#there's maybe five (5) people max that will care about this

[habken]

okay let's imagine inko/mitsuki/masaru in a death becomes her au

[dreamlandbarnes]

f1 fic recs

a compilation of all the fics i've been reading in the f1 rpf tag on ao3! please leave comments and kudos for the authors, and check the tags before reading. sorted by pairing, and summary and word count are provided. none of these fics are mine.

if your fic is on here and you want it removed, please let me know!

charles leclerc / max verstappen

bloodsport by 140445 | 37,711 words | M

“I don’t care about then, you are here now,” Charles says. “You are on my side now.” Max is on his side. It’ll feel like that, too, at some point. Surely. Or: Max and Charles as teammates for the 24 hours of Le Mans.

such murderous and vengeful desire by foggystars | 20,676 words | E

Where Carlos’ girlfriend has her fingers crossed, keeps covering her eyes as if she can’t bear to watch, Max is focused, mouth set in a hard line. He’s leaning in, balancing on the edge of his seat. To anybody else he looks intent, focused on the screen. To Charles, he looks like a bird, poised to take wing. Like he’s about to fly right through the screen and take the steering wheel from Charles’ clumsy hands, get in there and drive the car himself. When Max Verstappen suffers a career ending injury, he pours all his effort into turning his old rival, Charles Leclerc, into a worthy champion. Five years and two world championships later, they finally decide to talk about it.

like in love with me by linearity | 7,800 words | T

Austria 2019, a two-person house party, Abu Dhabi 2021, a silly lover’s quarrel, and a stove-side morning proposal.

Anonym by additiv | 13,971 words | E

The truth is, Max finds Charles unbelievably annoying. He’s chaotic and unpredictable. He’s staring at Max across the room one moment, and in the next, seems to have forgotten he exists. He swaps clothes with people at random, whipping off his faded Gucci t-shirt in the middle of the dance floor, to trade it for some girl’s crop top, laughing and crowding close to block the view of her body while they make the exchange. When he disappears to the bathroom, Max never knows whether he’ll reappear with glitter on his eyelids, or white powder on his nose. He flirts with every person in the room, and probably sleeps with them too. He ignores Max completely, then goes home with him. He’s always gone when Max wakes up; nothing left behind, nothing missing. He refuses to stay the night, but refuses to let Max get over him. And, he refuses to let Max know anything about him.

when you cut me open by triangularity (linearity) | 44,900 words | E

Well, Charles concedes, miserably. He did die last night. A few days staying with his vampire ex-boyfriend probably isn’t the worst thing he’ll have gone through in January.

a life in your shape by weiwuxian (BreathOfDream) | 29,431 words | E

“Oh god, not you,” Charles groans, crossing his arms on his chest. The Batman visibly rolls his eyes (blue, of course, because all men that messed with Charles’ life had that in common apparently) at his reaction, but another look at Charles makes him step closer. “Yes, always a pleasure. Are you ok?” or: 5 times both Max and the Batman makes Charles' life a lot more complicated than needed + 1 time he doesn't

Frecheit by additiv | 208,723 words | E

The first time that Max heard the name Charles Leclerc was in 2022, just after winning his first WDC. Maybe it only stuck because he heard it twice in one night; first as Leclerc was announced as the 2022 F3 champion. Second, as Helmut lamented not signing him to the Red Bull driver development program. Now, Max is ready to put the newly-promoted Ferrari driver in his place. The problem is, Leclerc seems to think his place is on the top step of the podium. And he is not playing by the rules. An age-difference fic, where they never got to work out their differences as kids. 3-time WDC Max's experience of being personally victimised by baby-Charles.

in dream by 140445 | 81,025 words | E

Charles tried to figure out the dream on his own. In the morning he sat down with a cup of coffee, trying to make sense of what he had seen—he even googled it. Surely, Charles couldn't be the first or only person to dream about someone he shouldn't. But there were no search results for my professional rival is suddenly also my soulmate or soulmate dream of someone i'm not supposed to want???.  (In a world where soulmates identified each other by sharing a dream, Charles dreamt of the last person he expected.)

heart of the wind by pipitass | 13,830 words | M

There’s a slip of paper taped next to one of the doorbells — third floor, second door. It should, in theory, be the one directly across from his own. Max V. “Yes?” “Uh— hi.” He clears his throat. “It’s your neighbor. From across the street. Your, your clothes…” He doesn’t really know what to say after that. Hi, I got into a street fight with your bedsheets yesterday. Welcome to the neighborhood.

charles_leclerc ✔️ posted: 😘 by ninetqs | 11,500 words | M

Charles posts a photo with a mystery man and casually breaks the Internet in the process.

cameras in the traffic lights by c_e_1 | 9,958 words | M

Pop Crave @PopCrave • Aug 13 2023 Popstar Charles Leclerc has put his instagram on private after fans spotted Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen in the background of his vacation photos 303 comments | 1.6K retweets | 10K likes

(don't read) the last page by mintchocolatechip97 | 7,475 words | E

Max feels a light tap on his arm, and turns to see the beautiful door-opener, chestnut brown curls fluffed up on his head like he’s been running his hands through his hair. “I have been on a set a time or two,” the man says, trying and failing to wink, “but this is my first time in a writers room, so you are not the only rookie here.” He clearly speaks English fluently, but has a smidge of a European accent, which Max thinks might be French. “I’m sorry,” Max says, a little annoyed that this stranger is speaking to him as if they know each other, “I didn’t catch your name?” Several emotions flit over the man’s face, in such quick succession that Max can’t quite catch them all. In the end, he looks mortified. “Oh, I am so sorry,” he says, “This is going to sound terrible, like I am the worst kind of person, but I thought you would know who I was.” Dr. Max Verstappen gets hired as the expert medical consultant for a new Netflix show. Charles Leclerc, former teen heartthrob, stars.

all i know of love is hunger by 140445 | 28,509 words | E

Anger flares in Charles’ chest. Not the kind that he feels in the car, when he’s on Max’s tail, when they are braking late and later. The one that’s been looming over his head ever since Max announced his retirement. The one he hasn’t been able to tame until now, until he can give it a name. Betrayal.

hollywood and highland by japrufrocks | 26,730 words | E

Max had left New York a week before Charles had, seven days exactly. Max had gone to Hollywood; Charles had gone to a hospital. Now they're starring in the same film. Hollywood gives its darlings everything. It takes everything too.

straight lines (that unwind you) by 140445 | 16,330 words | E

“Do you know him?” Arthur asks. “No,” Charles decides. Because he does not. He knows Max is a mathematics major, and that he plays chess. And that he hits the gym. And what he looks like when he comes. Details.

all to play for by linearity | 49,300 words | E

Charles Leclerc is not at Red Bull to win races. He is here to win championships.

my thoughts will echo your name by witchee_writer | 38,826 words | M

“Do you think you’ll ever want to do Le Mans one day?” asked Max, glancing sideways at the man sitting next to him. Charles’ eyes lit up, a grin spreading across his face. “I think I want to win Le Mans one day.”

heart on your sleeve by nyoomfruits | 4,812 words | T

The thing about having a racing helmet that constantly displays your emotions for the whole world to see, is that you kind of get used to it after a while. These days Charles almost forgets it’s even a thing. Almost. But then he goes and falls in love.

ghost of you by nyoomfruits | 3,436 words | T

“All right, are you now finally ready to explain why four time world driver champion Charles Leclerc is currently in my living room?” Max says, as Charles towels off his hair. Charles pauses, lets the towel fall into his lap, stares at Max with wide eyes. “I’m sorry, did you say four time?”

The HR Situation by thearchercore | 3,027 words | Gen

Jacob found out many things during his first month in the new HR role - Mary and Connor from Aero Engineering were dating. Thomas and Nick from Comms got recently divorced and it's a sensitive subject. Eddie from Legal had to go to an Anger Management class but hasn't had any issues since his return. Oh, and also - Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were fucking weird about each other. or: Charles and Max go to Mercedes and the HR Department is in shambles.

Sawtooth by nottonyharrison | 40,305 words | E

In another universe, Max rejected karting at the age of fifteen, no longer prepared to be a proxy for his father’s dream. He moved back to Belgium to live with his mum and sister, excelled at school, and eventually went on to complete a Masters of Mechanical Engineering. Now 27, after four years working for Alfa Romeo and Sauber, first as a junior performance engineer and then on the pit wall for Zhou Guanyu, he’s put forward for a job with Ferrari when Carlos Sainz is left without a race engineer thanks to the increasingly hectic F1 schedule. The problem is, Max has a crush on Carlos’ teammate. A huge, obvious, embarrassing crush that leaves him stumbling for words, face burning every time he’s within six feet of the guy. What makes it even worse is that sometimes he’s sure that Charles is looking right back.

leminiscate by weiwuxian (BreathofDream) | 27,799 words | E

Charles tries to imagine Max, on the opposite side of the kitchen. Eating bread too, like he did that first morning of the After—gross and charming. Tries to think about the way he would hold him, maybe. Of the softness of his lips, glossed by butter; and how he would laugh and push him away. His phone dings and he blinks himself awake once again.

achilles comes down by sincerelylancelot | 21,068 words | M

The World Championship trophy rests in his trembling hands, his name etched in fine gold. It isn't until he's staring down at it—his name nestled close to Max’s—that he realises his dreams have always been carved out of someone else’s pain. Jules. Max. And now, maybe even himself.

charles leclerc / carlos sainz jr

a bad recompense for your love by steviethenarwhal | 65,162 words | M

“I do not want to date you,” Charles says. Carlos’s eyes slide warily over to him. He tries to explain. “I do not date men. It would be… not smart.” “I don’t want to date you either,” Carlos says. “I do not date racecar drivers.”

translation theory by linearity | 9,500 words | E

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari’s golden boy, their Il Predestinato. He likes it up the ass and likes getting fucked by rockstars who have more tattoos than thoughts in their brains. What a fucking joke.

semiotic study by linearity | 8,600 words | E

Carlos knows. He knows what this is and what this is not. This is not romance, this is not love, but Charles makes it so easy to slip into that illusion. Charles makes it so hard, and Carlos cannot be without.

last night by venerat | 24,259 words | E

Rule #1: When you go to America, don't lose your virginity to your best friend's roommate. Charles fails Rule #1.

Good Boy by chiliconcarlos | 8,445 words | E

Really, it’s all Alex’s fault. ~~ Or: the one where Charles and Carlos want to settle the question of who's better in bed.

at the dinner table with god and my father by Cloudcollector | 4,599 words | M

There is a table in his house that knows more about him than his father. Or, Carlos and his father. And the family dinner table through the years.

win or lose (it's how you play the game) by chiliconcarlos | 18,321 words | E

It all starts because of a stupid bet.   Or: Carlos suggests a hickey bet for their '23 season, and it goes about how you'd expect.

darling by magnificentbirb | 6,579 words | T

The pet names begin as a joke.

carlos sainz jr / oscar piastri

take it or leave it by venerat | 6,771 words | E

r/relationships: My (22M) coworker (29M) keeps irritating me at work

he just turned in like i didn't exist by linearity | 36,500 words | E

Oscar doesn’t have a problem with his soulmate. It’s his soulmate who has the fucking problem.

Happy Death Race by powerfulowl (playmyace) | 28,390 words | E

Carlos gazes up at the fake blue sky. Dopey grin, contrapposto pose, head as empty as the cottony clouds above. “Look, look. Look, Piastri. It is always daylight.” Oscar imagines pushing him into the piss water canal. "Yeah, cool. Stop dying!" (Oscar is in a time loop and Carlos won't stop dying.)

when both our cars collide by buildyourfences | 8,483 words | M

It’s race day, which means his phone shouldn’t be ringing. And yet, it is. “Carlos, why are you not at the track yet? We are waiting for you.” “But–” “I sent you the updated schedule last night, please get here as soon as possible.” The call ends. He blinks down at the phone in his hand. Friday, March 1. Well, that’s not right. Carlos is trapped in a time loop. He can't stop crashing with Oscar.

at a constant speed by wisteriagoesvroom (bobaheadshark) | 11,676 words | E

“Are you close?” Oscar asks. “What does it look like?” “I wasn’t expecting it to be, uh, so…” What? Oscar wants to add. Hot? Desperate? Pathetic? All of the above? --- Or, carcar get themselves into a situationship, and it just keeps situating.

left a calling card so they would know that it was me by xxxdeerlordxxx | 6,139 words | E

Carlos continues to sit there, in the cockpit with his back to the wall, pieces of the torn advertisements raining down on him. He can see a big screen from where he’s at, the replays they show over and over, of Carlos spinning out, of Oscar driving away from the incident like nothing happened. Because of course no one believes him. But Carlos knows that Oscar’s to blame. Just not in the way people might think.

hatred cradles you by foggystars | 6,829 words | E

“You see?” Carlos asks, hanging up the phone. “He does not pick up.” Oscar shrugs, unsure why Carlos seems to think this is his problem. Just because Oscar’s his teammate doesn’t mean he knows where Lando is at all times, like some sort of twink-seeking missile. Then Carlos says, “I wait for him in here,” and nods to himself. He’s walking into Oscar’s hotel room before he can stop him, and all Oscar can do is blink stupidly at the empty stretch of hallway where Carlos once stood.

in midnight’s jaws by Springsteen | 30,806 words | E

Werewolves are fiction, the stuff of books and movies just like witches and zombies. Men do not turn into wolves, or fly on broomsticks, or raise the dead. There must be a logical explanation for the restlessness in Carlos's blood, for the waves of pain so sudden and intense it feels as though his bones are trying to break free of his body. Surely there is a perfectly good reason for Carlos to have woken in the dirt the morning after a full moon, with no idea where he is or how he got there. And surely there was a reason he turned to Oscar Piastri, of all people, for help.

pulling teeth by arboretics | 9,030 words | Not Rated

Oscar is very private, very in control. Carlos pretends he is both of those things, too. But after a late night collision in Baku 2024, things spiral between them into something straddling a game and an uncomfortable intimacy. A year on, Oscar and Lando are battling for the championship, Carlos is fighting for low points finishes, and Oscar loses his grip on the whole situation.

the better half of a good time by antimonyandthyme | 4,413 words | E

“Most guys, they look at the date.” He manages to make it sound both admiring and chiding. Oscar is very quickly losing control of this conversation. “Do you make a habit of just giving your license out? To every stranger you meet?” “Only those I really like.”

reckless attention by crescenteluce | 4,290 words | E

It’s probably on Oscar to be the bigger person here, to tell Carlos if he can’t do it sober, he shouldn’t be doing it at all. But that’s the thing about Carlos – he doesn’t exactly inspire Oscar to be the best version of himself.

george russell / max verstappen

winning mentality by linearity | 18,500 words | E

It’s not, like, a thing. It’s only happened twice, if you don’t count the time during the pre-season when Max shoved a thigh against George’s crotch, and George, touched-deprived and broken-hearted, let out a sharp gasp and came instantly. Max, looking shocked and frightened, stormed away.

cut your teeth by 140445 | 9,224 words | E

And that is the thing that brought George here. Eat or be eaten. It’ll happen either way. Maybe here, he will like the taste.

full throttle by calenmirel | 3,397 words | E

Later, Max will turn to him, meeting his gaze head on, and ask if George truly hadn’t seen him in his mirrors at turn eight, like George had claimed. He'll rub his hands on his racesuit as he says it, like he'll be rid of the phantom feeling of George's hair from between his fingers if he wipes them hard enough. George will look back at him, licking the taste of Max from the back of his teeth like he can savour it, and will reply, “of course I didn’t,” lying through his smile.

alexander albon / george russell

a feeling all brand new by ginnydear | 16,481 words | M

Alex is halfway through his sandwich when he starts to feel talkative, so he takes a sip of his tea and waits for Logan to finish chewing before he says what’s running through his mind at full speed. “I think I’m homophobic.”

nothing but teeth by crescenteluce | 25,057 words | E

“Oh, come on.” Alex says, poking George in the thigh again with his foot. “Don’t tell me you’ve never done a little-” Alex makes a complicated hand-wavy gesture that has the contents of his glass nearly sloshing over the sides. “At your fancy boy schools, a little stiff upper-lipped make-out amongst the chaps? In between rounds of cricket and fox hunting?”

carlos sainz jr / max verstappen

ease the madness by magnificentbirb | 12,231 words | M

Max signed away his soul on his sixteenth birthday.

pierre gasly / charles leclerc

a long time (maybe forever) by strongestavenger | 10,021 words | T

AITA: homophobic but only to my roommate/best friend? First of all, I swear I have never been a discriminatory person – I have lots of gay friends and my little brother is bisexual. I know that sounds stupid as hell but it’s my only defense right now. My problem is that I (Marc, 26M, straight) have a roommate (Jacques, 28M, gay), who has also been my best friend since we were kids, and I think I’ve started to feel homophobic towards him? (or: Charles needs some outside help to figure things out.)

miscellaneous / general / multi

One thousand laps of jeddah by in_in_in_in_in_in_in | 68,585 words | Gen

George feels sick for the whole ride to the track. He has no idea how he got from breakfast to the car, let alone how he shook off Alex. He knows that he said ‘for god’s sake, Alex, I’m not on drugs’ about a hundred times, even though he’s not at all sure that it’s the truth. What else could have happened to him? Did he dream the race last night?

eat them alive by linearity | 57,000 words | E

Oscar lost Lando a championship and left McLaren. There was still a year in between.

the condominium community committee by jusst_you_wait | 36,452 words | T

the condominium community - 2:36pm Oscar and Logan have been added to the chat George Hello, welcome to a group chat we have for the Formula apartment building! There are only 18 (20 now) of us so we like to keep in contact about the building maintenance and other neighbourly orders of business. I’m George, and I liaise with the building manager on behalf of all of us when there is a building specific issue rather than an apartment issue. Welcome to the building! Lando do u copy and paste that from ur notes every time Alex I bet he has it memorised ~ or, the ridiculous chat fic where the f1 grid all live in the same apartment building

temperature get to you by minieggs11 | 9,339 words | E

It’s Logan’s last ride of the night, it’s clearly two drunk tourists going back to their hotel. As long as they give him a five star rating, he doesn’t care what happens.

sugar and spice by pipitass | 10,785 words | E

“Do you know already? Who you’ll pick?” Oscar frowns. Eyes still closed, scrunched now. Sharp brows downturned, meeting in the middle of his face. “When you win.” The frown deepens for a second. Then his face releases, and he shrugs. Shuffles as he goes to lay down, kicking his shoes off before he brings them up so his toes are poking at Max’s thigh, settling in. “Someone nice.”

triple header by 140445 | 7,890 words | E

Because Oscar isn’t here with Charles. And he’s not here with Max. He doesn’t get it, this thing between Max and Charles. They look like they’re here together, share glances that make Oscar feel like an intruder—but Max brought Oscar back to the booth to sit with them. For Charles to flirt with him. As if it’s some kind of game, where Max brings back prey for Charles to take.

somebody else by piastrism | 31,252 words | E

Oscar misses the color lilac — the color of the twilight sky behind Charles as they drank wine on Sedici, and the long-faded color left behind on his hips by Max’s fingertips.

we'll take the shadows (since the limelight isn't ours) by magnificentbirb | 2,177 words | T

Lando hears the screech of tires on asphalt behind him, the distant crunch of carbon fiber colliding with a wall. He glimpses only the aftermath of the carnage—the dust and smoke, the flashing lights, the unmistakable gleam of bright red—and then he’s clear. And that’s when the seconds slow down.

possessed by light by Anonymous | 6,885 words | Gen

It is a lesson you learn alone. Or that you are supposed to learn alone. At some point you will look at yourself in the mirror and see not just flesh and blood. You will see the capabilities beyond that. You will see your body as a ladder to forever ascend, to always want more. You will see just what you’re made of—and you will realise it has to be used. You will learn not to waste it. Charles did not learn that on his own.

[zeravmeta]

It's kind of intersting where you are saying this is a wake up call to recgonizing fgo's subpar gameplay because on my side it's very much just "we don't like servant coins" for the most part. Heck the fact that nobody has gotten to point of realizing you can do all this with three stars which lasengle active making five stars worse is another werid development. I've only seen only a few comments talking about if you're f2p these things aren't really relevant. Not that I don't agree fgo biggest weakness is that once you get burn out on the gameplay outside of few boss battles you aren't getting any enthuism back imo. And currently the only thing lasenagle does it just repeatedly buffing units through different ways rather than introduce unique gameplay meachnics that go against the normal grind set like Eli quest and Grailfront(In my personal opinion I think the greatest issuse is the fact that doing these things would equlivant of having a consistent ongoing event that need to be updated and I think you need a whole team for that for speicifcally that.) But the fact people angry more express that they care enough about the gameplay to get angry about the lack of acess to it because of basically a pay wall or well I haven't seen many people connect the dots to the gameplay itself being at fault. Also i couldn't tell from reblog what did they backpeddle again? It seems like they were already planing to revise the servant coin distrabustion and the fact they are expressing they openly said going to give the coins back and with eases adds more to the idea than takes away imo.

I kind of wanna address these points a bit just to make a larger point abt why this anniversary and the servant coins thing rings hollow and sour for a bunch:

I wouldn't say 'wake up call' is the right words, but rather 'this was the straw that broke the camels back'. As broken as FGOs gameplay is, something i will begrudgingly credit it for is that all content IS clearable even by low rarity units. Even the hardest challenge quests from things like fest events or certain story fights can be cleared from a full 3* and lower + 5* friend support comp. So of course, then begs the question: If gameplay isn't the main reason to summon (unless you're a tierlist slave for efficient farm comps for Some Reason), why summon at all?

Well, for your faves, of course. FGO gives you a ton of resources and shiny buttons and knobs to make numbers on your blorbo higher, meaning that the whole point of these extra resources is just to sink into a favorite character and get to experience the story with this talking png on hand to be your friend/lover/hater/slash/etc.

Servant Coins were a broken whale mechanic on inception due to being strictly gacha dependent, not only in how you acquire servant coins but in how little return there is for getting said servants. Summoning for a 5* is already infamously terrible, but not only do you need them for grailing above Level 100, but also for append skills? Realistically, the only reason to go for these resource sinks *is* for faves, and in fairness some dedicated players/whales save a whole bunch of sq just for their one/two favorite guys (regardless of if they actually get them lol, you can save over 1K+ and still not even get a single rate up servant). It's very likely that some of these people Did save all their sq to then have all the necessary servant coins to ultimate max their favorite guy.

but to then ask even more from them, to sink even more into the most infamous gacha in all gachas just to maybe have a chance to marginally improve them? That was just a slap in the face. Mind you, a lot of people talk about how these latest appends are actually the most gameplay defining in how they can lower skill cool downs, which is def a huge buff compared to other appends/stat buffs and even skill buffs, but that type of discussion misses the point that this was one of the greediest changes ever done, especially for a game whose base gameplay hasn't really been improved, optimized, or significantly changed in any way.

You can tell even the devs knew that Servant coins were a broken greed mechanic from inception, since they had retroactive refunds for 4-5* servants (but not 3*s. grr) and from the outcry of this anni they walked back some of the changes and even gave out a second overall refund of servant coins, but ultimately this is another bandaid solution to the core issue: FGOs gameplay just isnt fun.

People put up with FGOs gameplay to get to read FGOs story, and we're just at the point where it's not getting to be worth it anymore. The visual novel masquerading as a gacha is being killed by its own status as a gacha.

The truly frustrating thing is that there *are* legitimate ways of playing FGO which CAN be fun, specifically challenge quests and Grail Fronts. Those are the two types of play that actually make FGO's gameplay work to an extent, and yet these types of changes are just never made in any permanent way. Past boss fights are locked forever, previously cleared challenge quests are lost forever, they just do not repeat these gameplay opportunities, and this goes hand in hand with another issue, one which I would say is the true root of all FGO's problems:

They fucking lock past story content

When me and other mutuals are heeing and haawing about having event reruns/a compendium, it's not just to talk about FGOs story being good, because it is! It's to make it so that newbies aren't fucking locked out of the MAIN GODDAMN REASON TO EVEN PLAY THIS GAME. IMPORTANT STORY CRITICAL EVENTS LIKE THE KNK COLLAB, GUDAGUDA EVENTS AND MORE ARE JUST LOST FOREVER TO YOUTUBE STORY COMPILATIONS BECAUSE THE BASE GAME DOES NOT HAVE ANY SORT OF COMPENDIUM FOR THESE PAST EVENTS.

Event Archives just WORK. You can look at so many modern gachas these days and see that they all have event compendiums for events they will not rerun, and the reason is simple: FGO popularized the idea of using a gacha to tell a story, so gachas put more stonks into their writing and dont limit that Very Critical Component Of Why People Would Play Their Game To Begin With.

But for some fucking reason, FGO just does not. Really think about this for a moment: People have put up with a near decade of terrible gameplay and corporate gacha greed just to read FGO's story. It's fucking good! But that's just not gonna be enough anymore when Type Moon is now using their fucking Das Rheingold of gacha money to make new/remake vns. For all that people talk about FGO story burnout, I flat out disagree: People do want more FGO story, Samurai Remnant is a huge fucking testament to that and a major component of why I want an FGO console release, to be FREE from its gacha ball and chain.

People just don't want to have to put up with a terrible gacha system anymore to experience that good story.

[ladykailitha]

Royal Pain Part 19

Hey, guys. Sorry it took so long to get this out. The chapter was fighting me and I have had the absolutely worst week. However in slightly happier news, my partner got a new job and that means I should be able to quit mine and go back to writing full time. I'll let you know more when I do, but it's looking more and more likely.

I realized it had been a while since we had an Eddie centric chapter and decided this would be the one. And I left it on a cliffhanger again. But don't worry next chapter will see more than one villain vanquished.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18

***

Eddie was seething. He hadn’t been this mad since he learned Max was moving to New York. Actually. No. He was madder then that. He was pissed.

Gareth grimaced. “They won’t do anything?”

“No,” Eddie growled. “Because he technically hasn’t violated the protection order, according to them.”

“If he can’t get with in five hundred feet,” Brian said, “then how did he find out about Steve.”

Eddie threw up his arms into the air. “That’s what I asked.”

“I’m betting,” Mandy said, “that they didn’t have a good answer?”

“Apparently since Seth showed up at Hopper’s,” Eddie snarled, “and not Steve’s shop, that he was just going around to all the tattoo parlors and threatening everyone.”

Jeff rolled his eyes. “I bet they didn’t even check with other tattoo shops and just made that shit up.”

“I even talked to Officer Callahan who was in charge of the original case file because he’s not supposed to be out of jail yet,” Eddie said, beginning to pace. “He never went.”

“What?!” came the shocked cry of outrage from everyone.

“Yeah,” Eddie continued. “Apparently he made a deal with the DA and they didn’t tell me. He got two years probation.”

“That’s bullshit!” Mandy hissed. “He was going to kill you.”

“Criminal mischief,” Eddie said. “Domestic abuse down to criminal mischief. $300 fine, two year probation, and forced to take a class about how not to be a violent offender.”

“It’s because you’re a man, isn’t it?” Gareth asked, licking his lips slowly. “These fuckers don’t think a man can be abused.”

Eddie pursed his lips into a line and nodded.

“Hop’s calling in a couple of favors to keep Steve safe,” he said. “But that does jack shit about me. And this isn’t me calling out that shit. That’s Hop’s prerogative but he’s my dumb ass ex, who’s protecting me?”

“We are,” Jeff said. “You don’t go anywhere without one of us. Garth, since you’re the only one without a roommate at the moment, Eddie’s going to stay with you. Brian, talk to Cecil, he’s studying law. See what he can recommend.”

Gareth and Brian both nodded.

Eddie buried his head into his hands. “This is such bullshit.”

Mandy came up and gave him a hug. “We’ll get through this. We did before and we will again. And this time we have more people that would be willing to help. Steve, Robin, Chrissy, hell the whole of the Royal Pain would throw hands for you.”

Eddie chuckled. He knew that too. “Well, maybe not Erica.”

Brian snorted. “That girl would sell her own mother for a cookie.”

“Not even a Girl Scout cookie,” Jeff agreed. “That girl is bound for world domination.”

“No doubt.”

*

“You tell me right now,” Wayne said when Eddie had called that night, “do you need me up there? Because work be damned, boy, I’ll be up there in two shakes of lamb’s tail.”

Eddie chewed on his nail. He felt like that little boy all over again. Being given the choice between being with his uncle or being put in a foster home. He didn’t want to be a bother to anyone, but he knew. He knew that Wayne was someone that wouldn’t care. That he could be as big a bother as he wanted, he would still be loved.

He let out a shuddering breath and like that little boy all those years ago said, “Yes. Please.”

“I’ve got some vacation time coming,” Wayne said as if he didn’t have weeks and weeks of it stored up because he was never sick a day in his life. “I cane be up there for as long as you need me, you hear?”

“I’m staying with Gareth for the time being,” Eddie said solemnly, “because Jeff is worried that Seth will follow me home.”

“Smart man, your Jeff,” Wayne agreed. “I have a friend in Indy I can crash on the sofa of for a couple of days until I can find something a little more permanent.”

“Yeah,” he whispered. “Let me know when you get into town and we’ll meet up for lunch.”

“You can finally take me to that pizza place you’ve been going on about for months.”

Eddie laughed, a knot loosening in his chest. “You’ve got it, old man.”

*

A few days later Steve was waiting for the pizza he had ordered for the shop, playing silly games on his phone when the bell announced new arrivals. He looked up instinctively and grinned.

He waved. “Eddie!”

Eddie lit up with a big smile. “Stevie?” He hopped over, an older man following a little slower behind.

“Hey!” Steve greeted. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Eddie’s smile turned into a grin. “DiMaggio’s is the best pizza place in Indy, not coming here is a crime.”

“If it’s not it certainly should be,” Steve agreed with his own answering grin.

“Steve,” Eddie said, “this is my uncle, Wayne. He’s staying in town for a few days.”

Steve’s mood was dampened a bit, knowing why he was in town. “Nice to meet you. I was planning a trip back down Hawkins at the end of the summer so that Eddie could introduce us, sorry we had meet under lesser than ideal circumstances.”

Wayne blinked at him for a moment before turning to Eddie. “This one is a keeper.”

Eddie blushed, shoving his hair in front of his face, ducking his head to hide his embarrassment.

Steve just smiled fondly at him. “I think that’s up to him.”

Wayne’s eyebrows shot up. “I like him.”

That surprised a laugh out of Eddie causing him to drop the hair. “Me too.”

“Let me just go order our pizzas,” Eddie murmured and darted for the front counter.

“He’s cute,” Steve said, waving his hand to the chair in front of him for Wayne to sit.

Wayne took the seat and smiled. “He certainly is. I’m glad the world didn’t beat the silliness out of him.”

“Me too,” Steve agreed. “I love how earnest and outgoing he is.”

Wayne hummed. “He tell what was going on?”

Steve nodded. “I’m afraid it’s my fault. Seth came after me at a friend’s shop, tried to threaten me into leaving Eddie alone.”

“I don’t think being threatened is the fault of the victim,” he said, his voice a deep comforting rumble.

Steve blushed. “That’s what Jeff and Robin said.”

“Jeff I know,” Wayne said, “Robin I don’t, but it sounds to me like they both have their heads on straight and you should be listening to them and not that voice in the back of your head.” He tapped Steve forehead for emphasis.

The bell above the door rang again and Mike and Will walked in. Steve raised a eyebrow when he spotted them.

“DiMaggio’s is certainly hopping for a random Thursday,” he commented dryly to Will when he lead a slightly reluctant Mike over to their table. Eddie arrived at the table just moments later and there are hugs and greetings all around.

“You caused quite a stir at the latest family dinner,” Will said with a huge grin to Steve.

Steve huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, how did that happen?”

“Jonathan is back on Mom’s couch,” he said with a smirk.

Steve reared his head back. “And how did that involve me?”

“Argyle kicked him out of the apartment because him and Nancy lied to him about who’s fault your and her relationship ended.”

“Nancy is furious at them both,” Mike said with a half shrug. “I’m not sure their relationship is going to survive that little revelation.”

Steve winced. “Yeah...that’s on them though. How was I to know that Jonathan hadn’t been honest to Argyle about that.”

Eddie bumped his shoulder. “You weren’t.”

“Oh we are totally on your side,” Will said.

Mike nodded. “Yeah, man. It was straight up bullshit all the lying they did.”

“Mom’s pissed because she really liked you,” Will continued, “and believed Jonathan about how things went down. Like of course she did. He’s her son, but she should have tried to get your side of it.”

“Those eight years are totally on her,” Steve said, holding his hands up in surrender. “You’ve been trying to tell her for years to at least talk to me about it.”

Will and Mike nodded.

Mike chewed on his lip as he played with the loose string on the hem of his t-shirt. “Is it bad I hope Nancy and Jonathan break up?”

The table got silence for a moment.

Wayne lifted his chin. “Why’s that, son?”

“Because I don’t think she wants a relationship. I think she was only with Jonathan and Steve,” he said waving at him with his left hand, “is because that’s what you’re ‘supposed’ to do.”

“Steve!” the counter called.

Steve got up to get his pizza order, he stopped back at the table. “I don’t think it’s a bad you want your sister to learn how to be herself without a partner. I think it shows that you’re more mature then she is. You’re a good man, Mike.”

He clapped Mike’s shoulder and then waved goodbye to everyone. He pulled out his keys and walked out to his car, flipping the key ring around as he thought.

He never intended this to happen when he saw his ex at the grocery store, but honestly? Maybe it was a good thing to get all those wounds brought to light so that they could heal properly.

For all their sakes.

*

Steve was ready for the weekend. His week had been a literal hell. But Eddie had promised that he would have fun. The band had been practicing a couple of new songs and were debuting them Saturday night.

He sat at the curve of the table, sandwiched between Robin, who wouldn’t care, only to tease him mercilessly later, and Mandy who got it, how fucking sexy Eddie and the band was when they were on stage.

Steve wished he could say he was better prepared every time Eddie got on stage, but every week Eddie went out of his way to drive Steve absolutely wild.

“He does this on purpose doesn’t he?” Steve asked after a particularly hot number where Eddie fell to his knees grinding on his guitar.

Mandy laughed. “I would like to put you out of your misery and say yes, but no. When Eddie gets on stage he loses all connection to the audience and just rocks out. His fans love it.”

Steve looked around the dingy bar and had to agree. They were just as turned on as he was. He shifted uncomfortably in his jeans, clearing his throat. “If we...” he cleared his throat again. “I mean if Eddie were to–if we were–”

Mandy took pity on him. “If you two were going out would the fans tear you to pieces for touching what they can’t?”

Steve bit his lip and nodded, looking at his hands that were twisted in lap.

She gave his knee a squeeze. “I honestly don’t know what the fans would do. But Eddie wouldn’t give a damn what they think. He’s been booed before for a song that they didn’t think was metal enough and he didn’t let that stop him. Not once.”

Steve let out a breath. It was always something that worried him. He knew he went against the grain in everything he did, but he didn’t want that with Eddie. He didn’t want to be with Eddie just because it went against the norm of what was expected of either of them.

They arrived at the club and already Robin was on the dance floor. She loved dancing and soon Mandy, Chrissy, Jeff, and Brian were out there with her. Gareth, Eddie, and Steve watched in amusement as their friends let loose on the dance floor, living it up under the rainbow lights and the thumping beat of the music.

Steve turned around and Eddie wasn’t there.

“You seen Eddie?” he shouted at Gareth.

Gareth shot up and looked around. “Shit.”

Somehow during their watching of their friends cutting it up, Eddie had slipped away.

“You check out back to see if he’s gone for a smoke,” Steve said.

Gareth nodded.

“I’m going to check the bar.”

Gareth nodded again.

Across the crowded room, a man in a tailored white suit grinned as he moved to the back of the club where the restrooms were, eyes glittering with want and rage as he scented his prey.

***

Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Epilogue

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk ​ @renaissan-vvitch @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @plyerice27 @thedragonsaunt @sapphirecobalt-1 @a-little-unsteddie @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @itsall-taken @justforthedead89 @emly03 @bookworm0690 @aizawa-emma @redfreckledwolf @thesuninyaface @bookbinderbitch @yikes-a-bee @littlewildflowerkitten @scheodingers-muppet @archermightbegay @hallucinatedjosten @ellietheasexylibrarian @anne-bennett-cosplayer @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @bestwifehaver @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @oldwitcheshat @nightmareglitter @tinyplanet95

[fuckyeahisawthat]

Got tagged by @chaotic-neutral-knitter to share my favorite fics I've written and I feel a little bad not putting any of my 3 OFMD fics on the list. But in my defense it was very hard to choose between my 116 slutty slutty children, and while I like my OFMD fics a lot (especially Learning and Remembering) I decided to limit myself to five fics across all the fandoms I have written for over the past nine (!!) years, and there are some that stand above the rest.

Maybe I'll Show You the Way (Dune, Paul/Chani). Maybe my recency bias is showing but I really think this is one of the best things I've written. Paul and Chani's whole "falling in love while fighting side by side in an anti-colonial armed resistance movement" romance in Dune Part Two felt like it was designed in a lab to appeal to me specifically, and I just wanted more of it! What started with a simple "5 times they fucked in between fighting the Harkonnens" premise has become a novella-length character study about war, politics, solidarity and resistance to oppression in all its forms, interlaced with a very sweet, youthful first-love romance that always has a bittersweet edge because we the audience know these characters are living in a tragedy. This fic is one chapter from completion and I've been stalling because I really wanna stick the landing on this one, but it will get finished!

a narrow door, swiftly closing (Dune, Paul/Duncan) Different ship, different era (post-Dune Part One) and a very different vibe. The fun of this ship is the multiple power imbalances running in different directions (younger/older, student/teacher, lord/vassal, end product of a 90-generation eugenics program with a mind that can bridge time and space/Just Some Guy). It's also got that chewy age gap thing where the older character has watched the younger character grow from a child to an adult and has to wrestle with the realization that they find them sexually attractive now. Peak forbidden romance and mutual pining in this one and not just one but two of my favorite finally-crossing-the-line kisses I have ever written.

Three Times Is a Habit (Trust, Primo/The Other Paul) Ah yes, my "which doomed curly-haired teenage twink heir to a powerful dynasty named Paul are we talking about?" era. For a hot second (most of 2021) I was really into this hidden gem FX limited series Trust, based (with many creative liberties taken) on the real kidnapping of John Paul Getty III in Italy in the 1970s. The fun of this fandom is that every ship is an absolute garbage fire of bad decisions, and writing the trainwreck emotional logic that leads to a traumatized teenager repeatedly hooking up with his kidnapper was an adventure. There's also a fun meta layer at play in the relationship between our reality, the fictionalized "true" version of the kidnapping that happens in the show, the lies the characters tell about the fictionalized version of the kidnapping in the show, and the version of the characters I'm writing, some of whom are based on real people and some of whom are made up. (Is this RPF? You decide.) This fic will make zero sense if you haven't watched the show. But you should! It's a wild ride with a great cast (Donald Sutherland presente!)

Salvage & Scrap (Mad Max: Fury Road, Gen) Two minor characters who have a combined total of maybe five minutes of screen time produced what was until recently my longest fic on AO3. This fic was based on a fantastic prompt: what if Ace (the older war boy who seems to be Furiosa's second in command on the War Rig) and Valkyrie (Furiosa's Green Place gal pal) both survived their violent vehicular encounters and met each other? The idea was immediately appealing to me because they both care about Furiosa but have known such different versions of her, and the way their worldviews would clash seemed like great story fodder. I still love the imagery of them meeting at the place where their worlds have literally collided--the wreck of the War Rig in the Rock Riders' canyon. Also I recently reread this and I forgot how devastating the tiny glimpse we get of Furiosa is in this fic.

Fightplay (Mad Max: Fury Road, Max/Furiosa) You know this list wouldn't be complete without a smutty Maxiosa fic. It was really hard to pick one piece of the 127k smut novel I wrote about them in non-chronological order over the course of about 3 years (2015-2018). But Fightplay was definitely the start of writing uhhh a certain kind of dynamic for them. The prose is very spare and exacting in a way that I still find hot 9 years later.

Tagging @thebyrchentwigges, @thetardigrape, @nandamai, @bethagain, @demolitionwoman-blog and anyone else who wants to do this!

[sillystappen]

me again… can’t get enough of those

🥺🧠🤩🛒 💖 ❌

I realise six asks is a lot, so I’ve kinda just figured it might be easier to just give you this all at once,,, I’m a bit eager sorry

We got more lads lets fricken go.

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

To read? I absolutely when Max and Daniel FINALLY FUCKING TALK. I swear those two usually do anything but that. It gets me in my feels every time because it can be all sweet and lovely in some cases, angsty and sad in others, and well sometimes it can be very sexy ;)

But to write, I love writing moments where they don’t say anything and get all introspective. They always put me in the feels because they are comfortable in each others company and sometimes dialogue isn’t always necessary to convey what they feel and mean to each other.

🧠 Pick a character, and I'll tell you my favourite headcanon for them.

You didn’t pick so I will rattle through my top five drivers

1: Max Verstappen. This mf is not a morning person. You will have to drag his ass out of bed unless he has a serious commitment and even then he thinks about skipping it. A good day will start at 11am earliest, and even if he is up before then he will not contact anybody unless it’s an emergency. Even Daniel struggles to get one word answers out of him until he has either had a Red Bull or passed 11am. Max does this to himself though, as he doesn’t usually sleep until ungodly hours in the night.

2: Daniel Ricciardo. Despite his goofy extra outgoing personality, sometimes the simplest, most mundane tasks give him anxiety. There’s no real reason, but he will be standing in line at the checkout of a grocery store with his completely normal stuff and suddenly think “what if the cashier will judge me and look at me weirdly as I’m paying for this?” then beeline for self service and even then he doesn’t like the weird feeling of “what if everyone is looking at me?” Rationally he knows nobody is even given a single shit but he can’t shut it off. This doesn’t happen often, only on really bad mental health days, and not even Max can put him at ease until he’s in the safety of his own home.

3: Jenson Button. Fiercely protective of those he cares about. He’s all kind and loving and funny but if you hurt someone he loves then that’s it game over you’re done. Don’t come near him or anyone he cares about ever again (well for maybe a month then if you apologise Jenson may forgive you but don’t count on it). James Vowels is not in his good books right now.

4: Oscar Piastri. Touchy, but subtly. You may think of someone who is touchy as someone who gives a lot of hugs or pats and clings to people but Oscar will brush hands, let his fingertips graze someone else's as he passes things, stand or sit close to them even if it’s not crowded just to feel the person next to him etc and do these things so often. Never too invasive or suffocating but enough for the person to know he is there and he cares.

5: Sergio Perez. If he’s in a good mood and just pottering around doing little tasks, he will be humming or singing Mexican songs to himself. It’s a trait that started when he moved to Europe to just remind himself of home before it became a subconscious thing he does when he’s happy and comfortable. It’s never loud, but quiet mutterings of the song as he goes about his day. He also has a playlist of all these songs in case he feels extra sad or homesick.

🤩 What's the most meaningful comment you've ever received?

I know just the one because I think about it often. MPVettel commented on ch1 of Lonely Harmonies:

Ahhhh, I absolutely love this kind of AU with all my heart! I’m so happy you decided to write a follow-up. Your characters are incredibly well-developed, and it doesn’t take long before we completely fall for Siren Max. His story is heartbreakingly sad, and argh, I adore him so much. There’s this beautiful naivety about him—how he would follow Daniel anywhere if he could, always wondering what the human world is like.

What I find so captivating is the contrast between their worlds. Daniel seems so isolated in the human world, and Max feels equally alone in the underwater one. It’s like they each hold a piece of the other’s longing, making their connection feel that much more meaningful. There's a delicate beauty in how you've written their loneliness, yet they somehow find a home in each other. It’s bittersweet and heartwarming all at once 💙

This comment was amazing to receive as it just filled my heart with yes, this is why I write. To see someone love something I wrote and be content with what I put out as a sequel was absolutely amazing to hear, especially since I was so nervous about the reception of Lonely Harmonies in case it didn’t live up to the expectations of the people. And they read into what I wrote perfectly and saw every theme and message I tried to convey. It’s like I bared my soul and this person saw exactly who I am. I go on a bit about the feeling of being seen in the ATEOH universe and you really cannot compare such a feeling to anything else.

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

I LOVE COLOUR. I don’t like whittling on about this was this colour and that was that colour but if I mention a colour it's for a reason and the scenes and locations are chosen specifically for the colours they have. In Broken Melodies, we start on a dark beach where Daniel can’t see the true colour of Max’s eyes, his hair, his tail etc. I chose this because Daniel doesn’t quite yet see the opportunity in front of him as what it could be yet. He also does not see a way out of his situation and his world is very dark, as per the horrors of McLaren 2022. Later, Daniel can see how Max not only looks like the ocean itself (which will come in to play later ;)) but also just how their souls seem to speak to each other. The sun sets, and orange from the sky (Daniel in McLaren) bleeds into the blue of the sea (Max) as they kiss - their two colours coming together. Then, when the sun is gone, the orange disappears and Daniel leaves. See? I could go on and on about why I chose what location for a reason for a lot of my fics but it’s just some subtle worldbuilding to help you feel into it.

💖 What made you start writing?

Ah this takes us back to before I even had ao3. I have always written shit as a way to process how I was feeling but also to live in worlds that weren’t this one because I never liked the cards I was dealt so to speak. Escapism was what it was. Even now, there’s always a tidbit of sillystappen projection bleeding into the characters. My imagination helped me cope with my childhood by daydreaming and sometimes it gets maladaptive. I didn’t want to forget about the worlds I would create so I wrote them down. Worlds where I would be with the person I liked, worlds where I could run free and worlds where I could kick ass. Fanfic came when I was a young teen learning all about the wonders of the internet after my parents turned off restricted access. I started writing fanfic for the same reasons I did writing my original stories as a child, but this time I wasn’t in it. I was obsessed with what ifs and also discovering my own inherent gayness and coping with some lovely trauma and well… it spiralled into what we have now. I have been publishing fic on ao3 since 2020 when I was 15, starting on a different ao3 account and my first bunch of works are deleted so don’t go looking for it hehe. Sillystappen is who I am now and I am proud of myself for how far I have come.

❌ What's a trope you will never write?

Don't ask for any pregnancy, it will never happen. Not even if I ever write omegaverse. Kids will either be preexisting or adopted end of.

[sgiandubh]

Pecunia non olet

When the Roman emperor Vespasian reinstated Nero's very unpopular tax on the distribution of urinals' waste, sometime around 70 AD, his son and heir, Titus, complained about it, thinking it was vile and disingenuous. Vespasian shoved a golden coin under his nose and asked the young fool if he still felt offended about it. Pecunia non olet - money doesn't smell, son. This very gold comes from, well, urine. Live with it.

I once comforted a whole orphanage, in Moulmein, Burma, for three weeks, with about 500 well-spent US dollars, at the local bazaar and shops. From rice to fruits to the strange, exuberant vegetables of the Tropics, meat and eggs and chocolate, and for good measure, aspirin, band-aid, antiseptic wipes, notebooks, pencils, socks, shoes, Tshirts, skirts and trousers. Filled three rickshaws with all the boxes and bags and went for it. The St Joseph orphanage was run by five formidable Anglo-Indian nuns, who took care of about 40 children, aged 5 to 16, whose parents died in the horrendous floods that followed the Nargis cyclone, in 2008. They had nothing. When they asked me who I was, I honestly told them it did not matter. Non nobis, Domine, non nobis.

Make no mistake. I am not a saint. I smoke like a chimney and swear like a drunken sailor and sometimes have to professionally, elegantly lie, because such is the nature of my job. I am cynical and short-tempered and yes, less impatient now than at 20. That day in Moulmein will always shine bright in my mind and in my heart for its absurd joy. And also for the feeling the real generosity was not mine, that day, but theirs.

Last week-end, about 200 women I would probably find perfectly insufferable paid from 2000 to 5000 US dollars each, to meet and greet and fawn and take #silly pictures with three guys who happen to be part of the cast of a certain TV series. With only one of them, in reality, but let's not trouble the waters. Apparently, they had a good time. I am not sure about the guy: he's not exactly the Svengali type. I very much doubt that this event will go down in history. It was as good as it gets, with the people it could attract. Entitled? Maybe. Sad? A bit, if you ask me. But above and beyond all of this, it was transactional. I pay, you drop by. I pay, you take a pic and smile. I pay, I ask a stupid question. I pay, we have a dram. For our mutual benefit.

I have no idea if these people maxed out their credit cards to be there. In theory, this is all about disposable income, cash that can and will be well... disposed of, somehow, whether it's a horrendous pair of mauve shoes or the last gadget or hey, a meet and greet. If I were Marie Kondo, I'd even dare say that parting with cash brought them joy.

Can we compare the two moments? Of course not. But both of them are the result of a (hopefully fully aware) choice.

It's been a long while I also chose to never set foot in such places, for such things. Not my circus, not my monkeys.

Stating the opposite is pure hypocrisy and pearl-clutching.

Sunset on the Salween River. Moulmein. Burma. August 2010. Taken by me.

[the-moon-writes]

you exist to me even when youre not here

i wrote this about one of my friends who has had a couple mental health scares while living states away from me. your friends care about you and worry about you !! <3

image IDs are sorted from top to bottom and left to right, five images (sorry for length):

image 1: A single sheet folded zine. The cover of the zine. It reads "you exist to me even when you're not here". there is a drawing of a sad looking frog and a phone with multiple unanswered texts.

image 2: The first and second pages of the zine. Page one reads "the people you grow up with will eventually move away, or you will. it's just a fact of life. and we have to get used to our friends moving states away with seemingly no warning, or we have to leave our friends behind" The top of the page has drawings of luggage and the bottom has a crying frog being left behind by a car. Page two continues, "but we adapt, learn to live without our best friend and move on in life, and we start to think that maybe they had forgotten about us by now. because who could ever remember us, our old friend is hanging out with people they like more than they ever did us, and are too busy being happy that we are too busy being happy that we are gone to spare a single second missing us. we probably dont even exist to them." Drawings of stick figures cross the page, and one of them has a thought bubble with a crossed out frog in it.

image 3: The second and third pages of the zine. The text spans across both pages, and says "well, you're wrong! we think about you all the time. we wonder... are you okay? ...are you safe? ...are you alive?" Most of the spread is covered in questions about the friend's life and wellbeing in small text.

image 4: The fourth and fifth pages of the zine. Page four says "you might not be near us anymore, but that doesnt mean that we forgot about you! don't ever start thinking that you can let yourself fall apart, because we will always be here for you and we are always worried about your wellbeing. nothing will ever prepare you for a long distance friendship, but miles of land and water will never make us like you any less!" There is a smiling frog in the middle of the page with a thought bubble that says "you". hearts fill the bubble and surround the frog. Page five says "you exist to me even when you're not here" in large font.

image 5: The backpage of the zine. There is a drawing of a frog's face, and underneath it says "hi, my name is max! want to see more? instagram and tumblr: neptunezines April 8th, 2023"

[tartarusknight]

What you need to know :)

Hello darling readers <3 I'm TartarusKnight or Knight of Tartarus! (they switch depending on availably honestly)

I'm here to chat, read, and write. That being said~~~~ come and message me anytime <3 questions, requests, and kind words make my day

This is an overview of my work just in case anyone is bored and wants something to read <3 (My Stranger Things work, honestly. I've also got some Marvel, Criminal Minds, and Teen Wolf but ST is my hyper fixation now soooo)

We're Not Perfect

This is a 4 part series in which Steve and Eddie knew each other before Steve ever got with Nancy Wheeler and before he learned about the Upside Down. It's heavily inspired by music <3 (Total Words 300,395) With Playlists because I can't stop <3 This story is my baby

Part 1 - It's the Start of Our Journey?

Pre-season 1 Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson are paired together in class and they learn they work well together. (Words 22,869)

Part 2 - I just want to go home

Set during Seasons 1-3, changing canon but the overarching story doesn't change too much. (Words 85,678)

Part 3 - say you'll live for me

Set in season 4, diverting from canon almost completely but with all the same characters. (Words 63,885)

Part 4 - I'll follow the beat of your heart

And the end. The final battle with Vecna and the epilogue aka season 5 <3 (Words 127,963)

Fool

Based on the song Fool by Djo.

Steve and Nancy get annoyed at Robin and Eddie for ignoring them when they're with their band. They decide to prove that they know music better than either Eddie or Robin thought. (Words 1,488)

I know you've been hurtin'

Based on the song Better Days by Dermot Kennedy and fanart by @babysitterpng

Steve has a plan. It involves a skirt, confidence, Nancy Wheeler's ability to do make-up, the party's anxiety, his parents, and Jason Carver's temper.

And well, Steve's pretty sure he has it in the bag. He might not be smart but he knows people and there's no way he's read any of them wrong. But maybe he'll learn more about himself as the plan unfolds (Words 7,205)

This dream isn't feeling sweet, we're reeling through the midnight streets

7 things that changed about Steve and Robin after Starcourt and 1 time they explained why. (Words 11,837)

I'm just gonna swim until you love me

Five times Steve had to prove he was worth love and One time someone just loved him without needing him to. (Words 8,612)

But when I touch her I feel like I'm cheating on you

Eddie is getting overwhelmed by the party just barging into his life without any warning after Spring Break. So, he makes a plan with an old friend of his. It works... in a way. (Words 1,932)

you're losing your memory now

Robin Buckley wasn't prepared for Steve to crash, but he had been pushing his limits for too long. He had a plan, but he never thought to tell her. He didn't want to worry her. Too bad she'll always worry about him... Especially when he collapses at work. (Words 17,784)

But Now We're Stressed Out

Eddie Munson knew he wasn't the smartest person. He never planned on college but he never planned for the Party either.

Title based on Twenty One Pilots - Stressed Out (Words 2,021)

I don't know what you're hunting. It's not me, it's something else

Steve looks over her face, “I'm not having any of you at my place. Did you see the map, no way?” He states and it's one part of his reasoning but not the main reason. “Then come stay with one of us,” Robin says and it feels more like a plead than anything.

He shakes his head and she looks angry now. “Stop whatever the fuck this is! We care about you! Let us in! We're safer in groups.” The words don't hurt as much as he thinks they should. “Not that much safer.” He spits back out and she blinks. “Max is as good as dead. Eddie is dead. And guess what! We were in groups!” The shouting makes his throat burn but he can't calm down.

A Halloween Special!!! Happy Horror season <3 (Words 22,620)

WIP - The Fallen King and the King of the Freak

Steve has to deal with the fallout of Season 2.

New nightmares, losing Nancy, kids who he's willing to die for, and Billy's new hatred towards him. He went from the top to the bottom in the school and he doesn't know how bad it is until Eddie Munson is the one that steps in to help him. And maybe he wants the help and maybe even some friends. (Words 150k and climbing <3)

[neonartistycauseidk]

DROP CATCF HEADCANONS

Okay…..Okay….Okay….omg where do I start…..

I think I’ll try going by character???

Charlie:

…Gay. I know what you are sir. This man likes MEN. (I’m pretty sure a majority of people headcannon this…but whatever)

Charlie and Matilda (the one from the Jr.) are childhood besties and have been friends since kindergarten——he met James about a year later.

Perfect cinnamon roll. Literally can do NO WRONG…and thats to A FAULT.

Goody-two-shoes—-need I say more?

Listens to songs from the 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s on record because his family has quite a bit of records.

The shortest (height-wise) of the group…I’m not sure—-this one just feels right. (Like…maybe 5”4 or 5”5? He’s pretty short)

Also, definitely the youngest of the group…12 MAX at the time of the tour (I headcannon he was 10 during the main events of the story)

Became interested in Wonka through Grandpa Joes stories about working there

Loves his grandparents stories about their lives in general (despite Grandpa Joe’s being his favorites)

Gets in a relationship with James in the future (Implied in a previous post)

NEVER…and I mean…NEVER curses. The worst curse word to ever come out of him was “gee-willikers”

Mom friend/therapist friend of the group.

Oh…also the——matchmaker of the group…yeah…somehow this little guy got all of his friends together and HE doesn’t even know how it happened.

Violet:

Lesbian. WOMAN LOVER.

Was…actually pressured into gum chewing by her parents. I mean, just listen to any of her songs from the musicals…it’s pretty obvious.

Broke multiple Guinness World Records…her most notable, of course, being able to chew a singular piece of gum for a total of five months…yikes.

Despite being a “professional gum chewer”…she doesn’t actually care much for candy. It’s not like she down right DESPISES it, like Mike…but still.

If we’re talking modern au (not in the 70s or the early 2000s), she would absolutely be into Billie Eilish and AViVA

Lover of motorcycles and cars,

Leading me into my next headcannon: Violets a major tomboy…which should come as no surprise (much to her mothers dismay)

After the tour, her relationship with her parents became strained (more so than it already was) and she was often insulted by them for being “stupid” and “immature.” I mean, “how could a girl be told NOT to do something…but then do it any way?”….especially if it turned her BLUE.

Cut her hair, bleached it blonde, and left home the second she could…desperate to sever any relation/and or ties to family.

Ends up in a relationship with Matilda (Charlie’s bestie).

Bestie = Mike Teavee….OOOOGGH BOY these two are absolutely chaotic together. What a perfect duo

Likely the closest with Charlie post-tour? Idk it just sorta feels right.

Doesn’t stay dark blue for her entire life—-as she grows up, the color of her skin gets lighter…becoming and staying light blue when she’s around 16, I’d say.

Miranda:

Demisexual…likely Demi-aroace…

Speaks seven languages (Chinese, Russian, Japanese, German, French, Spanish, and English), however, she says she speaks six because “saying she speaks seven languages…would be bragging.”

Fences, plays soccer, and lacrosse

Plays the violin, piano, cello, harp, and flute

Student council president at her school

Participates in every extra-curricular activity her school offers

Similar to Violet, pressured into being the best by her parents…if she were in the book, movies, or musical adaptations—-Miranda and Violet would probably have a rivalry.

Very professional…speaks to everyone as if she’s speaking to—-like—-the president or something

Assumed she had her entire life planned out at the before the tour…at only 11 years old.

Thought she’d become a lawyer or a politician—-that or a schoolmaster, like her father.

Took the longest to warm up to all of the golden ticket winners post tour—-was afraid of feeling things.

Pretty much hated everyone at first and actually thought the tour was a “waste of time.”

However, she hated Augustus the least…so it kinda makes sense why she became…friends with him first.

Took her the longest to befriend Mike….OOOGH boy—-it was a struggle…since they, too, had a rivalry—-and she was convinced he was an UTTER BUFFOON before actually getting to know him.

Post tour, Miranda is left with red spots over her skin…luckily, though, there aren’t a lot.

Last one, calls Augustus “Auggie” in the future.

Augustus:

Demisexual and genderfluid (he/she/they pronouns…)

Nicest of the “rotten kids”

Actually, besides Charlie of course, has one of the best relationships with his parents (er—-well, mother…his father passed away before he could remember him).

Probably was the most willing of the “rotten” golden ticket winners to be friends with Charlie post tour

Cross dresses (mainly in the future) and probably gets fashion advice from Veruca—-okay, you know what…they’d probably bond over fashion.

Though everyone disliked Miranda (except Charlie because he literally cannot hate anyone), Augustus was the first to get Miranda to open up—-to everyone’s shock.

Unlikely lovers: Augustus and Miranda—-HEAR ME OUT.

Sweetest little guy…I can’t even.

After the tour, he began to have a healthier relationship with food.

Can sing opera level notes (I blame “A Little Bit of Good” from Chicago for this one)…So…I guess, vocally, he’d be a countertenor?

Never lost his German accent—-despite not living in Germany anymore when he’s older.

Veruca:

…I don’t think she’s gay, guys—-although, I’m not opposed to demi-girl (she/they) Veruca. At the very most…I’d say bi-curious? (Oh god I hope this doesn’t offend anyone I’m so sorry I know people see her as a lesbian its just not something I see SORRY)

Definitely became nicer post tour—-she actually becomes ashamed of her past self.

Probably only remains in contact with her dad in the future considering the fact that her mother…wasn’t necessarily in the picture anyhow…

Does ballet. I LOVE this detail from the broadway musical…

Half Russian and British

Voice of reason when it comes to her and Mikes relationship (both platonically and romantically).

Ends up together with Mike eventually

If it’s modern au—-I could see Veruca being into musical theater (the “big ones” now specifically…even though I could see it being in my regular version of events)

Learns to be—-less spoiled, one could say…

Dresses in a lot less fancy clothing post tour—-of course it’s still nice clothing…but its not like she’s wearing luxurious, poofy, sparkling dresses everywhere and anywhere to “flaunt her families riches” in everyone’s face.

Mike:

Bisexual. No comment.

Modern au Mike would be OBSESSED with Saturday morning cartoons. He’d also be a Nickelodeon kid without a doubt. Spongebob would be his favorite…because of course it would…He’d also like Ed, Edd n Eddy.

Also modern au…Mike would be a theater kid. I feel like his favorite would be Spongebob the musical…..go figure.

Since I’m assuming Captain Knuckleduster (in the catcf verse) is a piece of media Mike consumes…(both shows and games based on Captain Knuckleduster)…I’m gonna say it was something he really loved as a kid…perhaps Captain Knuckleduster provided him comfort due to him feeling like a father figure to him. Hmmm…Do I smell daddy issues?

Yeah, Mike and his dad, Norman, aren’t very close…

…huh, it’s probably why Violet and Mike are close….they both have parental issues (Violet with her mom, mainly, and Mike with his dad).

Mike and his mother, Ethel, however…I actually feel like they end up on good terms and have a pretty good relationship in the future! I also feel like in the future that Mike learns to respect her and appreciate her.

In the future—-Mike probably becomes a physics teacher…Not only based on his interests but also out of respect for his mother (since his mother is normally portrayed to be a teacher).

Genius….Need I say more?

Post tour, Mike ends up—-pretty much back to normal size! Maybe an inch or two taller…but normal sized!…yet, theres a catch. Because of his body being stretched to UNGODLY lengths to try and fix him…he likely ended up with bones like rubber….and post tour, his limbs can stretch very far….uncontrollably.

But after bouts of depression, self-hatred, self-discovery, and then self-acceptance (and also therapy…lots of it), Mike realizes he can actually control it…basically giving him a super power almost (move over elastigirl…here comes Mike Teavee).

Ends up becoming pretty close with Charlie in the future too.

Thinks he’s a smooth a** mother f**ker when it comes to flirting…but…oh my god…he just…OOOOGH boy…he sucks at it. Can’t flirt in a smooth way AT ALL yet thinks he’s just so…good at it???? It probably drives Veruca insane (in a good way) and probably gets a laugh out of her too.

Okay, so, uh…That’s it for now! I hope you liked my headcannons!!! I’d love to hear yours! Also, thank you for listening to my babbling lol!

[claire-starsword]

The Guardiana Magic School Run - Part 6

Manarina time. As you might have heard, this is a weird place.

The weirdness includes having a hidden Demibuster on its walls. I'm fairly sure there are no more dark dwarves to fight, and this sword is already outclassed by the Middle Sword. Why is it here.

It can be sold for money I guess, but even that has a catch. Special items like this go to the deals section when sold, to make sure you don't lose them forever. I'm unsure if filling the deals section this way messes with the generation of random new deals. So I'm a bit afraid to do it, but on the other hand the deals section hasn't done much for us lately. We shall see. Right now we have more important things to do.

New party member.

Our beloved ice queen sadly starts out as like, a lesser Tao, and not just because of the level difference. She has less HP overall, the squishiest of defenses, and will take longer to learn AoE spells, because she gets Freeze before Blaze level 2. Freeze will be a great spell to have later on due to greater damage and range, but this and the next chapter are like, chock full of undead enemies immune to it, so yeah, not great!

The Steel Rings have always had her name on it, so Tao gives two to her, and now they both share a 7 in defense. Anri then swaps weapons with Khris, ensuring I won't have to spend money on a Power Staff, because Anri does not need one, I do NOT want this woman in the front lines ever.

We then get a very important egg, say hi to Arthur in the laundromat, and briefly return to Rindo to buy Medical Herbs for Anri, as Manarina has no shop. Hilariously I'm exactly 1 coin short of buying more than two herbs. Anri also gets the Antidote I've found last chapter, even though I generally feel healing is more useful.

I'm not very worried for this battle anyway, so I'd say preparations are complete. We head to the Cavern of Darkness.

The clear bonus is just money and I'm not too concerned about it.

We start greeted by two zombies, and compared to the four zombies of last time I don't care. Poison can be an annoyance but thankfully this time Lowe can reach people to heal them. And the zombies are so slow basically everyone can get into position before they move. And by position I mean Gong and Max will be tanking everything as usual.

Except they won't, the zombies don't even get the chance to act as the mages finish them off. Very nice for Anri to get the exp, and Tao also levels up, both her and Gong are a level above Max actually, I didn't notice that. She learns the Sleep spell, which I don't think I've ever used in any game in the series, but this is the magic school run so maybe we'll show it o- haha i'm kidding who cares use fireball and only fireball

Turn 3 opens up to a little more excitement, I though enemies would stick to blocking the bridge but one Sniper got spicy, Max remains irresistible I guess. Beyond the bridge there's like, five bats and you know that can get annoying, especially since they can cross through the water. My main concern as usual is the mage with its big damage, but Snipers also have a chance of picking my squishy people from afar so I want them gone as well.

Gong continues to massacre.

The Power Staff debuts amazingly, I even regret sending Tao after this guy first because this would have been a one hit kill.

Max counter kills the first bat that goes for him, because I guess he's still pissed off at the last battle. Sadly he doesn't do that for the second one, so we're still stuck on the bridge in annoying ways. The zombie also poisons him, because this man can't take a break.

Yeah he's not happy.

Turn 5. I was too afraid to send anyone ahead after Gong and Max killed the zombie blocking the bridge but Max countered the bat in front of him so we can move on now. He's also no longer poisoned thanks to Lowe, though he does need some healing.

Khris gets to him and earns a great level up for her troubles. Lowe is the only healer missing Heal 2 at this point. It's worth mentioning that Heal 2 is even more useful here than in the mega drive, as it heals 20 HP as opposed to 15, and has the same range as Heal 3. Kind of an exaggerated buff, honestly.

Anyway, the bats get wiped out without much problem, mostly by Tao, with Anri getting a kill in which is nice. Their spells cannot be dodged so they're the best to deal with these pests. We now head to the worst part of the battle.

These three mages can kill any force member at this point if they all focus on the same target. Even just two Blazes can be deadly. Of course, they're still easy to kill and hardly move, so it's matter of timing the approach to kill at least two before they act.

Gong and Max manage it just fine in the next turn. Since we're nearing the end, I'm start spamming heal spells for exp, though some real healing will need to be done too as one mage survived. Lowe in particular has tons of MP and the Skeleton doesn't move, so I'm still confident.

...never mind the Skeleton does move. And it's beefy enough to finally do more than one damage to Max, even if still not concerning.

Max also takes less than half of its HP, something that hasn't happened in a while. See the game is not a complete cakewalk to the magic school, we're just still pretty good. Also, Max has leveled up twice in this battle but got only one or two stats raised up, so it really seems like his godly level ups are a thing for the beginning only.

Also, the Skeleton stats claim it has no magic resistance, but Blaze 1 did only 6 damage which I find a bit weird. Still, we have two mages so it was enough to end this, and luckily Anri is the one to reap the exp and her first level up.

No HP, no defense, lots of magic, it's a very squishy wizard level up for sure.

Fairly sure I had turns to spare, at least this time I did expect the battle to be easy.

Besides the plot mandated Orb of Light, this cavern has lots of other loot. There's a spare Power Staff, which I can give to Tao in case of emergency I guess, a Voodoo Staff which is not as good and has the issue of being special enough to go to deals when sold, guess for now Anri can have for emergencies too, a Medical Herb, nicely filling Anri's final item slot, and more importantly, the Power Ring. This thing has someone's name written all over it.

Arthur has finished his job and can join us now! He's uh, not off to a great start. His HP is on par with Anri's (derogatory), his defense is around the ring wearing spell casters here, not ideal for a melee fighter, and his attack is lower than the priests, though that might say more about the priests than anything. Anyway, the next battle is full of new stronger enemies and a boss with an overpowered spell, and I have seen this man die as his very first action multiple times, so while it's fun to still get to play a knight in this kind of run, I'm not thrilled for this beginning.

We can try to make it better though. Let's head back to Rindo. And get immediately side tracked by the deals section.

The Zombie Charmer is an even stronger staff than our current ones, with extra damage to undead enemies. It was likely made for the Shade Abbey battle but still useful to deal with the plentiful of skeletons in Chapter 3. However, I'm fairly sure it is the clear bonus of the next battle, so we don't necessarily have to spend this much money to have it. Even if it would be very rad to have two.

It's a tough decision between it and the Charm Rings, but given that I'm worried for the next battle, and the rings can be useful for the whole rest of the run and are limited to this chapter, I'm think I'm going for them. The deal will still remain here for Chapter 3 if I need it.

Back to Arthur, I buy him a Spear to give him range, and hope the Power Ring compensates for the drop in attack. It actually does leave him with 18 attack which is 1 more than he started, so it should be fine. Now I just need this man to never be touched by an enemy in his whole life.

I then buy a couple Medical Herbs for him as usual, and a Charm Ring for Max. Max now has 23 HP and 32% magic res, which I hope means something against the Marionette. I considered giving it to Lowe since he has the Doll Hater, but he has little defense and that thing packs a punch physically as well, so do the minor Mishaela minions as well. The circus battle sucks. I hate relying only on Max for everything, but he feels like the only guy with enough HP for the magic resistance to matter.

That's all preparation I can do. Next update we find out who lives or dies.

Losses: 0 Deaths: 1 The expected deaths on Narsha interludes: 0/3

[insainted]

4, 9, 13 - all your babies

what seemingly insignificant memories stuck with your character?

mal: the hum of their first bike as it roars to life, and the squeeze on both their shoulders as their foster father tells them he told them they could do it. It wasn't their best work—far from it—but it was the first thing they created that they were proud of—that elicited pride and validation from their role model.

dev: a sunday morning at sixteen years old, a southern-facing bay window looking out over a city, and his best friend's nails scratching his scalp slowly while he's only half awake with his head in her lap.

gray: odd's giggle's voice through the speaker of his phone, singing along with whatever it's listening to while he's trying to get a mechanical butterfly to work, just to hear it gasp when he shows what he made on stream. @odiedotdottieodette

how many friends does your character want?

mal: mal doesn't even understand how she has as many friends as she does currently. their quota sits at about 3 max, after that it becomes too much maintenance.

dev: as a surprise to everyone, dev is actually an extrovert and he likes being around people. friends are... difficult in their current state of mind, but they've always managed to maintain a large circle, not friend groups so much as individual relationships. the people he can call friends at this point in time are like... five, maybe. which is very low for him.

gray: he wants -5 friends. he wants enemies.

what does your character pretend or try to care about?

mal: every wexley resident. like, sorry, but... the only reason they even remotely cared a tiny bit is because tobias did. but he's dead now. mal does not care about anyone here, bar their family—and that list is so, so, so very short.

dev: his own life. never has, and it's a problem. the only reason he has safeguarded it for so long is because he has shit to do still, but beyond that list... it doesn't matter, it's a worthless disfigured mould in a corner and if someone were to remove it, that's just fine with him.

gray: gray is very straightforward in that if he doesn't care about something, then he won't pretend. the stuff he tries to care about... shit like glitter and colourful paint and whether bad things happen to the people odd cares about. like he tries, okay? he doesn't know sympathy or empathy, but he tries, tries, tries.

[ladykailitha]

All My Roads Lead Back to You Part 9

Hello! Here we have Edie pumping Robin for info like she always planned. Eddie makes an effort and Edie is a little shitTM (affectionate) about it. Also Eddie would totally use text speak. Steve? Not so much (like me!).

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

***

Edie didn’t have a chance to sit down and talk to Aunt Robin about Dad and Eddie until the night before she left with Viv. Viv was upstairs packing and Dad was in his office talking to someone in Wales.

“I’m not asking to break the NDA or whatever,” Edie began, “but you have to have some insight about how they were before Mr Munson got a record deal. Because I’m sorry, I highly doubt he would have asked Dad to come with him California if he didn’t have some indication Dad would have gone with him.”

Robin sighed. “I think that if the record deal had been after school started, I think you dad would have gone with them.”

Edie shifted on the sofa. “What do you mean?”

“Look we both know your dad is the biggest protector on the planet, yeah?” Robin asked. Edie nodded. “After the earthquake it amplified. By a lot. We had these ridiculously large walkie-talkies and Steve would constantly be checking in on people, making sure they were safe.”

“Makes sense,” Edie agreed. “Remember how he was after broke my arm after falling off my bike when I was eight?”

Robin nodded again. “Now imagine that turned up to eleven.” She snickered briefly and Edie raised an eyebrow. Robin cleared her throat. “Sorry, that’s an NDA joke I can’t explain.”

Edie threw her arms in the air.

“Anywho...” Robin said. “All I’m saying is that if Eddie had wanted to ride off into the sunset with Steve, September or October would have been better. Dustin, Jane, Lucas, Max, Will, Mike, and Erica would have started their sophomore year. Uncles Jonathan and Argyle and me and Aunt Nancy all would have been at college. Your dad would have felt at a loose end and gone with him.”

“What makes you say that?” Edie asked with a frown.

Robin took a deep breath and let out a shuddering sigh. “Because that’s when your grandparents came back and started throwing pretty girls at him.”

“Oh.” Just hearing about her grandparents sank like a stone in her stomach.

“I’m assuming you at least know about the witch hunt that Eddie went through?” Robin asked.

Edie nodded. “Enough, I guess. Dad won’t let me look it up and Harri doesn’t talk about it much either. So I guess it was pretty bad.”

“Oh yeah,” Robin agreed. “The whole town got together a lynch mob.”

Edie’s jaw dropped as she recoiled on her self. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

Robin shook her head and pulled her knee up to her chest. “Even months later, he had a hard time walking down the street without someone giving him dirty looks.”

Edie sank back against the cushions of the couch. “Fuck. So when he got the record deal he was in hurry to get the hell out Dodge.”

“Yeah,” Robin said. “And look, I’ve been assuming that Eddie said something more than ‘run away with me’ because Steve was gutted when he left, but your dad says no.”

Edie shrugged. “No more gutted than when you went to college, I’ll bet. He doesn’t have a lot of friends his age, and Uncle Dusty and them are all four to five years younger and while that doesn’t matter now that they’re older...”

Robin sighed. “Yeah. Losing us all once must have been so hard on your dad. So yeah.”

Edie nodded. “I just worry about him, you know?”

Robin pulled her in for a hug. “Me too, Miss Thing, me too.”

*

Steve stood in the hallway listening to his daughter and best friend talk about him. He knew he should have walked away, but he was too curious. He smiled because they earnestly cared about him.

Robin was also right. He probably would have run off with the band had the offer came later in the year. But it was too soon. He couldn’t leave so soon after Vecna. The kids needed him. And yeah maybe he should have said that instead of being an ass.

He slunk back to his office and sat down at his desk with a sigh. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t have Eddie’s number. He couldn’t explain or apologize for the hurt he caused.

Suddenly he was getting a text message from an unknown number. He picked his phone with a frown.

-Hey this is Eddie I got ur # from Dustin hope thats ok

Steve scrambled to save the number in his phone. His phone had the slide out keyboard because his fingers were too clumsy with the little buttons on the number pad. He typed out a quick message.

-Eddie! No its great to hear from you

-You want to grab lunch tomorrow?

Steve stared at the message for a couple minutes in shock.

-Yes!

He hit his head on his desk. He sounded too eager damn it.

-I mean, sure. Sounds great.

He threw his head back and groaned. That actually sounded worse.

-lol CU tmrrw @ 1 Tonys

Steve blinked. Tony’s? That old pizza joint was still around? Holy shit.

-Yeah. See you then.

Steve looked up at the ceiling in wonder. He had a hard time believing in a god when his life had been one horror after another for five years in a row. But he was willing to start up again if Eddie came back into his life as permanent fixture.

Hell he’d take passing acquaintances at this point. He just needed to see Eddie again.

*

Steve pulled up into the parking lot of Tony’s Pizzeria, feeling a little shocked. Robin and he used to come here all the time whenever she would be visiting from college. He didn’t know that Eddie was familiar with it, too.

He got out his car and looked around the parking lot, trying to figure out which one was Eddie’s, if any. He spotted the most likely culprit. Sitting three spots away from Steve’s Beemer, was a sleek black 1970 Pontiac Firebird. He chuckled, shaking his head as he walked into the restaurant.

Steve winced at the music. It was a little loud. He reached up and turned down his hearing aid in a little in hopes of avoiding a migraine.

Eddie waved from a nearby table and Steve pointed him out to the hostess. She smiled and let him past to go sit with Eddie.

“Stevie!” Eddie cried out. “You made it, man!”

Steve’s knot of anxiety loosened and he flashed a smile. He could be normal about this too. He slid into the seat across from the former metalhead.

“Hey!” he greeted warmly. “I haven’t been to this place in ever. Does it still have the best pepperoni pizza?”

Eddie’s face lit up with the biggest grin. “Yes! I already ordered, is that okay?”

Steve nodded. “Sounds great.”

The pizza came shortly afterwards and they dug in.

Steve was halfway through his first slice when he realized Eddie had said something.

“Shit,” he swore. “Sorry I didn’t hear that.”

Eddie cocked his head to the side and signed, “The music too loud?”

Steve nodded with a sigh of relief. He had forgotten that Eddie had signed to him that first night in Steve’s bathroom. So he set his pizza down and signed back. “Yeah. I turned down my hearing aid and forgot about conversation in the face of good food.”

Eddie laughed and Steve smiled back. “Fair enough,” he signed.

Signing was bit hard with finger food like pizza, but they made due. Steve learned that Eddie had recently retired from the music industry and came back to Indiana to be closer to Uncle Wayne.

Eddie learned that despite all of Steve’s concussions he was a hot shot in the business world but donated most of his money to charities for hard of hearing deaf kids and to concussion awareness in school sports.

“I got lucky,” Steve signed. “I had a genius teenager willing to create a better a hearing aid and that we could capitalize on it. But most people don’t have that.”

Eddie smiled softly. He tapped his ear. “That the reason you never made it out to any of my shows?”

Steve nodded with a wry twist of his lips. “Was going to go to the one in Evansville, but Robin wanted me to get my hearing checked first.”

Eddie winced. That was early in their tour, like their third or fourth stop. “Shit I didn’t know.”

Steve shrugged. “I didn’t want you to. I was so sure you’d be upset that I couldn’t go. That I just...didn’t.”

Eddie slumped in his seat because Steve was right. Eddie would have been upset, maybe even tried to pressure into Steve coming anyway. Which would driven a wedge between them just as effectively as Steve staying away did.

“I get that.”

They finished their food and Eddie paid. They walked outside and Steve turned back up his hearing aid.

“This was fun,” Steve said brightly. “Though maybe next time let’s go somewhere where the music isn’t so loud.”

Eddie scoffed but smiled softly. “There going to be a next time?”

Steve ducked his head and looked at him through his eyelashes. “I’d like there to be.”

“Same time next week,” Eddie said with a grin. “You pick the place.”

Steve’s face lit up and he grinned back. “You’ve got a deal.”

“See you on Wednesday,” Eddie said with a wave.

“Wednesday?” Steve asked cocking his head, puzzled.

Eddie laughed. “I’ll be picking Harri up from band practice, right?”

Steve’s face cleared and he chuckled. “Yeah, man. See you on Wednesday.”

*

Edie came home from school to the weirdest sight imaginable. Her dad was singing “Prisoner of Your Eyes” by Judas Priest in the kitchen as he made the pasta for lasagna.

“I didn’t know you had even the barest passing familiarity with metal,” she said tossing her backpack against the end of the island counter and slid into one of the bar stools.

Steve laughed, bright and sweet. “Despite what people thought in school, I liked all kinds of music. Yes, I tended toward alt and hard rock for the most part, but I liked all kinds.”

Edie eyed him warily. “Uh-huh.”

Steve just laughed again.

“Someone’s in a good mood,” she said when he handed her a sandwich.

He blushed. “It’s been a good day.”

“You going to tell me what happened to make it such a good day?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Steve chewed on his lip and blushed a deeper.

Her other eyebrow shot up, too, a smile growing on her face.

“Shut up,” he groused.

Edie laughed. “I didn’t say anything!”

“I could hear you thinking from here,” he said, turning back to toss his freshly made noodles into the pot of boiling water.

“You went on a date!” she shrieked.

“I did no such thing,” he growled. “I just went to lunch with a friend.”

Edie waggled her eyebrows. “And this ‘friend’, he wouldn’t happen to have long, beautiful hair in dark waves around his face with deep, dimpled cheeks, and soulful chocolate button eyes, would he?”

“No!” Steve yelped. “And what the hell is up with that description anyway?”

Edie just cackled gleefully.

***

Part 10 Part 11  Part 12  Part 13 Part 14  Part 15  Part 16 Part 17  Part 18  Epilogue

Tag List:

@spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk​ @trashpocket @goodolefashionedloverboi @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @plyerice27 @mightbeasleep @thedragonsaunt @chaoticlovingdreamer @trashpocket @sapphirecobalt-1 @a-little-unsteddie @i-must-potato @danili666  @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @itsall-taken @steddie-as-they-go @lillemilly @callas-shitshow @bisexualdisastersworld @renaissan-vvitch @immortal-iratze @bookbinderbitch @thylatrek @lilacrobin @nightmareglitter @nerdsconquerall

[the-firebird69]

There are a few things going on that we're going to mention.

- This cloud of uranium gas. came up to Punta Gorda and sat here for an hour. at about 1.7 rad and most people were exposed. our son probably one rad. the whole time. Now that's a pretty good exposure for. an hour and then would go in to our son about three eighths to half an inch. everywhere.. So some bone would be a would be affected. and other areas of his body. that we're not getting touched. And you guys are getting exposed a lot and are not taking precautions. and you're not sending warnings here. They're all over the world sending warnings. of dust clouds. And people are testing and confirming. And here you're not doing anything. And you're getting sick. So wondering why that was and we heard people saying we'll just heal it and fix it in the morning and that kind of stuff. And we're finding out that you're a bunch of losers. Most of you think you can heal it? Yes. Most of you will not be able to. And son is now probably down to about 7 months. and on the interior. Two and three quarter of a year. And it will be falling. throughout the week This will keep happening. from different sources. The small circles will be gone. and probably two days.

- We do understand you want our son to be sick, and you think he will be and you're banking on it, and you. think you can get better and think. you're fooling him. Well, you're not. And we see how bad it is. Most of you are mental patients. and don't understand what a real mutant is in your idiots. So we're going to. go ahead and pick up people who are dying because you sound horrendous because your brain is deteriorating. You're becoming zombies. A lot of you were doing a test but we have an estimate of 35% of Charlotte County will be dead by morning.. That was just a steam cloud from a small circle. What happens? if a big dust cloud comes from a nuclear weapon. Yeah, that's right. You're not going to be here.

- The Southern Temple, FL is embroiled. It's the southern tip in a war. over those stashes and caches. and they are firing near them. and it will not help the situation. They're not making a trough or anything with their firing near it. and the holes are pretty deep They're about 5 feet deep. We are noticing that they're causing tremors. This is causing the infiltration of salt water more in. to the walls of. the quarter mile circles. There are five down there Some are bigger. That will actually push it forwards We thought that it might breach. the large ones in three days. Now we think two days. So maybe a Saturday night. also

also-

- We have news that your health is not wanted on any. project that we're trying to start. and that was from the Mac proper and The pseudo empire. and they're trying to instruct you to cease and desist. all these special projects. and you say no

- Couple more things in cities are under siege and. that's the separate just cities. There's a huge force at each of them. in some of the cities they are encroaching on the borders. and will probably soon come in. In the Eas In the Eastern Hemisphere, five cities out of. the 20 very large have collapsed. They are in ruins and tatters, and nobody really lives there They've been abandoned.. Five more will fall in the next two days. Roughly and we expect the remaining 10 to fall within a week and a half of now. And they're doing very badly. and they stopped calling people. Yes. the people in there. The people in these cities decided to sit and fight. and not to deplete their forces. The way we say it is, they're really not on the up and up. and found something that the Max found in the city. on it and they don't care for us going there. And one of them said that. it was Woody. There's others here who heard it and they get it. So we're going to print.

Thor Freya

I can actually change mine over I have one of those Bradley GT. I'd rather change the Bradley GT 2. and he says why not make new molds off? of it? and I can change the mold. while I'm using the new one. So I'm trying to do that. And what you're saying is I can make the mold from the panel then. make a panel and then make the changes and make a new mold. So I'm gonna try and do that. It's kinda hard doing it the other way. It's a good idea. Then I can leave the car the way it is. You have to take it off there. There's a lot of work. It shouldn't be that hard, he says. That's true. So I'm gonna start working on it right now It's a joy in my life, and I'm gonna have fun.

Hera He says it might even be my car So I said, what are you talking about? I'm working on mine. Like, I do see what you're saying.

[90sloverwithinsomnia]

Vol 1 - Battle of the Boy Bands - Chapter 5/23

This is one of many archived fanfics featuring 1st and 2nd generation K-pop acts that I've come across recently. It's all in good fun, and maybe a bit cringeworthy! Just to clarify, I don't post fanfics, so I hope to the people that post and read K-pop fanfics makes sense. Credits go out to the original creator (hgiel) Anrui, Kyorei, and Jacqui.

*Note: Nothing in their post will change (unless necessary), other than being posted here, and the (Link) will be provided to the page that i found it on.

Characters:

Choi Dongwook (Se7en), Wheesung, Moon Heejoon, Ahn Chilhyun (Kangta), Jae Joong, Yun Ho, Mickey, Max, Xia, Young One, Woo Hyun, UBin, Dong Hwa, Jumin

Chapter 5:

The next morning the members of K-pop started to stir in their separate rooms when the door bell started to sing a rendition of "Memories Scent."

"How...? Never mind, I don't care." Woo Hyun opened the door and Se7en stood cheerily before them with two camera men behind him.

"What the hell? I thought it was old McDonald?" Woohyun said to no one as he finally stumbled out of bed into the front room. Jumin was coming out of his room in the same sleepy state.

"I changed the tune last night," Jumin said rubbing sleep from his eyes as they both went to the front door.

"Good mo... Hey! Wheres Dong Bong Shin Gi?"

"We had a little eviction last night." Young One said coming into the room wearing only his boxers. He saw the camera and stuck a muscular pose then addressed Seven again. "What the hell was this set up about anyway? You said there would be no electricity! Ding Bang... whatever, the fruity ones, got the Ritz and we were stuck in up in a tree with no toilet!"

"Yeah, what the hell?" Woo Hyun asked as seven pushed passed them and came into the lovely front room. Jumin smiled and flashed the cameras a peace sign.

"There wasn't supposed to be electricity..." Seven mumbled and everyone followed him into the kitchen. The kitchen window was part way open and an extension cord lay on the counter with a ton of circuit protectors which supplied the whole cabin with electricity.

"Where did this come from?" Seven leaned out the window. "This is coming from my place!!! No wonder the lights kept going out! DAMN!"

"You mean they cheated?" Jumin asked.

"I don't know how they could have done this last night.."

"I bet Junta did it the other night when they were shacked up in here." Woo Hyun said. "You know we didn't get dinner last night? Hee Jun ate it all before we even got here!" Woo Hyun ratted.

Seven rubbed a temple. "This is too much. Okay, I'll try to fix all of this, I promise."

Just then Ubin walked in with his hair done up in curlers. "AIEE! Why didn't you tell me the camera men were here already?" He screamed running back to his room in tears as one of the camera men hurried after him.

"You have a girl in your group?" Seven asked surprised.

***

"Hello?" Seven called as he started to climb into the tree house. Seven stopped and stared and took in the scene. UKnow and Hero were in one futon cuddling while Mickey and Xiah were doing the same close by. Max was sleeping across three futons, two of them he had claimed as his own and the third was Mickey and Xiah's where his feet rested close to their heads. Xiah was actually snuggling Max's left foot. A strange girl was snoring in the corner with more than her fair share of the blankets and he assumed Kang Ta and Hee Jun were under the mountain of blankets in the kitchen. Every single one of them were fast asleep, oblivious to the camera men and the horrified idol in their "Door way."

"We're going to have to edit the hell out of this..." Seven said to one of the camera men who just shrugged.

"WAKE UP!" Seven yelled as loudly as he could. There was a flurry of blankets, pillows and clothing as DBSG woke up startled.

"Who?" Mickey asked blinking at the bright lights on the cameras.

"Help!" Xiah cried hiding behind Mickey trying to fix his hair.

"Five more minutes." Uknow mumbled rolling over.

"Get up, get up, get up!!!" Seven ordered. "Who is that girl?!" Seven pointed to the ruffled girl sitting up in the corned. "And why is K-pop's den mother in th kitchen with Kang Ta?!"

"I'm an Ex- Woo Hyun Fan!" The girl explained hotly. "He lied and I want pay back!"

Seven stared at her, trying to find something to say but ended up turning to face the kitchen where Hee Jun was finally poking his head above the covers.

"You were supposed to keep shit like this from happening Hee Jun! Your not even with your team!" Hee Jun just shrugged. "What happened last night?"

"I don't know. The hairy girl attacked me in my sleep last night, saying something about kissing a Dong...one?"

"You kissed who?!" Kang Ta Cried shooting from under the covers.

"But I didn't!" Hee Jun explained quickly.

"Never mind, I don't care! Hee Jun get with your team, we're going to start the next competition in 30 minutes so everyone be ready and down there. We'll straighten this out then. You," Seven turned to the fan girl who was helping Xiah fix the back of his hair. "I don't know what to do with you... Just stay here for now and I'll ask the producer."

"Like hell I'm staying here!" She screamed. "That's what Woo Hyun said and he never came back!" She suddenly burst into tears and Mickey acquirly patted her shoulder.

"I'm hungry." Hero said sleepily. Everyone turned to him slowly, holding their breath but he just laid back down next to UKnow mumbling something about fan girls needing more meat on them.

***

The pink team stood on one side of a mud pit and the black team on the other. Seven and the fan girl stood at the side looking at the camera man.

"Welcome back to Battle of the Boy Bands! I'm seven!" He Flipped onto his hands and made the seven sign. The fan girl stepped away quickly, startled by sevens sudden movement and bumped into the camera man. "And this is.. uh... my assistant, I guess."

"Awsome!" The fan girl blew a kiss to the camera then flipped off Woo Hyun who was staring at her. Woo Hyun looked around startled.

"Wasn't that...?" He asked Young one.

"Not everyone can love you, pretty boy." Young one said then went back to stretching in preparation for the game.

"Today we're starting off the competition with a tug of war game. And since there have been recent... complications... the winners will get to stay in the black teams cabin tonight. There will be one, two three... " He paused looking a little torn because he had to stop counting before he reached seven. "Three games they have to compete in today! Each much harder than the last. Now lets start!" Seven and the camera man turned the mud pit and idols picking up the rope.

"I'll hurt my hands!" Xiah whimpered.

"Shut up and just pull! I don't want to sleep up in a tree again tonight." Max growled.

On the other side of the mud pit Jumin was giving a pep talk. "Are we going to let a bunch of 17 year old light weights beat us?"

"NO!" Everyone cheered but Donghwa who was staring off.

"Alright lets do this!" Jumin smacked a couple of them on the ass and they all went to collect the rope.

"Donghwa!" Ubin pulled his absent friends into place. "You pull really hard as soon as they say go, okay?" He explained in a kind voice. "Donghwa, are you listening?" But it was too late, the fan girl had grabbed the mic from an unsuspecting Seven and was now starting the game.

"READY?! SET! GO!" She through her arms into the air.

Both teams pulled as hard as they could and Uknow screaming encouragment while Max yelling profanity as neither side budged.

"Why aren't we winning?!" Young One cried pulling with all his might. "We're all bigger than them!"

Ubin looked around and saw Donghwa behind him standing idlely and admiring a butterfly flying close to his nose.

"Donghwa pull! DONGHWA!" Ubin started to scream as somehow K-pop's feet started to slide in the dirt.

"DONGHWA PAY ATTENTION!" Jumin begged as he, the closest to the mud pit, started to see it get closer.

"What?" Donghwa blinked.

"PULL!" All four of them yelled.

"Oh." The tides turned and quickly DBSG lost their footing and Uknow, who was in the front, tumbled into the mud pit.

"NOOO!" Hero cried and stood on the very edge of the mud pit. "Baby, are you okay?"

"AHH! It's in my hair!" UKnow sobbed

K-pop danced around and cheered and Ubin insisted on hugging everyone. UKnow managed to climb out of the pit covered from head to toe in mud. "He looks like swamp thing..." Mickey said as everyone stepped away from him.

"Somebody help me!" UKnow begged as he stumbled around blindly trying to rub mud from his face. No one stepped towards him. Just then Kang Ta and Hee Jun stepped from the wilderness looking a little too happy. Kang Ta saw the state of his team and came at a run. Moon Hee Jun sauntered over to his team and joined in the celebrations and happily accepted a hug from Ubin who seemed to have forgotten he was supposed to be angary at Hee Jun.

Kang Ta took off Hee Jun's jacket which he had been sporting and used it to help UKnow wipe himself off with. "Poor thing! I should have been here..."

"Now on to the next game!" Seven cheered.

"Already?!" DBSG cried as one.

[imsorryithurts]

Whumperless Whump Day 5

*Arrives running with a piece of toast in my mouth* Wait! Wait! I brought new fics to post!

Since I was already running late for the event, I decided to post them all at once. I expected to post them yesterday, but I was busy!

As always, thanks to Seth for hosting the event. Visit @whumperless-whump-event to read more works!

-x-

This one is about Rose and Lucas, you can have a primer on them and my other characters here [x]

Rose is a mech pilot, and while most of her story is about her adjusting to life after she stops being one, this happens while she's still doing missions. I have more works written for her, but I believe I'll post them outside the event!

This one is inspired by a piece of microfiction by Rounderhouse, but I cannot find it right now.

-x-

Day five: Stealing my breath (give it back):

Wheezing / Light-headed / “I'll count, you just breathe

Word count: 1951

Content warnings: Blood, broken nose, struggling to breathe, similarities to drowning.

-x-

Someone had once said, back at the academy, that if you managed to walk out of your cockpit on your own instead of by getting pulled out by your arms, you didn't do enough.

Rose didn't remember who said that. Probably not the professors, they were not legally allowed to say such things. They could imply it, however, if it was true.

Thing is, she quickly learned it wasn't true. If you're fresh out of academy and show that you can't handle the easy missions, they switch you out with another one who can, or at least that can walk out unassisted after. There are hundreds of people lined up for the position, and medical staff's time costs money.

However, if you were one of the good ones, one of the unique ones, you could go all out.

Maybe, if they were desperate, they could find someone else who responds well to the more challenging things, like the enhancing drugs, or even the implants, but they wouldn't find another pilot who could be submerged in the breathable fluid without breath support to pilot the Libelle Blanche. At least not in this territory.

Anyone can be trained to pilot, to endure g-forces, getting through the installment, connection and use of a neuro-interface, to get past the overstimulation of the implants blasting every kind of messages directly in your optic nerves, even to breathing oxygen from a liquid instead of the air.

But all at once? Flawlessly? You are special if you can pull that off.

And that's what goes through Rose's mind whenever she maxes the jets, turns the throttle, feels the IV dripping adrenaline into her veins.

I am special.

I am special, and you can't replace me.

I can do my best, because you. Can. Not. Replace me.

Just pure, maniac bliss.

Except this time, she didn't have time for anything to go through her mind before the force of the impact of her mech being tackled transferred to her head, darkness consuming her vision.

-

Lucas hurried with the stretcher towards the hangar, dr. Ortiz swiftly pushing the other side. 

He had had a bad feeling about today, but then again, he never had a good feeling whenever Rose was dispatched with her mech. He had a bad feeling  when she decided she'd be a pilot, and every time she got dispatched.

It's not that he didn't trust her capabilities, but as a medic, he had seen the many ways a pilot could end up in his care. The implant malfunctions, causing things from slight headache to irreversible catatonia, the overdoses or liver failure from the drug cocktails, the accidents that ranged from broken arms to being sliced into barely recognizable pieces of flesh.

And when Dr. Ortiz got called urgently to the hangar, he could vividly see Rose in each of those scenarios.

The wheels on the stretcher squeaked to a stop as they reached the platform lift that would take them to the mecha’s hatch.

The robot itself was still stepping into place, either on autopilot or remotely controlled. Lucas hoped Rose wouldn't look as banged up as the mech did.

The platform lurched to a stop just as three assistants pulled Rose’s limp body by the arms out of the hatch. They didn't want to waste time by waiting for the immersion fluid to be drained, so her entire body was soaked, dripping to the floor, and her figure looked even more slender with her hair plastered to her neck.

Lucas had had bad feelings since before her eyes became sunken and her hands bony, before her gaze became unfocused from reading the information delivered into her line of sight.

How could he not have bad feelings now, as the assistants practically drop Rose’s body on the stretcher before him?

They were back on the floor level and Dr. Ortiz pulled the stretcher before Lucas could process the sight of his friend. It wasn't until they reached the medical room that he snapped back to reality.

“Lucas.” Dr. Ortiz called for his attention dryly, signaling for him to assist in moving the patient to the bed.

“R- Right.” He took the handles on the straps and moved her. “Right, sir.”

“Plug her in, Mel”, Dr. Ortiz ordered the nurse sitting on the computer beside the bed. Lucas held Rose's head so Mel could easily access the port in the base of her skull with the thick bundle of cables running through the hole in the bed.

When the cables were secured, he gently laid her head back down, wiping the fluid on his scrubs.

He took the time for the information to load to take a good look at Rose.

A big, dark bruise was spreading right in the middle of her forehead. Blood pooling in the skin around her eyes, the color disturbingly contrasting with her pale skin.

Blood had been mostly diluted in the immersion fluid, but faint trails of it still stained her nostrils.

And most disconcerting of all, was the fluid itself, still coming out and back into her nose and parted lips. Like a drowning victim, but still breathing calmly, as if unaware of the liquid filling their lungs.

He remembered having lunch with her, what seemed like ages ago, when she was excitedly explaining the excruciating process of getting accustomed to the transition of air to breathable liquid.

She had mimicked the exercises, described what it was to feel like to learn how to fight the feeling of water in your lungs, to learn how to drown. The agony of getting used to the drugs to suppress the feeling of drowning.

 He tried to ignore the fluid bobbing up and down in her nostrils and lifted her eyelids. Her hazel irises were duller than ever, but the pupil seemed to react to the light.

“Well,” Dr. Ortiz leaned over Rose, gaze fixed on Lucas. “What do you think?”

“I- What do I think?”

“You want to be an actual doctor some day, don’t you?” He gestured to the body in the bed. “What do you think?”

“I- Um.” Lucas took a step back, taking a deep breath to ground himself. “Possible concussion. Um, probable, actually. Possible broken nose and possible enhancement drug overdose. We confirm the concussion and overdose with Mel, x-ray for the nose can wait. Stimulate breathing and heart rate neurons according to results, start her on an antagonist cocktail.”

Dr Ortiz stared at him motionless. The computer beeped, alerting that the connection was finished, and he finally leaned back to listen to Mel, without breaking eye contact, as she read to him various vitals and activity of brain areas Lucas hadn’t yet memorized.

“You’re not wrong” He pointed a finger at Lucas before turning fully to the computer.

The doctor was a pretty good mentor and exceptionally good at his job, but he always had to speak cryptically and never directly point out what was being done right.

“Mel, I want slow sympathetic stimulation. Target pre-Bötc, NTS… Actually, test and target the medulla,” he ordered rapidly. “Lucas, get her started on the antagonist.”

“Yes, sir,” he complied, getting help from another apprentice nurse, who had the vial and syringe ready for him. He measured and injected it into the port she still had in her arm from the mech.

Lucas watched as her breathing picked up, the liquid pooling sickeningly behind her lips to the rhythm of her chest rising and falling.

The doctor leaned on his hands on the bed, watching over her. Not with the same worry as Lucas, but with a far more cold and clinical gaze.

“How’s her brain?”

 “Mild concussion at best. But she should be fine.”

“How long until the oxygen in the fluid is depleted?”

Mel clicked twice on the screen. “Around three minutes, sir.”

Dr Ortiz leaned back and sighed before making a decision. “I'm going to pump air into her.”

“You- What?” Lucas’ mind went to the time Rose was excitedly telling him the process of getting used to transitioning from air to liquid. The breathing exercises, the dedication, and the agonizing pain of feeling like you're drowning, even after coming back to the air.

“I’m not having her hypoxic on my table while we wait for a fresh immersion fluid tank. She dies here or I force a cough response.”

Back then, she had shown him the techniques. The meticulously counted breaths so you don't choke, timed forced exhales to make the full transition. After starting training, she more than once left in the middle of lunch after coughing too much to be able to eat. Sometimes she hadn't shown up at all.

“She- She's not gonna be happy about it.”

Dr Ortiz looked him in the eyes while pulling the equipment. “I like it when my patients get mad at me.” He said, stoically. “Dead people don't get to be upset.”

Lucas opened his mouth to protest, but clenched his fists and stopped himself mid breath. The doctor was right. It was the best option at the moment, one that would hurt, but keep her alive.

The doctor carefully sealed the mask around her mouth and moved to turn on the machine. He paused, still looking at his patient, but directing his words to Lucas. “Don't let your feelings get in the way of your job.” And he flipped the switch.

Immediately as the machine whirred to life, Rose's body lurched, her mouth gurgling with fluid. Dr Ortiz pulled the mask away and Lucas rushed to pull her upright as the liquid burst out of her nose and mouth.

She coughed strongly, barely wheezing in some air before her body spasmed again, ejecting watery fluid, tinted red with blood. 

Lucas pushed her forward until she was fully sat up, coughing into her lap. A nurse handed him a basin which he held in front of her face.

“You’re okay, you’re okay,” Lucas found himself soothing and rubbing Rose’s back as she struggled to draw breath. 

“Lieutenant Guerra, can you speak?” Dr Ortiz raised his voice, holding the cable attached to her neck for stability. He repeated it louder once she only responded with gasps and coughs.

Lucas pushed her back to keep her leaning forward as she spasmed with each breath interrupted by choking up on liquid.

“LIEUTENANT ROSE GUERRA!” 

“YES, SIR,” She wheezed in an inhale, straightening up as best as she could.

“Do you know where you are?” The doctor demanded, keeping his loud tone.

“I- Emer- Emergency wing of- of-”

“Good enough.” Dr. Ortiz continued barking questions. Full name, DOB, current date… And Rose continued to choke up the answers, face twisted up in obvious pain and distress. Lucas noticed, in the middle of her processing each question, she was attempting the counted breaths she used to show him.

After he was satisfied with the assessment, the doctor disconnected the thick wires from Rose’s skull, and a nurse quickly replaced him at Rose’s side, wiping the bloody saliva hanging from her chin and running down her chest. From the other side, Lucas held the basin closer as she dry heaved from the force of her lungs trying to clear out the fluid. 

“You're alright,” he whispered, noticing now the tightness in his chest. He felt her trying to hold her breaths and force exhales according to her training by the rising and falling of her back where he was resting his hand. “It's ok, just breathe. I’ll count for for you, you just keep breathing.”

He wrapped an arm closer to her.

She immediately shoved him away.

Rose was going to be ok.

He had a bad feeling about the two of them, though.