#the only option you see is rumors. so you choose it. i say this. then the rumors option is grayed out.

[liloinkoink]

hello hello ddvau fans if you do not know me i do edits for ddvau and i have Known about this chapter for weeks and have been sitting on my rage at HG the whole time. and now it is released i need the people to see he is a bitch ass mf

anyway. starting off here. the very first thing HG says to Grian when talking about what happened is a threat

"i'm here to help you. i'm the best option you got, no one else will"

when i was editing for Doody, this line was just "i'm here to help." but Doody wanted it to come across somewhere in this chapter that HG has all the power in this situation and that HG wants Grian to know that. it was decided that the best spot to include that was right here, right off the bat. HG is Grian's only option and that is as much a promise as it is a threat. no one else will help Grian, and that includes saving him from HG if he doesn't tell HG what he wants to know

and then there's this page. when Grian isnt super forthcoming w info, HG pulls out Jimmy. HG knows better than anyone that Jimmy is completely innocent and that he had nothing to do w the attack--he's a victim here, and HG knows that better than anyone. he also knows, from being Grian and Jimmy's friend as a civilian for years, that Grian cares a lot about Jimmy, and is using that against Grian

he also knows from being a civilian and Jimmy's friend that Jimmy's pro-mutant stance isnt popular, and Jimmy could be framed if HG said something bad about him. HG is trying blatantly to use anti-mutant sentiments against Grian and Jimmy so that Grian will talk, in a moment Grian is already convinced he's going to be arrested for hiding his status as a mutant

(which: note that HG says he heard "rumors" about Jimmy's stance about mutants and his protests against the university's policies--it isn't rumors, HG knows this from being Jimmy's friend and coworker as Scar)

and then here, HG is the only one who was conscious and who was fully present for and remembers what happened during the MS attack. yeah, Tango was also there, but Tango is a known mutant, adn we've already seen people do not trust Tango and think Tango is dangerous--he's certainly not as trustworthy as HG, Superhero, Emerald Soldier, face of the military. he's the one people will trust most. what he says happened is what happened

HG says that yes, Grian’s secret is safe, but only because HG is choosing to keep it. Grian is safe because HG is allowing him to be. HG told everyone that Grian gained wings from the attack, and so HG won't arrest Grian. in this narrative which HG made up, Grian did not lie to the government and he was not always a mutant. HG said it, so it's true, even if he's lying. all HG has to do is change his mind and say that Grian was always a mutant who lied and hid his status from the government, and then Grian will be arrested. HG could change his mind at any time if Grian doesn't cooperate with him. he's very blatantly blackmailing Grian

fun fact! the original version of this line didn't have the "for now," but it was added in editing when Doody said they wanted it to be explicitly clear HG is threatening Grian

what HG says here is the truth. he isn't just representing the law--HG is above the law, and he isn't shy about making sure Grian knows that. he's willing to use anything in his disposal to get the information he wants, and he's willing to use anything available to him to make sure Grian complies with him. disguising it in friendly attitude and cookies and a phone number does not hide the fact HG was incredibly ruthlessly manipulative here

anyway. incredibly fun chapter. one of my favorites. i need DDVAU HG exploded

[schisms]

i don’t get all the fuss about häagen-dazs. it’s not even that good

[nonotnolan]

Swap Caste

People often ask me if ever resented being born into the Swap Caste, but honestly… when you grow up around it, you just sort of internalize it as a normal part of life. Growing up, I’ve always known that my body is not my own. I’m taking care of this body for its eventual owner. The better I care for this body, the more money I will get in exchange when it is sold. Sure, sometimes I daydream about what it might be like to have been born into the Ruling Caste— who doesn’t daydream about a perfect future? But even at an early age, I knew better than to go down any sort of self-defeating or destructive trains of thought. Nothing would change except for maybe my body depreciating in value. Maybe after someone buys this body, then I’ll have time to be an activist.

I always get a bit hard when I look at myself. Why wouldn’t I? I look damn good, and I know it! Today, though, today is a potential sale, so my nerves are through the roof. I put myself on market last week, and when I got this body appraised it came out to 32.7 million dollars. Far from an all-time record, but the average sale price is only 14.2 million, and this is currently the eight most expensive body on the market right now. It feels good to have all of the hard work I put into this body validated, but every potential sale still makes me question if it was all worth it.

Will they think my face is worth the price? Is it too masculine? Is it too youthful? Will they be scared away by amount of upkeep these muscles would take? Post-exchange investment depreciation is a huge risk for buyers, so a lot of men who are looking to buy a new body intentionally avoid the more expensive options.

Which, that’s the other part of the equation— whoever buys my body will give their body up to me. Society expects people to be close to my age when they buy a new body, but people are starting to wait until their 30s or 40s to buy a new body. How many years of my life am I going to lose? What sort of health conditions am I going to inherit? How many pounds am I going to have to lose in order to get back down to a healthy weight? As a member of the Swap Caste, I don't have any say into the answers to those questions. I'm expected to live the rest of my life in their discarded body regardless of the complications.

Plus, today’s buyer is rumored to be… pretty weird. My buddy Vince, he’s the number twelve body on the market, he told me that there’s a real eccentric businessman going around shopping the market. He started at the most expensive, and apparently he’s working his way down the list in market order. He arranges in-person visits, and then leaves after five minutes. No one knows what he's looking for-- usually people with enough money to afford the best just buy the most expensive body they can. And while all buyers have the opportunity to see the body in person, most people just choose from the portfolio photos they make us take.

My reverie is interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. I open the door to my flat to invite him in. Seeing him standing in the doorway takes my breath away. I'm not surprised to see him wearing clothing that costs more than my monthly stipend, but am I surprised to see that his skin is well cared for. Usually people in his Caste don't bother to take care of themselves because they know they'll be buying a new body once they enter adulthood. I wasn't expecting him to be so young or so handsome, and I certainly wasn't expecting him to be physically fit.

"Sorry, where are my manners?" I say, realizing with a jolt that I've just been staring slack-jawed at the man. "My name is Ashton. Please, come on in. Let me know what I can do to help you see the merchandise in action."

He smirks at me, and my heart flutters a bit. I hope he likes what he sees. "Charmed," he says, following me inside. "You can call me Kamil. I'll start by feeling up your muscles, if you don't mind." He starts to pace around me, drinking in every aspect of my physique as he occasionally runs his fingers down my back or across my nipples.

The sexual tension is unreal. Will it bother him if he notices that I'm a gay man? We're not required to disclose it-- sexuality is in the mind, not the body. Besides, no one in the Swap Caste has sex before the sale. Keeping your body's virginity intact for the buyer is the easiest $100,000 you'll ever make. Or, I thought it was, until the most attractive buyer I've ever seen decided to see my wares in person. God, imagine if I got to claim that ass while showing Kamil how impressive his new cock would be. Shit, I was sprouting a raging hard-on in front of this guy! "I see you are interested in my muscles! Please, let me show them off for you," I blurt out, hoping to distract attention from the tent in my sweatpants.

He smiles at me. "There's no need for that. Believe me, I already like what I see. But before we proceed with the sale, I want to explain what else I'm looking for out of this arrangement. It's... why I wanted to meet with you in person. I would be paying extra to put a 10 year rider onto the contract. Officially, you will be employed as my personal trainer so that I can keep my new purchase in top condition. Unofficially... I would take you as my lover."

I can hardly believe what I'm hearing. "I... your lover? But I'm just part of the lowly Swap Caste!" At any moment, I'm expecting someone to burst through the doors and tell me this is a prank. "You're one of the highest tiers of Business Caste, our kind doesn't... this sort of thing just isn't done!"

"Well, that's true," he says, placing his hand on my shoulder. "I'm supposed to marry a woman from a comparable Caste and have 1-3 children to carry on my social standing. The thing is, I'm a gay man. So if I'm going to defy social norms just by existing, I may as well go all-in on defying cultural expectations. I'm not just looking for a new body, I'm looking for another gay man to call my own. We can look into harem arrangements if you don't want to have a relationship with me, but... well, that's my offer."

My heart is hammering in my chest, and I'm pretty sure my cock is starting to leak through the grey sweatpants that I'm wearing. Everything about his shopping behavior makes sense now that I know his secret. I can't blame the other guys for turning him down-- maybe he didn't even make them an offer if he could tell they were straight-- but this offer is beyond my wildest dreams. "I accept. I'll do it, yes. A thousand times yes!"

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

"Good morning, love. If you're here to make sure I squeeze in my morning workout, I'll do it after I finish steaming my clothes for the week. I have to make sure I'm looking good for my man." I couldn't help but roll my eyes as he smiled at me. I had never even heard of a clothes press before he purchased my body, but he insisted that it produced better results than an iron. Personally, the only difference I noticed was the cost of the two items, but I was finding that to be true with a lot of the home appliances he took for granted. It took me three weeks to figure out how to use his all-in-one barista monstrosity just to make a simple cup of coffee, and it tasted the same to me.

I still couldn't believe this was my new life. Just being hired as residential staff to someone in the Business Caste was an incredible opportunity for someone in my place. The fact that Kamil treated me as an equal? It was an unthinkable decision, and even some of the activist circles we were in thought it was a step too far. It was the scandal of the neighborhood, and we relished every moment of that notoriety.

"Don't think I'm letting you get off easy this morning," I said, crossing my arms. "Today is Saturday, you're doing a full length workout. You already skipped last Wednesday for a work meeting. If you start falling out of the habit, it's going to be a bitch to start up again."

Kamil let out a dramatic sigh. "If I had known you were going to be such a ruthless personal trainer, I would have hired someone else. You know Robert only has to work out three times a week?"

I couldn't help but laugh at that one. "Your friend Robert, the guy with 20 pounds of beer gut that he's trying to pass off as a dad bod? The one who I thought hadn't purchased his Caste Body yet? Yeah, I think his results speak for themselves."

"Harsh, but fair," he said, laughing with me. "How about we make a deal?" Kamil stepped close to me, rubbing his hand along the hem of my bathrobe. "I'll do a full length workout, but we start the morning off with some bedroom cardio." He squeezed my ass for emphasis before retreating to our bedroom. He didn't even turn around to see if I was following him. I was, of course-- I had an intimate knowledge of just exactly how much his body was packing, and he knew all of the tricks that would make my body feel good.

People still ask me if I resent being born into the Swap Caste, knowing what I now know about all of the pleasures and luxuries available to the higher classes. I just smile and shake my head no. It's what lead me to my Kamil, and I wouldn't change it for the world.

[opalite-curiosities]

Tkatb theories-

A/n: I normally don't post my thoughts on things because I'm nervous but I couldn't help it. I really enjoyed the update and wanted to know if anyone was theorizing like I was 😅. Hope my slightly organized ranting is enjoyable.

Also slight spoilers for the update/rewrite

Crowe-

Marie antoinette

1.a- forms a scenario about the queen and the MC being friends while they write their essays

1.b- Light is absent from his eyes as he asks and listens to their answers

1.c- Emphasis on Tyrant

There is obviously more to this scenario than meets the eye. Automatically it seems like hes talking about his family, as Dyrel mentions he doesn’t seem to get along with his family. The only family that is mentioned (by Dyrel) is his mother. She is a highly successful business woman and it’s likely that Crowe lives with her on the other side of the city.

Given how he frames the scenario, it’s likely his mother was similar to the queen. In this case the role MC plays would actually be Crowe. Saying that the queen gave them gifts and invited them to parties. likely reflects what his childhood was like. Business parties with the higher class or lower class, along with his mother likely giving him anything. The second half of the scenario may take place in his later years. As a child he probably had an idolized image of his mum. Given her success and prowess, Crowe probably looked up to her in some way. However, that opens up the possibility for him seeing what she was or is really like.

This is where the second half of the scenario comes in where he asks the MC if they would believe the rumors or the queen. The answer matters a lot to him as it, without the MC’s knowledge, relates to his own personal experience. When picking the option of still trusting the queen, Crowe tears up. Despite quickly returning to his prior playful and light mood, it’s clear that the answer impacted him greatly. He also says that the MC is too trusting and is opening themselves up to potential danger. I feel like this is the option Crowe himself chose, to believe his mother. To trust in her and the version he knew as opposed to what he had heard. The danger he speaks of to the MC is probably the danger he found himself in.

Similar to how Geo’s family is involved in some way with the founders of the city, there's a possibility that Crowe’s mum was to and could be the reason for his deep hatred of the system. Her business may involve the city officials in some way and with the unrest within the city, it’s not a stretch to say the rumors about her were probably true. Crowe finding out about all of it probably made him begin to question his mother even if he so desperately wanted to believe her.

Eventually, they probably had a falling out. Whether Crowe started believing the rumors or saw what was happening for himself isn’t that important but it may change how severely his opinion changed. How old he was when this happened also no doubt played a role. The main thing is, he started seeing his mum in a different light, a more negative one. This is probably why he isn’t close with his family or at least his mother. It also could be a reason he and Geo are so close, as they both can relate to having family problems relating to the hierarchy.

At the end of day 2, when you choose to stay with the group, Crowe decides to leave after staying at the MC’s apartment to get out of the rain. As he’s leaving we get a photo of him almost glaring at his phone. He also says that she is back, possibly meaning his mother.

[yandere-sins]

Hello Chief, I was kinda hoping you could continue Yandere Geralt? I was envisioning him chasing the reader through the woods, completely feral. Like he completely snapped after they was able to get away a second time, and prepare themselves for the hunt? What if they were able to get away for like a month or week?! So many options, but you can choose which scenario is best. I just want to read a feral geralt.

Chief... that's a new nickname unlocked! xD Thanks for requesting, sorry for taking so long!! I couldn't come up with a full-on scenario so I opted for more scenic headcanons, hope that is okay! ^-^

»»———————— ♡ ————————««

❥ Geralt isn't the same after you managed to escape. Everyone can feel it, not just those who know him. He was always easy to identify as a witcher, but still, the rumors spread about a witcher, shrouded in dark clothes, stalking after prey. They say there's madness in his eyes and blood all over his body from those who crossed his path. If he comes to a town, people are quick to hide away, afraid he might mistake them for who or what he's searching, and he's known to appear in houses at night, searching basements and other hiding spots. No one dares to stop him, too afraid they might be the next victim to his blade. Rumors like these even reach your ears, only making you more careful not to be predictable for him, and so, the hunt continues.

❥ Lots of people and creatures have seen him ride through the forests, sword in hand, leaving a bloody trail in his wake. Geralt doesn't care about who he encounters as long as it isn't who he is hunting. So it's no surprise that people start calling him feral and out of his mind when they encounter him taking a short, calculated break on his travels, always lost in thoughts and shrouded in an unapproachable aura. Some people try to reason with him, get him to trust their information, or take advantage of his situation by selling their own goods, but he's not that stupid. Because you wouldn't be so stupid, so he can't afford it either. Anyone who insists on having a lead won't live to see the day if it turns out to be wrong, so sooner or later, even these people stop approaching him.

❥ Because all he thinks about is you. Strangely enough, he is sure you are still alive and out there somewhere. You are nifty, you have the skills he taught you, and you have something else remarkably: determination. A smile creeps on his face when he imagines you struggling but pushing through. You managed to escape him with all his heightened senses, carefulness, and obsession. You wouldn't let yourself or your new freedom be endangered by carelessness. Geralt trusts in you taking care of yourself as long as he can't, no matter what you must do. And seeing how this is your second attempt already, you are sure to have grown wiser since the last time. Perhaps knowing he is always just a few steps behind you also reassures you. At least, that's what he tells himself.

❥ The ale tastes twice as good with you on his mind, making him sigh blissfully, a shiver of anticipation running through him. Oh, he can't wait to get you back. The thought alone makes his heart pump harder than ever before, his body struck by so many emotions that he can no longer suppress them, no matter if it is unlike him. Geralt thinks of all the things he'll do to you once you are back. Hug you, kiss you—just to name the good ones. Dragging you back to a safe space, crying and screaming, is a given. But this time, he'll also make sure you are gagged so you have time to think about your actions and all the worry you caused. You won't go a day without being chained up after your little stunt, the longer it takes to get you back, the more inclined Geralt is to break some bones to immobilize you further.

❥ Thinking about you is the only thing that can keep him sane. He feels like he has already lost too much, so without you, his carefully crafted nonchalantness, the calm and unbothered personality he has fooled everyone with, breaks into a million pieces. Only a handful of people got to see his other sides, the ones that are softer, kinder, less hard, and shaped by the world's darkness and his own discipline. But there are also sides only you have seen, the obsessive, possessive ones. Protectiveness lies in his field of work, but he's behaving like a dog only around you. It's something other people would be too scared to see, and at some point, you were, too. But now that you escaped him, you have proven that you understand him. You know what it takes to be with him and to take him on. What it's like to challenge him, order him, love him. You are the only one worthy of losing himself over, just like he thought. You are his.

❥ Every time he sees someone that resembles you, he gets so agitated. Both worry and anger overcome him, and Geralt, usually so good at suppressing unnecessary emotions, is helplessly overwhelmed by the outbursts. He is constantly taken aback when the person doesn't turn out to be you, another piece of his sanity breaking off as he immediately lets go of them again, not caring if they are hurt or if other people call out to him. How could he have mistaken them for you? They weren't even close to you. Nothing about them was as perfect and breathtaking as you are. It honestly disgusts him that he even touched them, and Geralt's been through a lot of shit before so that really shouldn't matter.

❥ On the lonely nights out in the woods, he barely sleeps, always listening, waiting for a sign of you. A small laugh, the snapping of twigs, your breath in his ear. If he didn't know it better, he'd say you are a daydream even in this nightmare he has to endure because of you. All he can do is imagine your hands on his body again, your sweet voice whispering apologies, your hair brushing his skin as you curl up against his chest. Life could be easy like this, peaceful, gentle. He could love you again and for the rest of your life, even after you ran from him. But every time Geralt does close his eyes, it's with the knowledge that he'll have you back. He will find you. Losing you isn't an option; it's not even a consideration. And then he'll hold you again, kiss you, tell you, you are safe as he wipes away the tears that will undoubtedly fall after your reunion. The thought of breaking your legs tastes amazing on his tongue, but the greatest pleasure will be telling you he loves you again.

[goatdon]

You shouldn’t trust the show runners, they can lie, they’re probably lying about the significance of Langdon. I’ve been through enough fandom to know incompetent writers when I see them. I don’t believe for one second that Langdon is going to get any development. It’s best to lower your expectations for the excuse for an arc their going to give him so you won’t be disappointed

okay. if that’s how you feel then that’s how you feel. me personally i am going to chill since when i post this it’ll only be one day post finale. ill consider them liars or bag fumblers when the casting for s2 is announced or the first ep of s2 comes out.

ive been in fandom spaces since i was 14 and had my fair share of showrunners that suck or ruined the show for me. this show is just started so we’ve gotten no follow ups from the showrunners promises therefore I just don’t feel like making a solid “I love them/i hate them” stand. like im not taking every word they say as bible but like. cmon

and in defense of langdon’s arc and the ambiguous scenes: the ambiguity is necessary—in keeping people thinking and talking abt the pitt and giving them something to look forward to in s2. it also makes sense with langdons storyline because that man is so deep in denial and hasn’t even hit rock bottom yet for him to really see the gravity of his actions. there’s no way to resolve that or force him to see that he really will lose his job in an hour. especially when he’s convinced he can sweet talk robby into not reporting him.

he’s probably been making himself feel better abt everything bc he has this idea in his head that robby let him stay and if he can just get a one person to vouch for him maybe he won’t get reported. he’s kinda deluded in that aspect but it makes sense is what I’m saying. he’s grasping at straws and none of which are gonna be rehab.

outside of leaving it open ended what other options did they have fr? to have him a. verbally accept the offer to rehab that would be make no sense bc he won’t even admit he’s an addict and he does not want to do a 5 year program and b. if he said no and decided to say fk being a doctor. yall would still tweak out bc that rlly means he won’t be in s2. so what can you really do. all i will say is that he could’ve given him another scene at the end tho. maybe frame it in a hopeful way but nothing abt his mindset and where is he rn is all that hopeful since we know he’s scared and freaking out trying to save face. and ofc the secret third option of him dying or attempting but i don’t think that’d really get anyone anywhere.

idk maybe I’m wrong but I truly just don’t know what everyone was expecting. like this outcome and the vague ending is much better than what i thought was gonna happen because i was lowkey thinking someone was gonna get punched so….

s2 will probs start with langdon coming back or whatever fits into that box and thru the season we’ll see his struggles, his relationship with robby, what it’s like to have all the rumors/eyes on him and we’ll probs get to see the accuracy of the program an actual physician with an addiction would go thru. and #tome that is a literal goldmine. any writer worth half their salt would know to explore this and not drop it. they set up so much that it would genuinely be idiotic to drop the storyline and I don’t think that’s what they plan on doing.

i just don’t think him lacking screen time (which he lowkey has not had since ep 10) and not wanting to go to rehab is a bat signal from the writer saying “look at us we don’t know what we’re doing”

and yk based on this past season I’m choosing to believe the showrunners know what they’re doing and I’ll continue to do that unless they prove me otherwise in the months from april - jan.

ykw I will say that there’s a chance ur right so on jan i say we meet back here and if ur right ill admit i was wrong and loud and be embarrassed abt it on main. but until then I’ll just stick with my opinion on him returning. ill owe you a cute penny if the cast list for s2 comes out and he’s not on it.

and don’t even get me wrong there’s a lot of choices / things I don’t like abt the show or scene that pmo so it’s not like I’m meat riding for these people bc I’m really not

[itsblasttothepast]

As Sergio's connoisseur, if you have to choose a team for him to be able to race this season, what are his chances? where do you think he could race?

Ah... you mean if I dream really hard? or realistically speaking?

If I dream really hard, I want him in any team Lewis is! I want them to be teammates so bad 🥹

If we talk realistically... none. For the 2025 season I think it's really hard he can get a place, leaving the fact that all the drivers are selected, we always have the mid season. But let me explain why I don't think we can get Checo in an F1 team for this year, team by team:

RedBull: No way they are letting Checo back, it would be admiting they screwed up; also the whole thing between them ended in bad terms (this according to the press and Marko), so obviously they won't even consider this option (it works both ways: RBR won't consider Checo and Checo won't consider RBR).

Ferrari and McLaren: Each team have a very solid pair of drivers, there's no possibility of anything bad happening. I know many think Lewis and Charles will create drama (like Vettel back when Charles started in Ferrari), but I there's no chance for a change of line-up.

Mercedes: Yes, people think Kimi is still a little green for F1, and probably will be changed after summer (I want to clarify that this is not what I want or believe will happen, just what I've seen others theorize); then Checo could be the one taking his place, but nope, Bottas will be the one taking charge, since he's the reserve driver and also has been on the team, he's family. If something happens with Kimi, Bottas would be the one in that seat.

Sauber and Williams: The same as McLaren and Ferrari. I doubt Bortoleto will do badly, he has potential, and besides Sauber is still a very troubled team, they're not expecting big results. Williams could be the surprise though, Carlos always improves the teams he joins, and if for some reason Albon has to be replaced (I hope not), Franco Colapinto is the one taking that place.

Haas: Esteban is a solid driver, and Ollie has done a good job so far, so I think they'll work well and don't have many problems that imply replacing a driver.

Alpine: This is the most sounded rumor lately, particularly for the other rumor of Jack Doohan only having a contract for certain number of races; Alpine needs money, Checo has a lot of sponsors... but I don't think it will happen, Doohan would have to perform really bad, and since it's Alpine... what's the standard there?

Aston Martin: Here it could be as a reserve driver, like Nico Hulkenberg was back in 2021. But Alonso and Stroll are solid this year, the only way Checo could join is as a reserve, and so far there has been not even rumors about it.

Also, something that called my attention was Bottas winks at Cadillac for a F1 seat (before Checo left RBR), and now he said that if the F1 seat doesn't come through, he's going to Indy. So maybe there's something there about the Checo seat in Cadillac for 2026.

Sorry about the long rant anon, but I don't think we'll see Checo in F1 this year. Maybe in WEC if everything goes as the rumors say.

[daitranscripts]

Cullen Romance

I Want to Talk About Us

Cullen Masterpost

(Start a romance with Cullen.)

PC: I thought we could talk. Alone?

PC is available [1]

PC is in a relationship with someone else [2]

Cullen continued lyrium [3]

1 - PC is available Cullen: Alone? I mean, of course. [6]

2 - PC is in a relationship with someone else Cullen: Perhaps I’m mistaken, but I’ve heard that you’re… involved with someone. Rumors spread quickly here. I wouldn’t want anyone getting the wrong idea. Scene ends.

3 - Cullen continued lyrium Cullen: is something wrong? PC: No. I was hoping to talk about us. Cullen: Us. I see. I have devoted my life to the Inquisition. I can’t… I do not have time for anything else.

Dialogue options:

General: Is that it? [4]

General: I’ll back off. [5]

4 - General: Is that it? PC: Is that the only reason? Cullen: I wanted to start over. I’m not sure I have. I still feel like the man I was in Kirkwall. Until I’ve put that behind me, I cannot be with anyone. I’m sorry. Scene ends. ㅤㅤ ㅤ 5 - General: I’ll back off. PC: I understand. Pretend I never asked. Cullen: If that is all, I should return to my duties. Inquisitor. Scene ends.

6 - Scene continues.

*The PC and Cullen walk out onto the battlements.

Cullen: It’s a nice day.

Inquisitor: What?

Cullen drops his hand.

Cullen: It’s… there was something you wished to discuss.

Dialogue options:

Mage: Could you care for a mage? [7]

Templar: Could you care for a templar? [8]

General: I keep thinking about you. [9]

General: You really don’t know? [10]

General: I want to talk about us. [11]

7 - Mage: Could you care for a mage? PC: Cullen, I care for you, and— (Sighs.) Cullen: What’s wrong?

PC (pre-Perseverance): You left the templars, but do you trust mages? Could you think of me as anything more? PC (post-Perseverance): I’m a mage. After what you’ve been through, could you think of me as anything more?

Cullen: I could. I mean, I do… think of you. And what I might say in this sort of situation. [12]

8 - Templar: Could you care for a templar? PC: Cullen, I care for you, and— (Sighs.) Cullen: What’s wrong? PC: Do I remind you of what you’re trying to escape? Could you think of me as anything more? Cullen: I could. I mean, I do… think of you. And what I might say in this sort of situation. [12]

9 - General: I keep thinking about you. PC: I find myself thinking of you. More than… well, all the time, really. Cullen: I can’t say I haven’t wondered what it would be like. [12]

10 - General: You really don’t know? PC (asked if Cullen left anyone in Kirkwall): Cullen, you know how I feel. PC (did not ask about Kirkwall): Us. Whether there could be something here.

Cullen: I can’t say I haven’t wondered what it would be like. [12]

11 - General: I want to talk about us. PC: Certainly not the weather. Cullen: I assumed that much. I can’t say I haven’t wondered what I would say to you in this sort of situation. [12]

12 - Scene continues.

PC: What’s stopping you?

Cullen (pre-Perseverance): You’re the Inquisitor. We’re at war. And you… I didn’t think it was possible. Cullen (post-Perseverance): You’re the Inquisitor. We’re at war. And you… haven’t always seen me in the best light.

Dialogue options:

General: Maybe we should be friends. [The Inquisitor chooses not to be in a relationship with Cullen.] [13]

Flirt: I want to be with you. [The Inquisitor chooses to be in a relationship with Cullen.] [14]

13 - General: Maybe we should be friends. PC: I don’t want to complicate things. Perhaps it’s better if we remain friends. Cullen: I suppose it is. The PC leaves. Scene ends.

14 - Flirt: I want to be with you. PC: And yet I’m still here. Cullen: So you are… it seems too much to ask. But I want to—

A soldier walks up while looking at a clipboard.

Soldier: Commander! You wanted a copy of Sister Leliana’s report.

Cullen: What?

Soldier: Sister Leliana’s report. You wanted it delivered “without delay.”

Cullen glares at him, and the scout looks around to see the PC.

Soldier: Or… to your office… right…

He leaves.

PC: If you need to— (Surprised gasp.)

Cullen kisses the PC.

Cullen: I’m sorry… that was… um… really nice.

Dialogue options:

General: Don’t be sorry. [15]

General: That was surprising. [16]

General: That was perfect. [17]

15 - General: Don’t be sorry. PC: You don’t regret it, do you? Cullen: No! No. Not at all. They kiss again. Scene ends.

16 - General: That was surprising. PC: I believe that was a kiss. But I can’t be sure. It’s all a blur. Cullen: (Laughs.) Yes, well. They kiss again. Scene ends.

17 - General: That was perfect. PC: That was what I wanted. Cullen: Oh. Good. They kiss again. Scene ends.

[arimiaromage]

Strange house - DGM doujin fangame scenario C

I finally reached the next route in Strange house, a doujin LaviYuu d.gray-man fangame made by MOONLIGHT CAFE released in Japanese in 2010. I'm actually playing these out of order accidentally - this is only my 2nd route I've played, but in the guidebook it's listed as scenario C, which can be translated as "Love Affair Trap: A Suspicious Bracelet"

scenario a - Dolly

to briefly summarize Strange house, you play as Lavi while he, Kanda, and Toma are out on a mission. while returning back to the Order, you have the option of making various choices to either take detours, explore new missions, and more. depending on the first 2 choices you make determines which scenario (or "route") you go down, with each focused on Lavi x Kanda.

to get scenario C, you have to choose to hurry back to town after finishing the mission and then contact the Order to see if there's any missions you can do while you're still out. the Order explains a rumor nearby your location of a man who's immortal. so, the three of them (Lavi, Kanda, and Toma) all head to the mansion.

once they get there, the supposedly elderly man who greets them... is a young man! he fully acknowledges and admits to being seemingly immortal, claiming he's lived 80 years so far.

the man, named Hewlett (side note: I had no damn clue what his name was supposed to be and had to get TL help), claims that the secret to his longevity is the bracelet around his arm. clearly, it's innocence. Lavi and Kanda immediately want to know more and want to figure out how to get the bracelet from him.

but, before that, Hewlett has... a bit of a moment when he sees Kanda. he's taken away by his beauty, but doesn't say much at the moment. the 4 of them step away into a sitting room to continue their discussion.

there, the man explains that he can't simply give the bracelet away as he can't take off the bracelet. no matter what, the bracelet will not leave his arm, even after the boys try removing it with his permission. but, there is one more possibility.

the bracelet is a family heirloom and according to a journal his ancestors made, the only way to remove the bracelet is by two people sharing vows to love one another and both putting on a pair of bracelets (Hewlett's is just one in a pair). Lavi and Kanda both have a bad feeling about this, and for good reason.

Hewlett asks Kanda to marry him.

both immediately object, but Hewlett assures them it's the only way. he goes on to say it can just be a formality and not a binding agreement, but that they would have to have a "wedding" regardless.

Lavi has the option to object or to tell Kanda to go through with it. if Lavi objects, Kanda objects with him, but Hewlett talks them both down and the boys walk off to talk things over. if Lavi accepts for Kanda, Kanda gets angry and the boys walk off to talk things over. either way, Lavi realizes the quickest (and non-lethal) way out of this is for Kanda to go along with Hewlett's plan.

as the two walk away, Kanda expresses his anger and just wants to go back to the Order and eat soba. truly, the power of soba...

Lavi knows he needs to convince Kanda to actually go through with it, so you have the choice of him starting to cry and beg him (he doesn't want Kanda to get married off!) or trying to go the rational route.

Kanda, after some coaxing, agrees.

the two go back and tell Hewlett that they agree to his terms. despite it being a "fake" wedding, Hewlett is overly eager to marry Kanda, regardless of his gender.

Hewlett gives them guests rooms in his mansion for them to stay at, with the wedding planned for the next day. however, Lavi can't go to sleep (and he certainly can't stay still) so he decides to explore the manor.

Lavi has the choice to go see Kanda or explore the manor on his own. for some reason, you have to be kind of cold to Kanda in this scenario to get the true ending - rather than go see him and provide comfort, you leave him on his own and go explore on your own.

however, if you do go see Kanda, you get a side scene of the two bonding as well as exploring the manor together. in one of Hewlett's studies, they find a picture of a woman who looks oddly just like Kanda. they realize it was an unrequited love and this is Hewlett's way of getting closure on a lost love.

...but, if Lavi explores the manor alone, you get a much, much different outlook on Hewlett.

Lavi ends up in a dark room, only to realize he's surrounded. not by humans, but mannequins. unless...?

I was already kind of eh about the premise, but this is where the scenario really started to lose me. in the room is a whole slew of "mannequins", humans that are dead but have become a dummy-like state, and all of them somewhat resemble Kanda. and for some reason they're all arranged in here like they're in a ballroom.

with some digging, Lavi manages to find a journal documenting the bracelet. it verifies that the bracelet can only be taken off when a pair of partners both wear the bracelets, but it also goes on to say it's a curse and can inflict harm on the other person if the true's love vow, well, isn't true.

so, Hewlett is a "serial killer", as described by Lavi. I mean, I guess? I'm still unsure what the point of the "mannequin" room is, but let's continue. there's a bad end here if you stay too long and keep reading where Hewlett sneaks up on Lavi, knocks him out, and sets him aside to kill later but Kanda realizes something is wrong the next day and saves Lavi, running off to the Order and Hewlett going missing. all of this is told to us afterwards.

however, if you do read up but not stay too long, Lavi is resolved to put a stop to this in the morning. he goes to bed.

the next morning is the wedding. fake or not, Kanda is given a wedding dress to wear for it.

and for mugen too. sure.

Kanda obviously isn't too happy to be in a dress and just wants the thing over with.

depending on prior choices, Hewlett's fate is sealed at this wedding.

if you explored the mansion with Kanda the prior night and found out about his unrequited love (but not him being a serial killer), then Kanda puts on the bracelet without much of a fuss (as neither know about the bracelet's curse). as soon as he puts on the bracelet, the bracelet comes off of Hewlett's wrist. all of a sudden, the innocence's effects fade away and Hewlett reverts to his elderly self, writhing in pain. Lavi and Kanda can only stand there and watch in horror.

Hewlett dies from the transformation, leaving Lavi and Kanda in a state of shock. they leave the mansion not long after in a bad end where Kanda still has the bracelet and Lavi is too shaken up to try putting it on himself.

the only way to get the true ending is to explore the mansion alone. when it comes time for the ceremony to actually take place, Lavi yells out that Kanda might die if he wears the bracelet, explaining what he read the prior night. Kanda immediately backs off, kicking back at Hewlett to try and protect himself.

however, Hewlett manages to get the bracelet on Kanda. in a similar scene as before, Hewlett's own bracelet falls off and he begins to age rapidly. Lavi understands more of what's happening this time, and even though he knows Hewlett is a murderer, he still doesn't want him to die such a horrible death.

if Lavi doesn't urge Kanda to go through with the wedding and doesn't cry & beg (both earlier choices), then Hewlett dies similar as before. Kanda digs a shallow grave for him in the back of the house but doesn't permit Lavi to try on the bracelet. the three (remember Toma?) head back to the Order, hoping Hevlaska can help take the bracelet off of Kanda.

on the true ending, Lavi jumps to action and pushes the bracelet back onto Hewlett which...somehow stops him from dying from the rapid aging and leaving him as an old man. but also the bracelet comes off?

so now Hewlett is alive (but unconscious) and Kanda still has the bracelet on. however, Kanda is still in a wedding dress and Lavi isn't going to let that go to waste. Kanda thinks similarly, asking Toma to go get ready to leave. Lavi picks up the bracelet, puts it on himself, and kisses Kanda. both bracelets fall to the ground.

the two contact the police and give Hewlett over to them, leaving the manor with the bracelets in tow. and that's the end of scenario c!

this scenario was shorter than scenario a, dolly, and definitely felt all over the place. scenario a had a much clearer premise and plot beats, feeling more like a filler episode from the anime. scenario c (this one) feels like they wanted to put Kanda in a dress and tried to construct a plot around that.

the rules around the bracelet felt convoluted (why did it save the guy at the end of the true route? why did it turn all of the other victims into essentially mannequins?) and the "villain" felt slapped together (why was he a serial killer??? they try to explain it as he's still not over his unrequited love, but why keep the corpses of the victims?) with no real conclusion or backstory given. it wasn't terrible, but certainly didn't feel as well put together as the first scenario.

there's still 2 more scenarios in this game that I'll be playing through and documenting here.

scenario A - Dolly

guidebook scans

[asylumdwellermoved]

YOU! YOU'RE BACK! (you probably don't remember me we only talked, like, once, but hello xjbx)

ANYWAY UM UH what about a reader/PC seducing* Harper and getting more than what they asked for

* (could be intentional or could be Harper going "they are CLEARLY looking at me like that because they want something, yeah?")

(I REMEMBER YOU YOUR BLOG IS ONE OF MY FAVS TO LURK ON

leaning somewhat into the second option bc i love the contrast of manipulative freaks being equally delusional <3

gn!reader, gn!harper, dub/noncon)

"So, how have you been feeling?"

A newfound hesitance replaces your usual quickness to answer. You watch the bright eyes in front of you shift, possibly noticing a dullness in them that you hadn't before. Before you can wonder if it's your mind playing tricks on you, you clear your throat and smile.

"Good...! Been doing a little better lately..."

The doctor smiles back at you, clasping their hands together. "I'm glad! I assume you've been doing those techniques I gave you last week?"

You nod, trying to let the rumors swimming in your head fade to just the back of your mind as you automatically respond to their questions.

You had been seeing Dr. Harper on Fridays for a good few weeks now. Up until recently, you had been perfectly comfortable. It was nice having someone to talk to, even if they were just doing their job. You have absolutely no memory of anything bad happening in any of your sessions. It was only when you had mentioned your recent help to Sydney and saw their skin bristle and received a vague warning in response that you started to worry. Mickey remarking on the doctor's "problems" not long after definitely didn't help. You knew how dangerous this town could be, and you definitely didn't want to be on the bad side of anyone holding your physical well being above your head.

"And that recent spat with that person at your school that you told me about last week? How did that go?"

"Ah, well... they put out a cigarette on me yesterday, so I kind of feel like it's a lost cause..."

If you just... suck up to them it should be fine, right? They seem at least somewhat reasonable. Bat your eyes at them and butter them up a little, and you should be airtight.

Their eyebrows furrow in concern. "Can I see the wound?"

You nod, hesitantly unbuttoning the top of your shirt to give easier access to the burn on your collarbone.

"A few more, please? I'm going to wipe it down and apply some vitamin E gel so that it heals a bit better, I need a little more space."

You oblige, trying not to look bothered, the collar of your shirt now draping over your shoulder. They get to work on gently cleaning your wound. You choose your next words carefully.

"Hey, Dr. Harper..." You don't realize how close they are until you feel the heat of your own breath coming back onto you when you speak.

"Hm?"

"Thanks for everything. Really. I've been doing a lot better lately, and I couldn't have got here without you."

A smile crosses their lips and they hum in contentment. "You're very sweet."

"I appreciate it a lot. At this point, I don't know what I'd do without you..."

You wince a little as that last part comes out, worried you'd be pushing things. You see the look in their eyes change and you freeze. They turn their formerly fixed gaze to your face. It looks almost like it flipped some sort of switch in them.

"I'm very glad to hear that."

You flinch from the feeling of the cold gel on your skin.

"You know, just between us... You're my favorite patient."

You double take.

"A-Am I really?" You feign a smile at their strange remark.

They light up at your reaction. "Yes, really. I'm happy that the feeling's mutual."

Wait... what?

You stiffen a bit, unsure what to say. You notice that their hand is ghosting further and further from the blistering as they touch your skin. And did another button come loose?

"That said, you can come to me for anything. When you're hurt, when you're anxious, when you're upset, when you're... flustered..."

They've gotten closer. The faint hospital smell on their clothes mixed with a slight unplaceable scent feels near suffocating now. When you feel their fingers twitch a bit you notice their hands haven't left your skin.

Ah. So this is what they meant. Not the Bailey kind of scary. Something entirely different.

They hesitate for a second, but waste no time in pressing their lips against yours, pulling you into them and quickly darting their tongue out, trying to force it in. You suddenly feel smothered at the feeling of what control you had being pulled out from under you.

"Dr. Harper-...!"

They pull back, shuddering at the sound of their name on your lips before putting a hand between your legs, a heavy heat of their own pressing against your thigh, grinding softly.

"If I knew I could do this while you were lucid, I would've a long time ago..." They give a breathless giggle like it was some sort of joke, looking straight at you but showing no recognition of the horror on your face.

The look softens as you start to squirm at their touch, watching their eyes flick to your lips again when a gasp slips out. They lean in again, peppering soft, closed-mouth kisses against your lips like they weren't slipping their fingers beneath your clothes to try to get you off at the same time.

"Shhh, I need you to stay quiet for me... Don't worry, when I make sure we have some time all to ourselves soon you can be as loud as you want..." They coo at you almost like they're consoling a child.

The pleasure-induced haze in your brain keeps you from dwelling on what they mean as they keep teasing you, playing with one of your nipples through your open shirt and closely watching your reactions as they pant and moan against your ear. Unable to stop from eventually reaching your peak, you writhe against them helplessly, unconsciously bucking into their hand. A shaky gasp escapes their throat and you notice a warm, wet patch had grown on the fabric against your thigh. Your stomach turns a bit.

They lock their lips with yours again, breathing heavy through their nose, only pulling away when it starts to slow. They stare at you in what looks like a strange sort of... adoration? As they bring their fingers to their lips, slowly dragging their tongue through the mess you made. Their glazed over, half lidded eyes widen a bit when they look at the clock. "Ah- I didn't even notice the time."

They walk back to their desk, nonchalantly sitting back down, rifling through their papers before pulling a pen out. The second you get the chance, you walk out on shaky legs without saying a word.

"Client exhibiting potentially self-endangering behavior. Institutionalize at next availability."

[corrodedseraphine]

beauty and the freak | one shot

the photo of Eddie which I used here is an edit made by amazing @eddiemunsonsmum 🥰

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

summary: When you accidentally witness a conversation between Wayne and the principal about Eddie's education, you get an idea that could help you both. Unfortunately, he is not thrilled with the idea. Not believing in your good intentions, he takes a defensive tactic that could destroy your dream of winning the competition. Maybe happy ends are reserved only for Disney movies? angst/fluff, super cheesy, some of you might even say it's cringe, school acquaintances to lovers, Eddie is an asshole at the beggining

The one shot is also avaliable on ao3

12 478 words

eddie munson masterlist | general masterlist

when I talk about the song Beauty and the Beast here I always mean the version from the movie because it it has a very special place in my heart, also I know that the movie is from 1991 but can we just preted for now that it was already in 1986?

yes - I got carried away. At some point I think that this story is not good enough, that there is something missing but when I try to add something more I just can't - my brain is empty.

On the other hand I also think it might be a little too much, so I will understand if some of you won't simply like this. Just - my latests works focused more on angst than on fluff, I kinda missed my cheesy fluffs, so you know... thank you for reading.

Also shot out to the best beta reader @i-me-mine ♥

"I'm sorry Mr. Munson, this condition must be fulfilled if your nephew wants to graduate from high school this year." the principal said as he and Wayne walked out of his office into the hallway.

"We really can't include his Hellfire Club?" resigned Wayne asked.

"Unfortunately no. Edward will graduate this year on the condition that he gets involved in the life of the school. A requirement of his graduation is to join another club and actively participate in its actions. We must have proof that he really cares."

"Where the hell are we going to find a school club that is willing to accept him? You know that his reputation is not among the best."

"There are plenty of options to choose from, I'm sure you'll find something, there are free spots in athletics."

"Nothing in the world for any price would force this boy into sports." The man shook his head. He was worried. He was worried because he knew that most of the students would run away from any contact with Eddie, the rumors in town about him being a Satan worshipper were getting more and more frequent, people really believed that the board game was just a cover-up.

In truth, you tried not to eavesdrop, however, it was not quite possible, because this conversation was going on right next to your locker, at which you were standing together with Robin.

Your relationship with Eddie was not very good. The truth was that you only associated with each other only in the school hallways and quick meetings when hellfire took over the room after rehearsals of the drama club of which you were the leader. You never exchanged a single word with each other. You had no reason to help him, but the truth was that the situation seemed to benefit both of you.

Seeing his uncle saying goodbye to the principal, you decided to act before you could think.

"Mr. Munson!" you shouted, approaching him with a quick step.

"Yes?" he asked puzzled raising an eyebrow.

"I want to help." You said trying not to feel strange. "My name is y/n, I'm the drama club president. By chance I overheard your conversation with the principal and thought maybe Eddie would join us?"

"That would be great." he replied, and the surprise on his face turned into a warm smile. He didn't expect to meet someone willing to help, but your reaction breathed some hope into him.

"The boy who was supposed to play the lead role has moved out of Hawkins, I think Eddie will be a great fit to take his place!" you said excited that you had managed to find a replacement.

"You wanna give my boy the lead role?" the surprise on his face looked hilarious.

"Why not?" you shrugged your shoulders. "We have rehearsals on Wednesdays and Fridays at four o'clock," you smiled.

"I'll tell him. Thank you."

Drama club was everything you loved. You loved taking on different roles, covering important topics through art, but most of all it was great fun for you, an escape from the scary reality you were in.

Part of it was also the competition you took part in every year, which was not the easiest, as you competed against much richer schools, which always beat you in costumes and decorations. When you became president this year, you swore to yourself that you would do everything to make sure that in your last year at this school the win belonged to you. As soon as you found out that this year's theme was going to be Disney movies adaptations you immediately knew what to choose. Beauty and the Beast.

From the beginning of the school year until Christmas break, you worked on the script, putting all your heart and soul into it. The whole story carried a very important message that you wanted to get across to everyone through your performance. When at the first rehearsal after your return you showed the script to the other members and it was enthusiastically accepted you got down to work, unfortunately you soon had to stop and look for someone to replace Michael.

Dustin had always praised Eddie and how well he could play characters from his campaigns. This was another reason why you decided to help him. You hoped that he would know how to play the role of the beast and later the prince just as well. In truth, you hoped Dustin wasn't lying, because this was your final lifeline. Chasing the bad thoughts out of your head, you tried to set a positive attitude. Eddie Munson must have been a great actor, and together with his help you will finally be able to win. This thought fueled you to action. Unfortunately, things did not go as well as you thought.

To say that Eddie didn't like the idea is not enough. He actually detested it. When Wayne told him about the fact that you had offered to help him he immediately began to suspect that the whole thing was some kind of bizarre trap that he had to let himself get caught in anyway, or else he would not have graduated from high school once again. The fact that he was forced to do so made his hostile attitude even greater.

Despite the assurances of Dustin, who was also a member of the club, and his efforts to prove to him that taking part in the play would be fun, Eddie defended himself against it by not even listening to the boy.

Nevertheless, he began to show up for rehearsals, eventually having to, because at the beginning of each one Principal Higgins would come to check if he was there for sure.

You tried to be patient. You tried to ignore all the taunting comments on his part, you tried to ignore the fact that he never, even once, looked at the script and didn't even try to do anything when you were rehearsing scenes involving him. He just sat on the stage showing you how much he didn't care. Since you only took him here to turn him into an even bigger ridicule for the whole school, he had no intention of helping you in this. His defense mechanism was to prove to you at every step that you made a mistake in proposing his joining the play, and the biggest one was the fact that you gave him the lead role. Unfortunately, Eddie, blinded by his "mission," did not see how he was slowly ruining everything you cared about. Every mean comment he made about your vision of the play was like a knife in the back, and over time you stopped counting them all, it was too much. From rehearsal to rehearsal you had less strength, all your enthusiasm and motivation disappeared as you silently took another blow accepting the fact that your chance of winning was practically zero.

Many times you offered to stay with him longer and rehearse his scenes together, since you both play the main roles, most of which you had together. Three times he agreed to this, giving you hope that something would change, but each time he purposely did not show up even once leaving you alone in the hall waiting for him for several hours. There was no fourth time. You knew Eddie didn't respect you or your work, but coming to terms with it was even more difficult. You desperately grasped every opportunity to try to change his mind, but in vain. Nothing could talk sense into him.

The contest was two months away, and you didn't really have anything. Eddie still hadn't learned his scenes and wasn't even going to, and because of this the rehearsals couldn't move on.

Another Friday in a row, he was late, but while you were working on Dustin's costume you both jumped when you heard the loud bang of the door.

"What the hell is this?!" yelled Eddie walking heavily toward you. In his hand he was holding a poster ripped from the wall. "Why the hell is my name here?!" he pointed his finger at the tiny inscription.

"Dude, there are the names of everyone who takes part in this." Dustin replied looking at him strangely.

"You have the lead role, Eddie, I guess it's logical that your name should appear there." you replied putting down the needle and thread.

"Your wonderful plan is working, congratulations." he threw a the paper in your direction, surprised you didn't even have time to catch it. "Are you satisfied enough?" his gaze was full of anger, and seeing your surprised face he got even angrier. He didn't believe that you were really going to pretend that you didn't know anything. The problem was that you didn't really know about what plan he was talking about.

"Eddie I don't understand-" you said quietly.

"You're pathetic." he said interrupting you. "You got me into all this shit on purpose just to humiliate me in front of the whole school, but I'm more than that. I don't care about your stupid play, I don't care about some damn competition. I'm only here because I have to and my presence is the only thing you can count on! Fuck you." He replied and walked away to the other end of the room sitting there.

"Y/n, are you okay?" asked Dustin seeing tears coming to your eyes.

Picking up the poster from the floor, you looked at it. The title of the play was crossed out. The word Beast was crossed out with a red marker and now the title looked like Beauty and the Beast FREAK.

Did Eddie really think it was all your fault? You began to wonder what you had done to even cause him to think that way, after all this time you had been trying to be nice to him. You never responded to his nasty comments, you silently accepted them and then tried to forget about them and attempt to communicate with him in some way, but still to no avail. No matter how hard you tried Eddie Munson unjustifiably considered you his enemy, despite the fact that you wanted to be his ally.

"Where are you going?" asked Dustin again, seeing as you had begun to gather your things.

"The rehearsal is over. Nothing will come of it anyway. On Monday I'm going to say that we're quitting the competition." you replied resignedly. "It's pointless."

When you went out into the corridor you saw that all the posters you had hung up were broken. Beauty and the Beast FREAK was hitting your eyes, making you boil inside. You had put so much work into making them, and some douche decided to destroy it just like that. You took a deep breath and started tearing down all the posters, went through the whole school, with your last stop being the gym. Walking up there you saw none other than Jason and his minions standing by one of the posters. Without a word you pushed your way through them tearing off the poster from the wall that Jason was writing on with a red marker, causing the group to laugh.

"What's up princess?" he asked mockingly. "Where is your Beast? Freak couldn't handle the pressure?"

Clenching your fists around the paper, you began to breathe quickly and deeply. "What's your problem Jason?" you asked.

"Nothin', it's nice that you care about me." he smirked.

"You are a piece of shit." you howled. Your patience was running out, Eddie's behavior was killing you, everything you had been working on for the past months was in ruins and you didn't have the strength to believe that everything was okay. "You are a fucking piece of shit." Your words made him laugh even more.

"Could it be that our little drama queen, has a crush on the freak? Is that why you gave him the role? Did you think that since he would have to pretend to fall in love with you on stage, it would be the same in real life?" everyone burst out laughing, which made you feel even worse.

Without answering anything you once again squeezed past them and walked out of the gym to the outside. Holding all the ripped posters in your hands, you walked over to the big trashcan and threw everything away, feeling a strange sting in your heart. Quickly getting on your bike, you returned home where you allowed yourself to drown in the sorrow and sadness that was overwhelming you.

Saturday afternoon at the Munsons' trailer was passing quietly. Wayne was watching the sports channel and Eddie was learning a new song on the guitar. The calm ended when someone aggressively began pounding on their door with their fist.

"Eddie!" a female voice came from behind the door. "I know you're home, I saw your car, and your guitar can be heard at the other end of town!" she shouted without stopping the knocking. "Open the damn door so I can kill you!"

Surprised by the visit, Wayne slowly opened the door only to see a girl with short hair and a furious look on her face. Behind her stood a terrified boy whom Wayne remembered from Hellfire.

"How can I help?" the confused man asked.

"Good afternoon, can I talk to Eddie?" she asked looking inside the trailer. Wayne, completely unprepared for such a situation, did not know what to do. He stood motionless considering his next move. He knew that Eddie had a lot of enemies, he knew that most of the locals wished him badly, but an angry, skinny girl who Eddie could carry out the door with one hand and a frightened freshman didn't look very threatening. Besides, the situation looked serious since they had come to deal with him all the way here.

The man moved slightly away from the door to call out to his nephew, Robin quickly took advantage of the situation and squeezed through the vacant space entering the trailer.

"Robin, holy shit!" shouted a panicked Dustin and ran after her. She impetuously opened the door to his room.

"Buckley? the fuck-" when he spotted her he put down his guitar, but didn't have time to say or do anything else because within seconds she came slapping his cheek. Wayne and Dustin stared with open mouths at the scene taking place in front of them.

"You asshole!" she shouted. "Who do you think you are?!"

"Enough! can someone explain to me what's going on here?" asked Wayne, who had finally recovered from his shock.

"Yeah, Eddie, explain to your uncle what you did." She crossed her arms over her chest sending him a rage-filled look.

"Robin…" Dustin once again said her name wanting to calm her down.

"Shut up Dustin! Y/n didn't deserve to be treated like that!"

"Henderson?" asked Eddie in an angry voice, completely as if he felt betrayed. Dustin in panic looked between the two of them breathing louder and faster.

"Leave the boy alone, you are goin' to give him a heart attack!" Wayne cut in seeing the boy's confusion. "Isn't y/n the girl from the drama club?"

"Yes, she is. She wanted to help him, gave him the role, and he destroyed everything!"

"I destroyed everything? She did it just to humiliate me in front of the whole school!"

"You are unbelievable Munson! All through high school you struggle with the bullies, you mock them, you hate them, but when it comes down to business you act just like them! You did the same with y/n what Jason is doing with you! I think you even went a step further, at least Jason isn't destroying everything you care about!" Eddie listened to her words in shock, he didn't look at it from that side. He had no idea how to respond. "You're not going to answer anything now? You were so talkative when you called her pathetic in front of all the club members! Do you have any idea how much it all meant to her? How much work did it cost her to write the whole script alone? How many things did she have to give up for this damn competition?"

"She really just wanted to help…" Dustin's voice was quiet, but the sincerity in it was loud enough.

"This was supposed to be the first time our stupid school was going to win against all those rich snobs, she finally had everything worked out to perfection, then Michael left and she found you. She decided to trust you and give you the lead role in something she cared about most in the world, but of course Eddie 'I don't giva s hit about anything' Munson once again had to prove how much he din't care." Robin was no longer screaming. Now only disappointment and disgust could be heard in her voice. "All along I thought you didn't deserve the way people treated you, not just me," she said. "Y/n never said a single bad word about you, she always believed when Dustin, Lucas and Mike admired you and praised you at every possible step. She only wanted to help you, and the result is that she is now crying her eyes out because some asshole decided to destroy her dreams. You are much worse than Carver." The last sentence was the seal of the visit. Immediately after, she apologized to Wayne for the disturbance and left the trailer.

"I fucked up, didn't I?" asked Eddie looking at them and patting his still sore cheek.

"Why did you do it son?" asked Wayne.

"I don't know! I presumed in advance that the whole thing was some kind of lame prank, it was weird to believe that anyone would want to help me." he replied.

"You should apologize to that girl," he said.

"It's too late anyway."

"Maybe not entirely too late?" said Dustin. "She hasn't written us out of the competition yet, she didn't want to do it until Monday, so you still have a chance to show that you care."

"How?"

Then the boy took out his copy of the script from his backpack. "If she sees that you're making an effort and have learned a few lines maybe all is not lost." he said, smiling.

Thus, for the rest of the day, with the help of Dustin and Wayne, Eddie learned his lines by heart. In the evening, when he drove the boy home he still stopped by Family Video. The first time Robin saw him, Steve had to hold her by force to keep her from tearing him to pieces. Only after he apologized and explained why he had come there she calmed down. When he got home, he read the script once again before going to bed, adding in pencil minor corrections that he thought would improve some scenes.

He couldn't get Robin's words about being worse than Jason out of his head. She was right. Your relationship had always been estranged, but he never noticed you following the crowd that tried to make his life miserable day after day. He felt like a complete idiot, he preemptively, unreasonably judged you of all the worst things, without even giving you a chance to show otherwise. He did to you what people have been doing to him from the very beginning, and the worst part is that if Robin hadn't barged in here today, he wouldn't have even noticed. He fell asleep hoping to let him apologize and make things right.

Getting your address was a hard task, but after several phone calls to Dustin and promises and vows never to say a single bad word about you again, finally the boy cracked and said so. Without waiting a moment longer Eddie drove to the indicated place. In the meantime, it began to rain, and even though the path from the street to the door was not long, it rained hard enough to get him wet.

The door was opened by your mother, who looked surprised to see a soaked metalhead on her doorstep. He was prepared that she was about to start yelling that he should get out of there, but to his surprise she smiled slightly.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Good afternoon, uh- Is y/n home? I am Eddie, Eddie Munson." he said stressed while extending his hand. He felt like he was making a complete idiot of himself.

"Are you from her club?" she asked, looking at the sticking-out script in his half-zipped backpack.

"Yes." he replied in almost a whisper.

"Y/n went out to the grocery store, but she should be back soon, you can wait for her inside." She replied and opened the door wider letting him inside. Pulling off his shoes and hanging his wet jacket on the hanger, he walked deeper into the house looking around. "Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you." He replied, putting his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. It was all strange, too strange. He felt uncomfortable, completely like he was violating your boundaries. He definitely shouldn't be here though, he didn't see any other way to fix things.

"I'm glad you came, this visit will definitely make her feel better, since she came back from her last rehearsal she has been so awfully sad." The woman sighed, sitting down on the couch.

"She is?" he asked avoiding her gaze. She probably didn't realize that the main reason for her daughter's sadness was standing right in front of her.

"This play was everything to her, I remember the day she came home saying that she had found someone else to be the prince, she was so excited, she couldn't stop repeating that with this boy in the lead role she was sure to success, in her opinion he was a perfect fit." She smiled sadly and shook her head. "I don't know the details, but all I know is that for some reason you have to drop the competition, I've never seen her so disappointed before."

Eddie wanted to collapse to the ground. He was ashamed. He couldn't get over how badly he had behaved toward you, and now standing in your house talking to your mother as if he had done nothing wrong felt even worse. The woman must have sensed his discomfort, because after a moment of silence she asked if he was okay.

"Yeah, sorry, I was thinking." He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "And, uh, I'm here because I have an idea how to fix it, maybe we won't have to give it up."

Her face lit up, but she didn't have time to answer him, because just then you came home. She smiled broadly at the sight of you, but you didn't feel like smiling at all.

"Eddie?" you asked surprised. How did he know where you lived?

"What are you doing here?" you felt your nerves piling up inside you, your last conversation was not one of the best, you didn't think this time could be different.

"I- I came to talk."

"I'm going to Claudia, give your friend some cake later darling, have fun, I'll be back late, bye!" your mother said quickly sensing some tension between you. Wanting to give you some privacy she walked out of the house leaving you alone surrounded by an awkward silence.

"Why are you here?" you asked, unable to bear it any more. You were still not at your best, the whole situation was still hurting you so it was hard for you to pretend to be calm and controlled.

"I came to apologize." he replied sincerely. For the first time he looked at you in a way other than with anger. His big dark eyes even begged for forgiveness. "I acted like an idiot, I really want to apologize," he said.

"Your apology won't change anything Eddie." you replied. Despite the sincerity in his voice, you still weren't sure if you should believe him.

"Here." he said pulling out a script from his backpack and threw it in your direction. "Check me. Ask for any scene - I know them all."

His confidence caught you off guard. Tentatively, you opened the first better scene and slowly read one of Dustin's lines. To your surprise, instead of monotonously reciting from memory, he began to display full theatricality, the kind Dustin always had to mention. In front of you just stood a totally different Eddie, whom you had not yet met. The longer you interviewed him, the more the atmosphere between you softened. It became more and more difficult for you to keep the smile that was on your lips as he played out the scenes without stammering.

"Okay, I must admit that you have prepared very well." you replied no longer hiding your smile.

"So?" He smiled broadly spreading his hands.

"So?" you repeated his question not knowing quite what he meant.

"We don't have to quit!" The glimmer of hope that appeared in your eyes caused a strange warmth in his body.

"Do you really want to?"

"Yeah, 'course I do." he replied, putting his hands in his back pockets. Your reaction almost knocked him off his feet, literally because not being prepared for you to run up and hug him he lost his balance, fortunately you were able to hold you both up.

"Sorry." you said embarrassed. "I got a little carried away."

"No, don't be sorry." he said quietly. When was the last time someone hugged him out of their own free will? He couldn't remember. The feeling of such closeness, which had been foreign to him until then, left behind a nice trace that he focused on as he looked at your red face. He wanted to do it again and this time reciprocate the embrace but quickly gave it up. "I uh- I added a few ideas in the script, what I think we could add or change a little- Not that your idea would be bad, you did a great job here! I just…" he started to panic slightly, because he didn't want to make you upset once again.

"It's okay." you paused him. "We can take a look at it while having a cake?" you suggested.

"Sure." he accepted your proposal with relief.

After you cut the cake, you sat together on the couch and began reviewing the script. You sat close enough to each other that occasionally your knees would touch, including your hands when you accidentally both pointed to a scene at the same time. This always ended in awkward, shy smiles that awakened tiny butterflies in your stomachs.

Trying to ignore it, you tried to focus on Eddie's ideas. Some of them were really good, his creativity really impressed you. All the rumors that his campaigns were some of the best had to be true. Feeling much more confident in his company, somewhere in between you started asking him about them. At first he gave curt and uncertain answers, but when he saw that you were really interested in it he swam away, feeling that he was in his element.

Who would have thought that someday the day would come where the scary and menacing Eddie Munson would be sitting there on your couch laughing with you. As unrealistic as it seemed, it was one of the best moments in recent time, and it didn't look like the end at all. As you ran through the entire scenario, the metalhead took another item out of his backpack.

"At first I thought that as soon as you saw me here you would immediately throw me out the door, but that doesn't change the fact that I also allowed myself a plan B, in case you would show mercy to a fool like me." he said in a dramatic tone. "I thought it would be good to know the original story." He handed you the box with the tape. You quickly took it from him and slid it into the player.

Eddie surprised you even more by completely engaging in what was happening on the screen. You expected jokes and teasing comments on his part, however, none of that happened.

"It's my favorite moment." you said as Belle and Beast started feeding the birds. "This is where everything changes." you said quietly starting to softly sing the song along with the characters.

There's something sweet and almost kind But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined And now he's dear and so unsure I wonder why I didn't see it there before

She glanced this way, I thought I saw And when we touched she didn't shudder at my paw No, it can't be, I'll just ignore But then she's never looked at me that way before

Your gaze was on the screen, so Eddie took advantage of the moments to look at you. Your hair was slightly messy, and your lips moved gently to form the words of a song that seemed strangely accurate to him. Just a few hours ago he was sure you hated him, now you were sitting as close to him as ever, and every now and then he would catch you sending him soft glances, behind which was something he couldn't quite figure out yet, just like Belle was looking at the Beast.

Feeling his gaze on you, you turned to look at him. You only smiled and then immediately went back to watching. He couldn't help thinking that he wanted to see that smile much more often, and it would be even better if he could be the reason for that smile as well.

"So…Something tells me that the choice of this exact movie was not accidental?" he asked suddenly.

"Do you want to know the selfish truth, or should I just make something up?" you asked, leaning a little closer to him.

"Only and only the truth," he said.

"The truth is simple. It's my favorite. I could watch this movie for hours and would never get bored. Besides, I love the way they showed that everyone deserves a second chance. He was the Beast before he became one and this is where the soul of the hopeless romantic in me comes in…" You chuckled. "Despite how terrible he was to her in the beginning she was still able to see something good in him and helped him find it underneath all that layer of monster. Goodness, respect and warmth from another human being was something foreign, so I'm not surprised he was like that. I think to some extent it was his defense mechanism."

Eddie just nodded, thinking about your words. If the Beast deserved a second chance maybe he did too? In the back of his head, a small voice spoke up, representing a secretive desire for your acquaintance to develop beyond the drama club. "I can't tell you the rest so as not to give spoilers, just watch." you patted his knee and put your hand close to his. If he moved a few millimeters your pinkies would touch. Considering the pros and cons in his head, he once again restrained himself feeling only the strange itching caused by such proximity.

"Wait, that's not in the script." he said when the iconic ballroom scene began. "Why?"

"Oh, you know we'll be competing with very rich schools?"

"Yeah."

"They always have their own bands that play music for their live shows, we unfortunately don't, and playing music from an old, shitty stereo would immediately push us into last place, compared to them. Also, we don't have much choice in costumes, and all the ball dresses that are there are too small or damaged. As for sewing, I only know the basics, I wouldn't be able to fix or remake them." you explained.

A plan was already being born in Eddie's head.

When the movie was over he decided that he had to go. You were surprised by a small sting of disappointment when he said this. When you said goodbye he apologized to you once again and then thanked you for a good time. You did the same.

Returning home, he found Wayne sitting there in front of the TV. Halfway to his room he stopped looking at his old man. He sent him a questioning look, taking a sip of beer from the bottle.

"How- Can you teach me how to dance?" Hearing his nephew's question he choked. He had been able to expect crazy things from him in truth, and this counted among the near impossible. But here they were, in the middle of a small living room, when Wayne in a very clumsy way tried to transfer all his knowledge about slow dancing to Eddie, who also didn't have much experience in it.

The rest of the members were relieved to hear that you are not quitting the competition, Eddie apologized to everyone at the start for his behavior and everything was back on track. The most satisfied with all this seemed to be Dustin. Joy gushed out of him seeing his two favorite people getting along and no one yelling at anyone anymore. Everyone also accepted the changes in the script, which meant that you had to rehearse three times a week instead of two to prepare everything carefully.

You and Eddie spent more and more time together, under the pretext of practicing your roles you met after school sitting either at your house or in his trailer. Your friendship became so ingrained in your life that you couldn't remember what it was like before it. The closer you got to know him, the more different he became from everything people said about him. He was incredibly creative and intelligent, watching his behavior towards Dustin you also saw that he was very protective of his friends, he had a warmth in him that was reserved only for a select few. He showed more of it to you every day, whenever he spotted you in the crowd in the corridor he beamed, quite as if the sun was hidden in his smile.

You were sitting at the table with Robin and Nancy but your thoughts were on the opposite side of the room. You watched Eddie talk about something with Dustin and then with the guys he's in a band with, who nodded their heads. When he raised his gaze and your eyes met he smiled broadly showing dimples in his cheeks and waved at you. You abashedly waved back and quickly turned your head feeling yourself blushing.

"Someone's been caught red-handed." Nancy hummed.

"I can't believe that I almost scratched his eyes out for you and now you're drooling at the sight of him." Robin rolled her eyes.

"I am not!" you protested, feeling even more embarrassed about your situation. "And… he changed."

"I'll need more details to believe what you say." she replied unimpressed. Robin was a great friend and very protective. Not knowing why, you wanted her to have a good opinion about Eddie, too.

"He is very helpful, kind and funny! Whenever I feel we are stuck with something he always helps me, no matter how long it takes. He got very involved in the play, and we spend a lot of time because of that, when you get to know him better, you find out that he is not as scary as everyone says, just the opposite." you tried to defend him.

"Oh my god, Nancy, we lost her." Robin dramatically slumped on the table.

"Being in love is not that bad, Robin." she laughed.

"I am not in love with Eddie!" you whispered aggressively.

"Not yet." Nancy shrugged her shoulders.

"Even if not in love, you have a crush on him. That's disgusting." Buckley perked up, just in time to see Eddie heading toward your table. "Your prince is coming." she said loudly, purposely so he would hear it.

"Buckley, Wheeler." He nodded in their direction. "Y/n." he turned to face you.

"Robin!" shouted Dustin from across the room and waved his hand in a gesture to come over to him. She and Nancy left you alone and moved toward the boy.

"Hi." You said when the metalhead took a seat across from you.

"Hi." he replied. "I'll see you at the rehearsal today?" he asked.

"Of course, why not?" you asked surprised.

"I was wondering… maybe we could take a ride somewhere later?"

"Oh, sure, where?" you replied puzzled.

"It's a surprise, trust me." He winked at you and returned to his table, where he exchanged a few more sentences with Robin. Unfortunately, she didn't want to tell you what they talked about, but you didn't feel like thinking too much about it. There was another thought in your head that made your heart beat twice as fast as it should. Did Eddie Munson ask you out on a date?

As agreed - immediately after the rehearsal you got into his van and drove out of the school parking lot. Nerves and a slight hint of excitement bubbled inside you as Eddie still wouldn't reveal where you were going.

Finally, you pulled into the Trailer Park. While you wondered why he took you to the place where he lived he prayed in his soul that you wouldn't get scared and run away. He knew that people react differently to this place, but he hoped that his whole plan would work. Stepping out of the car, you looked around thinking which trailer might belong to him. He once mentioned that his uncle works night shifts, so if he wanted to be alone with you he wouldn't bring you here now, would he?

"Uh…Eddie? Why are we here?" you asked.

"Oh- you said you couldn't sew the ball dress yourself…" he said exiting the car and walked to the back of it. "So I thought we could do something about it, if you are okay with it of course-"

"But why?" So it wasn't a date. Aside from being disappointed, you felt a little ashamed that you could think such a thing at all, you hoped Eddie wasn't able to see it.

"Just trust me, 'kay?" he asked, taking the pile of old dresses from the theater club you mentioned while watching the movie that evening.

Without a word, you approached one of the trailers he told you to knock on because of his busy hands. The door was opened to you by a short older woman with thick glasses on her nose.

"Eddie! Come in!" she quickly let you inside.

"Mrs. Smith, this is y/n. Y/n this is Mrs. Smith, the best retired dressmaker in Hawkins." he said sending her charming smile.

"Sweet as honey," she laughed. "And look at you! As beautiful as he described." she turned to you winking her eye. "Come on sweetie, we have to measure you."

Still confused without a word you moved deeper into the trailer. The woman took a tailor's tape measure and began to place it on your body, then looked at the dresses Eddie had brought, and when the final vision appeared in her mind she sat down at the sewing machine and got to work. In the meantime, she began to question you about the play, eager to tell her about it, even Eddie excitedly talked about some of the moments he was best at playing. You watched him with a smile on your lips, reminding yourself what a big difference there was between your early days and now. Eddie may not have noticed the warm sparks in your eyes, but Mrs. Smith caught them right away. When the dress was finished you went to the other room to change.

"Oh my god." the woman pressed both hands to her chest. "You look like a real princess darling, come on, look at yourself!" she said excitedly as you came back to the living room.

You approached the mirror with your eyes stuck to the floor, not knowing why you were afraid to lift your gaze and see your reflection. You've never been a fan of your appearance, but now you cared like never to like what you saw.

"Come on sweetheart, don't be afraid." she said putting her hands on your shoulders completely as if she sensed your discomfort.

You took a deep breath and slowly raised your head. The material highlighted your waistline, your cleavage was slightly cut out however in your opinion it was just the right size. The delicate material spread out around you, gently lifting when Ms. Smith told you to turn around. Even though you weren't wearing a proper makeup and your hair was a bit disheveled, the sight that greeted you in the mirror was a positive surprise. You felt beautiful, and for the first time in a very long time you felt the positive boost of your self-esteem fill you from the inside.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"I feel…pretty." you answered quietly smiling at your reflection in the mirror.

"As you should." she chuckled.

"Thank you so much." In all your delight, you didn't notice that Eddie wasn't in the trailer, the fact that he had left only reached you when he returned to it.

"Well, young man, you were right - your girl looks just like from a fairlytale." she said as he closed the door behind him.

"Oh she is not-" he started to say however when he noticed you in your new outfit the words stopped in his throat. With an open mouth he looked at every centimeter of your body. For a while he had thought you were always looking very lovely, but now that you were standing in front of him in a beautiful ball dress, smiling from ear to ear, with a sparkle of happiness in your eyes he felt enchanted. Suddenly, all the beautiful princesses he had ever read about or created for his campaigns faded next to you. He also immediately knew on whom he would design his next ones.

You weren't the only one who looked fabulous. Eddie also swapped his hellfire shirt and torn jeans for a prince's costume, keeping the two shirt buttons undone, because when he had them buttoned he could feel himself suffocating.

"Now I'm starting to think that you're the Beauty." you joked.

"nu-uh," he shook his head. "No way." His voice was soft and to some extent intimate, easily taking control of you with it, and you eagerly let him. "Now, m'lady…" he bent down in front of you extending his hand. "Please follow me to your chariot."

Giggling you grabbed his hand, said goodbye and thanked Mrs. Smith again, who handed you your clothes and let him lead you to the van helping you get in.

While on the road, he avoided any questions about what else he had come up with. Every now and then, glancing in your direction, he could feel his nerves slowly gathering inside him. He was afraid that what he had planned would be too much, but there was no turning back. Nevertheless, seeing that you were excited instead of scared, he felt a little calmer.

"Why are we at the school?" you asked when you pulled into the parking lot.

"You have to trust me, please." he said getting out of the car and with a quick step he walked over to open the door for you.

"I trust you." you replied jumping out of the van and following him.

"Can you close your eyes?" he asked when you reached the right place. You did as he asked and felt him take your hands in his and begin to lead you forward. He stopped for a moment and you heard heavy door opening, then his hands found yours again. As you entered the room you heard whispers from other people but you still didn't open your eyes not wanting to spoil the surprise. When you finally stopped he said you could open them. +

Baffled you looked with delight at the scenery and decorations that looked almost like from a movie. There was a background painted on a big sheet and all around instead of big school lamps there were candles lighting up, and white Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling. In the corner you noticed his friends from the band, Robin and one girl who played violin in the school band. Everyone smiled in your direction but no one said anything.

"What's going on?" you asked.

"Do you like it?" he asked still not letting go of your hands. He wondered if you could feel him sweating and hoping that you didn't.

"It's amazing!" you said. "But I don't understand."

"Let me show you." He pulled you gently to him and, taking a deep breath, placed one hand on your waist tilting the other slightly positioning you to dance. Later he looked toward the band and nodded.

It all started with the soft sounds of the violin followed by the rest of the instruments and at the very end Robin's voice.

Tale as old as time True as it can be Barely even friends Then somebody bends Unexpectedly

Just a little change Small to say the least Both a little scared Neither one prepared Beauty and the beast

Ever just the same| Ever a surprise Ever as before And ever just as sure As the sun will rise

You let him lead you. Giving yourself over completely to the magic that filled the situation, you wanted to take as much as possible from it. Eddie was internally dying of stress. In his head he was replaying everything as he practiced with Wayne, but his movements were stiff and clumsily, not like his uncle's. Despite the fact that he stepped on you a few times you seemed to pay no attention to it. In that moment only him existed for you. That moment that was too beautiful to be real. Wanting to see that it wasn't fiction you squeezed your hand on his bicep, as you took another step he sent you a questioning look.

"I'm checking if it's not a dream." you replied quietly looking straight into his eyes. You could have killed him with the sincerity he heard in that sentence. In truth it all felt like a dream to you, he could see it in your dreamy expression.

"'s not." he replied gaining a little more confidence, spinning you around and then pulling you close again. Taking advantage of the closeness you leant your head on him still letting him sway you to the rhythm of the song.

Ever just the same Ever a surprise Ever as before Ever just as sure As the sun will rise

Tale as old as time  Tune as old as song Bittersweet and strange Finding you can change Learning you were wrong Certain as the sun Rising in the east Tale as old as time Song as old as rhyme Beauty and the beast

Eddie had always been one of those who believed that magic existed. Now he was almost certain of it. Dancing with you in the semi-darkness, knowing that his plan had succeeded and seeing the soft, satisfied smile on your lips, he felt that he could have had anything he wanted - even the whole world. He had never felt like this before, and it definitely had to be due to magic. He saw no other explanation for the soothing warmth he felt in his heart, it just had to be pure magic.

As the song came to an end, he spun you around one last time and, placing his large hand on your back, he paused. Your lips, which he had been trying not to pay attention to for a long time, suddenly became all too noticeable. He wanted to kiss you so bad that moment - maybe if the others hadn't been watching you he would have leaned toward you long ago, but instead he stepped back slightly and looked at you. At how beautiful you looked in that dress, at how your seemingly messy hair added to your loveliness, at how you kept your hands on him without showing disgust or shame. Trying to read the emotion on your face, he saw nothing there but clear admiration, which suddenly frightened him also scaring away any thoughts of a kiss. Coming back to his senses he bowed to you and placed a small kiss on the top of your hand. For that moment, it had to be enough.

Unfortunately, everything beautiful ends quickly, all magic left and fled to its realm the moment someone turned on the light.

"So? What do you think?" an excited Robin ran up to you.

"It was wonderful!"

"Do you think we can add this scene to the script now?" asked Eddie.

"We have to!"

Eddie and you changed into your normal clothes and returned to help clean up the decorations, meanwhile figuring out how you would add everything to the script. After less than an hour, you all left the school. When he spotted Steve in the parking lot, who must have come to pick up Robin, he immediately offered to drive you home, not wanting you to go with them.

You were glad that your friend slowly began to change her opinion of him, after all, she had agreed to help him with everything, so you took that as a good sign.

All the way home you wondered what you should tell him. Everything he has done for you lately has been beyond your wildest expectations. From time to time you opened your mouth to say something, but each time you gave up, quickly turning your head towards the window. As you pulled up in front of the house, Eddie looked at you when once again you were struggling to find the words of any kind.

"You know you can be honest with me, right?" he said quietly, not wanting to sound pathetic. He didn't want to show that all the way through he saw you trying to tell him something. He didn't want to show that there was already a scenario in his mind where you were saying that what he did was an exaggeration and you didn't really like it. His overthinking prompted him to think that you were about to say that it was a bad idea to engage him in your play in the first place.

How perverse life could be? Just a few weeks ago he would have done anything to get rid of this role, now he was afraid of losing it, and with it he was afraid of losing something much more, someone who was becoming a very important part of his life although he didn't yet have the courage to admit it.

"I know." you replied with a sigh.

"If you didn't like it…"

"No! Oh, god no! That's not it." You said quickly turning toward him. "That's all you did for me…It was amazing. No one has ever done anything like that for me, no one has ever made me feel as special as you did today…"

"So what's the problem?"

"I keep thinking what I can say to thank you, but I can't find the words, my brain is suddenly empty." You chuckled nervously.

"Usually 'Thank you' is enough." He replied feeling immensely relieved. There it was again. That boyish smile that appeared in front of your eyes every time you closed them.

Feeling that it still wouldn't be enough, after a moment's thought and the huge reserves of courage you must have gathered in your body, you leaned over the gearbox toward him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thnak you Eddie." you said, gently brushing your lips against his cheek while saying these words. It was like the touch of a ghost, only instead of cold, he felt like he was about to burst into flames.

"You- you're Welcome." he mouthed in shock.

The way you thanked him was more than enough. It made him think that when Eddie went to bed after an eventful day, falling asleep he smiled like a fool while holding his cheek. That was the moment when Eddie Munson realised he was a goner for you.

The last rehearsal before the competition was just a formality, you all put so much work and effort into it, everyone knew their roles inside out, and thanks to Eddie's ideas the whole play became even more beautiful, especially the dance scene which every time made you feel as if you were transported to a fairy tale dimension where only the two of you could fit in.

You were just about to practice it again, but before Robin could sing the first words the door opened with a bang. Half of the basketball team, headed by Jason, walked in.

"Well, well, well!" he shouted looking around with a sneer on his lips, holding a disgusting-looking green smoothie in his hand. "I never thought there would be a day when I'd see Freak dressed in something other than his torn tatters," he said.

"The hell do you want?" you asked walking up to him. You really didn't feel like or have the strength to waste time on him.

"We came to see how you are doing, after all, you will be representing our school," he said.

"Since when do you care about this?"

"Since now." he replied while looking around once again. "And hey- I thought the title was Beauty and the Beast."

"It is." interjected Dusin.

"So where the hell is the Beauty? I only see two Beasts here so far." his comment drew laughter from the rest of his friends.

"That's enough." Said Eddie stepping forward. "Get the fuck out of here and take your minions with you." He pointed with his hand to the door.

"I don't know, I'd really like to see how you do on stage. Also, maybe it's not too late to ask Chrissy if she'd like to play Belle? It seems to me that for this role you need a person who is at least good-looking, and there is no one like that here."

"Serously Jason, just get out of here before you dirty something with your disgusting drink." You tried to be more composed than Eddie. You knew that was his goal, to get some kind of reaction from you. He wanted to see how he would get you guys off balance.

"Hm." he hummed and took a step toward you. "You mean get dirty…like this?" before anyone had time to react his drink landed right on your dress.

The sound of laughter was drowned out by the noise of your own blood and heartbeat. Feeling humiliated you squeezed through them and ran to the bathroom wanting to hide. You quickly grabbed a paper towel, soaked it and tried to wipe off the disgusting stain, unfortunately, whatever was mixed in that smoothie didn't want to come off so easily. Hot tears ran down your cheeks. You were angry, but also sad. Feeling helpless, you leaned against the sink and looked in the mirror. Your reflection had already stopped seeming to please you. Instead, worse and worse adjectives began to come to mind the longer you looked at yourself. Pathetic. That's what you chose as the best description of yourself and how you looked now. That was exactly what Eddie had called you during your last argument. Maybe he was right?

"Y/n!" Robin ran breathlessly into the bathroom. "Oh my god I am so sorry, son of a bitch I will kill him." she said looking at the ruined dress and then your reddened eyes.

"And I will help you." Immediately behind her, Eddie appeared. "I can go do it right now, just say the word." you suddenly felt overwhelmed by his presence. Overwhelmed that he sees you in such an ugly state.

"Did you know this is the girls' bathroom?" asked Robin.

"And do I look like I care right now?" he snapped at her. "Do you want me to go get him?" he returned with his eyes.

"No." You sniffed. "He was right, I don't fit into this."

"No. Stop." His voice was firm but gentle. "Don't say that. I don't know anyone more perfect for this role, don't let that bastard mess with your brain, please."

"You're saying that just to make me feel better."

"No. I'm saying it because I think so." he walked closer to you. "Look at me." he cupped your face in his hands. His heart suddenly lost its connection to his reason. It was now driven only and exclusively by emotion. "You are perfect for this role. Not only because you are so beautiful that I sometimes run out of breath, but because, like Bella, you are damn intelligent, you do everything to pursue your dreams, you care about others, you make everyone around you feel appreciated and happy, you always try to see something good in others even though they don't deserve it." Your face was still in his hands, and with his thumbs he wiped the tears from under your eyes. "I didn't deserve it, but yet you gave me a chance. Carver is not worth your tears. I'm not either, no one is, because you're too good for all of us. For the whole damn Hawkins. You are something more, much more. And never think in anything that you are not good enough. Because you are the best. Perfect."

Somewhere in the process, he moved close enough to you that his forehead rested against yours. You could feel his rapid breath on your skin. You were so close to each other that the urge to kiss you came back even stronger, but he knew this was not the moment to cross that line. He pulled you close with a hug, completely as if he wanted his arms to become a shield and protect you from everything bad. You needed comfort, and you openly accepted the one offered by Eddie by snuggling your face into his chest, listening to the rapid but steady beat of his heart.

From the sidelines, Robin watched you with a fond smile on her lips. In that moment, she finally believed you that he had changed. Until then, she didn't understand where all your admiration for the metalhead came from. Even when he even begged her to agree to sing a song in your play. Only now she saw that someone who had hurt you so much in the beginning was also the person who could make you the happiest in the world.

When you calmed down, you returned to the drama room, where you changed clothes. Ordering a short break, Eddie took advantage of the slow moment and took the dress to the cleaners, hoping they could save it. When he returned you finished the rehearsal, and then each went his own way to prepare mentally in solitude for the performance, from which you are now only two days away.

Doomsday has finally arrived. Despite the stress and nerves, you were all excited. You truly felt like you had a chance to win, after all, everything about your performance had to be at the highest level.

You were the last to perform, so you had a lot of time to watch your competitors, who were unfortunately great. Beautiful decorations and costumes that looked like they came from a real movie set, all too expensive for an ordinary inter-school competition. Although you loved your handmade decorations and costumes, you couldn't stop the thoughts that told you they would never compare to those in the view of others.

When it was finally your turn, you forgot about yourself, replacing your personality with Belle's. In that moment, you didn't exist, just as Eddie Munson didn't exist either. Portraying how your characters were falling in love with each other was the easiest thing in the world. The initial small and shy gestures came naturally, all the lines designed to direct the audience that the Beauty was becoming enamored with the Beast passed easily through your throat. Deep down you knew the reason for this.

During the iconic ballroom dance scene, you didn't have to fake your enchantment at all. You felt the same way every time, and now was no exception, because somewhere during this crazy journey your characters were not the only ones who fell in love with each other. Somewhere under the disguise of a beast, Eddie was sneaking into your heart, and in that moment it occurred to you that his roots were already so deep that there was no turning back. It was certain as the sun rising in the east, that you were undeniably and seriously in love with Eddie Munson. Something between the two of you allowed you to believe that he, at least in a small way, also felt the same.

As the song came to an end you managed to catch a quick glimpse of the audience, your mom, Dustin's Mom and Eddie's Uncle were sitting in the front row, looking very touched and proud.

In the final scene, the Beast was stabbed. In despair, you fell to your knees beside Eddie's body, beginning to sob and beg him not to leave you.

"I can't lose you." you repeated over and over again. It didn't just apply to the show. It was the one that brought you together and it was the one that could separate you. For a long time you had tried to push those thoughts aside, but now that the end was so close you couldn't defend against them. Despite the moments when you had the feeling that the metalhead reciprocated your feelings, you also knew that there was a chance that today could be the last day before he disappeared from your life, so the sadness that accompanied you was a little more real than you wanted it to be.

Suddenly all the lights in the hall went out, Eddie had less than two minutes to get rid of his beast costume, put on his tattered clothes and become a prince. This wasn't difficult either, because with disheveled curls on his head, he looked gorgeous in the light of the colorful spotlights that symbolized the magic of the enchanted rose. Like a real prince from your fondest dreams. You stood motionless staring at him intensely, your brain couldn't keep up with your eyes, you felt yourself getting hot.

"Belle…" he said, extending his hand toward you. You didn't react. Still unable to shake off the excess of emotions that fell upon you in an instant. Seeing this, he decided to improvise. With a slow step, he approached you and gently grabbed your hand and, lifting it up, applied it to his cheek. "It's me."

Forgetting about the rest of the world and the fact that you were now being watched by more than a hundred people you completely drifted off into the moment. "Yes, it's you." you replied smiling and placing your other hand on his cheek. "It's really you." Without waiting for his response, you made one last change in the script. Instead of the usual hug that was in the original version, you kissed him.

However, it wasn't Belle who kissed the prince. It was you kissing Eddie, and moments later, when he got over the shock, Eddie kissed you while wrapping his arms around your waist. Relief, desire, happiness, excitement. If the feelings could be materialized they would look like little fireworks exploding all around you. His warm lips matched yours perfectly, his taste suddenly becoming your favorite. No kiss you had ever experienced in your life equaled this one. Leaning you back slightly, Eddie deepened the kiss one last time before pulling away from you. Looking into each other's eyes you both smiled like dumb fools.

You were brought back to the real world by the thunderous applause you received from the audience, you reluctantly moved away from each other as the rest of the group joined you. Together, all of you, holding hands, bowed and left the stage. Backstage, your loved ones were already waiting for you. Your mother hugged you tightly complimenting you on everything she could, Wayne patted Eddie proudly on the shoulder, and then came up to you with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and handed it to you saying it was the best play he had ever seen. Later, absorbed in conversations with the rest of the members, you didn't have time to talk about what happened between you on stage. Part of you was dying of curiosity to know what he really thought about it, but the other part, the more insecure one, preferred never to bring up the subject anymore fearing rejection.

Finally it was time for the results to be announced, and you stood between Dustin and Eddie, squeezing their hands tightly as the jury announced its verdict. Unfortunately, the magic you felt on stage did not reach them and you got second place. You were disappointed, but that was not the reason that worried you. Even so, you were proud of you guys, in your mind you were the winners. What weighed on your heart was Eddie's behavior, who as soon as he heard the results completely died down. He silently helped clean everything up, trying to avoid contact with you, finally saying only a quiet "Bye." And together he and Wayne drove home. You went over this scenario in your head a thousand times, but you would never have expected everything to end so rapidly and unexpectedly.

You spent the night staring at the ceiling and analyzing your entire friendship from beginning to end, was the magical feeling just a figment of your imagination? Did you interpret everything wrong? Why once again were you about to lose something you cared so much about?

For a whole week Eddie avoided you like the plague. You still couldn't get over it, and even worse was the missing him. Whenever he spotted you in the hallway he immediately changed direction and looked away. You knew that kissing him would be crossing a boundary to some extent, but you didn't expect that this will be the result. You thought that at least you would be able to talk about it. You also didn't understand why he reciprocated it then, why he was smiling from ear to ear immediately afterwards and everything was fine until the results were announced. Was he disgusted with you and what had happened?

"If you want I'll go talk to him again, but I don't promise to be nice." said Robin seeing your sad sight of the wounded puppy that followed his silhouette in the corridor.

"No. I'll go this time." you sighed, promising yourself that this would be the last time you would dare to look into those chocolate eyes that you now dreamed of at night.

Not wanting to face rejection in the middle of the school hallway, you waited patiently until the end of class. Unfortunately, somewhere in the middle of the day Eddie completely disappeared from the area, so determined you immediately set off on foot towards the trailer park. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating with your quest. Halfway there, cold and heavy raindrops started to fall from the sky. The thought crossed your mind that you should turn back, but your determination did not allow you to do so. Soaked and cold, with mud on your shoes and the bottom of your jeans, you arrived at your destination, looking around. Oh well. You had no idea which trailer belonged to the Munsons, anyway. Stupid. Stupid. You stupid idiot. You scolded yourself in your mind. Your hair stuck to your face interfering with your clear vision. But what did you really want to see? Wandering between the trailers, you noticed his car. It was standing in such a place that you didn't know which trailer you could attach it to.

"Jesus Christ, kid!" you heard a familiar voice from behind you immediately turning to him. "Come inside!" Wayne opened the door wide and, splashing your feet on the ground, you ran to the trailer.

When you stepped inside you were hit by a pleasant wave of warmth, and after a moment a soft, dry towel that the man took out for you from a cabinet that was located in a small hallway.

"Thank you." you said quietly instantly wiping your head.

"The hell are you doin' here in this weather?" he asked, walking over to the stove and grabbing the kettle. "I'm gonna make you some tea to warm you up."

"I wanted to talk to Eddie." you said quietly while covering your face slightly with a towel. You must have looked ridiculous, Wayne must have thought you had lost your mind.

At the same time Eddie was lying on his bed with his walkman diving into the world of music listening to the saddest songs he could find in his collection. For a week you had not left his thoughts even for a second, and the memory of your kiss haunted him at the absolute least opportune moments. The touch of your lips left a permanent mark on him and a void that could not be filled by anything else. He couldn't get out of his head the small, sweet sound that involuntarily emerged from the back of your throat when he reciprocated the kiss. When he closed his eyes he could see the happiness that was painted on your face and how your eyes sparkled in the spotlight. It was all too good to be true. The moment he heard the verdict and saw the disappointment on your face he knew it was over. That you probably didn't want anything to do with him anymore, after all, it was because of him that you didn't win. It was his fault, he let you down and didn't know how he could look you in the face any longer after that.

Lying on his side and staring at the wall he was cut off from the real world when he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. Surprised and slightly frightened, he broke off sitting down on the mattress with even more disbelief looking at you soaked in the middle of his room. Had he fallen asleep and it was his imagination playing tricks on him now? He began to blink rapidly, but when you still did not disappear, he pinched his arm.

"Eddie I am real." you said seeing his behavior.

"What are you doing here?" he asked pulling off his headphones.

"I came to talk."

"About what?"

"About that kiss." he only nodded tightening his lips into a thin line, mentally preparing himself to hear how much you regret it. You gave him a moment to respond but he didn't, so you just continued. "I know I shouldn't have. I know I basically did it without your permission, and you may feel bad about it, you have a right to." you sighed. "I was just thinking- Actually I don't know what I was thinking, at that moment the only thing I could focus on was how much I wanted to kiss you. I got carried away, it all looked so magical, you looked so magical that my common sense stopped working." You breathed heavier and heavier feeling the lump in your throat grow. "I'm really sorry for all this and I'll understand if you don't want anything to do with me anymore. Just please tell me about it, because this silence and constant second-guessing of everything is killing me, I miss you Eddie and even if you don't reciprocate my feelings I would still like to have you in my life as a friend, but if you don't even want that… I will understand too."

It definitely had to be a dream. Or he must have smoked one too many joints and was now hallucinating. Whatever was happening now couldn't be real. You couldn't be real. You were too good. Too good for someone who destroyed your dreams.

"Say something Eddie, please." your quiet voice went straight to his heart. The heart you had long had at your fingertips.

"You came all the way out here, in a downpour, to tell me that, you wanted that kiss?" he asked getting up from the bed and walking over to you.

"If I didn't want it, I wouldn't have done it," you said.

"I thought it was you who didn't want to know me."

"But- why?"

"We didn't win because of me."

"Oh, Eddie." you bridged the gap between you by grabbing his hand. "Even though we didn't win the competition I thought I won something much better."

"What?"

"My own prince." You smiled softly.

This time he was the first to kiss you. This time the kiss was soothing, healing all the wounds of insecurity that had been bleeding inside you for the past week.

"Beauty and the Freak, huh?" he asked against your lips, smiling.

"No." you kissed him again.

"Beauty and the Beast?" he asked once again with teasing tone.

"Nope." another kiss.

"Then what?"

"Eddie and y/n." you whispered while hanging your arms around his neck.

"My favorite version." he hummed and snuggled his face into the bend of your neck.

"Hey kids, sorry to bother you, but the tea is ready." said Wayne peeking into the room. Seeing you two hugging he smiled broadly. "About damn time." he commented. "Now for the love of God give her some dry clothes before she gets cold!"

"Oh shit- yes." He walked quickly to the closet looking for something suitable in it. At that moment you were so hot that you completely forgot about how soaked you were. Happiness was working on you like a little internal furnace, but you gladly accepted one of his Hellfire shirts and his old PE shorts.

"You can call your mother and tell her you're staying with us for dinner, then Eddie will give you a ride home." the old man said disappearing behind the door.

As you left the room your attention was caught by a small piece of paper with a drawing on it. On it was a princess in a beautiful dress, strangely similar to you.

"What's that?" you asked, picking it up.

"Uh-oh…" Eddie began to blush. "It's a new character for my campaign."

"Looks nice." you chuckled.

"I had a very good inspiration." he laughed nervously.

"Will you tell me about her?"

"I'll tell you about anything you want."

"Sounds like a plan."

taglist: @i-me-mine @phantypurple @tlclick73

[letitrott]

Bowers Gang x Goth Reader

Choose your own story - Part 3

Henry Bowers Route

Option B: Leave by yourself

PART 1 Intro (CLICK ME)

PART 2 Sports class "With Henry" (FOR THIS POST)

PART 2 (CLICK ME) Mother link all story options

Part 3 (CLICK ME) Mother link all story options

Warnings: Mental health decline, slight loneliness, depression and social anxiety themes.

Reader: Sorry to disturb you but I am fine *you quickly grabbed all your items that fell on the floor*  Beverly: *watches you for a moment as you walked past with a saddened expression on her face* Reader: *you walked out trying your best to cover the mark on your neck with some strands of hair. *You attended you next class feeling a little empty, a shell and an urge to be somewhere else. You could feel the way the energy in the room change as you walked in. The girls and boy gossiping and whispering with each other. You felt like you were being left to the wolves not any different to school back at home* Reader: *a boy with big glasses and some what cute googly eyes sat next to you*  Richie: Damn! I didn’t know Vinnie Vincent from KISS was attending this class.  Reader: *you giggle a little* Thats a bit of a cheap blow for you  Richie: I know something else you could blow  Reader: You little smart ass *you nudged him in the arm playfully*  Richie: So what are you doing for lunch need me to show you around? *he smiles confidently*  Reader: Is this your poor attempt in asking me out *you play along. Noticing another boy a lot smaller then Richie and scrawnier sit down* Eddie: Richie what are you doing thats Bowers girl! Have you not heard the rumore's *he whispered*  Richie: What no she literally just got here and Greta is soo full of shit.  Eddie: Well then whats that on her neck!!! Reader: *you just fazed out looking at the wall, you could hear everything all the gossip of the other classmates and everything Eddie was saying. It was all starting to add up.  Richie: Your just scared of contracting cooties  Eddie : No Richie I’m trying to save your skin!   Richie: Look at her Eddie do you think she's happy being known as Henry Bowers girl! No he's probably just being an asshole!  Reader: *You couldn’t help but smile listening to all the words Richie said*  Richie: Hey umm I’m Richie this is Eddie don’t mind him. He usually has his aneurysm's like this once a day gets it from his mom highly contagious.  Reader: *you laughed as the two boys continued bickering. You glanced out the window studying the surroundings. Only for you lay eyes on none other then Henry. No doubt he could see you and the two boys. He didn't look happy at all.  Reader: Hey um It was really nice meeting you guys but I really should goo.  Richie: Hey wait! *he reaches out for you hand. His hands were so warm and sincere being held in his. Reader: I’m sorry Richie but Eddie is right it's not safe. *you walked away saddened* Richie: We gotta help her Eddie!  Eddie: NO Richie we are already on Henry’s shit list! Do you want us to be at the top of that list.  Richie: Bill and Bev will listen … Everything, every girl that gang touches either goes missing or become a ghost in a shell. Destroyed…  WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE A. Have lunch with Richie B. Suck it up to Bowers

Sorry if this one is a little short. I hope you still enjoyed reading Part 4 will be out soon and I promise I won't disappoint. Thanks for reading lots of love xx

[nogenderbee]

♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ 𝕐𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕄, 𝕆, ℝ, 𝕌 ₊˚ˑ༄

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ anon request: Mizuki Yandere Headcanons Letters: M, N, O, R, U?

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Here it is! Oh but I already did N so here's the link and I hope you're okey with me just doing the rest of it!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ TW: unhealthy obsession, mentions of deaths, delusions

Not putting affiliation because I'm aware of how triggering this could be.

✧ Moving on = If you die or escape, will they be able to move on? How easy it'll be for them?

The only difference between Mizuki's reaction is that if you escape, they'll try for months to find you on any media's and try to see where you are. But when you're just dead, they're immidietly gonna give up on trying to bring you back to their life...

It's not the hardest for them but also not easy... they aren't gonna take serious methods like immidietly unaliving themselves or so... but they are gonna refuse to face reality in some way! They're aware you're not here anymore, but who's gonna stop them from acting as if it wasn't the truth?

They'd wear your style or even your clothes, they'd get into hobbies you used to have, they'd buy a mannequin and dress it up to be similiar to you and kiss it goodnight and goodmorning every time they fall asleep or wake up, and they're also gonna spray everything in their room or house with perfumes you used to use.

"Good morning Y/N~ Ah... how I wish I could hear it back... but at least I can kiss you! Mua~! Who knows? Maybe one day it turns out to be just a bad dream..."

✧ Other = Someone else speaks or flirts with you, how will they react?

Mizuki would instantly go into protection mode whenever they see someone even being around you! So when you're having conversation with someone... they know to immidietly join it so they know what they're standing on here...

If it really is just a friendly chat, and they see a smile on your face, they MIGHT let you hangout with that person from time to time... but only if they're around too!!

If it's straight up flirting... they don't even wait for you two to be alone, they just start to make a scene for whole place that you're in, fake-crying that you cheated on them. So if the person won't walk away with shame, they will by you completely ignoring them. Because how can you not comfort your lover~?

"You cheater!!! You cheated on me with THEM?!! I thought I was much better than that!! You- You... Oh? Seems like they walked away and you do care.. heh~ Well I'll only forgive you after a sleepover! What do you say?"

✧ Risk = How risky will they be with getting rid of rivals?

As we know, Mizuki is manipulator, and they don't want to get there r hands dirty either! So they do something they're good at~ nasty rumors~ They're already seen rarely at school, if they spread few rumors here and there, people won't even suspect them! Because how could they, when they weren't on any lesson for 2 weeks and rumors vegan going a week ago? It can't be them! And to have even better alibi~ They pretended all 2 weeks to be sick, so even you can confirm it couldn't be them!

But sometimes, they may choose safer option and just create alt account, and if irl rumors won't break their target, they'll make sure that THEIR threats and photoshopped photos going all around internet would!

And they won't even comfort you much about it... they'll just tell you it's not important right now and you should focus on them instead to take your mind off unpleasant things!

"Have you heard~? That girl from 2-C is using poor street puppys for her photos! No, those are not from shelter.. I heard she even kicks them after that!! Horrible, right?"

✧ Unsure = How much trust they have in you? What happens if you break it?

Mizuki's trust is at a low level... they'll always be scared you're gonna leave them at some point, that's why they're always following you and being so clingy all the time.

Their trust may change a little bit with time... if you play your cards right and find a friend group that they accept and feel sure you'll be safe with them, they might let you hangout alone with them every now and then... but only if you won't spend TOO much time with them! You have a lover after all... and they can't be left alone for longer than 3 hours! Or you might never brush them off ever again...

"Hey where are you leaving so early?! No, you're not going anywhere without me! Let me get dressed really quick and we can go! ... I don't care if it's FAMILY meeting!! I'm part of the family too, don't you think~?"

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @prsk-krow @modyuki @virtualpoison @miguelito-maruti-blog @written-by-kafka - come get your cuties lover~

[cain-e-brookman]

i was tagged by @illarian-rambling! thanks!

Rules: post brief descriptions of some characters and a poll, then get people to vote on their favorite

okay i've done this for the main cast of book one, lets see how much i can give away for book two characters

propaganda under the cut

Hesperos is a Sky Mage of Clan Galanis who worship the eldest of the Sky God's children: Khrou the Messenger, Goddess of Lightning. Exiled from his clan at a young age, for reasons he won't speak on, he was found off the coast of Vizia on a half-destroyed vessel by a young merchant lord after being abandoned at sea. Although he grew up alongside the carefree culture of the Sea God's children, he keeps to his clan's disciplined philosophy, as to never lose the grace of his goddess. Despite the strict adherence to his religion, Hesperos is, well, a ham. A performer from a young age, he loves nothing more than music, theater, and being the most dramatic person in any given room. He's enjoyed the wealth of his guardian, but never puts on airs and it polite to a detriment. His manners are his shield, as there's much he hides behind a charming word and easy smile.

You have two options. If you want to know her as a friend, you know her as Miss Belle, the owner of the most bustling tavern in Crescaeya: The Sunk Gator, home of the most authentic Marsher cuisine this side of the border. If you want to know her as an enemy, it's General Isabelle Duplantis-LaBoef of the Shadow Kings Army. During the war, she was known as the most ruthless defender on the home front. The only person in history who had ever sunk even a single Vizian ship, let alone three. After the heated peace talks ended, and the Vizian Armada broke their embargo, Miss Belle stayed on with the army long enough to get her sash of medals from the Shadow King, then move north to Uslaria for her restaurant. It's better not to ask too many questions; all good Marshers know this. So no one questions the late night shipments at her door, or how the large woman who always has the private table upstairs resembles a particular Vizian Fleet Admiral...

Anyone who's been in a room with Tavi knows he's royal, no matter what blood or title say. A merchant marine made guild leader, he's known to be as two-faced as they come. In balls and social events, the picture of grace and charm, funny and social. Anyone on the business side knows this is a lie. He's a controlling, stubborn, and hard business man who knows how to get things done. No one can deny he gets results, though, and through a friendship (or more if the rumors are to believed) with the duchess, he's managed to worm himself deep into the inner working of the largest trade city in Uslaria. After years of watching him slowly take control, most now understand why his family signet is an octopus.

Silas was once a carpenter who lived deep into the wild lands tucked into the heart of the Marshes, the Dark Waters, but was pulled from his life during the war with the Fire Mages. Marked by the Silver Moon as the most true Mage in his small town, he was drafted the moment the Marshes were attacked. His time in the Shadow King's army brought him far from home and ended when his unit was attacked in an ambush as they pushed their way through enemy lines in the middle of the night. He spotted the attack before his sleeping camp had, sounded the alarm and held back the assault long enough to give his men a fighting chance. In doing so, he sacrificed himself to the fire, and that night, under the light of the Silver Moon, he died. Or so the casualty report would say. The healers didn't think he'd survive the hour from the burns, but he did, becoming the only living person to ever hold the medal for a sacrificial death in defense of the people of Ixoryn. (He made it very clear when he made it home, he wasn't giving it back.) Now, he lives in Crescaeya as Tavi's live-in bodyguard, able to intimidate most before they even think of hurting his lord. The burn scars on most of his body sends a very clear message: You're gonna have to do worse than this to take me down.

and i'll tag @spideronthesun @skullduggeryandfilibuster @emrowene @topazadine! as always no pressure!

[v6quewrlds]

I'm still in a limbo, but I don't think tee is leaving... NOW i could be wrong, and i hope I am, but I just can't see him leaving, at least not for another season. But hypothetically speaking, if he did leave/ask for a trade or whatever, where do you think he'll go? Do you think they would pay him the amount of money he wants or not? And how valuable of a player is he? I'm very curious. I've only recently gotten into the bengals this season as a generational Patriots fan. And the Twitter and reddit people are p1ssed saying he's using his "injuries" as an excuse to sit out, and he's allowing the bengals to fail, etc etc personally, i do believe he's injured HOWEVER i do think he's trying to give them a "You see my importance to this team and securing wins so pay me what I'm asking." I do think they would have still lost to the eagles given the teamwork hadn't been the best in terms of securing a decently gapped win that wasn't damn near a loss. not to mention they haven't won a home game YET, but i definitely think they had better chances at a close win with tee playing. I hope you understand all of my yapping. i got sidetracked a lot, but thank you for reading. 🫠🫠🫠

you stole all of my thoughts lmao. this is exactly how i feel. i don't think he's using injury as an excuse but if he is in limbo with his contract (1) he can use his absence as leverage and (2) i wouldn't blame him for wanting to display his best game which he can't do if he's hindered by injury. they still would've lost because this problem is deeper than tee. but that's def something to think about for the bengals.

with the trade deadline coming so soon, i agree that we probably won't see him leave this season. i think he's worth a good amount and there are teams that need/are willing to pay for him.

if i was in the bengals front office, i think the best option would be trade tee for a draft pick for a couple of reasons:

(1) tee is not gonna be satisfied playing no. 2 to ja'marr for the rest of his career, especially not for an organization that is struggling to win games despite their stacked roster. the bengals do have to pay ja'marr this season too. so if i had to choose between ja'marr and tee, i'm picking ja'marr no matter what.

(2) i'd be keeping an eye out on the 2025 draft class. because if the bengals can find a good enough no. 2 wr in the later rounds that they can develop & avoid the star salary issue (like with andrei in 2023) they could build a lethal offense in the offseason.

as for teams that could pick him up. i've heard rumors about the commanders but with how they've been playing + the fact that they beat the bears on sunday, i don't think they'll mess with their wr roster.

i also heard something about the cowboys which i resent because i hate jerry jones but they do need help offensively.

my selfish answer would be the chargers because poor justin herbert needs help. but i think the chargers have the same issue as the bengals: a penny pinching front office that leans too heavily on their franchise qb.

[nanabansama]

hi!! I loved hearing your thoughts about ch113!! I am definitely also team I hope in my heart amane and tsukasa are working together lol. one thing that surprised me in 113 was teru, akane, and nene all splitting up, since they’re the only ones we’ve seen who remember the other timeline. I was wondering if there’s anyone you hope or think nene will run into or seek out for help in the coming chapters? or do you think she’ll be on her own for this one? (this is tsutsumi-kurose btw!!)

Oh hello!! Hi!!! As always we are in sync re: the twins. 🤝 Shaking your hand vigorously. (I also loved your thoughts on 113!)

And that is a WONDERFUL thought! I hadn't considered the implications of them splitting up at all. Yes, I imagine they'll all be getting up to some business one way or another...

Regarding specifically who I'd like Nene to meet, obviously Yugi-sensei! But I have little doubt AidaIro will deliver on that, lol. Oh, and I'd just LOVE for her to meet the rumor Tsukasa-kun too... Which I also have little doubt about... ehm... ...

I do feel like she'd want to bring Kou-kun into all this? If she can, at least. He's on her side after all and he wouldn't be happy about this new world if he knew. That said, Kou and Nene are always teaming up to the point it's gotten to be cliché... and I feel he tends to steal the show from Nene when they're together, too, so I really hope it's something else actually!!!

Someone who could be more useful to Nene is Tsuchigomori, who is not only buddy-buddy with the new Hanako but also the school's resident supernatural record keeper. It's a little shocking since everyone's alive rn but Kamome Academy is still haunted and likely has an entire new cast of Mysteries. 😭 Err...probably, anyway. We can't say for sure but most likely...

Anyway, since Team NTA (Nene Teru Akane) are investigating what was changed in the past so that they can undo it, I bet Tsuchigomori could help if he's willing to share his secrets with Nene. I'm not sure if Nene would be bold enough to ask about that, though, and it'd be risky to incur his wrath without Hanako there to keep him in check. Tsuchigomori doesn't have any reason to like Nene yet, after all...still, I'd love to see more about how him and the Mysteries are doing if we can. :)

Also, she's only cameod so far so that might be the extent of it, but I would love for her to formally meet the new Shijima... I feel it'll only be a short scene, but as a school faculty member maybe she could help point Nene in the right direction? ^_^ Having Nene actually MEET her would be really feelsy, too, and it'd be fun to give Nene a reason to hesitate about doing away with this new timeline altogether.

So ultimately I guess I would say I'm leaning towards Nene being on her own for this one...mostly because there aren't a lot of good options to choose from. >_< And heck, Nene almost never does things alone! I think it's about time she had another solo adventure.

But above all I really just want to be surprised! And AidaIro is generally good about being surprising in a good way. :) Perhaps Nene could team up with someone we haven't even seen yet...? And I'm hoping we get some insight into the new lives of Team NTA and the other characters. ^_^ Considering (almost) everyone is alive rn I'm fully expecting to see Mama Minamoto and get kicked in the feels, lol. Aah!! So exciting!!!

Anyway I got kinda rambly there but that's the the fun part of questions like these right!? If you like, let me know what you want to happen!