit of Dark Souls mixed in there.

Now if you've never seen this game before (or if you're not OP who has probably seen this game mentioned about 100 times now because of this post), you probably have no idea why I'm mentioning it here. The reason is because in the game you can pick up pages of an old-style instruction manual.

It's an amazing addition to the game, written mostly in a completely unique language (that you can actually translate yourself! I've done it!). Additionally, there are little notes and stains from the person who owned it before you!

Anyway, if you haven't played this game I STRONGLY recommend it!

It's $30 when it isn't on sale (and it's on sale on steam through the 21st putting it down to $22) and it's worth every cent. It was easily my Game of the Year for 2022 (granted I didn't play Neon White till 2023, but I think I'd still give GOTY to Tunic). If you like uncovering secrets, fighting monsters, little dudes, and the nostalgia for old timey instruction books, you will ADORE this game so play it!!!!

not to sound like a boomer but I miss when video games included manuals with maps and some small trivia about the characters

[yandere-daydreams]

hello i recently got around to finishing the main fontaine thing and skirk???!!!

immediately in love with her, i am nothing if not a lesbian, i love women who are mean and could bench press me

i really do want to love skirk and it's such a stupid reason not to but,,, i just hate her outfit too much to fully fall into the fantasy of being at the mercy of a woman who can under-hand a fully grown man with zero effort T-T it kinda falls into the seele of honkai stair rail realm of character design where i get that it's /technically/ a cohesive look that probably fits whatever otherworldly theme they were going for, but i just keep imagining the chaffing and everything i might've felt about her is immediately replaced with sympathy pains. there's just too much detail on too little clothing. sorry to hijack this post with my character design critiques, but,,, god. hoyo give my girl a pair of pants that fit i'm begging you.

[autisticlalna]

following up on what i posted last night: how would Leontids have gotten along with the other members of Aquarium Gravel?

a general theme i picked up with aquagrav was the idea of everyone is Pretending to be a normal human person. the closest to that baseline is tJay, but he's got his own localized disaster going on. unmodified, tLeontids would fit into that pretty well-- his core "gimmick" is that despite looking close-to-human, the actual part of Leontids that is Leontids is the mask. the body is who he used to be, and it's who he's still trying to be, but at the end of the day he's a sapient mask that possesses people.

i adore tViking but tLeo would have such a bad time with him. he's easy to manipulate, he's used to being dehumanized, and once he realizes tViking views him as a tool he would be upset but wouldn't really know what to do about it. plus he'd probably already owe tViking something by then, so if something is hanging over his head then he might as well make himself as useful as possible so it won't have to be called in. vibes of "get along well on surface-level but things get less than ideal whenever they're one-on-one while tViking is in business mode". i love tViking. tLeo would not.

i have no idea what tLeo would be like around Navigator, or if they'd even interact at all seeing as Nav is pretty focused on only talking to tRuby and Sapphire and otherwise making himself scarce. if they did run into each other somehow (eg tLeo walking in on a scene and having no context to what's happening), he might think it's just tViking having a nonverbal moment and would also start writing on signs to help him feel better about it :D <- clueless. cue tRuby awkwardly ushering him out of the room or something lmao. Nav is such a big unknown that it's hard to figure out anything more than that because oh my god nav what is your DEAL.

SPEAKING OF tRUBY! despite how rocky things are between tLeo and tViking, he would've been friends with tRuby i think. also awkward moments of tRuby trying to reassure him about tViking while meanwhile tViking is also using tRuby to accomplish his goals. considering her paranoia i doubt tRuby would open up to tLeo much, especially when it became clearer that something is Wrong with him, but tLeo would try to encourage zem to talk to him... while also hiding things about himself because of being afraid how ze would react to finding out what he really is. AND THEN SAPPHIRE GETS INVOLVED AND THAT KINDA FALLS APART,

i wrote a thing with him and Sapphire (linked above) that can be summed up as "Sapphire has no idea what he's doing here or how he got here and tLeo would like to not be around Sapphire at all, thanks". like with Navigator he wouldn't put together the "this is someone else" thing, so from his pov tRuby would be creepy and ominous towards him and then not remember why afterwards. if it happened enough, tLeo would start feeling like he's playing russian roulette with "is this my friend or is this someone im scared of" and that would not help tRuby's fears of turning into Sapphire. :,D

my notes for tJay are "has a 50/50 of either helping or harming his constant anxiety". lmao. sorry buddy, your new neighbor is a bodysnatcher. although the possession thing was gonna be more relevant to tLeo's Situation (possessing his own empty shell) rather than him actually hijacking anybody else. considering what the rest of aquagrav is like tJay mightve been the only one tLeo could possess without exploding LMAO. anyway: tJay and tLeo hanging out in the trees going "everyone else here is insane" while one of them talks to scarecrows and the other one is a frisbee with ambition. although seeing as tLeo is Literally Also An Animate Object i don't think he'd find the scarecrow thing all that weird. and then also they beat each other up because offie would tell me to kill and i would /silly

while tLeo would've been put off by tFiv if he was still keeping up the tough guy act, once he realized what tFiv is actually like he would've started trying to make a connection. a fun thing with tFiv is that they're a fallen star that's homesick and likes sculk because it reminds him of home, and that's pretty similar to Leontids! in my solo series he's from space, and on the Dominionerds s1 server he had a whole plotline about sculk that's going to get referenced in some form with other stuff i do. i had a line written down for tLeo talking to tFiv about sculk and describing it as "If I get deep down enough, sometimes it feels like I'm looking down at the night sky instead of up." plus my idea for a base was an observatory, so him and tFiv could hang out there at night and talk about constellations and stuff. Leontids is named after a meteor shower :D

tVintage's love of learning about humans and what life is like outside of her duties as an angel would've continued to be the accidental comedy of "90% of AquaGrav isn't human". tLeo would've been awkward in a silly way about it and leaned in hard to the HAHA YEP I'M COMPLETELY NORMAL. YEP. I'M HUMAN FOR SURE thing to avoid suspicion. endearingly cringe. depending on what i settled on for his life pre-aquagrav, though, he might've joined in on the excitement and discovery of a new world.

the other aquagrav member he'd click with besides tFiv would potentially be tBox, which is really funny considering the huge amount of tension between tFiv and tBox. although in tBox's case, it would be because of miscommunication-- tLeo would be unphased by tBox's thing about "not having a face" because. well, tLeo. and would think that the box is a situation like his mask where tBox Literally Needs It To Exist and not "box is a horrorterror trying to not scare people with whatever the hell he actually looks like under there". as friendly as he would be to tBox himself, though, tLeo would be scared shitless of the eyes and avoid going to tBox's corner of Aquarium Gravel as much as possible. he doesn't like feeling like he's being watched.

or, in less words, my original notes:

viking: sees him as a tool, leontids is a bit :( about it but figures if he's an asset he might as well be a useful one ruby: grabs him after like "hey. dont let him be like that to you" <- also lets him be like that to them sapphire: scares the shit out of him, as seen in the comic/fic navigator: they have no idea what to make of each other. leontids thinks viking is being Weird and starts writing on signs back bc "maybe he doesnt feel talky today???", nav is also "hey. youre not supposed to be here. the heck" jay: leontids listens to him talk about the scarecrows, enamored by the snails, says some weird shit that makes jay Nervous fiv: bond over "sculk kinda looks like the stars, doenst it?" vintage: thinks hes Interesting. "humans are neat" "HAHA YEAH IM. DEFINITELY HUMAN. AWESOME" box: handshake on "always hiding their face", friendly introduction, box walks off and leontids quietly freaks out at all the eyes staring at him

bonus round thoughts: his sign color would be either warped (blue!) or acacia (he is very orange). also there was a joke about tLeo being elected aquagrav's therapist bc Everyone Has So Many Problems but uh. that probably would not survive contact with the enemy. i didn't really have plans for what his whole storyline would be, because Leontids in general has a lot of elements i would pick-and-choose from depending on what fit the overall vibe, but he's got his own brand of issues:

leontids: hi! turns out [MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR BEAT THE GAME] and im about to start crying! viking: bro im literally just standing here

i say as if leontids isnt the type of person to put his problems in the backseat when he sees what the rest of aquagrav is dealing with. guy who is so so niceys until someone finds a crack in his facade and he has a sobbing breakdown in his government mandated murder basement

UH. THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TEDTALK. BYE

[real-mr-grizz]

WELL I'M SORRY FOR GETTING THROWN INTO THE DAMN EGGBASKET BY SOME FUCKIN' LOON, I DIDNT FUCKIN ASK FOR THAT???????

「speakin' of I did kinda get sucked up and didnt die somehow...ill keep ya posted, somehow the salmonids have better WiFi then we do..」

—

-the egg basket anon [hey, the moniker's easier then introducing myself at the start of every message...]

Soooo.... you are IN the mothership?

Mind spying on them for a little while for me? Maybe hijack the ship if you are skilled enough?

[estrellami-1]

Ok I hope you don’t mind because I have Thoughts holy shit I love this

Until You

He meets his first soulmate on an unassuming Tuesday. She trips—over nothing, over someone else, over him—and grabs his arm to steady herself, and suddenly Steve can see the warm colors of her hair, her shirt, his shirt… even the reddish-orange rust on the grey lockers.

She turns to face him, and she’s pretty in an elvish sort of way, he thinks, all small, upturned nose and freckles and wide eyes. She’s got short, frizzy hair and bangs, and Steve can’t help the smile as he looks into her brown eyes. “Hi.”

She squeaks and runs away.

It breaks his heart a little, if he’s honest to himself about it, but he gets it, kind of; meeting your soulmate can be a big thing, and if she wasn’t expecting to meet him, if she hadn’t been thinking about him, about the possibility, it could be startling.

He looks for her, the rest of the day, but doesn’t see her.

He doesn’t even have a name to give his mom when he gets home; just sharp angles and bright colors and quick movements.

He learns her name in the coming weeks. Robin. He tries to talk to her, but it’s slow going, at first.

It’s not until Starcourt that she begins a conversation, and even then it’s only to accuse him of following her to this job.

“I didn’t, I swear,” he says, hands up and eyes wide, like he’s being held at gunpoint. Feels like an emotional gunpoint, after all, one where his words could be the finger on the trigger. “I didn’t even know, I just needed a job and it was either this or Sam Goody, and I don’t really look like I shop there, so-”

Robin snorts, looking almost as if she’d surprised herself with it. “You’re the preppiest of the preps,” she agrees.

He pauses, narrows his eyes at her. Hopes she knows he’s joking when he says, “I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or not.”

She looks at him. “It’s not,” she says evenly, then turns and begins walking away, motioning for him to follow over her shoulder. “If we’re gonna be working together, I’m at least not gonna work with a total idiot, so lemme teach you what management didn’t.”

“Oh,” Steve says, smiling, “so everything?”

Another snort. “Exactly.”

They work well together—they have to, if they’re soulmates, it’s kind of a given—and the months fly by until it’s July and their entire world is turned upside-down and inside-out and backwards.

There’s Russians, an entire base, under the mall.

Steve throws himself in the way in the hopes Robin will make it out.

She does, and he does too, just barely, a concussion and probably another half, cuts and scrapes and bruises all over his body, and something that feels like a broken rib.

She chews him a new one in the hospital room, all spit-filled words and tear-filled eyes, and he grabs her hand, squeezing it to say everything he can’t.

She squeezes back, and he can feel himself healing, even if that’s not something that being soulmates can do.

He sighs, the day he’s released, and looks up into the grey sky. “Everyone’s always talking about the blue sky,” he murmurs to Robin. “And the green grass.” He turns questioning eyes and trembling fingers on her. “Am I broken?”

She grabs his hand. “No,” she whispers fiercely. “You’re not broken. You’ve just got too much love to give, Steve, you’ve got another soulmate waiting for you out there.”

His eyes widen. “Do you?”

She smiles gently at him. “Not as such. I’m not missing any colors, but I know they’re not all as bright as they could be.” She squeezes his hand. “We’ll find them.”

“Yeah,” he agrees softly, then snickers. “You ever think that maybe our soulmates are the same person? Just the three of us?”

She snorts. “You know I love you, Steve, but I draw the line at knowing you’re having sex with our soulmate.”

“I wouldn’t have to-”

“But you would and we both know it,” she says with an air of finality, and really, all he can do is shrug and agree.

He puts the matter out of his mind for about another year and a half, when someone dives—is pushed—into his car, assisted by Dustin. “Drive!” Dustin demands, and Steve hisses out a curse and takes off.

“What the hell is happening?” He demands of Dustin. “Who did we just kidnap?”

“Is it really kidnapping if I’m okay with it?” Mystery Person asks, in a quasi-familiar voice, and Steve realizes why when Eddie Munson’s face fills his rearview mirror, wide, toothy smile in place. “Thanks for the assist.”

“Sure,” Steve says mildly, “but what exactly did I assist in?”

Eddie’s about to answer when the car hits a rough patch of road, and Eddie—who hadn’t stopped long enough to put his seatbelt on—is thrown forward.

His fingers brush Steve’s neck, and they both gasp in the same instant.

Steve can see the sky, the grass, and they’re both as beautiful as people say, and if he were a lesser man he’d be tearing up.

Oh, who’s he kidding? He wipes his eyes and chuckles wetly. “Y’know I couldn’t see blue or green?” He meets Eddie’s curious eyes in the mirror. They widen in understanding.

“No grass,” he whispers. “No trees, no sky.”

Steve nods. “What do you see?”

Eddie smiles broadly. “Everything,” he whispers, and Steve gapes.

“You didn’t-”

“Nope.”

“Until now?”

“Until you,” Eddie agrees softly.

Dustin looks between them like it’s a tennis match. “What the hell did I miss?”

Steve is walking down the hallway towards his math class when it happens.

Someone bumps into him, a girl he only vaguely recognizes, and she reaches out and grabs his hand to steady herself.

His vision explodes with what he knows must be color. Bright shades assault his eyes, shades he doesn't even have names for. His classmates' clothes, the tiles beneath his feet, the homecoming sign above him. Even the lights have taken on a new hue, washing Steve's entire world in something completely alien.

The girl looks as shocked as steve feels. Her eyes are wide, and her mouth drooped open as she spins in a slow circle. She's pretty, he thinks. Short hair, soft features, an unusual sense of style. She's clutching an instrument case, and he thinks that's why he recognizes her.

"Uh," he says, catching her attention. "Hi."

Her mouth opens, closes, opens once more, and then she dashes away from him, disappearing into the throng of students.

He spends the rest of the day cataloging colors. By the time he's climbing into his car (which is a color he still can't name, but has decided he likes) he's found at least a dozen different shades, and he wonders how they all fit into the seven colors he's been told are in the rainbow.

He tells his mom when he gets home that day. She is ecstatic. When Steve admits he doesn't have anything to tell about the girl herself, his mom turns her attention on naming colors for him.

It becomes quickly apparent that something isn't quite right. He'd been so focused on everything that was new that he hadn't realized what was the same. He still sees a lot of grays. Blues, purples, greens,and violets are all still lost on him.

That doesn't make what he can see any less spectacular, though. Oranges, reds, pinks, yellows. The yellows are his favorite.

He'll meet his other soulmate, his mother assures him, as they sit in the backyard, admiring the rich golds and reds of the trees that he can now see, standing out against the gray of the sky he knows should be blue.

He does, about two years later. He's picking Henderson up from school one afternoon, but instead of Dustin climbing into the front seat like usual, the back door swings open violently and not one but two figures scramble into the back seat.

"Henderson, what the fuck?!?"

"Drive!" Henderson screeches, his head popping up between the seats. "Go, go, go!" A hand, not Dustin's, reaches out as the stranger tries to sit himself up and fingers graze his temple as he's peeling away from the curb.

"Motherfucking assmunch-" Dustin is saying, "thinking he can get away with that shit-"

But Steve isn't paying attention, because the trees are green and the sky is blue and the world is suddenly right.

Steve looks into the rearview mirror and meets the gaze of a shocked-looking Eddie Munson.