#switched over to beta editor

[legendaryl0stpieces]

@elegancemultimuse continued from here. [x]

"Oh, I'm well aware." Mason teased lightly with a grin, he couldn't help himself whenever she was around. She had the power and he would bend to her will at anytime actually. Making his way into their bedroom, discarding some of his clothes as well. Once they were in the bedroom, he turned to kiss her softly.

[paragonrising]

@normaltothemax continued from x. ( jake lockley )

She jumped down and landed next to Jake, glancing at him when he asked her opinion. When Carol’s gaze fell to the mass in the centre of the crater, she grimaced. It looked disgusting, veins converging and forming a fleshy, swollen… orifice. She cringed, she was not one to back away from a challenge but well, this was just gross.

Carol leaned over the edge, peering down into the darkness. A horrid cold radiated out of the pit.

“Only one way to find out,” she said, energy enveloping her as she leapt into the hole.

She was falling for a solid few seconds before her feet hit moist, meaty ground. Carol’s glow illuminated a cavern of strange rock, marred by those pulsing veins that weaved their way through the walls. That sound she’d barely made out above, it was louder here, but not by much.

“Well, this sucks,” she murmured, noting the numerous tunnels that spawn off this central chamber.

As Jake landed down next to her, her glow dimmed until just her fist radiated light. That chill they’d felt above was heavier down here, Carol could see her breath now. She frowned as she approached the cave wall, touching the stone. 

“This substance isn’t found on Earth,” she stated, as she looked down at her wrist console. “It’s not in my database, either.”

She broke off a shard and tossed the piece to Jake.

“You ever seen anything like it?”

[sinsoakedsaints]

the tumblr legacy phase out starts tomorrow, rip to my sister

[springbreezc]

♡ — for @cloudlores​​ | continued from here

"some do say that i missed my true calling of comedy and that i'm wasting my talents in medicine," sai returned the flat tone, betrayed by the slight quip upwards of their mouth.

rubbing his hands together in an attempt to warm them, he wondered, not for the first time, how he had wound up so damn far down this bumpy path with a cast of nefarious characters around him.

"so if i do this, we're even then?" they had no choice but to be agreeable. "i brought only a few instruments with me to work with," in the event his instinct was right and his expertise would be needed, "so i hope that you don't need me to perform open heart surgery or some shit like that."

[normaltothemax]

@detectiveconnor from here

All kinds of alarm bells were going off in Clint’s mind as Connor unlocked the fence. Something was off here. It wasn’t even that Clint thought Connor was planning on killing him, or anything (he was pretty sure, at least). He’d just been in enough bad situations to recognize one when he saw it, and this? This right here? With the pitch black building and no sign of anyone anywhere? His gut was practically screaming at him that something was wrong.

Clint trusted his gut.

“You sure about that?” Guard up, he followed Connor through the ‘gate’, risking a glance back over his shoulder as he went. He couldn’t see anyone following them, but if they were good, that wouldn’t mean much. Turning back to look at the building, he frowned. “Doesn’t look like anyone’s home.” The place looked empty. Abandoned. Didn’t seem like anyone had been in or out for quite a while.

Now, Clint didn’t know much about Android shelters, supposed it could look abandoned on purpose, but it didn’t seem overly likely. Not when they were supposedly expecting Connor. If that was the case, someone should’ve at least come out to greet him, by now, right?

What he wouldn’t give for his bow, right about now.

[courier2lw]

The distinction made for West made him a little uncomfortable. But there were no pointed looks in his direction so he hoped the Legion wouldn't be making a grab for some dusty amnesiac courier. He highly doubted they would make proper use of his medical skills. From what he'd heard and seen the Legion were stuck firmly in ancient Roman thinking on medical advancements and liked it that way.

West looked up, as if expecting to spot this other power ganger that they'd spared. Or recruited. His attention was brought back with the book shutting, a slight jump. The Sierra Madre wasn't that far from his mind. Things still spooked him more than he cared to admit. He still had trouble sleeping. He couldn't smoke much and knew he fucking shouldn't at all, but it calmed his nerves as much as booze did. But drinking and walking in the desert all day was asking for trouble.

"Nothing. Just the package." West gave a shrug, tapping his courier's bag for emphasis. "Mind if I have a chat with the fella?"

The long list of dead didn't go unnoticed by West. He just couldn't afford to think about it. And it was in the past. What was he going to do about it now? Just one guy against a pocket of Caeser's Legion?

CONTINUED : @courier2lw

One of the scouts returned to their frumentarius’ table with an old, leather bound book. “Thank you.” Gabban barely lifted his eyes to properly receive the young soldier’s salute, and eventually dismissed them with a wave. It wasn’t often that he was dispatched with a troop and his manners betrayed a discomfort with their rehearsed conventions. He’d rather be leading an execution than be responsible for the livelihood of other unfortunate souls like himself.

Most of the names written on the census were unsurprisingly marked deceased, yet he carefully thumbed through the pages and searched regardless of his own thoughts on the matter. “We do get some recruits.” Then a pause as he traced a line down one of the pages. “Though most of us are taken, not gotten.” Profligates should have known this much, he thought, the Legion has never hidden the fact that its armies are made up of captured men.

His hand twitched to a stop as he went down along another string of names. “Well, what a surprise. You’ll be happy to know that your Oliver is alive.” Gabban read the small description his princeps had left behind, this powder ganger had, both literally and metaphorically, won the lottery.

“Though I doubt he’s still around. I’m sure he’d find it difficult to stay after being spared from his execution. There is, however, another surviving powder ganger you could ask. Who knows, they might have known each other.”

The frumentarius snapped the book closed and looked at the courier with a little more interest, a sharpness more befitting of a wolf than a man. “What business do you have with the powder gangers?

[home-ward]

editing

Editing is one of the essential parts of creative writing. This post is to help you with improving your project.

Regular editing is helpful after each writing session. I like to read through my scenes once before saving my document.

You should wait to do major edits until the end. I only say this because I spent years “editing” manuscripts as a procrastination technique to put off finishing the story. If you write the entire thing first, edits will come after.

Some people give their work to beta readers/editors as they go. I do this to a degree by sending each finished part to someone for edits. But I don’t address that feedback until I’ve written the entire thing. This allows me to get the story done, which is the most daunting task.

Adjust your mindset when you get ready to read feedback. You’ll be more receptive to criticism by taking things less personally and remembering that the piece needs to be stronger.

Proper editing will be done with an agent and editor from a publishing house. Try to keep in mind that you just need the piece to be as good as you can get it. The story will never be “perfect” and will likely go through more changes if you get it published.

Accumulation of fears can lead to doubt. You may end up over-editing or avoiding it altogether.

Don’t assume you’ll have no work to do. There’s always ways to improve, and getting feedback is the best way to address that.

So, what’s the best way to edit?

1. Start by scanning each scene right after you’ve written it.

2. Before changing major elements, finish the story part by part.

3. Use a beta reader or editor to give you some feedback as you finish each section. Begin by asking other writers if they would like a buddy read in return. Don’t assume you’ll need to pay for editors, because many writing peers will trade a story with you.

4. If you’ve finished your book, set it aside for awhile. This could be a week or a month; it’s up to you how much time you’ll need to decompress. I use this time to think about anything other than writing. Come back to the story when it feels right.

5. Apply general edits to your work before sharing another draft with readers.

6. Switch your mental state when it’s time to apply their feedback. Take each edit as a potential to strengthen the work and decide what hard changes to make.

7. Query once you’re satisfied with your draft. Remember that more edits will come when someone is interested in publication.

As writers, we don’t always love this process. But not everything is about drafting! How will you chisel that draft into a masterpiece without some revisions?

I hope this was helpful.

🤍 Heather

November, 2024

[legendaryl0stpieces]

@divinedxsign continued from here. [x]

Chelsea really liked waking up here, and next to Andrea and that was the most important thing to her at the moment. Yeah, she had family but things with Andrea were different and there was no question about it, she wanted more. As much as she could possibly get and what the other woman would allow her to have. But she didn't want to pressure her into anything at all. "Thank you so much." She stated, looking over at her once again. "I don't mind making us breakfast at all. What would you like? Or more like what do you have in your fridge?" She questioned with a small smile on her lips.

[pretty-batty]

Crybaby

Eddie x Judy (ofc) Part 11 of Eldath's Priestess 5754 Words

Warnings- SMUT (18+), angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, non-penitrative sex, tiddie fucking, monster fucking, mentions of past gay escapades, mentions of past threesome (hinted to be Billy), MEDICAL MENTIONS: needles, overdosing, drugs, intracardial injections. Mentions of major character death. Now on ao3. Thanks to @anakinkshamer, my beloved beta reader and editor. Notes: not canon compliant, also mungrove as a pairing isn't fully addressed, but hinted at.

Summary- As Vecna's power grows, Judy is faced with an impossible choice.

Samwise was bigger than the rest of the demo-bats, waddling at Eddie’s heels like a medium-sized dog. Eddie could only take walks in the dark since he returned home. The yellow of his eyes reflected any light that would shine near him, so sticking to the deep woods would avoid that possibility. Although, the predatory gaze of his personal horde of demo-bats also kept people far from the trees.

This was Judy’s first time joining him, clinging to his arm to keep herself from falling. She understood why there was a “no flashlights” rule, but with the moon covered by pitch black canopy of trees it was impossible to see. No doubt Eddie’s supernatural abilities gave him night-vision, but Judy’s occasional thump “ow” proved that it wasn’t shared.

“You want me to carry you?” Eddie finally asked.

“No, it’s fine.” A lie. It took another scuff of her shoe against a surfaced tree root for her to relent. “Yeah…yeah I’d like that…”

He crouched down, Judy’s hand tracing along his shoulders, feeling around blindly before mounting his back. His arms formed stirrups for her legs. “Your loyal steed, my lady.”

“Thank you, my precious paladin.”

“Paladin,” he finally rose to his full height, Judy wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “Haven’t heard that one in a while.”

“Sorry, I thought you’d prefer dungeon master.” She said, pressing a kiss at the crown of his head.

“If I can stay your paladin, that’s all I need. Edward the Stalwart and Princess Nim Hellarad, reunited at last.” He smiled, switching up his gate to provide extra bounce, Samwise chittering in surprise.

Judy rested her chin on his shoulder. “You think they’ll get a happy ending?”

“I’ll make sure of it, buttercup.”

A screeching rang from beyond the trees, accompanied by a torrent of flapping wings. She expected the trees to stir with Eddie’s own creatures as the larger horde passed over them. But they remained, chittering and snapping at each other, none taking wing.

“What’s going on?”

Eddie rolled his head slightly, groaning. “Vecna’s calling.”

“Like the frenzy?”

“Not that bad. It controls the creatures, not me. But my little buddies wait until I give them permission.” He explained. “So, Dustin tried to explain it to me. It’s like those circuits they had us build in school. There are two lightbulbs. The mindflayer is the battery. Vecna is one switch for one bulb. I control the other. If I’m awake, conscious, the connection is possible, if I’m unconscious, then no connection.”

“I’m not even going to try to get you to elaborate.”

“Basically, if I’m asleep, so are the bats. And all I do is take naps so…”

Judy pressed a kiss against the cuff of his ear. “Among other things.”

“My favorite things…” He purred, “speaking of…you wanna go home?”

“Yes please.”

Samwise stayed outside when Eddie continued to carry Judy inside, still on his back. Wayne was at the plant, Margie in bed. Still, they tamped down their giggles as much as they could. Judy reaching back to lock the back door, her hand returned to Eddie’s shoulder, tapping it twice. “Down, please.”

“Nope. This floor is no good, Princess Hellarad. I must find a suitable place for you.” He announced. Swiftly, with new purpose, he moved to the couch, letting her plop down on the cushions. He turned, gazing at her in the moonlight. “No.”

“Eddie come on.” Before she could finish he lifted her bridal style, carrying her up the stairs and into Wayne’s empty room, plopping her on the bed for a moment.

He stood, panting. His face began to glisten with sweat. One more deep breath. “Nope.”

His body hunched over, yanking her over his shoulder. His arm wrapped around her waist, Judy’s arms pressed against the center of his back. She shook her head with a smile, “Goddamnit.”

Eddie opened her bedroom door with one hand, tossing her on her bed. He closed the door, leaning his body against it casually then turning the lock. His eyebrows rising at the click. Judy was halfway done with taking off her pants, shoes already yanked off with the laces still tied. “Eager, are we?” He asked.

“To get my clothes off, yes.” She smiled.

He laughed, slowly quieting as she continued to shimmy her jeans off her legs, panties as well, chucking them to the side. Her thicket of dark hair glistening in the moonlight as it peeked through the branches of the tree outside her window. Eddie’s hand ran down his inner thigh, moving to stroke himself over his zipper. His claws scraped against the denim, eyes soon latching completely to the sight of Judy’s breasts falling from her unlined, wireless sleeping bra.

“You okay, big fella?” She asked.

His top teeth slid across his bottom lip, pulling the bottom stitch taught, releasing a calming breath. “Your tiddies are always so pretty.”

“You have something in mind?” She purred, lifting her remaining clothes over her head, letting them drop to the floor. She laid back on her pillows. Bathing in his gaze as it poured over her glistening skin like honey. She already knew what he wanted, and she’d gladly oblige. Her hands reached down to the meeting of her thighs, her arms pushing her breasts together. Her right fingers stroked along her clit, the left teasing her entrance.

Her breasts were poised perfectly, caged by her biceps, hypnotizing Eddie with each breath she took. He stripped himself bare, climbing from the foot of the bed, over her body. Before he could straddle her waist, cock poised at the bottom of her sternum, Judy raised her left hand from between her legs, running her slick coated fingers down his cock. Just wet enough to slide in with no resistance.

Eddie's cock slid between her breasts, his tip poking from the top, dusky pink against her moonlit skin. Her left hand settled on his hip, her right continued to pleasure herself. After one pass through her soft tits, his tip began to leak. He hissed through his teeth, leaning his head back to reveal his neck to Judy, her eyes latching on his bobbing Adam’s apple.

Her nails gripped his hip just below his scar as he continued to thrust, smiling at the sight of his two clawed hands reaching down pushing her breasts together himself, rolling his dark thumbs over he nipples. Her top teeth dragged over her lip as their gazes met once again.

Her arms relaxed, no longer needing to hold anything in place. She simply focused on her own pleasure, strumming her aching bud. Any sort of orgasm would do at this point. Her other hand migrated up Eddie's torso, running her thumb over his nipple. The friction set him alight, thrusting quicker and shallower. Each time she looked down, she could see his leaking tip, glistening and dripping with need between her breasts.

She gave his nipple a slight roll with her fingers. Eddie's lips parted in a higher pitched moan. But he kept going, closing his mouth with an “mmm” before closing his eyes, Judy continuing the action a few more times. That sound he made was enough, a wave a pleasure spread through Judy's body, leaving her with that gentle buzz beneath her skin.

She pressed her head into the pillow, exposing her long neck. Eddie's thrusts became more erratic. The sight of her, exposed and used, covered in him and nothing else, must have been the last straw. Before he could ask her to stick her tongue out to catch it, his cum spurted from his tip and up her neck. His mouth opened with another cry as more emptied from him. Judy quickly tilted her face down, lips parting and tongue stretched to accept what he had left. He managed a few drops for her before he let go of her breasts, leaving his spent and aching cock bare.

Judy withdrew her tongue back into her mouth, swallowing his spend as he watched, her right hand finally released from under Eddie’s thigh. A combination of his sweat on her forearm and her own juices on her fingers were muted by her aching wrist, wiping her hand and arm on her sheets before bringing it up and rubbing it with her left hand. Eddie reached down with a “here”, taking her wrist in his fingers and massaging it. “Haven’t fingered someone in a while, you’re out of practice.” He smiled.

“I mean…if you’re offering, I can always play with what you have.”

Eddie let out a laugh, “not my thing.”

“Right, Mister Stone Top.” She added, pausing for a second as Eddie fished tissues out of the box on her bedside table. There was a tightness in her chest, nervous about intruding, before letting it go as she asked. “Did you ever try it, before you got with me?”

He gazed at her, gathering his spend from her neck, wiping it away. His expression softened, “yeah…not a fan. It hurt and I didn’t like how it made me feel…like…emotionally.” Eddie threw the tissues away, gathering more as he moved down to the valley between her breasts, now parted to their respective sides. The soft tissues left her skin dry. He continued rambling, “Honestly, didn’t like the head part either. I mean getting head from a dude, great. They go in and like get it done, man. But like…giving head. Depending on the size, it would feel invasive. I would listen to these guys talking about loving big cocks and how they felt in their mouths, and I was like ‘I prefer it not to hit the back of my throat, thanks.’ Just a sensible four is as big as I need.” Eddie tossed the other tissues away, then paused. “You never asked me about that before.”

“You never asked me about my escapades either. Thought it would be…invasive to ask you.” she explained, sitting up and pulling her knees so her chest. She didn’t know why she felt so self-conscious. “Maybe I was scared that if we talked about it, I’d tell you about what I did, and you might get…weird about it.”

“Me? Get weird about that? I think you have forgotten who you’re with, baby. And what we’ve done together.”

Judy’s face felt flush. “Or that I might feel…jealous…of the people you were with.” She continued, “but it’s weird…because I don’t feel jealous. I feel…”

Eddie’s mischievous smile emerged, his nose pushing past her knees and into her face, “turned on.” Judy looked away, lips tight in embarrassment. He let out his signature chuckle, “baby, the image of you going down on another girl has gotten me through many a night.”

“Really?”

“Oh, fuck yeah. But when I got with you, and when we did that thing with whatshisname…I realized I didn’t like sharing you.”

“I didn’t like sharing you either. And you didn’t even fuck him.”

Eddie pressed his forehead against hers, bumping their noses together. “So, whatever we did before, it’s fine. Nothing to be ashamed of. We can use it as spank bank material for each other. I’ll think about you being three fingers deep in a cheerleader, and you can think about me fucking jocks in the ass.”

Judy let out a wheeze before reeling back and cackling, quickly covering her own mouth, making sure not disturb anyone else in the house. Eddie smiled, pressing a kiss on her nose. “Only! If I have your permission. You already have mine.”

She nodded with a regal air, “Of course. You may jack off to my lesbo escapades.”

Eddie hopped off the bed, his softened cock bounced in the air before he got on his knees, bringing his fists down in a pump of victory, releasing a voiceless “YES!”

Judy continued to stifle her giggles, as did Eddie. His eyes followed up her bedside to her legs, the little hairs almost twinkling like rhinestones. She hadn’t shaved in a bit, but her comfort level with Eddie made it so that she didn’t need to fret.

He rose to his feet, climbing over top of Judy again as she lowered her legs. He rested his ear against her sternum, bracketed by her soft breasts. Her skin smelled like him, and a little bit of her too. Her heart’s gentle rhythm playing beneath his stitched-up cheek. “I can’t believe you’re mine, buttercup.”

Judy’s chest ached at his sweetness, soothed by a slight kiss from the corner of Eddie’s mouth. Her long fingers ran through his curls, nails softly scratching at his scalp. Eddie, like the large beast he was, let out a purr.

She smiled, “I always was, baby.”

As Eddie finally drifted off to sleep, the horde of deformed bats in the woods grew silent as well. The night was finally still.

-------------------------------------------

Maybe telling Judy their plan was a bad idea. That’s what Judy thought, at least. She could feel the sweat form on the back of her neck as Dustin continued to explain how Rick was the only one who could supply the “sedatives or whatever”. Her face grew hot again, eyes fixed to the cabin floor.

She had no place to argue. These kids were all gifted. Strategic in their planning. But feeling Rick’s eyes on her made the feeling of helplessness worse. Judy finally spoke, interrupting the meeting of the young minds. “You understand that an overdose that size can kill him? We’re just gonna breeze past that. There is a fine line. And we don’t have the equipment that could keep him alive.”

“Under my watch, he’ll be just fine. I’ll make sure of it.” Rick said.

She stood up from her spot on the couch, throwing off the balance of the room as everyone else remained seated. “You? You’ll take care of it? I wouldn’t trust you to water my aunt’s azaleas.”

“You can’t blame me.”

“I can blame you for everything if I want to. You got Joe hooked on heroin, persuaded him not to go to rehab before it got bad. He’s dead. You had Eddie selling the harder shit while you were locked up to keep your product moving, had him selling ketamine, the ketamine that Cunningham wanted, and it ended up with her dead in Eddie’s home and Eddie falsely accused of her murder. If you hadn’t persuaded him to do that, he would be fine, he would be living with me far the fuck away from here.” She reached her limit, “So no, Richard, you won’t take care of it. Because I can’t stand the idea of losing Eddie aga-” She shut her mouth, clenching her teeth.

Dustin stood up, walking himself between her and Rick, his hands up to her in submission. “Okay, that’s fine. You…could do it. Right. You got that training.”

Judy’s eyes stung, realizing she hadn’t blinked the entire time she was ripping Rick apart. She closed her eyes, a rogue tear leaking from the corner of her eye. “Have you talked to Eddie about this?”

“It was his idea.” Dustin insisted.

Thum. It had been years since she felt that. The hallow drum within her chest and the mallet striking it, shaking off the cobwebs. She returned to her spot on the couch, Steve to her right, the arm rest on her left, the door behind her.

Thum.

All she had to do was get up and leave.

Just go. Get up. Get back up.

Steve’s hand moved, resting on her arm. It was softer than she expected, warm. “I’d trust ‘em.”

Her voice came out several decibels lower, “Rick or Eddie?”

“Both.”

The meeting continued the plan being very similar to the one from months back. Separate, go in through different points, weaken him, and send in El for the kill.

Judy finally spoke again, “are we sure it’s just El he wants?”

“What do you mean?” Asked Mike, a slight scoff in his voice, “that’s all he’s been saying.”

“Well,” she continued, “from what I heard, it’s Will too, and Max. And it was the three teens who died in spring. People who were face to face with the Vecna or the mindflayer.”

“When did Vecna see Chrissy in person?”

Judy felt her skin prickle, realizing watching the pieces emerge into a single image. “In 1976, a flu swept through Hawkins. The sickest kids had febrile seizures and went blind. The local bio lab made a treatment. The doctor in charge of it, Doctor Brenner…brought his son.”

“One…” El whispered.

She nodded, “Some of the children who received the treatment were Chrissy Cunningham, Fred Benson, Patrick McKinney, Barb Holland, Marty Miller, Vicky Blake…and me.” Her last admission was quietest, hanging in the air. “There are others besides me and Vicky that are alive. No one is within twenty miles of Hawkins, except me.”

“So why are you still here?” Robin asked. There was something about her tone, or the ‘still’ that she added that pinched at her skin.

Judy bit back, “Because my boyfriend is here, and now that I know some of you are willing to kill him, again, I’m definitely not leaving.” She knew she was a little sensitive, a nerve had been exposed when Rick arrived. But her bitchiness was surprising to even herself. “Sorry, that was really mean. Maybe it’s the anxiety or something…but all of this,” her hand moved in a circle to her right, “isn’t helping.”

Her stomach started to gurgle, indigestion, again. She reached into her purse, fishing out her Rolaids, unwrapping a disk and popping it in her mouth. As she chewed, her hand cupped her face, rubbing her nose on her own skin in a hypnotic pattern. Their voices turned into a rumble in the back of her mind, rising and falling with intensity.

“Who was Joe?” The voice carried softly over the others.

Judy looked to her right, where Steve once was Max sat. Her ginger braids over her shoulders. She answered, “He was my older brother. Died thanksgiving of eighty-four.”

“I lost my older brother too, well stepbrother.” Max explained.

Judy placed her hand over Max’s, giving a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry to hear that. Not something you can get over.”

“His name was Billy. You might have met him. He was an asshole.”

Judy’s gray eyes widened for a moment, grateful that Max could not see her expression. She knew Billy very well…too well…the way his lips pressed against her skin as it spilled over her leather bralette, how his curls looked in Eddie’s fist. She blinked hard to clear her mind.

“But he was your asshole.” she added, shaking her head with a slight laugh. “I know it.”

Max smiled at that, soft, haunted. It dropped. “He was killed right in front of me. This flesh creature shoved its tendril through his chest, punched a hole right through. I can still smell it sometimes.”

“I wish there was something I can give you to make it easier.” Judy admitted, “but there isn’t. You’ll always think of him, and it’ll always hurt. Just each time you do, try to dig deep and find the good memories. Anything to drown out the last thing you saw.” Her mind wandered to Joe’s face, lids half-closed, color seeping away. She shook her head, blinking again. “Sorry about the unsolicited advice.”

“It’s okay.” Max said, “did you know him?”

She took in a breath, letting it out. A little bit of truth was good enough, perhaps his music selection, “yeah. Scorpions, Ratt, Poison. His regular bands. He was nicer than most of my customers, but I think it was to score the eventual discount.”

“Judy!”

Her gaze moved with the nod of her head. The cluster required her attention. Rick had ducked out before she could see him. They had relocated to the kitchen, a map sprawled out on the dining table. She approached. The huddle parted, Robin quickly caught Judy by the arm. “Hey, I just wanted to check on you.” She took a beat, gathering her thoughts before opening her mouth and “I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to come off as mean sometimes I just have those tone problem at least my parents say that I do and I can’t really tell when it happens until it hurts somebody.”

Judy managed a smile, taking both Robin’s arms, “hey, it’s okay. I’m in a place where I can’t…” she searched her mouth for the words, finding none. Just managing a, “ya know?”

Robin nodded, “yeah, definitely.”

“But I appreciate that you’d check on me.” She gave Robin’s elbows a soft squeeze before parting, “I gotta go see what curly wants, before he gets mad at me.”

“Keeping him waiting is never good.” Steve added.

Approaching Dustin, Judy found herself approaching a quartet of young men. Shoulders hunched over the map, murmuring amongst themselves. “So, what do you need?”

“You and Rick need to cover Eddie, the best placement is your house.” Will said.

Dustin continued, “Far enough from a gate that if something goes wrong, it stalls Vecna from being able to regain his bat horde to his location.”

“There is a big chance that this will kill him, you understand that? For all we know, Vecna is what’s keeping him alive.” Judy chewed on her bottom lip, “so either the overdose kills him”

Mike concluded. “And Vecna loses control of that horde permanently.”

“Or Eddie survives the drugs, Vecna dies…and Eddie dies.” Judy finished, “God you guys are really dead set on killing him.”

“We don’t know if it’ll kill him. His wounds have healed. You might be able to restart his heart with a defibrillator.” Lucas introjected.

“That’s not how it works. Defibs only reset an abnormal heartrate.” She explained, “It’s not like tv. You’d have to give him epinephrine, either intravenously or intracardially, all the while doing continuous chest compressions. And I’m not trained to put in a line. Hopefully, in that time, Rick would have called EMS. God knows I can’t bring myself to trust that man.”

“You’ll have to.”

The words spat like hot grease, her lip curling in disgust. “I’ll have to talk to him about this.” She meant Eddie. Her Eddie, who somehow managed to assist in concocting this plot that would most certainly end with his death. Judy was beginning to think he wanted to kill himself. Not knowing that Eddie, in fact, had limited time anyway.

His “not yet” had turned into “not ever” as he pushed the inevitable discussion of his death further away. Robbing Judy of solid ground, until she was blindsided by this eventual execution in 36 hours.

By “talk to him about it”, Judy originally meant scream at him about it until she had an aneurism. But when she got home to him, his sad puppy eyes, his guilt-ridden expression. She could only melt into his arms and sob. The two landing on the entryway floor.

“I don’t want you to die.” She managed choke out, another deep sob wracked her body. “Please, Eddie. Just tell me you don’t want to do this.”

Eddie’s chin rested atop her head. “I don’t want to do this, baby.” He ran his cheek along her hair. She had managed to fold herself into the smallest shape possible, curling into his lap. “He’ll kill me, regardless.” Judy let out another wail, muffled by Eddie’s t-shirt. “I’m so sorry, Judy. Wish I had told you.” His lips parted in her hair, at first to press a kiss, but only to let out a cry of his own. His chest shook against her cheek. His speech became clenched and difficult. “I don’t wanna die, babe.” He hiccupped, “But I w-will.” He sucked in a breath. “Jst wanna do something right.” His voice ran dry, managing quiet whimpers of “I’m so sorry, Judy.”

Wayne and Margie were sitting on the back steps, each with a glass of whiskey in their hands. While Judy had been told of the plan from the Scooby Gang, Eddie had told Wayne and Margie. Their faces now haggard and pale, carrying the heavy burden of the incoming death of another nephew, another son. Samwise, like the dutiful companion it was, stayed at their feet, purring in an attempt to comfort them, only seeming to unnerve them instead.

Within the next day and a half, Judy and Eddie didn’t leave the house, hardly leaving the bedroom. If they did, it was together. Attached at the hip, or both hips, arms around each other. As if they were teenagers again, finally together after almost a decade of avoiding their feelings. But the reason was different this time. In counting down the hours, neither one wanted to miss a moment. Judy could never get sick of Eddie. And Eddie, riddled with terror and guilt, just wanted his girl close. To smell her, feel her, to open his eyes and see her.

“My princess” “my angel” “my girl”, anything he could call her other than her name would pour from his lips. As for her name, he practically breathed it. Wrapped around her, within her, anything he could do.

While they spent their last moments together, Margie and Wayne made their plans to evacuate, at their children’s behest. Wayne was the more reluctant of the two. But after many tears and pleas, Margie was in the beetle driving to stay with a friend in Indianapolis. Wayne, on the other hand, was much harder to sway.

“You needed me, and I wasn’t there.” The older man insisted, “I can’t live with myself again if I failed you a second time.”

“You didn’t fail me, pop. But if you die in this…” Eddie took in a deep breath, “I need you to be here for Judy when it’s done. And me…if I magically survive. Please, just this once, listen to me.” He reached out, the first time he had separated himself from Judy in hours and brought Wayne into a hug. “Please, I need you to get out of here.”

Wayne’s arms slowly wrapped around his nephew, holding him as close as he could. His eyes shimmered with tears before finally relenting, “alright.” He gave Eddie one last squeeze, “you stink, son.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, just…clean yourself up before you do your thing. Don’t want you runnin’ around lookin’ like no one cares about you.” Finally, they separated, Wayne giving his nephew one last kiss on his forehead, ruffling his hair. No doubt something he used to do when Eddie was younger. They said their goodbyes before Wayne got in his car and slowly rolled out of the driveway. He lingered in front of the house for a moment, before raising his hand in one last wave, driving east and out of Hawkins.

6 Hours remained.

Eddie and Judy rarely showered together. Unless they were willing to exert significant effort neither of them could get properly clean. This was their last chance to try again. They got in the shower, bare chest to chest, rotating together in fourths to get properly clean.

“This is so stupid.” Judy laughed.

“Listen, babe, I don’t know what you want from me.” Half of Eddie’s mane was under the water, the other half still white with suds. “This was your plan.”

Judy was in the same situation, a direct mirror of Eddie, water down half her curls, the other sudsy and smelling of oranges. They continued their dance, taking a hour for a normal shower. Taking as long as they needed. Drying each other off gently, peppering each other with kisses when they could.

Attempting to make six hours feel like an eternity. And to their effort, it did. They were cuddled on the couch together when there was a knock at the door. Early afternoon. It was time.

Having Rick inside her home again already set Judy’s teeth on edge. There was only so many times she could stand him patting Eddie on the back, insisting on how happy he was that Eddie was alive.

“I’m not used to this superhero shit, man. You know that.” He reiterated, laughing to himself, “but if it means ridding myself of my stash and starting over in a more legitimate product, I’d call it a win.” Rick paused at the silence, “What? It’s a joke! God, can’t tell jokes anymore with you kids. Always so serious.”

“Garage, by the way. I don’t want that acrid smell in my house.” Judy managed to say.

“No problem, boss.” He gave her a casual salute, gathering his supplies once more and leaving out the back door.

Eddie approached Judy, his claws running down her arms to cradle her from behind. His nose pressed against her ear. “Hey, it’ll be okay. I’ll be alright.”

“No, I’m supposed to be the one doing the reassuring.” She turned in his arms, bringing her hands to stroke his face, trailing her shaking fingers over the crags of his maw. “I just…”

He caressed her wrist, pressing his lips against her skin.

“I don’t want you to die. I can’t do that again. I can’t…” Her voice stopped, hiccupping into a panicked gasp. “Oh God.”

“It’s okay, Judy baby. If anything happens,”

“No.”

“Yes, you need to listen to me.” His hands grasped her by the sides of her face, forcing her to meet his yellowed gaze. “If anything happens, it’s not your fault. It was never your fault. I love you more than…” He shook his head, no words could express it. “It was always supposed to end like this.”

Judy’s eyes bubbled over with tears, completely obscuring her view. Her back teeth ached from the clenching, holding back any wail that wished to escape. “Please, Eddie.” She whimpered.

“You’re mine, buttercup. You always will be.” He brought her face to his, pressing his lips to hers. She gave way, accepting his kiss, his tongue, his reassuring smile. His hands finally released her cheeks and gripped any inch of her curves he could reach. Holding her as close as he possibly could, and adding another inch with each breath, her sobs finally quieted, dancing across her tongue to him. The more he kissed her, the more he could hide his sobs. Each gasp for air was simply that, a gasp. Every draw of her lips soothing his terror, and the taste of her tongue brought him bliss.

He finally spoke. “Or” they finally parted, “I’ll be perfectly fine, everything will go well, you’ll revive me, and we’ll move to Pennsyltucky,” another quick kiss on her nose, “and raise angora rabbits.”

Judy finally wiped her tears away, finally able to see Eddie clearly. His face was red and wet, a testament to his own sorrow. “Perfect.” She whispered.

“Misses and Mister Sondheim.”

“Still wanting my name, huh?” Judy asked, her face found its way to his. Her hooked nose to his cheek.

“Well, I’m not keeping this one.”

The walkie-talkie crackled awake, Robin’s voice rising above the static. “Bat-Daddy, what’s the status?”

“You gotta say over.”

“Over.”

“Bat-Daddy?” mouthed Judy.

Eddie wiggled his eyebrows, “you know it, crybaby.”

“Wait…. wait am I crybaby? Eddie do they call me crybaby?”’

He shrugged.

“Crybaby are you there? Over.” Dustin.

Her top lip twitched for a moment, snatching the walkie from the table and answering. “No crybaby here, but there are two bat parents. You may call me bat-mother, thank you.”

There was a pause before Dustin added, “You gotta say over. Over.”

“Over.”

“Okay, cool. What is your status bat…mother?”

Judy gave a definite nod, “Thank you. Asshole is cooking up what we need. He’ll get us when he’s ready. Then I’ll reach you during bedtime…over.”

“Let’s get you in a k-hole, big fella.” Rick said with a smile, poking his head around the storm door.

Eddie took Judy’s hand, pressing her knuckles to his lips. Then he made his way to the garage, Judy trailing behind.

“Shirt off, big guy. Judy, can you find his entry point? Below fourth rib.”

The two were surprised on his forward nature.

“You said you have emt training?” Rick continued.

“No…just first aid, who told you emt?”

Rick waved off the question, fixing a cap over the epinephrine shot. “Can you do an intracardial injection?”

“I know how, but I’ve never done it before.”

“Okay, cool.” He affixed the shot in the hard leather case, followed by the sound of zippers and clinks of metal. “Here.” Rick’s arms wrapped around her waist, the buckle of the fanny pack clicking into place. “So we don’t lose it. Now,” his attention shifted to a shirtless Eddie, finally getting to see his scars, “fuck bro they weren’t kidding. Uh…belly up on the floor.”

Judy watched Eddie follow the direction. She followed suit, her fingers probing his chest until she found the correct position. The sharpie in hand, she marked it with a heavy circle. “Like those tests say, fill the bubble heavy and dark.” Her hand shook as it drew the marker away, capping it.

“It’s gonna be okay, baby.” Eddie whispered.

She smiled, pursing her lips to blow air on to the mark.

“No babe…over a bit.”

“I’m not blowing on your nipple, you nasty boy.”

Eddie raised his brows again, biting his bottom lip. “Suit yourself.”

“I’ll literally do anything you want when this is over, and you live.” She let out another stream of air, moving her aim for one last puff, gracing over his dusky pink nipple and winking at him as it stiffened.

“You two done? As much as I dig the love, very cool, I do need to knock this boy out before he turns into Carrie or something.” Rick offered Eddie a little cup of pills, rattling off the concoction he had created, comprising of downers and a paralytic.

“Hearing a white guy say ‘dig’ will always be weird.” Judy muttered, watching Eddie sit up and take the cup from his hand. She turned away from both of them before Eddie’s free hand touched hers.

“I love you, buttercup.”

She pressed her lips into a line, swallowing back a sob. “Love you too.” One last squeeze of his hand before he let go, knocking back the pills, following it with a glass of watered-down vodka. Gently, Rick and Judy guided him to the back wall.

“My paladin.” She watched as the medication started to take effect, Eddie’s eyes slowly dulling, lids fluttering closed. Judy rose to her feet, taking the walkie from the table. “Bat-mother to cave, bat-daddy is down. Over.”

It's the homestretch now children. Thank you my friends for reading! See ya next weekend! Ps: don't worry mungrove babes, I got a fic for you in a future. Tag List: @loserboysandlithium @userchai @secretdryrose

[demonicdeadbeat]

𝔞𝔟𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔯

I'm Oliver (he/they interchangable), I'm in my 30s, and I'm a roleplayer and writer who does (sometimes very) lazy literate style roleplay. I'm disabled, trans masculine nonbinary, neurodivergent and I like to think I'm a decent enough RP partner if we click. I have Discord, which is predominantly where I roleplay. I reply usually multiple times a day.

I don't care much about literacy levels or mistakes, as long as you have some grasp of English and we're having fun, why does it matter?

You must be 21+ to RP or interact with me. I have no interest in even SFW RP with minors. I don't care about your IRL gender or what have you though.

𝔠𝔲𝔯𝔯𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔩𝔶 𝔰𝔢𝔢𝔨𝔦𝔫𝔤

Most of these are m×m as I strongly prefer that. Enby×m is fine also. I do f×m incredibly rarely and only if I can play the guy. Trans and intersex characters are very much welcome. Some of my favourite OCs are trans masc themselves and I sometimes AU my favourite canon characters as trans masc too.

Generally I will play either half of these pairings. I also enjoy occasionally doubling up if there's a plot you really want to play also.

I enjoy writing smut and kink immensely, but do also enjoy plot too. A 50/50 split is good. I have a Kink Garden page I can give out on request to see if our kinks align.

I only use real person or solely descriptive FCs. No anime and no cartoons, sorry. I am not picky about your FC usually. I generally favour FCs over 25 at least, and tend to only play people over 30 myself.

I really like becoming friends outside of the RP, I love making playlists, mood boards, chatting, text message threads if appropriate, etc.

My characters are usually switches and vers, but I can assume a more top or Dom role, or a more bottom or submissive role, if it works with the RP.

I do not generally use Tupperbox or related bots but I could for the right RP partner!

Fandom Based:

Generally I am very open to AUs and love putting my favourite characters into them, so don't be afraid to ask if you have your heart set on an AU for any of the following.

Good Omens (Aziraphale × Crowley)

FFXIV (OC × OC only)

Baldur's Gate 3 (Astarion × Gale, Astarion × Wyll, Astarion × Halsin, Gale x Wyll, Durge × Most Male Canon Characters, Tav × Most Male Canon Characters)

Fandomless:

All of these ideas are deliberately vague, so we can plot together!

Modern with Supernatural Creatures (Vampire × Werewolf, Werewolf × Werewolf, Undead/Immortal race × Human, Monster × Human generally)

Modern with Magic (Any pairing that fits the setting, including AUs)

Dungeons and Dragons-esque/High Medieval Fantasy (Knight × Prince, Prince × Commoner, Adventurer × Adventurer, Monster × Humanoid generally, Pirates, High Society, Forbidden Romance, any other pairing that fits the setting, including AUs)

Modern (Kinky Hedonist × Newbie to the Kink Scene and other kink lifestyle based plots, Sugar Baby x Sugar Daddy, Musician × Techie, Poet × Musician, Writer × Editor, Florist × Artist, Artist × Muse, Soulmates AU, Forbidden Romance pretty much anything)

Omegaverse (Can be added onto any other plot tbh, I usually play Alpha or Beta against an Omega, but could play an Omega too if wanted against your Alpha or Beta.)

Interested? Contact me through this blog and I'll send you my Discord username!

[tearitar]

2, 5, 6, 17, 26 for the ask meme!

2. Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

I wish I had the mental fortitude and perseverance to write a groundhog day fic. Writer who can slog through multiple retellings of the same events and keep the differences all in order AND coherent... they are stronger than I. I've outlined an idea once but the fact that I even had to do an outline... tch... TCH. Me? a oneshot writer? Nah. Maybe one day.

5. Share one of your strengths.

mmm... I keep saying humor to questions like these so I'm gonna try and dig a little deeper and say I'm pretty good at keeping characters grounded, even in ridiculous situations. It's nice when people note that the way I write characters is ... very human, I guess? And when it's intentional, it's gratifying to hear. And even when it's not, it makes me happy.

6. Share one of your weaknesses.

i can give up so fast and simply not care. I wish I had a little more tenacity for longer fics over 15k. There's some kind of switch in me that balks when I draft an outline and I just KNOW there are gonna be some necessary parts that will be boring to write, and I will be, like "nah, that doesn't sound fun. i only wanna write fun". Like the delayed gratification marshmallow test. i will fail every time.

17. Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

Scenes out of order! I write the fun parts first, unless it's a drabble or something as short as 1k words.

26. Do you beta yourself? If so, what kind of beta are you?

i think im an alpha If it's a longer (serious) fic that's over 5k words, and I really want it buttoned up for a gift exchange or formal trade then I likely will ask around. Otherwise, I haven't used a beta reader in a long time, mostly because I write short fic and I'd rather not bother. (fun fact: i do not like any version of a #no_beta tag on ao3. like. who cares? this isn't a job you're getting paid for. fic writers should not inherently need or be expected to have a whole fucking editor. be confident. if people can't handle having a couple of typos or weird grammar bits in something that's free to read then they can pound sand)

On that note, I don't think I'm a very good beta reader for others either. I can do a basic typo/grammar check, but I'm not great at... being critical? Pointing out sentences or plot beats that are awkward, or seeing unclear narration. I'm so vibes-based... I just know what I like to read and what I don't. I'm bad at being thorough as well, but I will try for a friend!! Beta-reading for myself tends to just involve me posting it up then of course finding ten typos immediately. Nothing helps as much as live real time pressure. And even them sometimes I don't fix them, out of laziness. :|

[sxmthingwicked]

Aodhan sighed, dropping his hand to his side. His sympathetic side understood...he really did. But then...there was the other side of him...the one that wanted more. A life that never ends, a life where sickness and disease are all just a very bad dream. Where Aodhan could do whatever he wanted. "We can take her with us...we can live together and do anything we want...please Quinn. Come with me.'' Aodhan pleaded once more.

Open Starter.

Open to all!

Do not, under any circumstances, like my starter!

Summary: Aodhan tries to convince your muse to become immortal with him.

Note: Aodhan was Sean’s old name before he sold his soul.

“We can leave all this behind.” Aodhan spoke, taking the others hand into his. “We won’t have to live in fear anymore…not even Death will be able to touch us.” He whispered. “Please…come with me.”

[normaltothemax]

@batteredoptimist from here

"Oh? What do you do, if you don't mind me asking?" Making his own schedule sounds nice, though she can see at least one pitfall. It's probably difficult to keep himself motivated. To actually make himself work during his self-appointed working hours when it's so much easier to just not. Maybe he doesn't have that problem, though. Maybe that's just a Riley thing.

His question gives her pause, leaves her just blinking at him for a moment, caught by surprise. "You want to watch me sketch?" It's not the first time she's ever been asked, it just always feels somewhat strange to hear. Oftentimes, drawing feels somewhat personal to her, like she's putting a bit of herself onto the page with every stroke of the pencil.

But she'd literally just been thinking about how she basically wants to do what he's suggesting, so she nods and shrugs, flips her sketchbook open to a blank page. "I mean, sure, if you want. It's not always a quick process, though." Not that she expects him to sit there until she actually finishes. Her subject might not even stay that long.

For a moment, she just stares at the page, head tilted. Her pencil hovers over the paper, moving but not quite touching yet as she maps out in her mind where she wants to start. And then she does. It's just shapes at first, light brushes of the pencil, but the details will come later. "You can talk if you want," she tells him as she works. "It won't distract me, or anything."

[wistfulstarling]

Devils Night By Penelope Douglas

My thoughts on the devils night series

Trigger warnings: All tws from DN series, sa mention, grooming mention, this is not a positive post. Note: Credits to @pro-logue-epi-logue for giving me the motivation to write this (girl I was about to write a whole essay in your comments) this is the first and last time I talk about this series because I swear it gives me a headache. Also, i think there might be too many heart emotes here (╥‸╥)

So, i read the DN series a while back (all the damon-winter content had me hooked and they, at least, did not disappiont but more on that later). This series was not what i expected for one, and for two i literally did not expect it to be a series at all. My opinion is probably biased based on my liked and disliked characters, if you disagree, scroll.

I'm dividing this into two different sections, the books and the characters because as a writer myself, (and someone who has analyze and review books thoroughly as her 2024 goal) i think the two deserve to be viewed separately as much as they do together. This is by no means meant to hate PD this is again just my personal thoughts on the series.

Also, I read this series some time ago, so my memory isn't very fresh. Feel free to correct me (gently).

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ THE BOOKS ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

ღ Corrupt [Erika Fane and Micheal Crist]

‪‪❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬⁠♡♡

Three stars for the first book in the series. Why? Well, to be honest, it was boring.

I think, while the book was boring, it held potential. Everything was setup nicely, and I feel like everything went just downhill from here.

Rika, at least in this book, was an okay character to me. She was a lost girl (understandably so), she wanted to live a little, get into trouble (like every highschooler in a piece of media not written by a highschooler). Even her obsession with Micheal was understandable. The plot was nice, it was mysterious, kept me hooked and didn't bore me (too much). The pace was a bit slow for my taste but by the end of the book i knew why it was slow and i enjoyed it.

The writing left a bit to be desired, but i think that that's just a me problem. I like a very certain kind of writing style which involvles a lot of deep thought from the characters and a lot of internal monologues (this style gets executed flawlessly by Trisha Wolfe, in my opinion) but I understand that characters from devil's night (at least Rika and Micheal) aren't people who'd have that kind of thought process.

Overall the book set a pretty good stage for the rest of the story to unfold. Rika felt relatable, Micheal was okay (a little dumb but he's not the brains of the group) unless of course we mention the grooming but we'll do that at a later time.

My only complain was that, in the begining the book felt very confusing but again, that might've just been me. I loved the aesthetic the story was promising and the atmosphere built by the story telling was mesmerising and immersive.

ღ Hideaway (Kai Mori and MOTHER Nikova Banks)

❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬⁠♡♡

Banks carried the book on her back, I said what I said and I will not be taking it back.

Anyway, so three for this book too because this book had potential but it was ruined by PD's favoritism for Erika. Listen, I understand self insert characters and even I have some in my stories and I love them more than life itself but I don't think Penelope accomplished what she wanted by shoving Rika down everone's throats.

The writing and pacing was all over the place. Rika was in scenes that had nothing to do with her and overall i think PD jumped too fast to some scenes and took way too long for some others.

The book would've been so much better if PD's editors or beta readers would've helped with the pacing. As an author myself, i understand how hard it is to not include your favriote baes in everything but that's why we have editors. So, this one I'm not holding onto to PD enitrely. (Despite the injustice Banks was done.)

ღ Kill-Switch (Damon Torrance and Winter Ashby)

❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬⁠♡♡

Boring ahh, virtually no plot whatsoever, my girl winter was done so dirty and overshadowed by Erika and Damon throught the entire of the book. #SoftWomenCanBeJustAsBadassAsTheCunningOnes.

This, ugh, I can't figure out if i want to put this in the books or characters. But god help me, the idea of feminism is flawed asf with this book is not great. Now, I don't know whether that idea came from PD or the fandom, but characters like Winter and Emory are constantly overshadowed by either 1. The men in their lives or 2. The other "badass" female characters (Alex and Rika, I'm so pissed because I wish I could add Banks here but my girl barely gets any screentime)

Overall, it was just Damon and Winter's love story before getting into the finally book. Not too much to say about it. I already said what I had to about the actual main character being overshadowed by Rika who, surprise, is not supposed to be the FMC of this particular book.

ღ Nightfall (Will Grayson and Emory Scott)

Warning: My opinion is going to be biased asf here because I'm someone who suffered physical abuse as a child.

❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬‪‪♡♡♡

One star because in this book there was only 1 star, that was the star of the show, Emmy.

I'm kidding. Two stars because, yeah. This book held a lot of potential but I think either PD just doesn't work well with series or she was rushed to do this because all the potentiometer went into a fiery drain.

Actually most of everything was okay. PD could've solved the plot very easily by making Will's plan succeed but the moment Alex popped out of her little hiding spot, I cringed. So hard. (Cue me trying to keep my emotions in check while writing this)

This wasn't Alex's book and she shouldn't have been there. And I felt so SO bad for Emory throughout the entire book. I liked past Will but present Will irked me to no extent. It's like PD saw the vision of the character arc of "sunshine gone dark" but she kind of missed.

As someone who suffered emotional and physical abuse, this book was slightly triggering (grrh, Alex) but overall two stars.

One for not messing up Emmy's character and two for building good character relationships with Emmy and her two sidekicks in the story. (I forgot their name I'm sorry, Rory and Micah? Or something similar?)

The plot, the pacing, the resolving. Everything left me wanting more. It just wasn't right.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ THE CHARACTERS ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

Going to try and summarise my thoughts on them with as little words as possible so I don't ramble

ღ Erika (3/5)

She was understandable at first, she could've been a great example of someone who's kind, empathetic but still can be strict when necessary but the writing of the books failed her. I can understand why she turned the way she did at the end of her arc (Micheal literally groomed her and felt insecure when he couldn't control her anymore) but I think she's a strong character despite being annoying most of the time. I like that she looked out for the girls (a little bit, before the writing failed her and she turned into a pseudo feminist pick me who thrives from male validation) Deserves to break away from Michael's grooming and become her own person.

ღ Micheal (3/5)

Boring, boring, boring. Groomer. His personality got more drained the more the books went on. Manchild.

ღ Banks (5.5/5)

One of the only two people with brains. Literal the strongest character in the series. Can't relate to her but I wish I could. She survived so much. Kai doesn't deserve her. Someone needs to make her happy, like actually. She deserved so much better than what she got.

ღ Kai (4/5)

Boring but not as boring as Micheal. Has a personality, ig. Has (some) braincells. (Thank God the asain genes didn't fail) He should've listened to what Banks went through. Does not behave like a very healthy partner from what we've read.

ღ Winter (5/5)

My baby. She deserved so much better. Underrated opinion, she's actually so strong. Takes everything life throws at her with a smile. The sweetest badass ever. I will defend her with my life.

ღ Damon (5/5)

My baby (derogatory). I'll protect him with my life but I'll punch him first. Actually probably the only guy with actual brain and the only one who wouldn't cheat on his wife, given the absolute chance (imo). Manchild (affectionate). I love to hate him and hate to love him. Call me Winter cuz I'm blind to his red flags.

ღ Emory (She's so amazing she broke my scale and I swear I can treat her better than Will)

Screaming, crying, throwing Alex against a WALL for what she did to my baby. She's so me. I understand her. She deserved better than Will but I'm glad she gets to be happy at least.

ღ Will (3/5)

He treated Emory horribly but past Will was the cutest sunshine ever. He deserved better. Manchild (derogatory). Idiot (derogatory). I'll fight him (affectionate).

[Not going to give it for Alex or Aydin becuz they're not main characters but Alex gets negative seventeen out of five because she's a bitch (no, not a bad bitch. Just a pick me bitch who told a recovering alcoholic she preferred him drunk) <33]

[devouredher]

- - - - - - - S T A R T E R C L O S E D - - - - - - -

♡ potential connections: wife's sister or cousin, (step) sister/daughter, niece, neighbour, son's gf, daughter's best friend, etc. ♡ alt. muse: any of my older male muses. ♡ written with beta editor, can switch to legacy.

“oh we are just so proud of our girl here. honour student, and soon to be valedictorian. am i right?” he pressed a soft kiss along her temple, his hand caressing her inner thigh under the table. he watched her squirm in the corner of his eyes, and he couldn't help the slight smirk trying to form along the corner of his lips. it was cruel to force her to keep his thick cum in both of her holes during dinner. even worst, to keep a double ended dildo shoved deep inside her with a duct tape over her crotch to keep the toys in place. this was her punishment for thinking she can move in another state for college. he knows the only real reason why she would want to move there was because of her boyfriend, whom currently sat in front of them. even tonight he didn't give them a chance to be seated next to each other. "she's still keeping her choices open when it comes to choosing the right school. right sweetheart?"

[peletier]

@wexarethewalkingxdead || switching over to beta editor! || continued from.

carol fiddled with the next corner of the bar. her lips twist into a defeated smirk. head bobbing in a nod, a sigh rights her expression again. even though blue eyes roll towards the ceiling. reading across the cracked plaster as if there's answers written in the peels somewhere--carol comes up empty-handed with any excuses for rick. for what happened. or for herself. she did what she did.

she'd do it again. without hesitation.

"they were already dead. close to it anyway. there wasn't a miracle cure waiting to bring them back. a few more hours? maybe overnight? when no one was lookin' and then who knows what could happen? well. we do. we know what can happen. those kids we have? everyone else? we had a whole lot more to lose than two people who we were gonna lose after they laid there suffering. i did what i needed to do. ...yeah. me."

shane swings back into view. "i'm not how i was when you last saw me. not anymore. haven't been for a long time. i just don't..." her shrug says what words start to fail her for. it hurt. still does. that he'd decide she wasn't trustworthy. that she couldn't be alone with the people she loved. that what she did was wrong and now she was more dangerous than a man that'd tried to kill more than one of them. it's insane to her. the rationale behind it. she knows he feels like he did what he had to do. exactly the way she did.

carol just wishes he wouldn't have ever felt that he had to do it.

their years together? what they've been through together? should be enough.. enough to what? who knows? maybe she is how he sees her now. dangerous. not to be trusted. did she lose herself that deep? fuck. her eyes sting and she finishes up her bar in silence. a few quick bites that give her a break.

after brushing her hands together, she rubs her palms on her thighs and settles back into the sofa. "now your story... how? how are you here?"