#the more aware marcy is the better

[agalychnisspranneusroseus]

Darcy pretending to be Marcy send tweet

[arolesbianism]

Shakes the bars of my cage I need to draw soooo bad I need to draw I need to draw let me draw I have to draw I need to draw I must draw (<- has been too sick to be on electronics much and doesn't like doing traditional art)

[inbarfink]

"Just move forwards, Simon! Well, maybe I don't want to move forwards!"

Okay, so it’s pretty damn obvious that Simon’s whole rant here is not just about the physical act of moving forwards through the Time Room. Like, I don’t need to explain what ‘moving forwards’ means in this case, right? But… the thing I’ve been thinking of is that the metaphor here might actually extend more than just this one line.

Because, yeah, Simon does need to move forwards. Metaphorically because embracing change and accepting you can’t actually go back to some idealized past where things were Better is the only way he can actually be happier. And literally because there is an Angry Beetle Cop out to murder his head off for the crime of being chosen by God as a sapient hard-drive. 

But moving on is hard, and you know why?

Because it is hard to move forwards in this silly little mumu.  

And again, this is both metaphorical and literal. Simon is fully aware that he should move forwards with his life, but this robe is yet another painful reminder of the trauma he’s trying to move on from. Yet another example of people treating him like he’s Ice King. Yet another symbol that him being Simon again is seen as some sort of a mistake.

And also, it’s just obviously physically, literally uncomfortable for him to move in this thing.

Simon was forced into a fit designed for a Wizard who could Fly. He’s constantly lifting it up and being so careful about his steps as to not stumble on it, and also trying so hard to not flash his genitalia to God and God’s two OCs that he shoved in his brain. Not to mention he’s running around the Time Room barefoot. And, like, at least when Ice King wore this he still had underpants.

But the thing is.... like, okay, the thing about the Shorts Scene is that it is kinda unfair Fionna got her outfit upgraded into a more comfortable variant while Simon still has to wear the Trauma Robes. But the important thing to remember is that Fionna got those lovely shorts because she explicitly complained about the skirt.

You can say that Simon’s problems should’ve been Obvious and maybe that’s true… but it’s still notable that unlike Fionna, who immediately complained when she started to find her outfit kinda uncomfortable - Simon lets out one sarcastic grumble when he first gets the robe and then just keeps his mouth shut and quietly wallows in his misery until he reached his breaking point. 

That seems notable especially with what we see of Simon in “Simon Petrikov” and how hard it is for him to be honest with his loved ones about his problems. 

I’ve seen some people express some anger at the way Finn and Marceline acted towards Simon during that episode. Saying they didn’t care about Simon enough. But Simon was deliberately hiding his struggles from them - and especially from Marcy. You know, he opened up to Finn and Finn was honestly doing what he thought was best. The problem being that Finn is pretty-messed-up himself and not good at therapy.

And Simon decided the best solution was just to drop the whole thing and pretend that Finn’s adventure did help as a way to end that nightmare without directly confronting him about Actually Making Things Worse. As far as Finn is concerned, Simon was doing badly and is now doing well. And as far as Marcy is concerned Simon is doing just fine! And this situation is not likely to change unless Simon actually speaks up!

Of course, this is easier said than done. I mean, like I said, he was TRYING to open up to Finn and from his perspective, got punished for even trying out for help.

And with the mumu, the situation is a even more complicated. Yes, Simon didn’t speak up when he had the chance to say ‘hey, actually it’s also pretty hard to run around barefoot in a robe! I would like some Pants please!” But also… where Finn and Marceline have both expressed nothing but genuine concern for Simon and take his issues very seriously in their own way - Prismo, Fionna and Cake have all been kinda callous about Simon’s situation and his mental well-being so far. 

So maybe it wasn’t totally unreasonable for Simon to assume that any attempt to assert what would make it easier for him to actually move forwards will fail. Or at least would be far too emotionally grueling to actually be worth it. I'm not saying that's for-sure what would've happened. I mean those three aren't just jerks for the sake of being jerks - it's just that Prismo is kinda occupied with his own grief-induced-depression-spiral and Fionna and Cake don't really get Simon yet. And we're surely going to get to a point in this narrative where these two genuinely care about him too sooner or later. But I can see in that moment why he would think that.

And so he keeps wallowing in the misery and resentment as it gets increasingly harder and harder to keep going forwards. Until he breaks and decide that maybe, what he actually wants is to just stop.  

[spookberry]

i know this pic is pretty old and canon may have changed since then but do you have a more hd version of the lineup of the color guardian generations over the years? its from 2022 on your deviantart but dA compressed it! id love to hear about the older teams, like anita's first squad

You mean this thing??

Honestly the other teams aren't super relevant outside of a few characters and I like the idea of leaving it vague enough that there could've been even more guardians embetween the ones here.

But yeah I can tell you a little about everyone!

-Anita was one of if not the first Color Guardians. She was actually very close to her Green specifically. They were Best Friends even before becoming Color Guardians(this leads to conflicts with Rin later because Anita tends to compare the two). Their group wasn't around for very long, no one knew the stakes or how serious everything was back then... That is until one colorless attack that ended with Robin dead and Anita having disappeared with a spark of light. Robin was cheerful and kind. Seeing him die left a bad mark on his teammates that they haven't let go of to this day.

-because of her disappearance Anita was assumed dead too. Both by Layla, the police and even her own family. Octavia showed up on the scene shortly afterwards. She never knew Robin or Anita, but Layla's trauma and the fact that it was just them two for the longest time left a deep impact on Octavia.

-Even after Octavia outgrew her role as Blue, she still worried for the next generation. She made a point to track down the next Blue to as soon as she could in order to teach him everything she knew. She's an adult now and teaches self defense classes to the general public, but also special classes for Guardians specifically. All the Blues have met her, and Chiyo even introduced her to Kimi so Kimi could get better at fighting. Layla wants nothing to do with the newer guardians, so Octavia avoids bringing them up, but the two do check in with one another still.

-The teams are generally organized by which Blue is active, because theres always an active Blue. I labeled him Remi up there but I eventually renamed him Russell, he's the second Blue. Much like Octavia, he spent most his time as part of a Duo, up until she was killed in the line of action. It was only near the end of his career as Blue that Nia and Charun became Colors. Nia met Sue a couple of times and can remember her fondly, but Charun never met her.

-Dimitri is also an interesting character. The only other Pink that anyones aware of, he was an active antagonist for most of his time. He often got in the way on purpose and would sometimes help colorless out just to see what would happen. With the power of friendship and gay tension he eventually turned a new leaf. Though not before Russell hit him with a car(they're married now).

-Marcy and Nia are the most relevant past Guardians to the modern group. Marcy has a tough start as Blue. Everyone on the team had been a Guardian longer than she had and already expected her to fill the leadership role that Russell had. Not to mention the youngest and littlest Guardian Veronica appeared right after Marcy. It was a lot of pressure to say the least. But the four of them developed a pretty intense bond cuz of it. Unfortunately much like the others, Marcy's time as Blue did not end without tragedy. There was a really hard fight once that they almost lost. Charun and Nia got hurt really bad to the point where Charun outright rejected being Green(a painful process) and now hardly speaks to any of them outside of the occasional pesters from Nia. Nia herself was already disabled, but the fight has made it harder to manage. She always knew the physical stress of being Red would have negative impacts on her but she doesnt regret her time as Red nor does she regret any of the choices she made during that time. Marcy broke a leg as well during this which permanently ended her dance career.

-More on Nia actually, she was always the heart of her group, encouraging everyone to keep face no matter what. Even after it all she still continues to push her friends forward and check in with all of them. Her younger sibling, Benny, looks up to her a lot, his Guardian form mimicking hers in many ways.

-The only one who came out unscathed physically was Veronica, though having watched the emotional fall out made her wary of teaming up with any of the Guardians outside of Benny for a while. Benny's a simp too so he follows her lead on everything.

-Marcy's only 20 when she meets Chiyo but immediately takes it upon herself to support and take care of the new team in a mentor-y role. The way Russell did for her and Octavia for Russell. This usually turns into more of an emotional support role than being active on the field. (She's had to talk Chiyo through her crush drama SO many times). Marcy isn't that much older, but when you're 15 but 20 seems pretty mature in comparison. Due to her own angst about what happened to her last group too Marcy tends to put a lot of the pressure of being The Adult for them onto herself. (no anita you dont count as an adult)

-Anita was gone for approximately 15 years mind you, so the teams are pretty spread out with the occasional overlapping member. She hasn't gone to see Layla yet since coming back to the right time. She's scared of all thats changed during her time trapped in the timestream tbh.

[enteringdullsville]

So, here’s an old team of Total Drama OC’s I never got around to posting. Mostly because as much as my art style is based on Total Drama’s, actually replicating it is incredibly hard for me. I might make the remaining nine if I get enough positive feedback.

Lucas, the Go-Getter, looks like the season’s voice of reason…for all of five seconds. He’s joined TD with the express purpose of preventing such world ending threats as Max, so while he’s got the physical and mental training necessary for such an undertaking, he’s clearly a little bonkers.

Jane, the Wallflower, was forced to sign up by her parents solely to help her socialize. In many respects she’s a girl version of Cameron, exchanging some mechanical expertise with a little extra social awareness and physical strength. Probably the season’s pain-magnet.

Kevin, the Hotshot, is ostensibly the leader of his team since he’s the biggest and most “popular”. He’s a good person, but he’s also an oblivious moron so he relies on the advice of less stupid teammates for guidance. This makes him immediately susceptible to manipulation from…

Raymond, the Snitch, is what happens if you take Courtney, cross her with Dave, and give him MK’s subterfuge. Knowing his snobby attitude will immediately put a target on his back, he gains the approval of the team’s leader early on while digging up dirt on everyone else.

Molly, the Rising Star, is the star of every play at her school, so she can be something of a drama queen. She’s willing to share the limelight, but her positivity goes sailing out the window if you ruin her moment or make her look bad. If she looks familiar, she should.

Jamie, the Preppie, is here primarily on holiday. He’s at least trying in challenges, but he doesn’t really do the outdoors. He’s also fairly oblivious to hints that should be obvious, which is a shame because he’s actually pretty intellectual. Probably gonna be the first boot.

Summer, the Artistic Spirit, likes to live in the moment. She’s probably one of the weirder cast members, like Izzy without the energy levels. She tends to spout vaguely cosmic sounding hippie advice that quickly devolves into gibberish, and in general gives the vibes that she’s high off a substance that doesn’t even exist.

Bobby, the Slacker, is weirdly chill about the show in a way that you have to question if he’s even trying to survive. He’s more likely to shirk than to work, and he’ll go out of his way to make it look like he’s done his job. Usually, he ends up doing more work this way than he would have otherwise.

Marcie, the Charmer, is a less latent threat than Raymond, but she’s better at the social aspect of the game. She’s a regular sweet talker who can take the heat off of any tense situation. Possibly her only weakness is the fact she secretly hates all the extra attention and peering eyes on her.

[somepsychopomp]

Vampire!Simon AU Timeline

I tried to keep this loose and simple but it ended up being a lot more detailed than I expected. This is a pretty comprehensive timeline of my AU's backstory for anyone who wants to know more or just wants a clear idea what wtf is happening. Enjoy!

Ok so pre-Mushroom War:

This remains largely unchanged- Simon finds the crown, loses Betty, etc.

Maybe due to Simon’s interest in ancient artifacts, he’s aware of vampire lore and has even found some ancient stakes with traces of an unknown species’ DNA on them on past expeditions

He’ll never have the chance to publish the results of his findings

After the War (aka post-apocalypse Simon and Marcy):

Simon finds Marcy and instantly knows he has to protect her, she learns about the crown’s influence, etc

They encounter the Vampire King and his court

VK is initially surprised to see a non-vampiric magic user, especially one as strong as Simon, until he realizes that it’s all from the crown (he witnesses Marcy plead with Simon to take off the crown bc he’s going too nuts)

VK also has an interest in Marceline, the little girl that keeps trying to suck out the Fool’s soul as he toys with her. She's clearly not human and that piques his interest

VK defeats Simon and takes the crown. He’s not interested in Simon himself but does think Marcy might one day become a powerful member of his court. But she’s fiercely loyal to Simon so VK strikes a bargain- Simon lives if Marcy comes with him. (Really, at this point he was willing to kill Simon and just take Marcy but VK saw the madness the crown inflicted and thinks Simon can advise him on how to resist it)

As part of the King’s court:

The Vampire King isn't interested in letting humans live in his hive unless they're soon to be butchered.

So Simon is bit and turned. He’s told to abandon his human name and accept the once given to him- Temperance, one of the three arcane virtues. It represents patience and moderation ordinarily, but represents discord and conflicting interests when inverted.

Marcy still calls him Simon in secret

Simon is stunned that the VK can resist the crown’s madness to a certain extent as he masters its control over snow and ice

The hardest part about being a vampire for him is no longer being able to enjoy sunlight, as on his expeditions and while taking care of Marcy, he fundamentally understood that daylight = visibility and safety and that night= danger

Marceline will be bitten when she turns 18. In the mean time, she’ll be tutored by Simon and treated like a princess by the minions.

Marceline gets her own room, all the food she can eat, a soft bed, etc. She wants for nothing not out of kindness, but bc the VK knows this is an easy way to win her over. Marcy isn't stupid, but she is just a kid. After the trauma surrounding being sent away by her mom, and believing she was unwanted, Marcy is terribly tempted to follow her less than human instincts in the face of a better life for herself

Simon worries for her and tries to keep her close to him. Which isn't easy, as the VK is cunning and ruthless

Marceline also begins training at a young age. She learns to hone her power of sucking souls and when its learned that she can gain the unique abilities of her victims, the VK brings in all sorts of prey for her- humans, wolves, birds of prey, snakes, etc. in the belief it will make her stronger.

The VK is only ever kind and patient to Marcy as she grows up, almost like Simon but with an unspoken air of absolute authority. Still, it convinces her that he's not all that bad despite the fact that he's wiping out all the humans. Since Simon isn't human anymore, Marcy doesn't really feel that protecting humans = protecting him.

But the problem is that Simon hates being a vampire. He hates the taste of blood despite his inability to consume human food. He begins looking for alternative solutions and find that vampires can merely consume the color red

He's ostracized by the court for his meek personality and his frequent pleads for them to stop killing humans. What little power he had with the court is threatened as the VK requires his aid less and less over time. The VK begins to consider manipulating the sky itself so his kind is safer in the day

When Marcy is 16-17, Simon ushers her into a secret chamber beneath the vampire hive. For years, he'd been slowly stockpiling supplies so they can escape. Things like weapons, sturdy clothes, food, etc. What's more, he'd managed to find and repair a car! They can escape together and get away before anyone even notices they're gone.

Marcy is stunned that Simon wants to go back to a life of constantly being on the run, hungry and afraid. Having no home or safe place to sleep in. And with his condition, he'd have to be extra careful of the sun. Simon says how much he hates being a vampire and that he doesn't want this for her, he did all this to save her!

But he never did ask if Marceline herself was opposed to becoming a vampire. However, her love for Simon still outweighs her loyalty to the VK. She agrees to run away.

One of the funniest parts of the Stakes miniseries is that the VK is confirmed to have telepathy but he only really used it to psychically give Peppermint Butler and autograph. So I'm going to use that- the VK has been reading Simon's mind for years without letting him know and has known for a long time that Simon's been trying to run away

Simon and Marcy don't get very far before 2 things happen: the VK himself goes after them, and they're stopped by a small army of survivors lead by a pink haired girl (idc if PB would still be a tiny wad of gum at this point in the OG Ooo timeline it's my AU)

The VK ignores the attempts to assassinate him as he takes Marcy back to the hive. Meanwhile, Simon is captured by the humans and left for dead.

Here's the fun part- Simon's unique vampire power is a remnant of the crown's influence on him. He can cover his body in dense ice that acts like armor. It can be chipped away or melted, but resists damage really well

after multiple failed attempts to kill him, Simon tries to strike a bargain with Bonnie. Let him go, and he'll help her kill the vampire king

meanwhile, Marcy is crying in her room bc she thinks Simon is dead and she blames herself bc she never should've gone with him (something that the VK tells her he agrees with)

but Simon manages to come back unharmed. The only way he'd be able to do that was if he killed the humans that captured him. The VK is begrudgingly impressed. He'll still have simon separated from marcy for a year as punishment, though.

Marcy hugs Simon and tells him that she's glad he's alright. And that it'll be okay. He spent so long protecting her, from now on she's going to protect him (after all, the last time she thought she'd ever see him, he was about to be killed by a human mob. That event cements Marcy's belief that following the VK is what's best for her and Simon)

It absolutely breaks Simon's heart

Marcy turns 18 and Simon cannot stop her from becoming The Star

(while Simon is in isolation/solitary confinement, the VK frequently taunts him over a telepathic link- telling him how hard Marceline is working to become strong. To become a killer. The VK finds that messing with Simon is so utterly delectable)

As Temperance and the Star:

Marceline and Simon go by their vampire names when they’re among others but still use their human names in private

The VK brings on the sunless sky that allows vampires even more freedom than before

he ignores Simon's pleas to return the world to its natural ways. After all this time, he finds Simon's ways not annoying, but oddly endearing. He is the contrary voice to the whole court, after all; and though he might not have much power, the bravery to speak out against the king is commendable to some extent

Marcy begins her unending feud/hate-crush on Bonnie, who Simon secretly aids

Simon is mostly left to himself since Marceline is her own person now.

He starts growing a small garden of red food, assembling a library, etc. But most importantly, he tries to save any human child he finds

The VK got Marceline as his ward, why can't Simon have his own? He promises the court that the child will be his full responsibility and the king, mostly out of amusement and curiosity, lets Simon adopt his precious human children

however, Marcy can't help but feel like Simon is doing the exact same thing her mom did- he's scared of her or doesn't love her anymore, so he's trying to go away. Except this time, he's replacing her in front of her very eyes with some tiny, fearful brat that can't appreciate just how kind and loving Simon is

over the next few centuries, every member of the king's court except for the Star dies off. In every instance, Marceline takes advantage of their death to suck up their essence. The VK admires her for this.

at the same time, no ward of Simon's has managed to survive to about 11-12. Sometimes it was a hungry vampire that killed them, most of the time it was Marceline sneaking behind his back to kill off her replacement, and sometimes it was mere disease that ended them. He lost poor Shoko to infection after Marceline took her arm in a jealous rage and that put off Simon from taking on another ward for a hundred years

HOWEVER, Marceline still really loves Simon and wants to be close with him again. She's... just not sure how anymore. Simon still smiles at her and tells her stories and lets her crash in his library when she wants to avoid boring meetings or whatnot, he cares for her yes- but he never seems proud of her for accomplishing great feats like killing 100 human rebels in one night or taking Bonnie's eye

Simon still holds out hope that there's good in Marcy and that she can be persuaded to help him and Bonnie kill the king/her other dad

And then Finn comes along.

(For anyone wondering, I haven't really touched upon how the VK ends up infatuated with Simon bc I'm still figuring that out. But also, I don't think it needs to be clearly defined, it'd be a lot more fun to just see Simon winding up in essentially an arranged marriage

HOWEVER I will say this- the vampire king once asked Simon for a special gift in an attempt for them to become closer. He asked Simon to give him a mortal name, as all he knows is a life as an undying king.

Simon obliged and after much thought, he chose the name Leonidas. They are the only two beings who know the king’s secret name and use it, it’s something not even Marceline knows.)

[returnsandreturns]

I just dontated to the PCRF! For a mattfoggy prompt, what about, in college, matt sitting in foggy's lap just becoming A Thing That Keeps Happening that started as a circumstantial thing but it just. never /stopped/ happening. And eventually they kiss about it.

matt being just an absolute goddamn mess has been my favorite thing to write lately so this was a lovely opportunity!! thank you <3

(also, if you donate any amount to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund or a similar organization of your choice, you can also get a guaranteed matt/foggy ficlet of an undetermined length. just send me an ask.)

“We cannot afford a cab,” Foggy says, leaning out of the questionable car belonging to Marci’s friend that is already full of more college students than should legally be in it, “and we are both drunk enough that there is a non zero chance that somebody is going to fall in front of a train. Just sit on my lap—you’re too pretty to wander around the streets alone.”

Matt sighs before climbing into the car, slumping down so he can settle awkwardly on Foggy’s lap, shutting the door behind him.

“This is undignified,” he says.

“Dignity’s overrated,” Foggy says, wrapping his arms around Matt’s waist loosely, making a soft noise when Matt shifts and they both clearly internally reckon with the fact that he’s making significant contact with part of Foggy that he actively tries not to think about. Because it’s weird to think about your friend’s dick—and maybe just as weird to have to think so much about how he shouldn’t be thinking of it.

The car is full of drunk babbling so neither of them has to say anything—which is probably for the best.

What’s there to say?

-

“Oh, shit,” Matt says, when he goes to sit next to Foggy on his bed but, in the midst of finals week delirium, ends up sitting directly on him. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Foggy says, after letting out a shocked laugh, arms going around Matt’s waist to steady him and immediately reminding Matt of that feeling from a few months ago—sitting on Foggy’s lap, Foggy’s arms around him, Foggy’s—his thoughts are interrupted when Foggy says, a little high-pitched, “Are you gonna maybe move, buddy?”

“Oh god,” Matt says, again, despairingly, climbing off of him and considering hiding under the bed. “Sorry! I normally have a better read on where you are, I’m just. . .”

“In clinical need of a nap?” Foggy asks.

“So tired,” Matt agrees.

“I’ll point out,” Foggy says, “that we are currently in a bed—where most naps take place.”

“That’s true,” Matt says, smiling. “Statistically.”

“C’mon, we’ve earned it,” Foggy says, gently touching Matt to guide him so they can lie next to each other, on their sides, touching in so many different little places that Matt can’t focus at all—until Foggy asks, softly, “Is this okay?”

“Yeah,” Matt says, just as softly, smiling. “It’s good.”

If they wake up a little more tangled together and with Matt having a broadened awareness of what Foggy’s dick feels like when it’s pressed up against his ass, it’s fine. They were unconscious. It’s not like they wanted it.

—

Matt wants it.

Matt—Matt wants it.

Fuck.

—

After a series of lap related incidents, some unintentional, most incredibly contrived to the point where Matt almost gives up because Foggy has to actively be choosing not to say something, Foggy pulls Matt into his lap on his bed and gently grabs his hips.

“Do you have something you want to tell me, Matty?” he asks, voice a little lower than normal.

Matt’s eyes widen.

“Uhm,” he says.

“Use your words, please,” Foggy says.

“Okay, but what if I—I mean, instead, what if—fuck, Foggy,” Matt says, giving up on words and leaning down to kiss Foggy instead, soft at first then decidely not when Foggy hands move to squeeze his waist then down to his ass as they go from kissing to Matt dazedly thinking about everything else Foggy could do with his tongue as they frantically make out.

“Okay, the lap sitting,” Foggy says, when they break apart out of sheer need for oxygen. “Do you normally come onto people by literally throwing yourself at them?”

“Everything preceding the month of October was accidental,” Matt says, immediately.

“And what about the incidents following that?” Foggy asks, amused.

“. . .less accidental,” Matt admits.

“You just like being in my lap, buddy?” Foggy asks, stroking Matt’s hair.

Matt nods, a little too overwhelmed, but Foggy gets it immediately and takes Matt by the hips again to pull him slowly closer, making an encouraging noise when Matt shifts so his erection presses up against Foggy’s through too many layers of clothes. He rolls his hips. Foggy swears.

Matt’s fingers slide over the zipper on Foggy’s jeans and Foggy says, firmly, “Yes,” before Matt even has a chance to say please.

[lamentationsofalonelypotato]

Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone (Part 2)

Pairing: Jim Hopper x f!reader, Reader POV

Summary: This is a continuation of "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone" where the reader is a secretary at the Sheriff's Department and Hopper drives her to and from work everyday. Hopper gets worried when he finds out the reader is sick and decides to take care of her. This story is the aftermath and set a few days after the reader has recovered. Set before the events of Season One of Stranger Things.

Tropes: Mutual pining, angst, fluff, grump x sunshine, age gap (reader is fresh out of college), jealousy, shy reader

Warnings: No Smut, mostly fluff, self-deprecating talk, indecisiveness, occasional cursing/a lot of cursing, Hopper is a little OOC, contains a few references to sex (I'm going to label this one mature just in case, only because of Sandra.)

Word Count: 4.7k (I'm so sorry- but not really because it's great)

There is a minimal use of (y/n). Any references to the reader besides the (y/n) is done using "your" or "you."

Internal monologue is done in italics

Honestly, this is kinda self-indulgent, but absolutely necessary. If you don't like, don't read. If you do like, you're my favorite!

ENJOY!

Main Masterlist

Stranger Things Masterlist

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

Exactly four days later you feel 100 times better and are ready to go back to work. Hopper hadn't stopped by again, but he had called to see how you were feeling and if you needed a ride to work. You glance at your reflection in the mirror trying not to cringe at the memory of Hopper peeling you off the bathroom floor and tucking you into bed.

UGH. I can't believe he saw me like that. You groan to yourself. All stuffy, hoarse, and drippy. EW. You internally curse Marcie for bringing back the illness from work. But then you thank her.

You had spent an entire day with Jim Hopper and you weren't scared. It wasn't that you were afraid of him hurting you, but rather that you were shy and usually couldn't think of too much to say to him without blurting out how nice you thought he looked.

He made you soup, carried you to bed, and carried you to the couch. Your cheeks warm with the memory of how perfect it felt to be held against his large chest, how his arms seemed to be made to carry you. You glance at my reflection in the mirror, thinking about putting on some of Marcie's makeup.

After Jim had seen you sick, you thought that maybe today you should try harder to dress up to erase the image of your feverish and leaky self the other day. You stutter on the thought of his name. When he left you hadn't meant to say it, you just wanted to call him by his first name because what he was doing felt personal and in that moment calling him Hopper, sounded wrong.

Maybe I scared him. You snort at the thought of scaring a man almost three times your size.

You were aware that your feelings for Hopper had passed work colleagues and friends a while ago, and you had been successfully ignoring them, until he showed up like a knight in shining armor and took care of you when you were sick.

I mean the man peeled me off the bathroom floor and TALKED TO MY MOTHER.

You flinch at that though. That had been increasingly awkward when she demanded to know if you were sleeping with your boss, a question that Marcie asked you when Hopper left and she came out of the shower with a wide smirk. When you said no she then tried to convince you that he wanted to, but you shook her off and went to bed.

Bed being a relative term, because every time you closed your eyes you thought about how good it felt to be pressed against him when he carried you.

That entire day all you could think of was that it seemed like maybe he had feelings for you too, but then when you hugged him and said his name he bolted.

You sigh to yourself, applying a small amount of mascara to your lashes, that you will inevitably rub off, and spritz your tangerine perfume twice in the air before glancing one more time in the mirror and walking to the living room.

Hopper's car appears in the driveway and you practically float out the front door, smiling to him through the windshield before looking down at the ground with red cheeks.

"Hi." You smile at him while climbing up into the car with as much grace as you can muster.

"Hey." His smile is wide, but his voice sounds a little hoarse.

"Oh no are you getting sick. I'm so sorry-"

Hopper clears his throat. "It's okay I'm fine."

"Well just let me know and I can make you some chicken soup, return the favor- ya know." You smile wider moving closer to the middle of the car, to bump your knee against his.

"Yeah." Hopper leans away, making you feel like a bucket of ice water has been dropped on you.

What did I do?

"Well I made you some lemon squares anyway." You reach into your purse before pulling out the container to give it to him.

"Lemon Squares?" The corner of his lip quirks.

"Yeah I made them from scratch."

"Really?"

"Mhmm. It's what I wanted to do before I started working at the department." You place the box on the seat between you.

"Make lemon squares?"

"No. Open a bakery." You blush looking out the window of the car and thinking of all the plans you had. "Now that kinda feels like that is on the back burner for a bit, just until I get more comfortable in Hawkins."

"I didn't know you liked baking that much." He looks over at you curiously from under the brim of his hat in a way that makes you believe that he sees right through you.

"Yeah I went to a fancy schmancy baking school and everything and I was going to open a bakery where I lived, but Marcie called, said she had cheap rent here and we always said we would be roommates so-" You shrug your shoulders. "Ended up here."

"And you hate it?" Hopper offers.

"No. It's just different." You smile over at him. "I actually really like working at the department, everyone's really friendly."

He snorts. "Not everyone."

"So what? You're a little grumpy, I think it's kinda cute-" As soon as the words pass through your lips you suddenly think that you've said something wrong, because Hopper's entire body goes taunt and he looks away out the windshield. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to-" You begin to apologize, blushing deeply.

You honestly hadn't meant to say it, but it was all you thought when you walked by his office door and saw him scowling down at some paperwork on his desk or when Callahan would ask him a stupid question before Hopper had his coffee.

"It's okay." Hopper's voice is tight, but he doesn't look at you in the minute that follows before he pulls into the parking lot of the station. He practically jumps from the car before he puts it in park, which you don't understand because you believe it should be you that's embarrassed. You didn’t think it would offend him so much.

Your cheeks are still burning with embarrassment as you walk behind him through the front doors, that he holds open for you, without making eye contact.

"Hey (y/n)! Good morning! I got you coffee." Callahan gestures with a full mug in his hand so enthusiastically he spills some of it on the stack of papers on the edge of your desk.

"Oh-um- thanks Callahan." Your smile is tight lipped, still too focused on what just happened in the car to give Callahan your full attention.

Callahan usually said hello before his shift and did occasionally bring you coffee. And although you thought he was sweet, he was too sweet. You preferred Hopper's grouchiness to Callahan's happy go lucky attitude, but still appreciated Callahan's positivity in the office.

Hopper growls something under his breath and sidesteps around Callahan to get to his office without looking back. Callahan follows behind him obediently asking Hopper about something that happened yesterday.

You sit down at your desk and try really hard not to cry, but every second sit there what you said and Hopper's reaction chase each other round and round in your head.

How could I be so stupid? How could I say that? He's your boss- you shouldn't be trying to get close to him.

At lunchtime you try again.

Your knock at his office door is light, but after an audible pause he tells you to come in. Hopper's eyes are focused on the stack of papers in front of him, cigarette still smoking in the ashtray, and although you know he's working, you have the sneakiest suspicion that he is faking. The Hopper before this morning usually looked up as soon as you walked in and smiled, ignoring the stack of papers on his desk no matter how tall it was- but not today, not in the aftermath of your slip-up.

"Hey I just thought I'd bring you a lemon square to go with your lunch." You smile at him, hoping that he will acknowledge your entry into the room.

"Uh-thanks." He doesn't look up.

You place it just on the edge of his desk just out of his vision, waiting for him to say something else, but he doesn’t.  His gaze remains leveled at the paper. So you turn to go, defeated.

"Hey (y/n)-"

You whirl around, your heart surging-

"Um I'm going to be a little late tonight. Maybe you should call Marcie to come get you." He says it plainly, controlled, still looking down at the file.

"Oh-um-okay." Your heart breaks inside your chest and tears begin to bubble up in your eyes, but you hold back the tears. "That's alright I hope you don't have to stay too late."

You practically run to the bathroom before the tears begin to trickle down your cheeks, soft sobs shaking your shoulders. Why did I do this? Why couldn't I have kept my big mouth shut? Pretend that I didn't have feelings? The mascara you applied that morning blurs and stains the soft skin below your eyes. You spend another 8 minutes in the bathroom trying to remove it and finally when you emerge from the bathroom with bloodshot eyes and bright pink skin, your day somehow gets worse.

Sandra breezes past your desk as soon as you sit down. Damn Sandra. You have to clench your teeth together to avoid the slew of curses that bite against the tip of your tongue.

"Hopper." She purrs sauntering over to catch Hopper just as he leaves his office. She's wearing a dark red dress that hugs her every curve and runs one hand through her perfectly curled black hair where two plastic earrings tangle into the strands.

What person wears a dress that revealing to work? You think to yourself, watching Sandra flash her perfectly tan skin when she pulls off her sweater, before leaning into Jim with a sickening smile.

You force your eyes onto a piece of paper on my desk, but the words all blur together into a haze of black and white.

Sandra was in essence... everything you wanted to be. She was confident, sexy, and beautiful. She also wasn't afraid to say what was on her mind, that became increasingly apparent when Hopper first started driving you to and from work and she cornered you in the bathroom.

*4 Months Ago*

"So you and the chief are getting cozy-" She was waiting at one of the vanity mirrors for you to come out of a stall while applying a fresh coat of dark red lipstick.

"Um I don't think we-" You had practically jumped when she appeared outside your stall door. Sandra hadn't said two words to you since you started working at the department. She worked in the call room and answered the phone, while you worked in the main lobby with Flo.

"Look Honey I’m gonna give you some advice, because I’ve seen this happen more than once.”  She makes eye contact with you, still swiping the dark colored stick back and forth, purposely plumping out her lips. “Sure he seems interested in you now, maybe he takes you out once or twice, laughs at your jokes, pays for dinner, is just the right amount of charming- Jim Hopper is the smoothest man who knows how to work any woman under him.” She pauses with a sigh. “He’ll screw your brains out- and it will be incredible, mind blowing-but at the end of the day Hopper is damaged goods. Can’t get it together enough to stay with a woman for more than one night, of course we seem to be closer than the others…” She trails off proudly with a shrug, before putting her lipstick in her purse and taking out a tube of mascara. “But I’m warning you now, you can’t have a relationship with him. He's only good for one thing and definitely not boyfriend material. Anything he says to you before he gets you in bed, is just a lie, broken promises. I've seen it time and time again, all these women who think they can change him. But no. He doesn't change. All that shit with his daughter and his ex-wife messed him up for all of us, which really is a shame because damn I’d like to have him all the time.” Sandra sighs mournfully.

She doesn’t even care what he’s been through, doesn’t even care what he feels. You stand there in stunned silence, trying to stop the all encompassing rage that surges up with her words. How dare she simplify him to just a piece of meat? Jim Hopper is one of the most kind, compassionate men that I've ever met. And yes maybe at the beginning he ignored me, which I've got no idea why, but he's not just something to be used for sex, he's a person. And that's horrible to act like what he went through was nothing. He lost his daughter to CANCER and then he had a divorce. Who wouldn’t be effected by that? I see everyday how it hurts him.

“But if he’s going to be with anyone it’s me. Because we make sense. Just wanted to give you a heads up.” She says swiping her right eye one last time before throwing the mascara in her purse. “He’s definitely not going to want a relationship with someone half his age with no experience. And he always comes back to me.”

“I'll keep that in mind.” Your jaw is clenched together, holding yourself back from throwing down with a coworker. But oh how she deserves it.

“Good.” Sandra winks. “Bye sugar.”

*Present Time*

You flash out of the memory before grabbing a pen from one the cups on your desk so you can pretend to be writing something when in reality you're shamelessly eavesdropping on them and  trying not to notice how Sandra is dragging her claw-like hand across the front of his chest.

"Hey Sandra." Hopper tips his hat with his free hand. You can hear the smile in his voice.

"I was hoping that tonight maybe you could come over? We just had such a nice time the other night and I was thinking that we should do that more often." You don't miss Sandra glance over at you when she says it.

You suddenly wonder how accurately you can throw the pen.

"Uh well." He chuckles.

"You didn't have a good time? Well it sounded like you were having a good time." She presses again, this time sending a flirty smile at him.

I'm going to throw up.

Honestly you had thought about being with Hopper once-well- more than once, but it wasn't just to reduce him to sex. It was because you loved him and you wanted him to just-. You watch the way he looks at Sandra, smiling down at her. You wanted him to look at you the way he looks at her.

He hesitates. "I did."

Hopper glances over Sandra's head at you, catching your gaze, but you immediately drop your eyes, blushing at getting caught. A sickening feeling fills your chest imagining them together, thinking of how he makes her feel, how she makes him feel.

Maybe he really likes her and he's just afraid to tell her or is afraid of the commitment. You consider sadly. I need to just get over this, move on. It’s only going to make working here harder. Plus he’s my boss. Might as well set boundaries… You think about the other day when he took care of you, held you close to his chest so tightly it didn't seem like he was just being friendly. He made me soup, tucked me into bed, carried me to my bed. How can he go from that to barely looking at me? Hot to cold so quickly that I feel like I'm covered in frostbite and sunburnt at the same time?

"Good. I'm free at 6 and I stay up late. Bring some more of that wine, you know how it makes me do crazy things." She winks, before kissing Hopper on the cheek and sauntering away, but not before glancing at you one more time with a smirk.

And there's the answer. He'd rather spend time with her.

You see her pouting her lips in the mirror again, making you feel inferior with just a look. Maybe that's why he doesn't like me, because I'm too young? Inexperienced? It's not like I'm a child. It wouldn't be that weird to date me would it?

You watch him turn and walk back to his office avoiding eye contact with you the whole way, making something tug at your heart as he does. Will today be the last day he drives me to work? All because I said that I thought it was cute that he was grumpy? Maybe this is because he's worried I have feelings for him and he just wants to be friends, which he's right I do, but I wish that he would just tell me, not avoid me!

The next few hours trickle by in a haze while you sit at your desk and try to pretend your heart isn’t broken. Hopper passes exactly twice and both times he doesn’t acknowledge you.

Just like old times I guess. You think about the two months before he started driving you home, when you were still relatively new and he avoiding speaking to you and would give you a tight-lipped smile occasionally that never reached his eyes, for a reason he never explained. You thought it was because he hated you, but it changed when he started driving you home and you hadn't ever asked.

When it’s finally time for you to go you don’t bother to call Marcie, instead you just begin to walk the 1.23 miles home and of course as soon as you leave, it begins to rain.

Exactly 30 seconds after you leave the station you're soaked to the bone and shivering, but you refuse to go back to the department.

I can’t go back and see him again. Everyone else has probably left by now anyway and the last thing I want to do is catch him sneaking off to Sandra's.  He probably wasn't staying late at work, just needed an excuse not to take me home ever again.

Tears fall from your eyes blending with the rain that trickles down your cheeks, making your hair tangle in a wet mat at the nape of your neck, but you don't care. Within 30 minutes I'll be home curled up on the couch after a hot shower, bawling my eyes out properly while Marcie hands me a pint of ice cream from the freezer. You raise your eyes to look at the desolate sidewalk ahead. Just a little longer.

Cars pass you along the road, illuminating your body for a moment before vanishing into the darkness beyond. Each yellowed streetlight stands like a beacon, but all they do is illuminate the raindrops that swirl from the heavens and soak through your thick sweater, that you guessed smelled like a wet dog right about now.

Appropriate because I probably look like a drenched poodle.

Finally a car races past you so fast you feel the wind tear across your body, but instead of vanishing into the night, the car screeches to a halt in the road. The driver shuts off the vehicle, and you watch them maneuver their large figure from the car, before stomping around to the sidewalk where you are walking with your arms wrapped around yourself.

Fear trickles down your back and you think about running. Your mother had sent you countless bottles of pepper spray and despite Marcie's incessant pleas for the two of you to take the only self-defense class in Hawkins, you weren't prepared for something like this. The pepper spray she sent was still on your desk and the self-dense class never seemed to be at the right time for you both to fit it into your schedule. Right about now you wished that you made time.

You prepare to run, when finally the street light above the imposing figure catches the face of the driver beneath his hat and you realize that it's Hopper. He towers over you, glaring down from under his hat.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? I TOLD YOU TO CALL MARCIE TO PICK YOU UP!" He roars dark eyes flashing in the night.

"Why are you yelling at me?"

"BECAUSE YOU'RE OUT HERE WALKING IN THE RAIN ALONE! DAMN IT (Y/N) YOU WERE JUST SICK-"

"Just leave me alone Hopper. Or better yet just get in your car and go to Sandra’s." You shout back, finding your voice.

Who did he think he was? My dad? He drives up out of nowhere, scares the crap out of me, and then he starts yelling at me for no good reason.

"Sandra?" He looks taken aback.

And then whatever shred of self-control you have crumbles.

Tears pour from your eyes like a flood as you curl further into yourself. "I don't understand why you're so mad at me. If this is about what I said in the car, I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you I just-" Another sob chokes your next words. “Please just forget it happened so we can just go back to being friends. I don't want to go back to the way things were before you started giving me a ride. I like talking to you and riding with you and I don't understand what I did to make you hate me so much in the beginning, but please-"

Hopper closes the distance between you so quickly that you don't have time to move away in surprise. His hands go around your waist lifting you up in his arms so he doesn't have to bend down to kiss you. His lips moving furiously against yours, wet from the rain but just as soft as you imagined, mustache tickling your upper lip in a maddening dance that makes you sigh into his mouth.

Your hands gently catch the sides of his face looking into his wide eyes. He's looking at you like he can't believe what he just did.

He looks afraid.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that.” He begins to lean away, hands lowering you to the ground.

You pull him against you and kiss him as deeply as you can, trying to tell him that you want this too, that you want him. "Please don't push me away again." Your words are exhaled in one breath, tears still falling from your eyes.

"I just-" Jim's eyes are wide, but he presses his forehead against yours with a sigh. "I don't want to do this to you, (y/n). I can't-"

"What are you talking about?" Your thumbs rub against his cheekbones, feeling the scratch of his stubble against your soft fingertips.

"I tried to stay away from you because you're so different than me.” He grumbles lowly. “That’s why I didn’t talk to you when you first started workin' at the department.” Hopper looks ashamed of himself, the brim of his hat shielding his eyes from you. "I didn't want to like you like that."

“We’re not that different.”

“We are. You're like the sun (y/n). You brighten a room just by walking in it, hell, just by saying your name.” His eyebrows furrow together and he sighs again. “And I'm just an old grump. I don't want to ruin you or make you-"

You kiss him as softly as you can and he kisses you back confirming that he really doesn't want to push you away. "Jim, you're not going to ruin me. And yes you're grumpy but I think it's cute."

"I've heard." Hopper smiles, but then he frowns when he remembers what happened earlier. "I'm so sorry about today. When you said that in the car the only thing I thought about was how it couldn’t work  and it made me think about you and Callahan. And then he was standing there with your coffee-“

“Jim, there is no me and Callahan. The only thing I want is you and me.” Your forehead leans against his. “You might see yourself as some giant grumpy grizzly bear, but you’re my giant grumpy grizzly bear.”

He snorts, but this time leans towards you to capture his lips against yours, wiping away the cold chill of the rain to set your body ablaze.

An odd look crosses his face as he remembers what you said moments ago. "Please don't be jealous of Sandra. I know she's a lot sometimes. And yes we've spent some time together in the past-" Hopper clears his throat, ashamed. "But the only reason why I kept seeing her was because I was trying to get you out of my head, because I didn't think that you would ever-"

"Jim." You whisper. "You don't have to explain anything-"

"No I do. Flo told me what she said to you in the bathroom."

"What? How did she-" Your cheeks flush, suddenly embarrassed that he had to hear any of the horrible things that Sandra said about him.

"I told Sandra to leave you alone, but I don’t think she listened to me. She's oddly possessive, but we haven't spent half as much time together as she led you to believe-"

"Jim-"

He brings his hands up to cup your cheeks, looking deeply into your eyes. "I promise that the way I feel about her is only a fraction of what I feel about you. And I know that my reputation in town is-" Hopper clears his throat again with red cheeks. "But I don't just want one night with you (y/n), I want more. I haven't wanted more for a long time and that scared me at first, but if you'll be patient with me I'd like to make this work. And I'm sorry that I made you believe that I hated you, when it's the complete opposite."

“Don’t be sorry. Just don’t think so lowly of yourself. What Sandra said about you, it's not true. You're more that what she thinks, Jim. She only sees what she wants to, but I know you. You're kind, generous, strong, and you care so much for everyone that I wonder how you give so much of yourself without asking for anything in return.” You move your hands gently around to tangle in the hair at the nape of his neck, placing a kiss against his cheeks, nose, and mouth for each attribute listed. “I was so happy when you stayed the other day. And when you left all I wanted was for you to come back.”

“I wanted to stay longer, but I was scared that you didn’t want me there."

“I always want you with me. You have no idea how much.” You kiss him again. "I love that you drive me every day, and every morning when you come to pick me up I get excited to see you. I also find myself wanting for work to end so I can see you again."

Hopper smiles softly at you, hands tightening around your waist that sends a thrill up your spine. Everything about this feels right, more perfect than it has felt with anyone else.

"It's difficult to stay in my office, not when I know you're out there. Sometimes I can't get work done until I see you smile." He traces a finger over your lips as if trying to draw your smile across them.

"Jim-"

Hopper kisses you again. "I like it when you say my name." He whispers against your lips, pulling you even tighter against his broad chest.

"I like saying it." You whisper back.

The rain has continued to fall on both of you, by now soaking through Hopper's jacket, but neither of you feel cold.

"Come on. Lets get you home." Hopper breathes beginning to move you towards his car.

"Hmm." You sigh as he lets go to open the door. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He stands there holding the door for a minute, the rain continuing to soak into his uniform as he gazes at where you sit in the front seat.

“What?”

Hopper leans forward and kisses you again, pulling you tightly into his large chest with a groan, as you tangle your fingertips in the front of his rain-soaked clothing, before he pulls back to press his forehead against yours out of breath.

“What was that for?” You ask leaning back on your elbows across the front seat of his car.

Hopper smiles down at you with red cheeks. “I really liked the lemon square.”

“You’re such a dork.”

“As long as I’m a dork that gets to kiss you, I think it’ll be okay.”

"I'm sure we can work something out." You whisper before pulling him down for another searing kiss and allowing the world to melt away into shades of gray and the soft patter of rain against the roof of the car.

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

Thank you so much for reading!

[sicklyseraphnsuch]

Write something about Marceline meeting up with Simon after the finale?

"You know I love you, right?" Marceline flat out asks him, because this girl has never gone around or over anything that she could plunge straight through. Simon always admired that about her even when this trait of hers caused him a fair few heart attacks.

Simon adjusts his glasses, clearing his suddenly dry throat. "Yes, I am aware."

They're at his house, with boxes of his things piled up around him. Bonnie, Finn, and Marcy all came over to help Simon move out of his old house into a new, more private arrangement. But Finn and Bonnie cleared out some time ago, when Marcy sat him down with a mug of his favorite tea. It was an ambush in everything bit name.

Simon supposes that he deserves it. He hasn't exactly... made time to speak with Marceline and happily allowed her to divert her focus away from him. Someone snitched on him, clearly.

"Hmmm..." Marcy squints at him, absently spinning the mug in front of her. The now dull grey drink sloshes lazily within. "When... When you had your big revelation about Betty, that musta messed you up pretty bad."

Simon stares at the woman that was essentially his daughter. Even as a little girl, she had always been prodigiously insightful and observant.

"This... This was different. Betty was my partner. I was supposed to check in with her, make sure we were on the same page. You, on the other hand-"

"Are you about to explain my feelings to me, Simon?" Marcy cuts in. "Or make an assumption about me based entirely on your perception of me?"

Oooh. Even if she didn't have fangs, Marceline could cut with the sharp edge of her tongue. A conflicting sense of pride and shame tightens his chest. He looks down at his mug of tea, taking a very long drink.

Marceline sighs. "I'm not five years old. I'm fully capable of making decisions - healthy decisions even."

"I know that!" Simon snaps back, thumping a fist on the table. "It's precisely because you're all grown up that I didn't want to say anything. Look at you, you're so happy! You don't need to bother with a sad old man like me."

Marceline gently grabs hold of his fist. "If you did tell me, what was the worst case scenario?"

"It doesn't matter, I'm doing better now. I'm going through therapy. I'm fine -"

"Please answer the question."

Simon stays stubbornly silent for a few second. Marceline squeezes his hand until her grip begins to hurt. He shoots her a petulant glare and she offers an innocent smile.

"I could make you sad. There. I said it."

"Well... I've been sad before. I got better."

Simon stares at this woman who he used to carry with only one arm. She's near his height, possibly taller. If he tried to carry her, she'd float to spare his ego. She grew up and he was there but not really and it's just another one of the Crown's costs.

"Simon." Marceline is hovering over the table now. "I lost you for a second there. What's that big brain of yours overly complicating now?"

Simon frowns at her. "I have no idea what you mean."

"Uhuh, listen. My partner is a certified genius, so I know for a fact that you geniuses tend to lack a lotta common sense."

"Have you told Bonnie this?"

"Verbatim. But this isn't about her, or me. This is about you."

Simon grits his teeth. "It's been 'about me' for long enough, hasn't it?" He shoves away from the table, gets onto his feet, and picks a random box to start piling stuff in. This will absolutely ruin Bonnie's meticulous organization, but that's just...

He sighs, steps back, looks at the label on the box before picking up Bonnie's abandoned clipboard to figure out the correct items for the box. In that whole time, Marceline doesn't speak. But he can feel her eyes on him like the sun through a magnifying glass. He sorts his stuff. She lets him.

Simon takes a deep breath. "I thought... It's bad enough that you spent all those thousand years watching over me. Then it turns out that even before I had the Crown, Betty was doing all of that. I just... I'm so useless."

"You're not-"

"Yes, yes, yes. But I... I need some time to work on myself, you know? I'm tired of being so..."

A hand settles on Simon's shoulders. He turns and jolts as he sees Marceline with a thin film of tears over her eyes. He immediately reaches over, pressing his palms against her face, thumbing the space beneath her eyes.

"Oh see, now I've made you cry."

Marceline shrugs. "It won't kill me."

"But that's the thing! You don't have to-"

"It's not that!" Marceline pulls away from him. "I don't have to do anything, you're right! But I want to stay with you!"

She blows out a short, ragged breath, running a hand through her hair. Simon slowly lowers his hands, crossing his arms and hunching over as if to protect his soft underbelly.

"I'd be rotten company."

Marceline fiercely shakes her head. "Not to me. Not if it's you."

Simon bites his lip. There's a tightness in his chest as if his heart was bloated from too much blood. He can't look away from her and yet he can't stand to stay seen.

"You don't want my help, fine. You've got professionals looking after you. And that's great. But please don't shut me out. I can't. Not again."

Marceline looks away for him. And this looks familiar even a thousand years later. The way she holds her head high, the way she clenches her jaw, the way she stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the tears trailing down her face - it's all the same.

Simon wraps both arms around her. She struggles for a second, trying to squirm away before she gives up, leaning into his hold.

"Okay," he murmurs into her shoulder.

"Okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Okay."

Marceline coughs out a tiny giggle. "Are we just gonna keep saying okay to each other until the world ends or what?"

Simon readies a joke but swallows it at the last second. He lets her question hang in the air until it becomes heavy and leaden. She stiffens up, limbs locking and spine straightening.

"I think... I can do that."

"Yeah?" Marceline's voice is sooo small, half disbelief, half hope, and all pure, raw heart.

"Until the world ends... You and me. We're survivors. Remember?"

Marceline laughs, a frail, watery sound from the hollow of her throat. "Yeah. I remember."

[jakesuit0]

What Was Missing Review

Finn is revealed to regularly have alone time with the wad of Princess Bubblegum’s hair she gave him in “To Cut a Woman’s Hair”. It’s essentially a PG version of a guy still holding on to their ex’s underwear for personal use. The allegory is pushed forward with Finn checking to make sure he is alone. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t exactly shocking behavior for a thirteen year old boy, but it’s the first big sign that Finn’s crush is getting unhealthy after “Too Young”. It’s time to move on! Unlike “Wizard Battle”, I like the incorporation of Finn’s feelings, despite the arc feeling like there’s nowhere to go after “Too Young”. It’s not the main conflict in the episode, and serves to build to a climax in the season finale.

The Door Lord steals Finn’s gum, Jake’s blanket, and BMO’s controller. It’s hilarious that he only speaks in loud mumbles. He’s supposed to be related to Key-per from “The Enchiridion!”. The Door Lord steals a toy from a candy person and Finn reassures him “I’ll get your kid back, toy!”. The episode wasn’t originally written this way. Adam Muto misspoke when he was pitching the episode and they thought it was funny to keep it like that. Door Lord steals something from Bubblegum and attempts to steal Marceline’s bass axe. With Maja being in possession of Hambo, it makes sense for her bass axe to be her most important item. Finn, Jake, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline, and BMO have to team up to solve the riddle of the door. It’s great getting to see this group of characters together for the first time. It’s the entire main cast minus Ice King, and they get so few opportunities to all be together before Stakes. Their group dynamic is so fun too. The episode is set in Red Rock Pass, which is a really pretty setting to choose for a (mostly) bottle episode. 

Marceline chastises Bubblegum for not executing the door lords, as they kept breaking out of jail. I’m not sure if PB is really above just killing them, considering all the fucked up stuff she’s done in the past. But, killing might be a bridge too far for her. I know she committed robot genocide, but I argue she didn’t see them as sentient beings. Jake decides to pretend to be the jerk in the band. Since Jake doesn’t have a grand emotional arc, this is a funny role to put him in. Marceline starts singing “Just Your Problem”:

-“I’m gonna drink the red from your pretty pink face”. This pretty much gives the game away about PB and Marcy not being platonic. She’s singing about kissing and biting PB. 

-PB calls it “distasteful”, causing Marceline to accuse her of just not liking her. This ties into PB not liking Marceline’s behavior when she got more and more consumed with her princess duties. Marceline became well aware of this by their first mission to the Glass Kingdom (“Oh c’mon, you love it.”). 

-“Sorry I don’t treat you like a goddess. Is that what you want me to do?” She’s calling out PB’s god complex. Marceline assumes Bonnie thinks she’s better than her, like how she sings “you’re self-obsessed and all the rest” in Distant Lands.

-“Sorry I don’t treat you like you’re perfect, like all your little loyal subjects do. Sorry I’m not made of sugar. Am I not sweet enough for you?”. Marceline thinks Bubblegum demands absolute loyalty from everyone as she does with her citizens. She thinks PB would prefer Marceline to be a dum dum juiced moron that never questions her. We don’t know if Marceline is aware of the dum dum juice, but I like to think that she’s partially referring to that. It also relates to Marcy viewing PB as a dictator as she sings in “Woke Up”. She thinks PB wants her to turn down her edginess and be sweeter, like when she wasn’t taking the situation in the Glass Kingdom seriously, something I’m sure wasn’t an isolated incident. 

-I’ll lump together “Is that why you always avoid me?” with the later line “I forgot what landed me on your blacklist.”  Some people question why Marceline wonders this considering her singing “Woke Up” is the obvious answer. I think she’s partially referring to PB’s actions before their breakup. Bubblegum grew more distant as her responsibilities grew, something that confused and hurt Marceline. PB talks about this in “Varmints”. She’s also referring to PB being cold to Marceline for centuries after their breakup. Even when they were around each other in “Power Animal” and “Video Makers”, we don’t see them talking. Bubblegum was very dismissive of Marcy in “Go With Me”. This is partially Marceline’s fault, as she can be really rude and mean to Bonnie, as seen in this episode. 

-“I shouldn’t have to justify what I do.” Marceline doubles down on acting the way she thinks people perceive her. If people think she’s a monster, it's less painful for her to embrace it. This is something she picked up on from thinking she scared her mother away.

-“I shouldn’t have to be the one who makes up with you so why do I want to…” Marceline thinks that since PB is the one who pushed her away, PB is the one who should take the initiative of making things right. There is some truth to this, but as we see in “Obsidian”, they are both more at fault than Marcy is willing to admit. The faces on the door glow brighter and Marceline gets closer to the truth. The truth is she wants to at least be friends with Princess Bubblegum again. That’s the real reason she joined the group here. Reconnecting to PB is something we’ll see her try to do in episodes like “Sky Witch”, “Princess Day”, and “Varmints”. 

The song itself slaps. “Just Your Problem” is super popular, so much so that tons of non-fans know the song. A big reason being that it’s probably the most relatable Adventure Time song ever. A lot of people have friends and lovers that drifted away from them or became downright cold to them due to their differences. Rebecca Sugar even based the song off of her experience with a roommate. Princess Bubblegum’s face during this is also pretty telling. She was definitely having flashbacks to the last time Marceline humiliated her with a song. PB’s face turns to shock when Marceline is on the verge of revealing she wants to make up with her. I don’t blame Bonnie for not realizing this. Marceline’s general nastiness towards her, and of course what she said about her while singing “Woke Up”, would give PB the opposite impression. 

Finn doesn’t fully grasp the tension between PB and Marcy, but is able to diffuse the awkwardness and get everyone (besides Jake) to have fun together. I also like how sweet Marceline is to BMO, gently calling him “baby”. I like PB’s quirky attempt at a science based song, which is more fitting for her than singing her heart out like Marceline and Finn. Her song fails and Marceline uses it to antagonize PB. She fixates on Bonnie’s failures as she feels insecure in her presence. The words ��monster trash” are definitely echoing in her mind here. Marceline is still really nasty to PB. A lot of it feels like unwarranted bullying without the context of future episodes, but even with the context, it still feels that way to an extent. Spitting on PB is pretty inexcusable and Bubblegum is totally right to walk away after it. Their conflict boils down to Princess Bubblegum’s ego and Marceline’s insecurity clashing. I also like the detail of Shelby slithering back into Jake’s smashed viola. 

As a final effort, Finn sings “My Best Friends in the World” after realizing the key to the door is the truth:

-“Am I a joke…?” Finn worries that Marceline doesn’t respect Finn, and perhaps only hangs around him because she enjoys messing with him. This is an understandable fear with episodes like “Henchman”. It’s still fundamentally untrue, squashed by the end of “Henchman” and in “Heat Signature”. There is no denying, however, that she loves trolling Finn. She likes messing with everyone, Finn’s young mind just makes him an easier target.

-“...your knight…?” This could be taken to mean Finn wonders if PB only keeps him around, and entertains his advancements, just to use his service to the kingdom. It’s true that Bubblegum employs Finn a lot, and isn’t above manipulating him for her benefit (“The Other Tarts”, “Too Old”, “James”), but she still genuinely enjoys his company whether they are working or just hanging out. He might also just be referring to this positively, as her knight in shining armor.

-“Do you look down on me because I’m younger?” All of Finn’s closest companions are older than him, and it makes sense that this weighs on him. Even Jake, who is often close to Finn’s level and acts as a best friend, also often acts as his parental guardian. This line applies most of all to Bubblegum, given how recent “Too Young” is. The events of that episode are still raw for Finn, and PB’s behavior to him after her age was restored came across as condescending and dismissive. 

-“I just wanted us together and to play as a band. Last night was the most fun I’ve ever had.” Finn loves getting to finally hang out with everyone he loves together and feeling like part of a family.

-“Even liked it when the two of you would get mad at each other.” Finn prefers honesty between friends, and appreciates seeing their more vulnerable side as they are usually more closed off from their true emotions in front of him.

-“You are my best friends in the world. And that’s right, I’m talking about the two of you girls. And you Jake.” With his parents dead, the three of them are by far his closest companions. He’s even grown very close to Marceline in recent times. It’s kinda mean to exclude BMO, who’s right there, but BMO becomes more of a part of Finn’s family over time than he is here. 

-“I’ll forget that I lost a piece of your hair. I’ll remember the pasta that we shared over there”. Very sweet line about how the wad of hair doesn’t really matter, the time he spends with PB and getting to be her friend is what’s meaningful to him. I like how the pasta has a double meaning. He obviously just shared pasta with her, but he also had a pasta dinner with Bubblegum when she gave him the hair. 

Finn’s song is my favorite moment of the series so far, and one of the best scenes ever in the series. I thought “Just Your Problem” was Adventure Time’s best song up to now but it’s then immediately topped. I love everyone participating in the song, especially Marceline singing along with Finn for parts of it. Finn’s song causing even PB and Marcy to harmonize together is great symbolism for Finn helping to bring them back together. Even Jake finally breaks character, he’s too caught up in the moment! Rebecca Sugar drew on her feelings of being a young newcomer when she joined the Adventure Time staff to write this song. Worrying about how your friends see you and if they respect you is another very ubiquitous concern. 

The group realizes that the Door Lord showed them that the real treasure is friendship. It’s very cheesy but the contents of the episode does enough to justify it. It’s cool how well the episode ties two themes into this episode: friendship and honesty. The quick cut from the Door Lord happily seeing they got the message to him being bruised and tied up is hilarious. They get their items back, including the famous rock shirt. It’s not at all PB’s style, going to show how much its pure sentimentality means to Bubblegum. The reveal that PB kept the shirt comes as a shock to Marceline. She realizes that Bonnie doesn’t see her as just her problem. Marceline blushing and PB revealing she wears the shirt all the time as pajamas are heavy hints to their romantic pairing. Their interactions in this episode are very queer-coded, even though they aren’t hitting us over the head with it like they do in season 7 onwards. The episode itself gives enough to figure out the broad strokes of Marceline and Bubblegum having a past and a falling out without giving the details, and it’ll be a long time until they are willing to explore it more at all. It’s revealed that Marceline only joined to hang out with them. Beyond reinforcing the theme of friendship, Marceline and PB now know that the other is interested in reforming a connection again, even if Marceline will have to be the one that ends up instigating it. 

“What Was Missing” is a fan favorite for good reason. The two musical numbers are the biggest draw and they are incredible. Rebecca Sugar using her own personal experiences to write them makes them feel so raw and personal. It’s some of the most direct the series ever is about Marceline and especially Finn’s thoughts and feelings, with them explicitly singing them. It’s refreshing to get some clear cut insight as the show is usually much more guarded. I wouldn’t want the series to always be this direct, but it's nice to have moments like these every once in a while to help provide insight into their other appearances. The episode is essentially a precursor for Steven Universe. You could slot in Steven for Finn, Pearl for Bubblegum, and Amethyst for Marceline quite easily. I also really like PB in this one! Despite “What Was Missing” having not one, but two characters that are in love with Princess Bubblegum, she gets to shine. It’s definitely more Marceline-heavy, but I like PB standing up for herself, getting to see her side of the conflict, and the return of her quirks with her scientific song. PB and Marceline also have pretty great outfits here, and it’s definitely their most iconic looks besides their default outfits. 

Rebecca Sugar has since stated that she wrote PB and Marcy as exes in this episode. She felt their interaction in “Go With Me” read that way. The episode does a great job extrapolating from that brief interaction. According to Rebecca Sugar, she pitched this idea to Adam Muto, who she boarded the episode with, and he approved. They ran this by Pen who also liked it. Cartoon Network forbade the crew from being explicit with it. They still did a good job making it as clear as they could with the restrictions and the fandom picked up on it. Rebecca Sugar wanted to include LGBTQ representation and felt that exploring it through the lens of two exes with a past was the best path to getting it in. Despite it only being subtextual, it was a big deal for 2011. 

This episode stirred up quite the firestorm. It’s possibly not a coincidence that it would take almost two years for PB and Marcy to interact again. The Fredator associated Youtube channel Mathematical! posted recaps after the airing of Adventure Time episodes. After the airing of “What Was Missing”, their recap speculated on the possible romantic pairing between Princess Bubblegum and Marceline, interlaced with overtly romantic drawings of Marceline and Bubblegum from character designer and storyboard revisionist Natasha Allegri. As a result, Fredator fired Mathematical! producer Dan Rickmers, deleted the video, and cancelled the Youtube series. Times were different then, but that’s no excuse for such an overreaction. Fred Seibert offered the following explanation:

“Well, I completely screwed up. There’s been chatter on the internet recently about our latest Adventure Time “Mathematical!” video recap that we created, posted, and removed here at Federator. I figure it’s time to clear up the matter. In trying to get the show’s audience involved we got wrapped up by both fan conjecture and spicy fanart and went a little too far. Neither Cartoon Network nor the Adventure Time crew had anything to do with putting up or taking down our latest re-cap. The episode ”What was Missing” remains a terrific short and will be shown again and again just like any other Adventure Time episode. I let us goof in a staggering way and I’m deeply sorry it’s become such a distraction for so many people.” It’s a really weak reasoning as Mathematical! had always been a fan oriented show and that’s what the entire fandom was talking about. Still, I’d expect this from an executive. What was unexpected were Adam Muto’s comments: 

“If it was just a fan video there would be no problem at all. The problem was that it was made by a production company actively involved with the show. The video took something that was a possible subtext and declared it, in effect, text and made it seem like the production was actively seeking out input on plot development. That's all there is to it.” Considering Sugar said that Adam Muto agreed with that interpretation, it would have been for the best if he just stayed out of the situation. That’s what Pen Ward did ("It’s hard to comment on that, because there were so many extreme positions taken on it all over the Internet, and it happened so quickly. I don’t really want to comment on it because of that, because there were so many extreme sides taken. It was a big hullaballoo.")

Now that we know Bubbline was in fact the crew’s intention, and it’s since been explicitly canonized, the situation is just even dumber. Dan Rickmer is definitely owed an apology. But what’s really important is the series no longer having to keep their relationship a big secret.

Grade: A+

[mdhwrites]

Andrias vs. Collector: Who Was Redeemed Better?

Andrias hands down. Not only is it helped IMMENSELY by character consistency with him but it actually functions with what we know of him. Despite literally only ever getting half an episode dedicated to him (he doesn't actually get a lot more screentime than The Collector, especially while as a villain) we understand his motivations, the reasons for his cruelty, why Marcy made him cold and annoyed every time she was even mentioned post True Colors (he did not enjoy torturing Marcy. The literal only claim there is one line from True Colors where he blames her but otherwise, Marcy is fridged SPECIFICALLY to give someone for Andrias to show regret about) and then when shown how far he had fallen from the good man he was, he goes ahead and tries to fix that. First a final act of heroism but then not asking for forgiveness or the like. He is too guilty to need, or perhaps even want, such things and he instead can try to put things right on his own. In the end, we are left with the impression that Andrias WILL continue to tend to Amphibia now until the day he finally dies. It's actually done pretty well for the fact that it's given such little direct attention, especially by the time he's supposed to start being redeemed.

Meanwhile, the Collector's arc only works if you ignore large swaths of the show. His redemption mostly comes down to the idea that he needs to learn morality and that other people can be hurt by his actions but... He already did. In Watching and Dreaming, he yells at Belos controlled Raine specifically about how King will hate him for the nightmares, showing that he understands that his actions can upset people. In S2B, he talked about wanting to play with bones and criticized Belos for potentially murdering the Grimmwalkers, kind of opening up a moral conversation about the nature of Belos' treatment of them while showing his knowledge of death.

Even if we believe he didn't know these things and try to say he was manipulated, we can't. Belos' goal was extremely explicit and back when he was Philip, he had no reason to lie to the Collector. A spell to kill all witches in return for your freedom was the deal. That's pretty damn evil and the Collector could have always said no but instead he's EXCITED for them to be dead in Hollow Mind. All that matters to him then is his freedom, screw anyone else. Then when he is freed, he has neither the archivists or Belos to push him around and tell him what to do. As such: Why the fuck did he make the hunting stars? You know, the roaming stars that turn people automatically into puppets, rendering them to a fate worse than death as they are conscious and aware of what's going on, even as they are entirely incapable of doing anything about it. They are still around MONTHS later. Hexside literally keeps watch for them. If he is just a little guy, why the fuck did he make those in the first place and why are they still around?

None of this is ever addressed though. Instead, the show spends a quarter of its finale, and a decent chunk of the special before it, focusing on trying to redeem him and show him off as a good guy while not having him actually acknowledge the awful, terrible things he did. There's no taking of responsibility like with Andrias. There is no proper refusal of his morality or change in his thinking. Even his attempt to make peace with Belos is flawed because it's still the same all or nothing thinking that we've seen up until now for the Collector. "I do X, I get friend." It's not actually an acknowledgement that other people are complex and have their own free will, it's just a new form of trying to easily get what he wants. Then after her turns people back, which is good, he just leaves. He doesn't do anything to actually make up for what he did or allow him to face a world that he has irrevocably damaged. Instead, he abandons it all. All that responsibility and guilt can just be left behind instead of actually worked on. How is that a show of what he learned? Of him rejecting how he was before? Of him being REDEEMED?

It makes it much less an arc and more something we're told. At least when Andrias powers down to make Anne's final punch on him more effective, we have seen his regret. We have seen his motivations. We have seen as one is pushed into his face and the other torn down. Then we get to see him act on it, allow his conquest to fail, as a willful decision to back down from that evil rather than double down. Then we see follow through with him in the timeskip where he is still simply trying to make up for his sins, even if no one will ever tell him his work is done.

We don't get anything like that with the Collector and that's why he will always be easily worse to me.

======+++++======

Someone shared a Reddit post on this topic in my Discord and I almost posted 95% of this as a comment there. I... I know better than to do that on Reddit though so I decided to just let it be a blog over here.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[ofsinnersandsaints]

Whiskey and Starlight

Karen sees someone at Foggy and Marci's combined bachelor/bachelorette party and insists Foggy introduce them for @kastlenetwork kastle week: rom-com au/fluff Rating: G Word count: 1859 One shot AO3

Karen wound her way through the party guests to find the man of the hour, and was unsurprised to find Marci and Foggy at the bar together. This was why the normally separate bachelor and bachelorette nights had been combined, neither of them wanted to be apart from the other.

It was adorable.

“Karen!” Marci greeted, completely drowning out Foggy’s own greeting. “I’m so happy to see you!”

She hugged Marci, and looked over at Foggy who shook his head with a smile, “She’s already pretty deep in the sauce. Right now, she loves everyone.”

Marci released the hug ten seconds after she should have and turned to Foggy, “Of course I love Karen! She helped you pick out my ring, and she threw that lovely bridal party when my bitch of a sister-in-law fell through.”

Karen had never been more stressed out, but the look on Marci’s face had more than made up for it. “It was a good time, but I think this party is going to beat it.”

“I know! It’s amazing!”

When another guest came up to say hi, Karen used the distraction to turn to the bartender and order. “When did she start drinking?”

Foggy laughed, “As soon as we got here. It’s the red wine, it gets her drunk quicker than any shot.”

Karen looked at Foggy to see him staring with undiluted adoration at his fiance. “You love her.”

“This whole thing would be a little weird if I didn’t,” he reminded her dryly.

“I know,” Karen smiled. “It’s just so nice to see it.”

After she got her drink she turned around to look at the rest of the guests. There were high-end dresses and off the rack suits, voices layering over the music, empty glasses on tables and -

Her eyes stumbled over a lone figure sitting at one of the booths and she couldn’t loo away.

He was rough hewn, like Michelangelo had realized David was too soft, and he needed to make something better. There were at least two days worth of scruff on his face and the suit looked like it barely contained all the muscle covering his body.

She tapped her friend’s shoulder and nodded towards the man, “What’s the deal with him?”

Foggy looked in the general direction she’d indicated and smiled with a shake of his head. “Leave it you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You always go for the complicated ones.”

She tried to act offended but was also aware Foggy knew her well enough, and long enough, to know she had a type. “What’s his name?”

“Frank Castle.”

The name immediately rung a bell with her as someone who been accused of treason, but thanks to Foggy he’d been protected as a whistle blower. Karen had followed the case because her closest friend was heavily involved, but cameras hadn’t been allowed inside the courtroom and Frank had infamously avoided the camera so she hadn’t recognized him.

He looked uncomfortable, like someone who didn’t know what to do with his hands or the people around him. “Does he know anyone else here?”

“Besides me? No.”

Karen leaned over to the bartender and ordered another drink before turning to Foggy, glasses in hand. “Introduce me.”

[erinelliotc]

Why do you ship EddEddy when in canon we have the very harmonic friendship of Eds? What's interesting about the dynamic between Edd and Eddy, if Ed isn't there, it's pretty boring without him.

I'll talk about this in much more detail after I rewatch the show a few more times and make my video talking about EddEddy, BUT here's some of what I have to say about it:

Yes! I agree that they have a very harmonious friendship, all of them together. They're soulmates and they love each other very much. I really envy what they have because it's something so perfect and beautiful. The show is about Ed, Edd and Eddy, but I think it's very clear that:

1) Eddy's the main character

2) The show focuses more on his relationship with Double D, especially from season 5 onwards

They work well both as the three together and as separate duos too. Each duo has a different dynamic, and from my perspective, Double D and Eddy have a dynamic that involves mutual romantic feelings (that they're not yet aware of), which I don't see between Ed and Double D or Ed and Eddy. To be more clear, it seems to me that Ed has or may have a crush on Double D and Eddy (there are a number of scenes that indicate this), but I don't see them reciprocating, feeling the same way about him. And believe me, I really wanted to ship them. I love polyamorous relationships (Anne, Sasha and Marcy from Amphibia are a great example, I think the three of them have a clear interest in each other), I love edt3 fanarts, I think they're cute together, BUT I just can't see them working together as a polyamorous couple because I don't see Double D or Eddy being romantically interested in Ed at any point of the show or even in the future because it doesn't seem to be heading in that direction (I think that in Big Picture Show it even becomes a little uncomfortable how much Eddy specifically refers to Double D even when Ed is with them, which already happened in other moments of the show (and Double D specifically referring to Eddy as well) and intensified in the movie, but it's another factor that seems to indicate how emotionally close the two are, in a way beyond friendship...).

I want to make it clear that I disagree with the view that romance is more important than friendship. I don't think boyfriends/girlfriends/romantic partners or love interests are above friends, they're just different equally important dynamics. When I talk about this, I don't mean in any way that Double D and Eddy's relationship is better or more important, or that Ed is less important to them or less loved by them, they're just relationships and feelings with different natures and ways of functioning. So please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Double and Eddy like each other more than they like Ed, I'm just saying they have a different dynamic and type of relationship, and different types of relationship usually mean different ways of interacting, and usually romantic relationships imply on more intimacy (both physical and emotional), and that's what I see happening with Double D and Eddy. There are certainly things in the relationship between Ed and Double D that Double D doesn't or can't have with Eddy, and things in the relationship between Ed and Eddy that Eddy doesn't or can't have with Double D. As I said, each duo has their own dynamic, their own unique and exclusive specificities that they can't get with their other duo, and all three love each other deeply and equally, just in different ways. That's all.

To me, Double D and Ed's relationship follows more of a mother-son dynamic (sometimes brotherly too), and Ed and Eddy have a more brotherly dynamic (@gettingfrilly made a really good post talking about it in more detail, about how Eddy's like a younger brother to Ed because he's very much like Sarah but unlike her he shows that he likes Ed and has fun with him, and how Ed's like the supportive and affectionate big brother that Eddy didn't have). I think the show makes it very clear that Double D and Eddy are supposed to have a couple dynamic, whether as a joke/comic relief or in a serious way. It's very visible to me that their relationship is supposed to give this huge old married couple who always disagree and fight energy, and even Ed often seems to look at them as if he's finding their excessive closeness strange, either shipping them or wanting to participate too.

Someone pointed it out already, but I think it's very relevant to note that the only times Eddy cries throughout the entire show is because of or related to Double D (I'm talking about emotional crying, not crying from physical pain). @gettingfrilly also made another post that I really like and completely agree with about Eddy and empathy. I recommend reading it. Anyway, Eddy's not a very emotional character at all because as we know, he's always trying to repress the feelings that make him "fragile" and to imitate his brother. He tries to act cool, to be superior and better than everyone, to be very manly, so he can't cry, he can't be a sissy, he can't be sensitive, vulnerable and emotional, he has to be tough, he has to be a man, he has to be unbreakable and unbeatable, he has to be self-centered, he can't be compassionate, empathetic and caring, and I personally think that in the end, whether we like it or not, he ends up absorbing all of this into his personality because that's how he was raised and conditioned from a very early age, and that's how he coped with it, so being self-centered and feeling uncomfortable dealing with and showing these types of emotions is now part of Eddy's personality, even though he doesn't feel good about being that way. He's spent most of his life having this distorted perception that acting like this is the normal way to be and treat others, that acting like this is "cool" because it's how his beloved, precious brother acted, so it's very complicated for Eddy to deconstruct this within himself now, and in fact it's already a bit late to actually change this because his personality has already been shaped and built, and all he can do now is remind himself to be more sensitive and care more about others. Being kind and empathetic is not something that comes naturally or easily to him, but rather a task he needs to rationalize and remember to do, and even in the few moments when he shows that he at least cares about Ed and Double D, his way of expressing affection usually comes in the form of practical actions rather than affectionate words, so sometimes it can seem like he doesn't care when he actually does, or that he has a very cold, insensitive and crude way of showing affection. It's necessary to teach him the way friends act toward each other, teach him about acting with affection and love. He needs people, most of the time Double D, to tell him how and why what he did is bad and harmful to others, but there are many moments when you can see a genuine effort on his part to try to understand, improve and show that it wasn't his intention to cause any harm, after all, this only makes others dislike him, and he doesn't want that. Eddy's desperate for acceptance and being liked by everyone, which conflicts with his "I don't give a shit about anyone but myself" way of being and acting, and being the way he is keeps everyone away from him and makes them not like him, so he suffers a lot being in this limbo between "I don't care about others" and "everyone has to like me".

Anywaaay, back to the main topic: the fact that the only times this character who struggles so much with all of this cried had something to do with Double D says a lot about how intimate he feels with him. Double D and Eddy seem to share a very strong emotional as well as physical intimacy. Sure, it's part of the show that the characters in general have a lot of physical contact, so it's something a little difficult to analyze, BUT the impression I have is that Double D and Eddy still have more scenes with physical contact, and their type of physical contact also seems more intimate to me, more romantic... (I mean, just watch the final scene of BPS of them holding hands looking into each other's eyes. It's pretty obvious).

The person also pointed out how emotionally attached Eddy is to Double D, and that's so true. Double D messes with Eddy's emotions in a very interesting way. He "messes up" everything that Eddy learned as his truth and that was established, awakens many things in Eddy, brings out the best side of him making him have to think and reflect more about things, people and the impact of his actions. Despite also having a lot to learn and improve, Double D has a lot of emotional maturity and responsibility and tends to have a very careful and kind way of dealing with people. Although this way of him being what Eddy understands as "sissy" and is often the target of his mockery or he even appears angry when Double D acts like this, Eddy can't help but feel embraced and comfortable with Double D's affection, sensitivity and support in a way he seems to have never felt before considering his history with his brother and his difficulties and cluelessness about affection and love. Yes, Ed's also a very affectionate person, I'd say even more than Double D. They both like to express affection physically, but while Ed's more like a clingy, happy child or puppy with lots of love to give (mainly physical) and silly things to say and do to put a smile on people's faces to make them feel better, Double D has a more "therapist" and "maternal" side. He's very conscious and attentive, he takes care of people, provides support and a safe space, analyzes situations and tries to help with understanding, counseling and kind words. All this almost unnatural excess of kindness and support is something that Eddy is definitely not used to and finds very strange, but it makes him feel good without him realizing it, as throughout the show we see him frequently turning to Double D when he feels lost, confused, frustrated or scared, as if he sees Double D as a great source of emotional support to help him feel better and get back on track, and as his guide to better understand situations and solve problems. Obviously this isn't something exclusive to couples, but this type of dynamic indicates a very great intimacy and is usually more characteristic of romantic relationships, being another factor that makes their relationship seem to tend more toward romance.

There are many other things, but I prefer to save them for when I make my EddEddy video.

"What's interesting about the dynamic between Edd and Eddy"

Wow I really like this subject because to me this is one of the biggest reasons why they have so much chemistry and are so good together and to each other. I don't want to talk about this in much detail because I want to save that for my video, but basically: Double D and Eddy have some very opposite traits that complement each other, and they have a lot of growth and character development because of their differences interacting together. The show focuses on their relationship because their character development mostly depends on each other. Double D is good where Eddy has to grow and mature, and Eddy is good where Double D has to grow and mature. They have so much to offer and teach each other, and that's what they do by living together daily for years. They unintentionally learn from each other and help each other improve and work on their bad aspects/tendencies, and achieve greater balance in their personalities and behaviors, helping each other not to lean too much in one direction and too little in the other. I think that many of the things they both hate about each other are actually things they deep down admire and even envy about each other (Eddy gets angry and mocks when Double D is smart and uses his extensive vocabulary, but in "Once Upon an Ed" he makes it very clear how he'd like to be smart and use "fancy words" like him, or even be smarter than him, because Double D's intelligence actually makes him feel inferior and dumb. And Double D complains about Eddy's stubbornness but shows that he feels uncomfortable with his own lack of attitude and that he'd like to be more determined, less of a people pleaser and stand up for himself more like Eddy, in addition to him seeming to try to imitate Eddy in many moments, acting with Eddy in a similar way to how Eddy acts with him). The answer is to balance their qualities and flaws, because they complement each other perfectly. And as many say, Ed is the glue that keeps the trio together. He's a crucial piece in their group. In fact, they all are, each of them plays a very important role. @gettingfrilly made another great post (I'm starting to realize how we share similar thoughts xD) about what happens if each duo doesn't have their third Ed. Please read it because I couldn't put it in better words.

Well, as I said before, the three Eds love each other intensely and equally, just in different ways. Even though Double D and Eddy have a romantic relationship, they all need each other and don't function well forever as just the two of them. They work well separately, but just in the short term, as something momentary. They are meant to be a trio and this is how they truly reach their full potential.

[localcoffeeshop]

my list of murders committed & deaths inadvertently caused by the three main characters in fionna & cake

notes:

if the scarab explicitly kills someone, i do not count it as a causal murder because to me the scarab has to take responsibility for his own crimes. that's one reason why farmworld finn isn't counted and also because i refuse to even accept it as a possibility that he might be dead. and why those homeless hamsters don't count either.

however, ash counts because she just fell into the cracks in the world rather than being directly murdered.

vampworld huntress, PB, and marcy aren't counted as causal because nothing fionna cake or simon did would've made their deaths reasonably more or less likely. we can't say if it would have gone better had martin been there instead

the pillow child & sentient cup of tea aren't explicitly dead but i think we could reasonably argue that there's no coming back from the situations they're in and they died because of what cake and fi did to them

despite having only 1 (twice) murder to his name, Simon is by far the most fucked up murderer for having contemplated the crime beforehand, kept his murder victim prisoner in a cage in his home, killed him once, revived him via defibrillator, and then killed him again, with full awareness that choose goose was a sentient(-ish) being existing in a shared reality to his own

[11natrium]

I suppose that I might share some feeling regarding my own masculinity I've been having about myself to the world, perhaps some will find them relatable.

tl;dr - I'm AMAB, and while I struggled with accepting my masculinity, trans men made me feel at peace and safe with it, and I cannot thank them enough.

Now for the longer version:

For quite a while now (a few years, in fact), I have been struggling with my masculinity, as an AMAB person. I grew to feel super uncomfortable with the implications that came from being a "man", at least as it can be stereotypically understood. I know very well that masculinity has positive aspects, like strength or reliability, but being called a "man" made me also feel like someone automatically perceived as aggressive, or dangerous, or a sex pest, or a creep. As far as I'm aware, I am none of that - but I can't help that being "a man" makes me feel like someone who poses some sort of danger, or is a threat to those around them. It no doubt comes from experiencing toxic masculinity - more so from my peers and general society, as I'm thankfully privileged to have a normal family, where everyone is, well, normal and supportive and non-abusive. Still, that toxic masculinity, or hearing about certain men being just, fucking losers, made me want to detach myself from being called a "man".

This is partially why I embraced the identity of a demiboy. Someone mostly masculine, but still someone who does not want to call themselves a man. To be clear - there is more to my identity than just discomfort with stereotypical masculinity. I have interest in outfits and activities perceived as feminine, there are subtleties to how I like to picture myself in art, using a feminine name (Marcy) towards myself, using gender neutral pronouns (they/them) etc. - it goes deeper than just what I outlined above. That's a story for another day, though, what matters for this post is that I felt that unease with my own masculinity.

I guess this is where trans men come in. Briefly - over time, as I interacted with trans men and transmasc folks in general, I started to feel a weird sort of appreciation, maybe even jealousy for them, like I wished I was more like them myself. Eventually, I started to realise that their comfort and the gender euphoria they feel from being masculine made me feel more at peace and secure with my own masculinity. Seeing as one can feel genuine joy from being a man, from the masculinity they themselves worked to achieve, and from the positive aspects of that masculinity, while also rejecting the toxic parts of it... It just, makes me feel SO much better with myself as well.

Perhaps it sounds silly or obvious? But that realisation that I do NOT have to embrace all the baggage that comes with masculinity, and I can instead pick and choose parts of it, shaping my own version of being a man that makes me feel comfortable is something that made me feel massively better with myself. Being a silly guy gives me genuine gender euphoria - so I just embrace that "silly guy" part of masculinity, and give up on the toxic parts of it, like aggressive dominance, or hierarchical view of the world.

Going onwards, I don't think I'll be changing my pronouns from they/them, or drop the demiboy description of my identity. As I said - there is more to my identity that just discomfort for being called a man. But at least, I can be at peace with my own masculinity.

I genuinely have every single trans man and transmasculine person to thank for it. You made my life better, and I could never show properly just how deep my appreciation for you all goes.

While it doesn't really apply to me, I'm certain that trans women and transfeminine people have a similar influence for cis and gnc women. In fact, I have read a similar post from a female perspective before, and I have no doubts that this post influenced my realisation in how much more comfortable I am with my own masculinity thanks to transmasculine folks.

Trans people are a gift to this world. Their presence alone makes the world such a more beautiful place, period. I wish them all plenty of luck and joy going onwards! And once more - thank you all.

[tea-plantz]

Hello Could i request some Yandere Marcy headcanons? Maybe add a head canon where the reader escapes her?

Yess my first Marcy request! And better yet, a yandere one! Thank you so much for sending in a request, love<3

She/them for Marcy

They/them for the reader

!Tw! spoilers, dark themes

~Yandere!Marcy Wu x reader hcs~

Everything started when Marcy first met you at Saint James middle school. You were the new exchange student that had recently started in the middle of the schoolyear, and was placed in Marcy’s class. Moreover, you miraculously ended up being placed right next to her, giving the black haired girl a chance to look at you up close.

Wow, you were absolutely gorgeous! The teen could quickly feel a wave of nervousness washing over her, as you turned to the girl with a smile.

Marcy ended up being the first friend you made at your new school, after she invited you to eat with her and her friends, while looking a bit flustered.

When you said “yes” to her little proposal, she was so happy! A new friend! Or at least so she thought…

——————————————————————————

In the beginning, Marcy noticed that she would sense a slight feeling of butterflies in her stomach, when you smiled at her, but even though she may be the smartest kid in her class, the brown eyed girl could not wrap her head around just what she was feeling.

She would constantly talk to Anne and Sasha about you, invite you to all of their hangouts, and nervously look away whenever you made eye contact.

Over time, their silly little crush started to grow. You were just so nice to them, sweet, pretty/handsome, and you even talked with them about their interests! Poor Marcy Wu was completely in awe just by your very presence alone, and couldn’t stop herself from falling for you. Hard.

Some nights, she would stay up, either texting with you, drawing/writing about you in her journal, or simply lay awake thinking about you. This of course, making them extremely sleep deprived in the morning.

This might only seem like a sweet, childish little crush, but believe me, it was far from it.

Marcy’s behavior quickly became more… obsessive towards you. She would constantly crave to be by your side, and she could always be seen staring at you. All with a red blush painted onto their features as they fiddled with the hem of their clothing.

The noirette often found her thoughts drifting over to you whenever she were in class, having a conversation, or those times she couldn’t sleep at night.

Marcy herself, despite being a genius, isn’t really realizing that what she has towards you, is an issue at all (She’s really oblivious). She truly believes that what you guys have is pure, innocent, love.

——————————————————————————

For the most part, the brown eyed girl was mostly observing you. Following you around, writing down small details about you. Watching you interact with others or simply just enjoying some alone time. Sometimes she observed you while hanging out with you herself, other times more… discreet. She was quietly following your every move, stalking, learning…. Now, most would assume that Marcy would be terrible at the whole “stalker” thing, considering her clumsiness, however that’s where your wrong. When this girl is in her zone, her concentration level is at max (y’know like in the 1st temple, or when she’s playing her video games). All her senses and focus would be on you and you alone, as if you where one of her hyper-fictions, making her incredibly aware of every little detail.

After simply observing from the sideline for a long, long time, Marcy would finally build up the courage to ask you out, all while internally panicking. She finally decided that she had to ask you to be hers in fear of losing you to another, since you guys were simply meant to be.

She didn’t really think she was worthy of having you honestly, but she couldn’t hold back. She needed you. Craved you. You made her feel accepted. You showed her affection. You made her feel loved.

——————————————————————————

Now onto the hcs! (Considering you said “yes” of course, since well… your reading this? If not, think of it as kidnapping:D)

I feel like Marcy is the type to be like “insecure jealous”. Let me explain: when Marcy gets jealous because somebody’s getting too close to you, your smiling an awful lot at another person, or someone else is for example flirting with you, Marcy gets extremely insecure. She feels like she isn’t good enough for you, and starts to question herself a lot. However, since her obsession with you and her unhealthy mindset has gotten to grow so much, she would probably push those thoughts away, telling herself delusional lies. Either that, or she would become completely obsessed with trying to get you to like her more, making irrational decisions to gain your approval and attention. Remember when she tried to get all of Wartwood to like her? Yeah, it’s something along the lines of that.

Marcy is also incredibly smart and observant. Therefore she would probably know everything about you, maybe even stuff you didn’t even know yourself! She probably has a ton of pages about you in her journal-

In this brown eyed girls case, I think a delusional yandere is the most likely outcome. Marcy can get so caught up in her own little world and fantasies, that she sometimes creates her own truth in her head. For example, she would probably convince herself that the way she was acting and feeling towards you is completely normal, that she only does what she has to do, that you absolutely feel the same way about her (even if you really doesn’t) and so on.

I also imagine Marcy as the worshipping type. She just absolutely adore you and everything you do. She looks up to you so much and admire everything about you!

Even though this black haired girl obviously has some issues, she’s still sweet little Mar-mar! Honestly, despite her obsessiveness and her creepy tendencies, she’s still extremely sweet and caring. Marcy knows it’s wrong (even though she’s delulu), but she feels like she has to go to these extreme measures to keep you with her and make sure that you stay with her, only her.

I know punishments and all are a popular trait when it comes to yanderes, but I personally don’t think Marcy would really “punish” you. She would be far to soft for that. She would most likely try to manipulate you instead.

Gaslighting would probably be what you would experience the most with Marcy when it comes to toxic behavior. This girl can be extremely good at subtle manipulation and making you feel bad or sorry for her. Sometimes, she even does it by accident.

Even though this is yandere Marcy (which acts kinda different from regular Marcy), I still think she would be just as shy in social situations, especially with you. If you show her even the tiniest bit of affection, she goes completely red and starts shaking in your touch from nerves and excitement.

I personally think that Marcy would be extremely affectionate! She’s probably touch starved as well Girl will probably have an arm wrapped around you at all time, holding your hand, or simply starring at you (she just admires you so much!…. Also, she’s kinda the type to stare at you while you sleep-). Cuddles are also a huge yes for her, it’s a great way to feel love and connection!

This noirette is also clingy as hell! And not just with physical affection, no, she probably always forces herself onto you. For example, if your reading a book, she would ask you a ton of questions about it, then recommend some of her own favorite books. Same goes for stuff like music, games, movies, ect. Marcy would probably always try to stay close to you as well in every thinkable scenario. Especially in situations where she feels left out and forgotten, being overly affectionate and clingy. And with yandere Marcy, it’s even more intense-

The main reason for Marcy to be a yandere in the first place would most likely be trauma. This poor thing has been through a lot and it’s clear to see that she’s dealing with some type of abandonment issues. In addition, even though Marcy takes great pride in the fact that she’s a nerd an all, I feel like she probably has really low self esteem as well, causing her to be more sensitive and extreme at times.

Since I was asked about it, I’m also going to add in some hcs about escaping Marcy (Ik kidnapping and all is a bit unrealistic, but these are yandere hcs so yeah)

To escape from Marcy would honestly be extremely hard. This is due to the fact that she is terribly smart and knows an awful lot about you. Like I mentioned, she knows everything about you, and has thought of everything single possible scenario of you escaping. Plus, like mentioned, Marcy’s also super clingy, and is probably attached to your hip at all times, giving you very little time to yourself.

One thing you could do though would be to play on her emotions. Marcy is quite sensitive and emotional, plus she cares so much about you! If you know how to play your cards right, you could just might manage to work your way around her emotionally, but be aware, because she’s still incredibly smart and could possibly detect if something fishy was up.

Also, I’m not really sure about Marcy’s physical strength, (like in the show, she’s able to fight monsters and such, but she mentioned that she wasn’t very good in gym and all. Plus if you look at her build and how she acted in the 3rd temple, I would say that she’s not that athletic) but you might be able to sneak attack her and overpower her, but I feel like she would have a backup plan for that.

If you did manage to escape though, Marcy would be absolutely devastated. A lot of her trauma would return and it would probably be the last thing to completely push her of the deep end.

Homegirl would definitely go insane and just totally lose it. Crying while laughing and all.

Marcy would never stop searching for you though, and she would put all her strength into trying to find you. As an attempt to comfort and distract herself from the pain, she probably thought of it as one of those adventure games that she adore so much (like Zelda), where the main goal is to find and rescue you. Marcy is also an extremely passionate person, so if she has set her goal (aka to find you and love you forever), she’s definitely gonna follow through.

In conclusion, I think that Marcy would be one of the worst and best yanderes to have at the same time. All Marcy wants is just for you to love her, show her that you care and stay with her, but trust me when I say that if this clingy Taiwanese girl is set on keeping you, your going to be with her forever… I mean, we saw what lengths she was willing to go just to avoid moving away from her besties, but it’s all with good intentions, right…?

Omgomgomg I’m so sorry for taking an ETERNITY with this one!! I’ve just been such a perfectionist about these hcs since I love Marcy so much! Plus, my family’s visiting Australia so it has been kinda busy. Thank you for being so patient, though! I really appreciate it!<3