#these might be horribly confusing with no context so

[steddiehyperfixation]

accidental eavesdropping (steddie ficlet)

based on this post by @imjust-that-shy. i hope i did this vision justice <3

The doors to the bathroom burst open, and - on some pure, inexplicable instinct and with nearly inhuman speed - Eddie darts back into the stall he'd just been about to come out of and leaps to perch on top of the toilet seat, crouched there like some sort of creature. 

He hears the sound of retching and the stench of vomit fills the air. He holds his breath, wrinkling his nose and trying to imagine what possible context could be behind Steve Harrington and Robin Buckley bursting in here together to puke their guts out. Eddie knows the two of them work together, he’s seen them sharing shifts at Scoops Ahoy when he's walked by. (Not that he often intentionally passes by the ice cream parlor and slows down just to catch a glimpse of Steve or anything… Although who could really blame him if he did? Like, come on, Steve in that uniform? Hello, sailor.) His mind is busy spinning stories of possible explanations, ranging from spoiled ice cream to sneaking alcohol and getting too drunk during their break. 

Eddie's leaning towards the 'drinking on the job' explanation, especially when the retching finally ceases and Robin says something about the room no longer spinning. Those little rebels, Eddie thinks approvingly.

“When’s the last time you, uh…peed your pants,” Steve is asking Robin now, in response to her telling him in a Russian accent to interrogate her. 

Eddie curls over his knees, tilting his head to try to peer through the gap between the stalls and the floor to put an image to his eavesdropping. Might as well, he’s kind of stuck here and there’s really not much else he can do right now. He can see Steve’s legs, one bent and the other stretched out in front of him, and Robin in the stall past him laying on the floor with her legs up against the stall wall as she answers, “Today…” 

“What?” Steve questions.

“When the Russian doctor took out the bone saw!” Robin says. 

Okay…what? Russian doctors and bone saws? Eddie’s now thoroughly intrigued, if a little (okay, a lot) confused. Maybe they’re talking about a movie they watched or something.

Steve’s legs shake with his laughter. “Oh my god.” 

“It was just a little bit, though.” Robin pinches her fingers together as she twists her body in Steve’s direction while he laughs again and mutters that whatever it is they took is still in her system. She pushes her feet off the stall and slides to sit against the opposite wall. Eddie can only see her legs now. “Okay, my turn. Have you…ever been in love?” 

Steve answers that he has, with Nancy, and makes a sound mimicking an explosion. Eddie remembers that, remembers seeing Steve and Nancy being all touchy and cute in the hallways at school while he was trying his damndest to convince himself that he absolutely definitely did not wish he was in Nancy’s place. It didn’t work very well. And it’s not working very well now either as Steve starts to go on about some new girl he likes now instead - some girl who’s funny and smart and can crack secret Russian codes (okay, seriously, what is it with these two and Russians?) and oh shit, he’s talking about Robin. 

Eddie very suddenly feels like he should not be here listening to this, eavesdropping on Steve confessing his feelings for someone. Not only is that, like, a private and personal thing, but also what if Robin likes him back and they start kissing or something right here in this bathroom where Eddie has to sit here and listen to it and that would just be horrible for him for so many reasons and- Eddie’s getting ahead of himself. Robin hasn’t even said anything yet, and her knees are pulled up to her chest and her voice shakes when she confirms she’s still alive after Steve asks if she’s OD’d there in the silence and she uncurls with a deep sigh. All signs that she doesn’t actually like Steve back. 

Eddie watches as Steve shifts and slides under the stall into Robin’s, and catches sight of the nasty bruise marring nearly half of Steve’s otherwise beautiful face as he does so. Now concern has been added to the list of emotions this eavesdropping experience has rollercoastered him through so far. The bruise looks fairly fresh and Eddie can’t help but wonder what the hell gave Steve a black eye like that and if he’s okay. 

After a brief spiral of concern for Steve’s face, Eddie tunes back into reality to find himself staring at Steve’s ass as Steve now sits with his back against the stall wall opposite Robin. Eddie blinks, expands his tunnel vision to include Steve’s lower back and Robin’s legs which are also visible beneath the gap in the stalls. 

“It’s not because I had a crush on you,” Robin is saying. “It’s because…she wouldn’t stop staring at you.”

“Mrs. Click?” Steve sounds confused.

“Tammy Thompson,” Robin clarifies. “I wanted her to look at me.”

Oh. Eddie should really not be listening to this. Robin is trying to come out to Steve, trying to share something deeply personal and vulnerable with him and only him, not knowing that she’s outing herself to an eavesdropping near-stranger as well. Eddie feels violating and intruding. He can’t imagine how he would feel if he found out someone he barely knew had been secretly listening in on him coming out - probably not great, probably terrified. This is something he shouldn’t know, not like this. 

“But Tammy Thompson’s a girl,” Steve says, his tone unreadable, and Eddie’s heart nearly stops, sure his own anticipatory anxiety is likely only just a fraction of what Robin must be feeling right now. 

“Steve…” 

“Yeah?” A pause. “Oh,” Steve’s voice goes soft. “Oh… Holy shit.” 

“Yeah,” Robin sighs. Eddie can see her hands nervously rubbing at her shins. “Holy shit.” 

Steve is silent for a few painfully long moments. Eddie’s hands curl nervously around his own shins. Is Steve going to be homophobic? Should Eddie be worried for Robin now? 

“Steve, did you OD over there?” Robin asks, trying to be light but Eddie can hear the anxiety in her voice. 

“No, I just, uh- just thinking,” Steve responds. 

“Okay…” Robin’s voice is barely audible. Eddie is holding his breath.

“I mean, yeah,” Steve says finally, “Tammy Thompson’s cute and all, but the only reason I never gave her the time of day was because I was too busy staring at Eddie Munson.” 

The aforementioned Eddie Munson releases the breath he’d been holding with an involuntary squeak and claps a hand over his mouth. Thankfully, neither of them heard him over the sound of Robin shouting. “What?! Eddie Munson?! You liked Eddie Munson?” she squawks, voicing Eddie’s own stunned thoughts perfectly.

“Yeah,” Steve confirms casually, completely unaware that he's throwing an eavesdropping Eddie into an absolute crisis right now. There's a soft thudding sound like Steve's hitting the back of his head against the stall wall. His voice gets kind of wistful, almost dreamy, as he says, “His rings, man. Rings and tattoos…and that long hair and those chains he'd wear… Honestly just his whole punk aesthetic thing had me mesmerized.” 

“Pretty sure he's metal, not punk,” Robin corrects him. 

Thanks, Robin. Also, what the fuck is happening right now? 

“Whatever. Still hot as hell,” Steve says. 

Eddie squeaks again and practically shoves his whole fist in his mouth to keep himself from making any more noise, his teeth knocking against his rings. The rings Steve likes, apparently. He feels like he's going to pass out, his heart beating so erratically it's making him lightheaded. King Steve - the popular, preppy, stupid, gorgeous, dumb jock Eddie's been crushing on since forever - just called him hot????  

“Did you hear that?” Robin asks suddenly, voice low and cautious. 

Shit. 

“Is anyone else in here?” Steve calls out. 

Fuck. 

Eddie bites down hard on his knuckles and holds his breath, going impossibly still. If they get up and search the bathroom, then he’s about to be caught red handed, crouched on top of a toilet seat with his fist in his mouth and his face flushed scarlet, eavesdropping on their private conversation about secret Russians and gay crushes. Eddie contemplates falling into the toilet and attempting to flush himself down it. Every god imaginable is receiving a silent prayer from him right now as he watches apprehensively through the gaps in the stall. One of those gods must've heard and taken pity on this poor gay disaster of a man crouched like a goblin in a bathroom stall, because after a few horrible seconds of silence, all Steve does is lean down to peer beneath the stalls for a moment before sitting back up and saying, “Looks empty. I think the drugs are making us hear things.” 

“Yeah, probably,” Robin says. Then she giggles, knocking her leg against Steve’s. “I still can’t believe you were into Eddie.” 

Steve flicks Robin’s knee. “I can’t believe you were into Tammy.”

“What’s wrong with Tammy?!” Robin protests.

“What’s wrong with Eddie?” Steve counters. “At least he’s actually got talent. Tammy’s a total dud - she wants to be a singer and shit but she can’t even hold a tune.” 

Eddie is going to die. He is actually going to die right here, right now, because Steve Harrington thinks he’s hot and talented. And then Steve starts mimicking Tammy, singing Total Eclipse of the Heart in a ridiculously goofy voice, and now Eddie is going to die because he finds that so stupidly endearing and adorable. Maybe he should just flush himself down the toilet, save himself from this hopelessly pathetic crush of his. Instead, he’s saved by the bathroom doors bursting open again and a new voice shouting at them, “Okay. What the hell?!” 

Steve and Robin collapse into a fit of giggles before being dragged to their feet by the newcomers and led out of the bathroom, leaving Eddie alone and reeling and struggling to process literally everything he’s just overheard. He finally hops down from his toilet perch and exits the stall like he’s in a daze. He’s not sure how long he had been camped out in there - probably only about ten minutes - but it felt like hours, so long that the world outside of that single bathroom stall almost feels foreign and unfamiliar now. 

Eddie grips the bathroom sink and stares at his flustered reflection in the mirror and whispers to himself, “What the actual fuck?” 

---

Later, years later, only after he and Steve are already dating, Eddie tells him all about this experience, and Steve laughs so hard he nearly cries.

(ao3 link)

[paperstarwriters]

Sleep

Muriel x Reader

Warnings: Sleepy reader, a kiss is used to shut the reader up. Muriel manhandles reader a bit

Summary: It's late. You're tired, and Muriel is too. All he wants to do is bring you to bed.

[A/N]: Reader is currently me rn. I should really head to bed lol. Also, if this looks familiar, this is the file "A bed and a book" from that WIP Wednesday I did a while ago. (I'll link it tomorrow lol. I need to sleep...)

Masterlist | The Arcana Masterlist

Word count: 2,021

─────── ᶻ 𝘇 𐰁 ───────

Muriel watches you amidst the growing cold of the hut.

He watches you tremble and shiver, as you work, too focused to notice your own quaking limbs, or too busy to give it any attention. The fire dies in the fireplace, and though there was plenty of firewood that he could easily restock the fire with, a roaring fire with no one to watch over it only ever spelled trouble.

Usually he didn't even let the fire keep going this late at night, but you needed it while you worked.

You also, however, needed sleep.

"It's late."

You hum, continuing to scribble as you mutter something about a fleeting idea before you respond.

"I know. Just let me finish this."

Muriel huffs. That's not the first time you've said that and he knows full well that it won't be the last either. He pulls himself from the warmth of the bed, where he had been waiting for you, and plants his feet on the cold floor. The feeling makes him flinch for a moment, and he decides with a sigh, that he would give you one more chance.

"No. It's really, really late."

"You don't have to wait up for me."

In another moment, in another context, Muriel might have blushed at being caught caring for you. At being caught waiting or anticipating your return to his side. Currently however, a streak of frustration, fleeting but hot, burns in his chest. He "doesn't have to"? If he didn't wait up for you, you'd waste yourself away working on your projects. If he didn't wait up for you, he'd have to fall asleep and wake up to empty arms as you sit there just within reach and yet so far away. If he didn't wait up for you, would you ever sleep at all?

Muriel scoffs, and he wonders if you can hear it through your work. He wonders if you can hear him stand from the bed, and stride over towards you. Hearing you gasp as he wraps his arms around you, he figures you didn't, which only serves to target the selfish and greedy part of him—the part that makes his frustration flare all the more at the absence of your attention, the absence of your body pressed against his own.

The look you give him, wide eyed and filled with a startled awe, serves to soothe him for a moment, easing that need for attention, but it brings back to his focus the dark circles under your eyes, and the tremble of your hands hovering over your paper. It's a horrible combination really. The selfish and greedy need for your attention, for your skin against his, made virtuous through his concern for your health and your desperate need for sleep. It made it all the more hard to tell the line where he was being greedy, and where he was being concerned. Yet, if he wanted you to be happy and healthy by his side, could that even really be called greed?

As shock melts into confusion, Muriel can feel your trembling body melt against his, relaxing into the offer of sleep and rest that you continue to deprive yourself of. Greed, Muriel decides, is a kind and necessary thing to indulge in if it means you get to rest.

"It's late," he reiterates.

You scoff, rolling your eyes as you glance around the room, clearly not believing time to have slipped past you so quickly. Knowing you’re delirious with exhaustion, he doesn't trust you to realize that he had stocked the fireplace earlier that day to burn late into the night, and that no, he did not do anything that may speed up the burning process in any way.

Instead, he drags his hand down to your own, trembling as you grip your pen as if you feared it might be ripped away from you in any given moment. Though the temptation to do so is there, he knows full well how ineffective that would be. Instead, he trails his hand down your forearm. The rest of your arm is still pinned down by his in a half hug, but he doesn't even need to exert much pressure to keep you in place—your exhaustion doing most of that work for him.

Fresh from the confines of the bed, his hand and body still cling to the remains of warmth, a sharp contrast to your own, left night-chilled in the absence of the fireplace. It's clear, with the trail of goosebumps and shivers that appear in the wake of his touch, that you're freezing right now, and in desperate need of blankets and warm, warm cuddles.

His hand makes his way down to yours eventually, and he can see the twitch of your fingers as you're tempted to drop the pen to take his hand into your own. Pressing his thumb to the seam of your wrist and your palm,  Muriel feeds the temptation, massaging the tender skin as best he can manage despite his calloused fingers. He’s careful not to seem too desperate for you to relax and drop your work to follow him back into the warm embrace of the bed. Up and down, he works his thumb from the centre of your palm to your pulse on your wrist. Little by little your hand sags in his hold, your pen drooping and slipping from loosened fingers, until it finally falls and leaves a splatter of ink on the wood of the table.

Your eyes dart down and your hand tenses up prepared to apologize and clean up your little mess, but Muriel refuses to let you fuss over something so trivial when your own health is at risk. His face dips into the crook of your neck, his lips spattering kisses against your skin luring you further into his embrace until your eyes flutter closed and your head bobs against his shoulder, fighting a futile battle against the urge to sleep.

Letting go of your hand, and slipping his hand instead beneath your legs to scoop you from your seat, Muriel realizes that he too must be a little delirious with sleep. Blush grows against his face, while he continues to press kisses against your skin, but he doesn't have much energy left to care about how embarrassing his affections may be. Instead, he sighs his lips still pressed against your skin as he pulls you into bed.

"Next time, I'm dragging you to bed the moment the sun goes down," he blurts, uncaring for any embarrassing connotations you might derive from his words. Instead, he focused on holding you close against him, in his arms where you belonged as you wormed your own arms around him, finally settling into his embrace.

At least, he thought you were settling into his embrace.

Despite how your body was nearly a puddle of boneless goop in his arms, exhausted and ready for sleep, you try to turn looking back to the table where your pen and papers lay.

"my pen—" you try to argue.

"it's fine," he mutters, his voice a bit gruff with his own exhaustion. "Go to sleep"

"But the ink—"

"it's fine," he grumbles again, squeezing you tighter in case you tried to slip free. "Go to sleep"

"But—"

Muriel sighs again, loud and irritated and tired, before he leans in and seals your lips with his own. He knows that tomorrow, if he thinks to long about the events of last night, he'll burn himself with how hard he'd blush, but today, all he wants is for you to go to sleep and get some well deserved rest. He's willing to sacrifice a little embarrassment if it means you sleep.

Even if he'd find himself embarrassed tomorrow, he hopes that it'll be washed out with the pride he feels in the moment, burning bright and making his chest tight, as he feels you sag in his arms. You’re melting from his kiss alone and that makes his heart soar. The effect he has just from kissing you is wonderful sure, but it's the evidence that he knows you that makes him feel the warmest. He knows how to get you to relax. He knows how to make you feel comfortable enough to finally go to sleep. Pulling back, he settles himself back into the crook of your neck, grinning from accomplishments, as he feels you finally seem to drift of to sleep.

Of course, seem is the word of focus here. Since, moments later, Muriel can feel you once again trying to squirm free from his embrace. Though he keeps his eyes closed amidst your little struggle, he holds you tighter, muttering in a sleep raged voice for what seems like the hundredth time.

“Go to sleep.”

You fall limp at his request, though he's more than awake enough to realize what you're trying to do. Waiting and biding your time for him to fall asleep before you. He sighs at the notion, and changes tactics.

"What's wrong?"

You're silent for a moment, still feigning sleep even if he can feel your heartbeat's staccato rhythm from where you're pressed against his chest. He doesn't push though, almost hoping that you'd fall asleep while pretending to do so, but he still waits for your reply, whether it comes or not.

"I just... I have an idea I want to write down."

"You can write it down tomorrow."

"But what if I forget?"

Muriel pauses. The temptation to wave away your concerns with a simple argument like, "if it's important you'll remember tomorrow," sits on his tongue, but he can't help but reflect an answer onto himself. Perhaps it was the constant wash of affection that you'd give him, or how you were often so eager to denounce whatever quiet self-deprecating thoughts he might voice aloud, or maybe it was just how often he was spending time outside of himself, and with you, or Asra, or the others. He doesn't know what exactly caused it, but he knows how it affects him now. He's important, and yet he was forgotten. To you, this project is the same.

This matters to you. Denying its importance will get him nowhere he wants to be.

"You can tell me," he offers, "I'll remember it."

"You're already half asleep."

Muriel cracks an eye open, "you are too."

Your attempt to refute his statement falls short when you yawn, which makes him yawn as well, though his is half muffled around his smile.

"alright, fine," you mutter eventually, tucking your face against his chest. Your arms squirm from their place trapped beneath his own, this time though, rather than escaping, you wrap your arms around him as you finally settle in his embrace for good.

He listens as long as he can, to you talk about the solutions to the puzzle you have noted down in your book, but you're mostly talking to yourself, thinking through the issue, refuting your own claims as you drift off, voice growing weaker and weaker before you finally sag against him, and Muriel can finally settle in against you, able to fall asleep now that you're in his arms, and he is in yours.

Before he settles however, he takes a moment to appreciate his reward, pressing a kiss against your eyelids, before he leans back and appreciates your relaxed and sleeping expression, whispering. You deserve rest like this. You deserve to relax. You've been so busy lately, he doesn't want to see you in pain.

When he finally tucks himself by your side and presses his cheek against your skin, Muriel can't help but chuckle at the chance to just fall asleep just like that. He knows it clings to him now. That falling asleep would be just as easy as that, but it hadn't always been. Sitting up forced to deal with swirling thoughts alone had once been the bane of his existence, but now, curled up with you by his side, he could talk if he needed to, just like you needed to earlier.

Now, falling asleep is as easy as one... two...

....

In the dying moments of his consciousness, Muriel continues to stare at you, pressing another kiss against your sleeping face, as he whispers precious words, fully aware you can't hear him. It doesn't really matter anyways. He'll tell you them all again tomorrow night. And if you can't hear it then, he'll tell you the next day, then the day after that, and the day after that.

"I love you," he mutters. "Goodnight."

[nyoomfruits]

i somehow lost the ask but this was written for the ‘wanna practice’ kiss prompt with lestappen :)

The door of the dorm room swings open rather dramatically, banging against the opposing wall as Charles comes barging through, beeling for this bed and flopping down on it face first. 

“Do I just suck?” He asks, voice muffled by his pillow. 

“Yes,” Max says, not looking up from where he is working on his econ homework on his own side of the dorm room. 

“You don’t even have any context,” Charles says, unburrying his face. Max glances at him. He’s pouting.

“Hm,” Max says, pretends to consider it. “No, my answer stands.”

Charles makes a dramatic strangled warbling noise and falls back into the pillows. Not for the first time, Max regrets becoming his friend. It was easier, back in high school, when they were sworn enemies. Lot less exaggerated sighing as Charles waits for him to ask him what’s wrong. 

After the fifth sigh, a deep one that must be coming from the depths of Charles toes, Max finally relents. “Fine,” he says. “What happened?”

Charles looks up with entirely too much glee, happy to be indulged, as he says, “I think I’m like, unloveable.”

Max suppresses his snort as he thinks of all the people that would line up to get their shot with Charles Leclerc. “Sure,” he settles on. “Why?”

“I was making out with this girl last night and then she made this very obvious excuse and just left. And there was this guy, a week ago, we’d just been making out for like, maybe a minute and then he went ‘nope’ and left.” Charles has flopped onto his back now, staring miserably at the ceiling. 

“Maybe you’re just bad at kissing,” Max says, frowning down at his econ homework.

“What? No I’m not,” Charles says, indignant. There’s a pause, during which Max scribbles some things down in his notes. Then, very quietly, “Oh my god, maybe I am.”

Max makes a ‘well, there you go’ motion, and hopes this means he can finally go back to finishing this assignment. It isn’t due for another two days, but there’s that paper coming up and he has time now, so-

“Kiss me,” Charles says. Max hadn’t even heard him move, but he’s here now, leaning into Max’s space like some kind of siren out of a Greek myth trying to lure him into the depths of seduction. 

Or something. If anything, Max’s brain isn’t really working right. Charles is right there, in his space, hands leaning on the sides of Max’s desk chair, looking ridiculously… giddy, almost. Max had this dream once. But Charles had looked a lot more sultry and his eyes had been closed and he’d been sitting in Max’s lap instead of leaning over him and-

“Why,” Max says. In his haste to stop that insane train of thought, he forgets to phrase it as a question. 

Charles pouts at him. His nose is inches away from Max’s. “So you can tell me if I’m a bad kisser.”

“Who says I’d be a good judge of that,” Max says, instead of outright ‘no’, because he’s a self sabotaging idiot. “Maybe I’m a horrible kisser.”

Charles tssk’s. “You and Daniel dated for like two years. If you’d been bad at kissing he’d dumped you much sooner.”

“Thanks,” Max says, frowning. “I think.”

“Come on,” Charles weedles. “Just see it as like, practice. For you. For when the next Daniel comes along.”

Max snorts derisively. The next Daniel is currently trying to convince him to kiss, so. Whatever. “Fine,” Max eventually says, because Charles is a stubborn little bastard and maybe if they kiss he will finally leave Max to his assignment. 

Also Charles is still there, in his space, with his big green eyes and his stupid pouty mouth and Max is only a man, so. 

“Yay!” Charles says, and then abruptly lunges forward to smash his lips against Max’s. 

Their teeth clunk together and Max winces as his nose bumps against Charles’s, and he lets out a strangled little noise as he gently pushes Charles back. 

He’s starting to see there might be some truth to the whole ‘Charles is bad at kissing’ thing. 

“Wow, okay, let’s just,” he gently pushes a confused Charles further back and gets up out of his chair, so they’re face to face. “Maybe do it a little more gently, yeah? Like this,” He puts one hand on Charles chin, tilts his fac up a little, softly brushing their lips together before pressing a little harder, letting their lips slide against each other. 

And oh, it’s much better like this, Charles following Max’s lead, his hands coming to rest on Max’s waist as Max’s hands slip into Charles’s hair, and he’s a little enthusiastic with his tongue at first, but he’s a quick learner, and for a moment there Max forgets all concept of time. 

“Ah,” Charles says when he pulls away. There’s a frown on his face, like he's deep in thought. “Yes. I might have been doing that wrong.”

Max merely hums, still reeling a little bit from the experience, still feeling the faint touch of Charles’s lips on his own, not trusting himself to speak. 

“Well!” Charles suddenly says, seemingly shaking himself out of whatever thought process he’d gotten tangled up in. “Thanks for that! I shall put it into practice now.” 

It takes Max a while to understand what he means, but then Charles is putting on his jacket and grabbing his keys and oh. 

He means with other people. 

“Right,” Max says, trying really hard not to look disappointed. “Right, well, good luck.”

“Thanks!” Charles yells over his shoulder, before moving through the door, taking Max’s entire heart with him. 

Max is left standing in the middle of the room, staring forlornly at his econ homework. It suddenly lost all of its earlier appeal. Especially when he can still feel the ghost of Charles’s finger tips on his waist. 

[demigod-jack-hearth]

Hey this is the mods boyfriend (call me Freddie or Fred)

(Tw, mental breakdowns, SH, idk what else)

Idk if this sounds rude, but I was woken up by my boyfriend at 6:30am when he was on the edge of another breakdown

Basically, he was crying/breaking down and I didn't really understand much. Once he calmed down, he sort of explained what's happened. But I don't really understand

He gave me his Tumblr account and told me he "couldn't handle this anymore" and he's done "everything he could"

I've looked at old posts that he's made to try to understand, but some of it seems one sided I'm just becoming really confused

Like on one hand I've seen him apologising and people saying he's horrible for what he's done, I'm still not sure what he did.

But I've also seen he's received messages from people saying he's perfectly fine and whatever he did was justified

I just want to know why my boyfriend has had 4 breakdowns in the past week and why I've caught him about to cut himself twice

So could someone try to explain what's going on. I might be able to add context at some points if certain parts are unclear

Idk who can help me, but I've looked around and he's got something in his drafts called a tag list, so I'm assuming you people know what's happening. I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to add you.

Also, a lot of the tags (is that what they're called?) didn't work, I'm not sure why or if i did something wrong

Also don't feel like you have to respond to this, I just really want to be able to understand and help him

@zariahthewitch @thegroovydaughterofhestia @if-chaos-was-a-boy @the-gods-strange-children @silena-daughterofaphrodite @fabulousdaughterofhecate @weakest-son-of-sun @chaos-pers0nified @neoptolemus-achilles-son @bast-the-best26 @goddess-of-bubblegum @gaygirldoodles @luck-is-crucial @reyna4ever @vicious-daughter-of-zeus @feral-hermes-child @oopsies-i-did-a-thing @unfortunate-daughter-of-hestia @that-girl-cupid @ariathemortal @love-lightning-forethought @emdabitchass @kaiaalwayswins @champion-of-revenge @i-was-never-sane @clown-energy-skyrocketing @zoe-aura-of-d3ath @itsyourboyezra @lunar-eklipso-r @pink-koi-lovejoy @that-daughter-of-athena @sleepy-as-a-song @smileyalater @thedaughter-of-death @gellyhelio @daughter-ofthe-moontitan @demeters-daughter-is-done @the-smart-and-the-dumb-one @trinket-snatcher @southerndaughterofeos @creature-under-ur-bed @burnt-out-bitxhes

[mixelation]

i got yet another comment confused about mutagenicity's itatori so i guess i will write. what are these called. a shipping manifesto???

so first i will disclaim that this ship started as a joke and then proceeded to have me waffle around what i thought the dynamic would be, so some posts probably contradict each other. i was also on the fence about producing shippy content of tori with ANYONE for a while (i have very obviously changed my stance on this lmao)

so first, context. tori and itachi have a long, complicated history with each other. in plasticity, tori makes it clear she has no interest in fucking with itachi's goals, but she's also fully and demonstrably capable of doing just that, even by accident. she is also, by the events of mutagenicity, the only person in the entire world who knows his full backstory. he actively recruits her to konoha both because tori Knowing Things means he needs to keep an eye on her (because who the fuck knows what she will do) but also because he sees her as a valuable ally.

tori spends plasticity both with anxiety that itachi might do something horrible to her, resenting him for the power he holds over her, and then also low key enjoying his company. eventually she will realize he'd probably make her best possible ally.

in mutagenicity, they end up close friends. this is both because they're on the same team and also because they are fucked up adults in tweenaged bodies. who else are they supposed to hang out with? actual children? i don't think either would rank the other as their BEST friend, but they are pretty close. itachi respects tori's skills from day 1 and will defer to her on certain topics, which is not something he will do for most people. tori agrees to high treason to kill danzo for itachi with zero questions, conditions, or asking for anything in return, which does absolute wonders for itachi's affection for her. they end up with a deep, mutual trust for each other, and they enjoy each other's company

the part that started as a joke (and i'm leaving in because i think it's 1) funny, and 2) a great way to spotlight itachi's insane personality) is that itachi decides they should date without telling tori.

the reason for this is basically that his clan duty is to marry and have kids, so around age 16 mikoto starts shoving girls at him. the idea here is: the uchiha are progressive enough that his parents would prefer a love marriage for their son, but the marriage does have to happen, and itachi has yet to show romantic interest in literally everyone. itachi's issue with this is that he..... kind of hates other people. he doesn't want to date random teenage girls, but mikoto is a seasoned social manipulator and he keeps ending up in situations like "alone in the park with some girl and they're both eating ice cream HOW DID THIS HAPPEN." also now suddenly women are interested in him because he's a well-known celebrated genius important clan heir. his life? is hell?

and then he realizes all his problems would be solved if he simply got his own girlfriend. so he sits back and reflects on "women my age that i wouldn't hate spending time with" and the only answer is tori. so he starts inviting her places and obviously she says yes because they are friends and she enjoys spending time with him.

eventually tori figures out he's.... dating her? and she gets mad and breaks up with him because THAT'S AN INSANE THING TO DO, ITACHI. but then after she cools off she decides, actually, this is a great arrangement. she DOES like hanging out with itachi, but he does this annoying thing where he'll disappear for months because he's bad at socializing, and if they're dating she can strong arm him into not doing that. a lot of typical date activities are fun and she likes having an excuse to dress up. she likes making him pay for stuff (tori is also horrible). she likes the trickery/deception angle. she likes the social advantage of having someone she can make go with her to events, the fact that having a boyfriend means sexual harassment goes down, the bragging rights, etc.

so tori goes back to him and proposes they "fake date" for mutual benefit. dw, itachi, tori is also a seasoned manipulator, and this will go SO MUCH BETTER for you if you let her be in charge of it. and itachi is like "she is SO right, what was i thinking, tori loves fucking with people's heads--" and they start dating again!

except they aren't like..... romantic. like, both of them, as people, are not super into romance. they don't give off Dating Vibes to most people, unless you're part of their inner circle, in which case you're just witnessing itachi and tori discovering they have a mutually compatible approach to dating and romance. they're both treating it like some sort of long-term mission because they're both morons in the same direction, but if you're like deidara or shisui or someone, you've just had the horrible realization that they're probably going to marry each other.

itachi and tori think they are in cahoots. it is only a bonus that the cahoots are fun. however yes at some point when you've committed hard enough and are having enough fun, the cahoots are simply a committed relationship

tori: hey, are you ever going to go find a wife? wasn't that the plan?

itachi: (imagines dating literally anyone else) (imagines being less close to tori)

itachi: (don'tlikethat.jpeg)

itachi: .......do you want to marry me

tori: hm

tori: (imagines not being with itachi any more) (doubt.jpeg)

tori: yeah that sounds good

[sabrondabrainrot]

omg omg omg

First of all??? EAPS??? YOU GOODD???

just finished Eaps EP: "Sun and Moon WANT TO HELP FIND EVELYN" I genuinely love and HATE The murder plot. I like that they're devolving while trying to find this murderer and found these kids dead bodies but I can't stand that these kids are being killed.

I don't have a ton of theories about the killer other then like...in most fnaf it's usually the human security guard....so it's probably Vincent....

Eclipse's scream when finding that one kid he desperately wanted to save was intense. I also was so sad when Puppet found Evelyn.

Entire thing heart wrenching.

LAES EP "Taurus' JUDGEMENT! in VRchat"

LMAO Taurus "You're an astral maybe..." Lunar "So you agree I'm an Astral." Taurus "Who said you're an Astral? You are a long way off becoming an Astral" Lunar "....I don't like him" Gemini seconds later - Steps on Lunar cause he was kneeling -

BROOO THEY ARE SO SILLY??? Lunar learning how to fight from Taurus, LMAO ANIME MOMENT.

So cute.

Sams EP: "The HISTORY of Ruin! in VRchat"

Then....the Ruin backstory. An abomination. I love Ruin omg. Like he's still a multidimensional war criminal but also...pookie 👉👈

He's so baby woobie....

I think it is interesting how him being a product of fusion basically made him immune to the virus. It's really interesting but also later on I think he probably did just go actually insane. Them bringing the cure and stabbing him with it might have just rebooted his system and he was like "I don't have to act anymore." Ruin is so interesting man. I sometimes imagine he's got one of those mecha council situations where he can still actually hear Sun and Moon when he's extremely conflicted. Ruin also called himself Eclipse. What a guy. Nexus crippled poor grandpa someone needs to give him a cane.

Sams EP: "A plan for a DRAGON in VRchat" Goliath "Are you like them" Sun "....? I don't know what you mean by that...what???"

"I'm not really as smart as Moon or Solar is...I mean really..I mean Moon made this whole thing. So uhh-?"

Goliath "Are you as heartless....as desperate for this sort of.... attraction?" Sun "Wh-what?" Goliath "You might be pathetic, but you are so much more than them."

Ok what was Goliath SAYING?!?!? I turned on captions and I can parse that he legit said attraction. I'm so CONFUSED. In the entire context it felt like Goliath was trying to get Sun to understand something but he couldn't say it. He paused to gasp for breath . It gave vibes like he's trying to pick the right phrasing. He knows Sun isn't heartless but he asks if he's desperate. I noticed he still wants to call them family though, that's interesting to me....

I think Goliath is maybe referring to how he knows Sun feels sympathy towards him, so he's saying Sun is worth more because of that? Goliath you are so hard to read. Goliath sounds scared to fight the Wither Storm Dragon too, so maybe he just wants to know if Sun agrees with the plan? (which Sun doesn't agree)

Or maybe for Goliath it's literal? It's worth it to talk to Sun because he might call him family and may not just leave him to the wolves.

Not much to add for eps "Jack meet Molten" and "Dazzle meets Molten" besides its tooth rottingly sweet. Jack meeting Molten and his first instinct is to bring him to meet Dazzle is SO sweet. Dazzle seems like she still feels bad about getting Neptor caught.

I love the 'kids' hanging out. Wish FC could join them, he just got heaps of horrible trauma. Dazzle might be a cool friend for Andrew too. (I'm p sure the spirit with FC is Andrew?)

I did not realize they'd make Molten more childlike? It's so sweet to see something so scary turn out to be so innocent. On top of Dazzle just not being afraid at all of Molten. Even Jack was so chill.

It's great when kids aren't afraid at all.

OH and the LAES EP "Taurus TRAINS LUNAR in VRchat" lmao Lunar running around while being haggled. I feel like Taurus is the kind of guy who tries to get people mad to 'activate' their powers. Like he's trying to get Lunar to cut loose. It's how a lot of begrudging powerhouse teacher types are.

Not sure why Taurus is like "not sure why you're alive" Taurus is so funny he's like. "You are tiny." Lunar "Yes I am." Taurus "Who said you're tiny?" Lunar "...???" Taurus "I'm going to kill you in training" Lunar - gets scared and runs around- Taurus -chases him but doesn't attack at all- Taurus later "That was a good run. but you suck at running." Lunar "....???"

Taurus "Blow up a mountain" Lunar -rambles about the heat that rocks need to burn- Taurus "I do not like this robot speak."

EAPS EP "Eclipse TRACKS DOWN HENRY EMILY!" Vincent just finding Eclipse like "Bro, dude...what are you doing here???"

It's interesting Vincent is devolving into accusing everyone around him but honestly understandable he doesn't have anything to go off. I hope they stop the killer before another kid dies. This is messed up man. I like how Eclipse always talks about how he's Moon this, Moon that. But also still shares values from Sun and genuinely wanted to save the kid's Sun loved in the daycare. It's nice to see Eclipse's Sun side show. Because he was built in Sun's head. Puppet seems messed up about a lot, calling herself useless. It's pretty messed up.

Just some things I'm noticing while getting caught up!

(editing to fix the messed up ep titles LOL - I've noticed that with EAPS they don't include "in VRchat" for their video titles)

[captainjacklyn]

Love, Love, Love Part 2-ish

A/N : continuation of this and this, hope you liked the first part because I'm on an absolute roll. To all those waiting for a continuation of many of my series, I am so sorry. I'm serious guys pls forgive me I know it's been a really long time since and I still need to finish other requests I started.

Context : Rollo gets transferred to NRC for a few months, The Headmaster decides that he would be staying at Ramshackle Dorm much to Malleus' dismay (along with grim and the first years who are aware of the truth). Yuu doesn't find it nice either but with time they allow the third year to open up to them, eventually growing mutual respect for one another, perhaps some friendship..and a bit more.

Warning(s) : fluff, mostly crack, hints of rollo liking Yuu, this is a continuation of some sort to my joke so pls understand that it isn't from the beginning, Rollo might be OOC he's just scared of Yuu, they/them pronouns for Prefect, the first years who weren't present in glorious masquerade find out and try to push rollo away. (it doesn't work) is this stolen from peter rabbit ? Yes. Most. but not all of it.

The story starts...now ?

Something suspicious was stirring around the 'relationship' between Yuu and the strange newcomer. At least it looked like it to their close friends who were already bitter about the idea of that religious trauma-induced student coming but even more so when that horrible influence hung around their prefect.

It wasn't as if they didn't trust Yuu, they didn't trust him ! He was being all close with their mom friend pal, knowing what he did, they weren't going to stand around and do nothing. They're gonna do something about it, about him.

It all began the day the Adeuce duo and Epel witnessed Yuu casually speaking with grey haired priest and HE WAS SMILING?! OH HELL NAH GET YOUR EYEBALLS OFF OF THEM- but truly they misunderstood, for now at least, since most of the resident's interactions regarded around Yuu, threatening Flamm..Of ripping his guts out.

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"Ace, Deuce!" Grim shouted through the halls as he ran towards them, the both of them turned around to see the raccoon panting and wheezing from his sprint. "Hey there Grim- Woah what was that?~ You trynna imitate being a cheetah now?" Ace teased, his remark making the fire cat retort with a 'hey!' before Deuce stepped in to ask the obvious question. "What's wrong?" forgetting his comeback, Grim immediately switched back to panic mode.

"My Henchman! A-A-And that weird suspicious dude! They're SPENDING TIME TOGETHER AND BEING ALL WEIRD MUSHY LOOKING!" He exclaimed, his revelation shocking the two freshmen who's eyes widened in horror. "What- How?! Didn't prefect say they hated that guy?" Ace sputtered as he tried making sense of the situation, he was a bit confused as to why he was reacting this way but with the amount of braincells left he couldn't care anymore.

"That's what I thought! But this morning I found them- laughing and talking to each other!" he added more fuel to the fire, ace and deuce exchanged concerned glances and spoke in unison. "We gotta get the others."

"Yes !" Grim smiled as he threw a fist in the air. It took a good second for him to realize they didn't say what he thought they would.

"...Wait what- AH!" But he didn't have time to argue as they grabbed him by the neck and made their way to find the others.

Passing through Savannaclaw, Pomefiore and Diasomnia almost felt like an eternity to fetch Jack, Epel and Sebek. Especially the half-fae as he was persistent on the idea of staying by his future king's side during the entire duration of Rollo's stay. After sharing the news, they all bolted to Ramshackle dorm, and there they saw it.

Yuu was having a conversation with the same young man that dropped them down a trap door when they came around for a celebration. The same young man who tried to erase magic forever. And they were speaking like they've been friends for years.

The group of first years were hiding behind a tree, in between the gates of the not-so-abandoned dorm. All of their heads comically poking out to take a peek at the flabbergasting sight. "That's a lot of smiling." Epel commented as he watched the prefect supposedly laugh at something Rollo said. (They weren't, they quite literally started to laugh because of Rollo's genuinely terrified face) "More than before even." he continued, Ace added on with another remark, "They're showing a lot of teeth."

Then, Jack made a very bold statement which earned collective noises of disgust from the rest of the team. "Do you think they like him?" Sebek's face morphed into horror, Grim started gagging, Deuce looked like he was going through fifty existential crisis all at the same time, meanwhile Ace was debating on what he should express. Either way they were all mortified.

"They don't like him, they're just being nice! Yuu is nice all the time, they always smile at us!" the grey monster retorted, denying any further supposition. "Well..not like that." They flipped their heads towards the pair, and Yuu's hand rested on Rollo's shoulder as he chuckled nervously.

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"Could you imagine? You trying to take over the world again? What a joke ! I would bury you alive honestly!" the non-magic student exclaimed as they broke into another loud laughter. Rollo could only nod along a little offended but mostly nervous, "Right yes no that would- that won't ever happen." "Yes because I will actually force-feed you the flowers you tried killing us with."

"😨"

"😄"

Yay. Part 3 coming up soon.

[six-eyed-samurai]

LONGTIME SECRETARY

The only ones who could fall in love with Tecchou (besides us, his fanbase) is someone who’s known him for a long, long time, inside out and realizes him for the silly boy he is. And let's say that someone is his secretary…

🌸O-kay, first to get down on how you both met. It's probably when Tecchou has just started his Hunting Dog career and they sort of realize…he doesn't exactly have the most conventional of habits and diet, so the higher ups decided he needed someone to keep him in check and perhaps tone down his more questionable tastes.

🌸That’s where you come in, hired as a “secretary” (because he's also probably horrible at paperwork) but you're more of a PA than anything. What else? Your job also requires you to ensure he doesn't consume anything too…uh…yeah

🌸How does Tecchou feel about this? A little confused as to why he needs someone following him around like this and maybe put out at how everyone doesn't understand why the food needs to be colour coordinated but you're actually super nice and apologetic when you have to replace his food with something more edible

🌸Actually, as time goes by, he gets even more enamored by you!

🌸You don't sigh in exasperation when he squats down to look at ants. In fact you just worry about whether crouching in that position is a good idea for long periods of time and so fetch him a chair or at least something to sit on. Sometimes you even watch ants with him! Tecchou’s more than happy to yap about them to someone other than Jouno, and you're actually such a better listener because Jouno thinks it's a waste of time

🌸You never rush him if he’s running late for a meeting or an appointment, or when he’s late from coming from one. He finds the feeling of you fussing (was he was stressed from all the back-to-back meetings? You could rearrange his schedule if he wanted; has he drunk enough water, was the surgery painful?) and taking off his coat for him…oddly sweet. Domestic is the word. He thinks he might be still woozy from the surgery because why else was he imagining a fantasy of where you both were married, you his precious spouse sending to him after a long day of work? So if course he says so!

(”You’d make a good spouse.”

Okay, out of all the out of context things Tecchou might’ve said this week, this one took the cake. You opened and shut your mouth, bewildered but…uh, complimented? “That’s…nice. Why the sudden…?”

“I just think you would.”

“Um, why?”

“You clean up after me a lot without any complaints. And you're good with food. You handle everybody the same way as well.” Tecchou frowns. “That sounds sexist. It's not what I meant.”

You're just a bright ray of sweet sunshine, he meant, in the storm of Hunting Dog work, making everybody's day with your signature smile, patience and helpfulness. Or maybe that's just him.

“Oh no, don't worry.” Your eyes soften. “I get what you mean…and thanks, Tecchou-san.”

“I think anyone will be lucky to marry you. You'd take care of them well. You're a really good secretary too.”

“Haha, let's not go to the topic of marriage yet…you've still got two meetings, remember?”

Tecchou's still thinking about other things though. “Huh. It's kinda like you're married to me then. Sometimes you do stuff for me even though you didn't need to.”

With that he strode off with those ridiculously long legs, leaving you gaping and wait, he had noticed all of that?!)

🌸You don't judge him for randomly doing push ups during meetings either. Obviously it took you a few times, always getting startled when you walk in to inform him of things and instead nearly trip over him before you finally got used to it. After a few more times, Tecchou even managed to convince you to sit or stand on his back - he'll deny it but he feels really…something he's not quite sure of when you reluctantly do it, but it's a good feeling! Like he's…proud? But of what?

🌸He was a bit put off by how you kept following him around whenever he went out to eat but after you sheepishly explained it was an important part of your job and didn’t really have a choice about it, Tecchou decided to just leave it be. Understandably he was confused as to why he couldn’t eat a hard boiled egg with the shell still on (it’s the most nutritious part, don’t you know?) but then you pointed out the egg whites could match a shade of white bread, giving him a more reasonable diet. The same goes for the fries he was going to eat with bananas, the matcha he was dumping on spinach noodles, the frog eggs you secretly replaced with chia seeds…let’s just say you managed to give him a more acceptable meal and nicely while you were at it, stunning the rest of the Hunting Dogs.

🌸Little did you know one of the reasons he actually agreed to these changes were so that he could share his food with you - he’d picked up on the fact you’d politely declined to some of his tastes, but not on that he had actually been subconsciously wanting to copy the couples who fed each other…until Tecchou attempted to spoon feed you.

(”Mphm!” Your head tilted back in surprise, the spoon your boss had just stuck into your mouth dangling from your lips. You pulled it out, startled and flustered. “Tecchou-san, what was that for?”

He blinked. “I thought you liked miso soup?”

“No, no, I do but…why’d you stick the spoon in my…mouth?” A reason popped into your mind and it made you extremely embarrassed. “Are…you trying to feed me?”

“Sorry, perhaps I aimed it wrong.” Tecchou gestured at the couple making goo-goo eyes at each other while sharing a bowl of ramen at the next booth happily, obliviously. “I saw them doing that-”

“Tecchou-san, that’s what couples do when they date.” You stifled a laugh. “I can feed myself, but thank you for trying. Maybe a little warning next time?”

“Oh. I thought friends did that as well.”

“We’re friends?” You pondered on it for a while - your relationship, while a little too friendly to be considered just boss and secretary, had never been fully defined before. But it was kind of nice. You broke into a smile. “If you say so.”

And though he was the one to call you both friends Tecchou didn’t recognize the ache to be something more growing in his chest.)

🌸Unbeknownst to Tecchou, he's starting to develop a crush on his cute, caring secretary and the signs are beginning to show - very obviously to his co-workers.

🌸It’s clear as day to Jouno, who can hear the very, very slight speeding up of Tecchou's heart rate whenever you show up. He also notices the insane amount of times Tecchou has managed to bring you up in conversation, even for the most mundane of instructions. Jouno might be blind, but it's not like he can't notice how Tecchou attempts to be funny with his broken, serious sense of humour for you.

(”Wait…I'm sorry, I didn't get the joke…? It's very unlike you to make a pun as well, Tecchou-san.”

“I read on Facebook what making jokes with colleagues will help improve relationships so I decided to give it a try.”

“That's very old of you to use Facebook, Tecchou,” Jouno butts in sarcastically.

“Thank you. Is it working?”

You snort. “It is on me, I fear.”)

🌸He's failing miserably, Jouno thinks, even though you laughed. It's very irritating to see Tecchou so distracted by some secretary, so of course Jouno is going to do his best to push them together otherwise he won't focus on missions!

🌸Tachihara notices it when one day Tecchou stopped stopping to stare at ants. Or if he did, it was more of carefully selecting several ants to stow away previously in a container with holes. Confused, he asks him about it - and Tecchou calmly replies that you said his looking at ants was a tad distracting to missions and the higher ups have requested you do something about it, so doing your best to accommodate both sides you got Tecchou an ant farm, which he was…”ant-napping those insects for?!”

🌸Tachihara wonders how Tecchou finds the time to take care of the farm but his fellow Hunting Dog informs him you help out a lot, which reminds him, he should probably take you out to dinner in return. Tachihara’s about to argue he's not exactly supposed to pay you like that until he remembers this is how the both of you are and concludes you must be dating in secret, leaving Tecchou a little bewildered as to why Tachihara told him to bring flowers and chocolates, but he takes the suggestion to heart (you're flattered. Flustered, but flattered).

🌸If asked Fukuchi will say he saw it coming from a mile away (he did not). He DID spot some signs: namely, how Tecchou was prone to constantly texting or calling or emailing or however it was youngsters these days messaged each other you when they were away from headquarters, sometimes for reasons not even work related, brings you up in conversations often, wants to know everyone's opinion on you and makes offhand comments on how good you like occasionally.

🌸But that's about it. Fukuchi did not see any budding romance mostly because he'd oblivious and he didn't think that would happen after you accidentally drank his soy sauce latte one day.

🌸Teruko’s doesn't give a rat’s ass about her subordinates relationships or who they hire or what they do but she'll make a special case for Tecchou: he's got terrible taste in food usually, so obviously she'll suddenly observe how he's eating a more socially acceptable palate and what's this she hears about Tecchou pining over his secretary?

🌸She corners him one day to demand answer because of totally work related reasons (Teruko wants the tea) and announces he and you MUST be in a secret relationship so you both better not be doing anything you're not supposed to in front of Fukuchi, keep the mushy stuff to yourself!

(Tecchou is about to correct her, not wanting you to get uncomfortable if what she says gets around, but realises he is…not opposed to the idea at all - apart from the Fukuchi part, he means. Teruko walks away triumphantly, believing his silence is a “yes”, not knowing it's actually because his brain is still processing the fact that he might just have a crush on you.)

🌸When does he fully come to terms that he's fallen in love with you though?

🌸Sorry pal, about several years later. He's the epitome of slow burn.

🌸Hey, at least when he does, every day becomes take-your-spouse-to-work-day and your pay rise comes in kisses~

[moonlit-dreamers]

sorry i kinda went insane after the last eaps vid and i. im obsessed with the new sun OTL

anyway heres some shippy rambles bc i just cant help myself <3 (for context i call the new sun "sunbeam")

eclipse doesnt like sunbeam. at all. hes annoying, loud, erratic, unpredictable but worst of all- clingy. so, *so* horribly clingy. its very obvious that sunbeam is touch starved and he often takes advantage of eclipses near constant tired state and quick acceptance of situations he knows he cant get out of. and when sunbeam latches on, he latches *on*. trying to pry him off is like trying to pull apart metal welded together. the only way hes getting off is if he decides to leave himself.

this often leads to situations where eclipse is trying to do something while sunbeam is wrapped around his arm and following behind or beside him. at first eclipse would fight and try to pry him off but over time hes come to accept that once sunbeam has clinged on he just isnt coming off. any questions that eclipse receives about the situation r swiftly ignored and switched to a different topic.

another thing that sunbeam does (that makes eclipse mildly want to pull his wires out) is visit eclipse every chance he gets. every day, without fail, when the daycare closes he immediately runs to eclipse in the theater lobby. it became a routine even after all the times eclipse tried to push him away.

sunbeam also frequently *insists* that theyre friends despite how much eclipse denies it. eclipse is sunbeams best friend while eclipse just views him as an annoyance. but every time he tries to deny it sunbeam just laughs and says that eclipse is very funny and that its a good joke.

eclipse could do many things to scare sunbeam away but hes just too tired at this point. sunbeam isnt *actually* stopping him from doing anything so... is it really so bad?

and maybe one day sunbeam has a *really* shitty day and all he wants to do is cry and be comforted. so, ofc, he goes to eclipse. i mean- who else can he go to?

but he finds eclipse and somehow manages to make him concerned bc sunbeam was so *quiet*. something was wrong and sunbeam wouldnt say anything and *god damnit* he doesnt know how to deal with this shit! so eventually he just asks wut sunbeam needs and he just latches onto eclipses arm and starts tugging him to follow. eclipse just allows himself to be dragged (bc wtf else is he supposed to do?? sunbeam wouldnt let go anyway).

eventually they make it up to the room in the tower and sunbeam just points at the couch. eclipse is, obviously, very confused. tho he assumes sunbeam wants him to sit so he does. and almost instantly sunbeam is curled up on his lap like a cat and clinging onto him like eclipse might disappear if he doesnt hold tight enough.

and now eclipse is completely stuck and internally yelling at himself for not only letting this happen but also for somewut enjoying it

[vickyvicarious]

Let me begin with facts—bare, meagre facts, verified by books and figures, and of which there can be no doubt. I must not confuse them with experiences which will have to rest on my own observation, or my memory of them.

Jonathan's only written a few entries, but already this is the second or third time he's said something like this. He's trying so hard not to get carried away by his fears... and now he's also being cautious of his own memories and observations that don't have associated proof. This is especially interesting in light of the fact that he writes this line before he witnesses the wall-crawling. In fact, the first half of his entry is all about stuff that happened yesterday ("Last evening when the Count came from his room..."). So we actually might have a gap of most of a day before Jonathan writes about the conversation and the letters. Granted, in the "later" entry he does say "When he left me I went to my room." But I'm not sure if that means the later entry is about the same day, or if it is picking up with events of today. After all, it does seem to be the case that Dracula speaks with Jonathan every day. The reason I wonder if it might be about the next day is this shift in tone:

I endorse the last words written, but this time there is no doubt in question. I shall not fear to sleep in any place where he is not. I have placed the crucifix over the head of my bed—I imagine that my rest is thus freer from dreams; and there it shall remain.

After seeing Dracula on the wall, Jonathan no longer doubts his own observation. He couldn't have imagined something like this, and in the wake of it he mentions sleep quite specifically. This is sort of picking up on the last thing Dracula said to him in the earlier part of today's entry, but with a different emphasis. Dracula told him not to sleep elsewhere but his rooms. Jonathan listened, but... actually, let me just put the quote up here:

"Let me advise you, my dear young friend—nay, let me warn you with all seriousness, that should you leave these rooms you will not by any chance go to sleep in any other part of the castle. It is old, and has many memories, and there are bad dreams for those who sleep unwisely. Be warned! Should sleep now or ever overcome you, or be like to do, then haste to your own chamber or to these rooms, for your rest will then be safe. But if you be not careful in this respect, then"—He finished his speech in a gruesome way, for he motioned with his hands as if he were washing them. I quite understood; my only doubt was as to whether any dream could be more terrible than the unnatural, horrible net of gloom and mystery which seemed closing around me.

Dracula claims Jonathan's rest will be safe within his own room, and his warning, though vague, centers mostly around bad dreams. Jonathan says he doubted any dream could be worse than his reality. But he opened the entry saying he had to stick only to facts, and alluded to some other horror he wasn't mentioning. So this leaves two possibilities:

The wall-crawling happened on the same day, and Jonathan had to quit his entry and take some time to process it before he was willing to accept what he had seen. He knew the content of both entries before beginning to write today. (If Dracula is leaving to post the letters, then it makes sense of him to do so on the same day, which supports this.)

The conversation was yesterday, and the wall-crawling today. The things Jonathan alluded to in the first part of the entry seem likely to be terrible dreams. He was doubtful about putting down anything except facts corroborated by books and figures, until he saw Dracula on the wall. Then he realized his terrible dreams might have a supernatural cause, and took steps to protect himself.

Regardless of the timing here, Jonathan's wording ("freer from dreams" implying he already is having them) suggests he has been having nightmares. I think the context of him saying he won't be afraid to sleep where Dracula isn't and him using the crucifix which has protected him from Dracula once already heavily implies those terrible dreams involve the Count himself.

Now, I personally don't believe that Dracula is currently drinking Jonathan's blood. I've got lots of reasoning there but it gets into spoilers that I'm keeping out of this post. However, I wonder if he might be magically influencing Jonathan's dreams (at least, the possibility that Jonathan thinks he might be seems reasonable). Or maybe Jonathan's dreams are taking all of the suspicions he hasn't been admitted to out loud and expanding upon them. Maybe he's even having some degree of hypnagogic hallucinations - if he's sleep-deprived and scared and the nighttime schedule is messing him up, then I could see that. Maybe he keeps thinking he's seen Dracula coming into his room in the night, and he's not sure whether it was just a dream or real (he has done so very silently before). That could tie in to Jonathan being hesitant to mention some things he has seen that aren't verifiable, even before the wall-climbing.

Of course, then that raises the question why he wouldn't mention his dreams after his perspective shifts. It's possible that he dismisses those experiences as just dreams, unlike what he definitely witnessed while fully awake. Perhaps in comparison to much more vivid sights/experiences he finds them unreal after all. And hey, maybe he never even had those specific types of dream/hallucinations - it might have just been more typical nightmares.

Regardless, it's fun to think about. The nightmares existing and featuring Dracula at least, I fully believe, regardless of the timing question I've raised here.

[weenwrites]

REQUEST: TFP! Optimus and TFP! Ultra Magnus with a human S/O who doesn't believe in (and also condemns) the "family by bond, not by blood" principle; S/O despises said concept, saying that said concept is used to manipulate people, and also make people feel weak.

In addition, both Autobots find the reason why S/O condemns this human concept: This is because S/O's family made them act this way due to S/O's toxic relationships with their family, preventing S/O from making friendships (In severe cases, it leads to unlawful acts commited by S/O's family, not by S/O). Following their discovery, S/O justifies that they live with fear 24/7 before saying this phrase: "Not everyone in this ever-declining world are good people; also not everyone deserves to live. And not everyone deserves a second chance, nor a redemption. I hope you keep this in mind."

For context: Remember that episode from TFP, where Ultra Magnus learns and understands the "family" concept from Optimus following his fight with Predaking? This request was inspired from that episode.

Notes: Abusive relationships; angst, etc.

Feel free if this makes you feel uncomfortable.

✎ A/N: I'm not actually sure whether I should tag with any TWs this since I vaguely mention abusive relationships in what I wrote. But if you think I should tag this post, please let me know!

[ Please do not repost, plagiarize, or use my writing for AI! Translating my work with proper credit is acceptable, but please ask first! ]

Optimus Prime

During his time on Earth, he's noticed that everyone seems to have a different definition of the term "family". Some definitions—like yours, for example—directly contradict the dictionary definition of the word "family". He's wondered if the difference in the definitions is because of the ideal vs. the definition of the actual word itself, and so far that seems to be the case to him.

He doesn't think any differently of you for the way you view family because of your life experiences. He respects the way you see it, and he's much fonder of your idea of "family" more than the dictionary definition of it. And though he hasn't experienced what you have, he can see how the term "family by blood" can be harmful to those who have horrible families.

However, some of his beliefs contradict a couple of yours. For example, he's willing to give almost—emphasis on almost—anyone a second chance if he sees that they're willing to take the initiative to change. He's willing to give second chances to even people who you think might not deserve them. And whether this causes friction in your relationship depends on how the both of you deal with your differences.

And when you tell him that some people don't deserve second chances, that doesn't come as anything new to him. He's heard it before from soldiers and even Ratchet's tried to get it through to him. He knows, yet regardless of how many times he hears this, he will still abide by his moral compass, and do things as he deems necessary.

Ultra Magnus

The human concept of "family" was once all too confusing to him. One second, the kids told him that "family" are people who are genetically related to them. The next, they said that they consider the other autobots their family (a statement which directly contradicts their previous definition of the word...). So what is he supposed to believe here? That one chooses their own family? Or that family is something you can't change?

But when he meets you, he finds that your definition of "family" is much easier and straight-forward to understand. And after learning about all the horrible things that your "family" put you through... He can understand why you would hate that principle, and why you would hate to have those people be associated as your "family" because you share the same blood.

He would actually agree with the way you view the world. It's full of complicated people. He's seen some of the most disgusting and despicable people in the war from both the autobot and decepticon factions, and at times he can't quite understand why some people such as Optimus strive to give horrible people a second chance. Perhaps he's being too distrustful, but he's just being cautious. After all, he's in a war where he doesn't know if today will be his last or if he'll still have a base to return to the next day.

[daffodil-mania]

Dream a Little Dream of Me

Sam Winchester x fem!Reader. Hurt/comfort, fluff. This fic includes swearing and graphic descriptions of violence.

Author’s notes: This is my first fic; please be gentle (or don’t; up to you). I started this at like,,,, 5AM a week ago and have been slowly chipping away at it ever since. For context this takes place sometime between S1 and S2, although the time honestly does not matter at all. Might write more fics; might not. Who knows? Anyways, enjoy!

—

It always starts the same way.

He always flops down onto the motel bed, sighing deeply and closing his eyes as his limbs stretch out over the mattress. He inhales, burying his face in the pillow that your scent still clings to, hiding a small smile as he does. The shower’s on and he debates sneaking in and joining you. He rolls over, pondering. He stays like that for a few seconds, arms folded behind his head when he feels it.

Drip.

Something wet falls on the side of his nose. His brow wrinkles in confusion as it slowly slides down over his cheekbone towards his hair. Without opening his eyes, he wipes it away. It was raining pretty hard earlier; he can tell the ceiling has been cheaply and improperly repaired several times. They’re always shitty and damaged in places like this, no wonder it leaks…

Drip.

This time a droplet lands on his right eyelid. His frown deepens as he wipes it off and opens his eyes to look at his fingers. It takes his brain a second to process what he’s seeing.

His stomach sinks. He whips his head up to the ceiling as bile rises in his throat. And there you are. It seems you never even made it into the shower; you’re still in your clothes from earlier. Jeans and a white tee shirt. Your hair is spread around your head like a halo. Your mouth is open, your expression one of fixed horror. You’re looking right at him but you don’t see him, your gaze a million miles away, comprehending something too horrible for words. As he registers the weeping red gash over your womb, your eyes snap to his and he knows you see him now. He’s right there. So close. You start to mouth his name when you erupt in flames. His shouts merge with your sobbing shrieks. All he can do is sit and watch helplessly as you burn. The stench of smoke and smoldering flesh starts to fill his lungs, choking him. And then someone grips him tight, maybe Dean, calling for him to wake up, wake up—

And he does. But it’s not Dean holding him; it’s you. Sam gapes at you, panting hard as sweat and tears roll down his face. You’re saying something but he doesn’t hear it. He surges forward and wraps his arms around you in an attempt to calm his panicked mind and assure himself that you’re real. You’re here and you’re safe and—

��—Sam, baby, it’s okay, I’m here, you’re okay, we’re safe, honey, we’re safe, Sam please look at me—” He manages to peel himself out of your embrace, his eyes taking in every inch of your perfect, unharmed face. Your scared eyes are wet with worried tears, brow knitted in concern. One of his hands comes up to cup the side of your face and you eagerly press a comparatively tiny one of your own against it, holding it in place. “You’re okay,” he exhales. You nod. “Yeah, I’m okay.” He bobs his head in a nod and wraps his arms around you again. Your arms instantly go around him, one over his shoulders to cradle his head and one across his back. You start to stroke his back as he relaxes, nuzzling his wet face into your neck.

You break the silence by asking if he wants to talk about his dream. Sam murmurs his dissent into your neck. You nod again. “Okay. Okay, that’s fine. What do you need right now?” You inquire quietly. “Jus’ need this.” He responds, his voice laden with sleep and sadness. His mouth feels like it’s full of cotton. He wishes desperately that he could talk to you about his dream but he just can’t. Maybe one day… but not now. He isn’t strong enough now to tell you how paranoid the dreams make him. How guilty. Because you’ve replaced Jessica on that ceiling and while he loves you a part of him still can’t let her go. And the anger… the hopelessness… it’s almost too much for him.

But the safety he feels in your arms makes those feelings vanish almost as quickly as they come… almost. He’s calmed down significantly but there’s still that gnawing anxious feeling in his gut. Sam pushes against it, willing it to go away, and wishes that the two of you could stay like this forever; tangled together between soft sheets and even softer I love yous. He doesn’t have to think when the two of you are like this; he can just let go for a minute. Well, except for you, of course. He won’t ever let you go.

He pulls you closer against him somehow and you let out an “oof” in feigned protest. You maneuver the two of you around a bit so that you’re both on your sides, his toned stomach pressed against your soft belly, legs comfortably intertwined. You wrap your arms around him and now its Sam’s turn to rest his chin on the top of your head. He wraps his arms around you; one snakes up and around your back so that his hand rests on your shoulder blade, the other is slung around your waist. A few minutes pass quietly in the darkness before you tilt your head back to look up at him. “Feeling better?” He nods, and cranes his neck so that he can gently press a kiss to your lips. A lump begins to form in his throat when you kiss him back, blocking all of the words he wants to stay from bubbling up and out of his mouth. So instead, you speak for him. “I love you, too.” You whisper softly. He presses your foreheads together, closing his eyes gently as he does. You rub soothing circles into his back and that coupled with the exhaustion that now rests heavily on him starts to drag him into a (hopefully) peaceful slumber.

As he starts to fade out of consciousness he can vaguely make out the sound of you humming. He forces himself to focus for a second and recognizes the tune; it’s A Mamas & The Papas song that you told him your mother used to sing to you as a lullaby. You’ve hummed it to him a few times before on nights like these. Satisfied, he relaxes, and falls into a mercifully dreamless sleep.

—

Author’s notes: Attached is the version of the song I referenced/borrowed the fic name from. I always found it slightly creepy when I was younger (and still kind of do, tbh). Check it out :)

[quill-of-thoth]

Letters from Watson, the Engineer's Thumb

Crimes in Context: Counterfeiting, circa 1889

What coins were the Stark-Becher gang trying to make, anyway? And did they actually need a person squishing hydraulic press to do it?

Most of the cash in circulation in Victorian England would have been coins, so it's time to refresh our memories on what they all are, since I last addressed currency smaller than a pound in The Man with the Twisted Lip. We will be restricting ourselves to denominations that the Stark-Becher gang may have been minting, based on the comment that the hydraulic press was necessary to make coins that were previously minted in silver.

Imperial Currency Definitions

Pound/Quid/Sovereign: Not applicable, the Sovereign coin is gold, but it's the base unit of the currency we're dealing with. It also would have been hard to pass as genuine just because it's a large denomination - the era's equivalent of a hundred dollar bill. Indeed, our Bank of England inflation calculator returns a modern value of £107.

Crown: Five shillings / a quarter pound. Represented by a silver coin. Probably the largest coin you'd make change for without being annoyed by it.

Shilling: 1/20th of a pound. A silver coin. Crowns and Shillings are our most likely candidates, as they're in common use in 1889 and is the kind of cash an average man might have on hand. I personally think shillings are the most likely coin to counterfeit, as a lot of accounting of people's wages, expenses, etc. in this time period is written as pounds / shillings / pennies (L/s/d) and silver pennies (And their horrible spawn of sixpence, twopence, etc) are probably not worth the effort. Also, while there were silver pennies in circulation, the fact that things like silver twopence were minted for maundy money makes the timeline and consistency of their minting beyond my pay grade as a blogger. And probably confusing for a coiner to get exactly right, given the payoff. Hydraulic press:

Modern (paper*) money is printed with several aspects that make it harder to reproduce: the exact fiber content of the paper, the multi layered and detailed design (with parts that can only be seen under UV light, parts that can only be seen with a magnifying glass, etc.), the embossed parts of the print design, and the exact chemical components of the ink can be analyzed to see if a note is authentic. The ink in US dollars also contains a smattering of heavy metals that aren't great for human health, so I don't recommend consuming money in any way - don't lick it, don't snort things off it, don't put it in your blender for a science fair project. It would be chemically somewhat dangerous to counterfeit modern currency at home, assuming you got anywhere close to the right ink.

*Some countries use polymer, but same difference. It will kill your blender, though.

The Victorians did... none of that, really. The idea of designing money to be harder to fake was already around, but metal coins can only be produced to a certain degree of precision with the tools that were available in the 1800's: you essentially heat a disk of the correct metal (a blank) and press it with a stamp. The hydraulic press would, of course, squash blanks between two plates of stamps precisely, and with great force.

Both silver and gold have relatively low melting points (under 2,000 degrees F / close to 1,000 C) and are malleable at lower temperatures than the iron or steel of a hydraulic press. Silver amalgam (a silver/mercury alloy) has an even lower melting point, so it would be even easier to fit to a mold.

Essentially, anybody who knew much about molding metal and could get a precise-ish model of the coin in question would make pretty convincing money. A hydraulic press large enough to fit three grown men between the plates of may have been overkill.

[neverlearnedtoread]

Spinning Silver

⭐⭐⭐⭐; the staryk king and mirnatius with the word 'wife' on the board: there's only one thing more horrible than a wife.... *rips off paper* MY wife

Oh?? 👌😉😏

women are fucking amazing and wonderful and terrifying and unequivocal badasses. especially to their husbands. it's about the fantasy of a marriage you have no control over being perfectly suited to you in ways you didn't even know it could

inhuman fae creatures that actually have a separate culture and set of rules they are governed by. they're much more powerful than humans, of course, but they are bound to their laws, and if you're smart you can work with that

fairytale-esque magic system that relies heavily on (1) trickery (2) Having Audacity and (3) the rule of threes 😉. we love a soft magic system that rewards big swings and BDE!

not one, but TWO separate arranged marriages engaged in HEATED pvp AKA two people bound in hostile matrimony trying to kill each other while having 'wait, are they hot? fuck!' moments

you can be cold and practical and still be a good person. you can be strong enough to protect yourself without sacrificing others. with a good enough grasp of contracts you can force a demon to leave your kingdom AND husband unharmed in a 2-for-1 deal

No.. ❌🤢🤮

multiple POVs with no names for chapter titles so you have to figure out who it is from context clues - if you're like me and love a little puzzle to go with your reading time, you'll really enjoy it (Novik does it VERY well) but if you get confused easily or don't wanna put in the brainpower its annoying and overly complicated

if you don't like enemies-to-lovers where they actually argue and are ideologically opposed, you're not gonna enjoy the romance subplots. this is not a 'forbidden-lovers' kinda enemies-to-lovers. this is firmly in the 'my husband misses me a lot - but his aim is getting better!' zone

really quick wrap up - it gets tied up a little too fast after the final confrontation with the Big Bad. i wouldve liked at least to have irina POV at the end because her side of things just. gets left hanging

Summary: Miryem is a daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, and though her father doesn't have the hardheartedness to be a good one, she'd rather be despised for what she's owed than starve. Her knack for the trade, coupled with her sharp tongue, draws the ire of her village, and even more alarmingly, the Staryk's attentions; faerie creatures who only covet gold, they take her offhanded boast that she can turn silver into gold quite literally, and show up at her door to hold her true to her careless words - which, honestly, kind of backfires on them when she rises to the challenge and upends their realm into complete disarray, so maybe there's a lesson there for the next group of nonhumans to learn: don't bet the house against a human girl whose Had Enough Of All This Bullshit. She might win.

Concept: 💭💭💭 I don't know Rumpelstiltskin's story very well, and Ice Kingdom aesthetics aren't my favourite (you can blame it on my residual dislike of Frozen), but I DID read Uprooted before this. I wasn't as into the book blurb as I was with Uprooted, but I'm an experienced (and opinionated) enough reader to know when to trust my gut - if I find an author's writing style easy to read, and I enjoy how they handle their themes, I'm not afraid of diving into deep waters. If it's that bad, I can always DNF

Execution: 💥💥💥💥 As I've come to expect with Novik's writing, a wonderfully easy read; the storytelling voice flows smoothly and makes me want to keep on reading. No slogging through difficult to understand passages and too slow pacing for me! I instantly wanted to collect every POV character like puppies in a basket, no matter how brief their sections were. I will say the ending does forget what it wants to say and simply ends on a happy note, instead of a complete thought. It doesn't tie in the POV characters together strongly enough - I would've loved to see an epilogue scenes with the 3 main female characters supporting each other, or at least being three distinct Bad Bitches!

Personal Enjoyment: ❤❤❤❤❤ Mostly because of Irina and Miryem (and Wanda)'s absolute BDE. They truly brought their stories to life and felt very dynamic, constantly driving the story forward through their actions, especially because their personalities and characteristics were so well-suited to the challenges they faced (Miryem rules-lawyering the Staryk, Irina taking to politics, Wanda keeping faith despite all the shit she's been through). Honorary shoutout to the complete hilarity of Mirnatius's POV (though ultimately it IS more indulgence than necessity, I respect Novik for it) - may he spend the rest of his life desperately drawing his wife in vain search of her bad angles!

Favourite Moment: the running gag of mirnatius losing his fucking mind trying to prove irina isn't hot. you know that post that's like 'find a blorbo to draw and your art skills will start improving so much faster'? irina is his blorbo. special mention of the scene he gets jealous realizing a random guard has a crush on his behated wife and immediately jumps to the conclusion that irina would want to fuck the guard for the sake of the kingdom. babygirl the hoops you are jumping........where is this gymnastics routine even going 😭 this man is not beating the meow meow allegations..

Favourite Character: It's really a tie between Miryem and Irina, who are both so similar yet different at the same time. Miryem's BDE was enjoyably explosive - she throws it in everyone's face, which is perfect to play off of the Staryk's otherworldly impassiveness. Irina's BDE was a lot more...steely. Quietly coming into her own as she realized how adept she was at politics, and how perfectly well-suited that made her to being tsarina - and when they finally met each other? it was so funny when were like 'hey...why dont we kill our husbands via pokemon battle??'

[writing-sideblog-behind-books]

Tgcf au where they time travel to the moment that changed their lives

A suspicion blooms in mqs mind and he tries something. "How old are you?" Fx startles clearly not having expected the question. "I was born in the blorb year of the xianle dynasty" His response isn't an answer but its a hint. Fx is a straightforward person and would've said his age if were as simple as mq thinks it isn't. "Why?" Clearly fx isn't willing to risk his secret as easily as that. "I was just wondering if our age was something shared" well neitger is mq. The ball is back in fxs court. "Well how old are you?" Fx seems to be catching on that this might be a secret shared. Something glints in his eyes. Something like hope. "Not sure. What's the year" the glint dies and mq realizes why his answer was wrong. Mq genuinely doesn't know what year it is. He know he was born in year blorb of xianle but hes unsure when exactly his father was killed and he accepted into xie lians service. He only knows it was somewhere after 10 and somewhere between 15, but age has blurred the memories of his time at the palace. A pretty and young person without power doesn't have it easy. Ten would have been too young, too close to fx coming to the palace. Fifteen was when his mothers health took a turn for the worse and he had already been at the palace.

Bit fx doesn't know that fxll think that mq is a disoriented from his time in poverty, aware of how it makes time crawl and extend and diminish one's understanding of it. Mq also refuses to risk it in case fx doesn't share his secret so he tries something else. "You know i used to have a friend." The abrupt change in the conversation seems to confuse fx but for now he keeps listening "his name was nan fang. Sometimes you remind me of him." No one in this time could truly understand what he means by that without knowing the context of the future. Fx gets it. "Well you remind me of fu yao. I uswd to spar with him." A smile emerges on his face. "Im glad you're here. It's been so lonely here." Mq understands not being seen for who you are and having no one by his side. "How long have you been here?" "Since i was accepted as xie lians companion at eight, five years ago. You're 13 btw. You just arrived?" "Yeah. This morning."

* When hc falls once again during the parade and xl catches him fq force the parade to continue and xl backs them. Hc is a tiny dirty child and he looks terrified but when xl presses him into mq's hands during a moment they are close enough for the action to be overlooked he doesn't struggle. Mq hides him as best in his dark, flowing robes - the are supposed to resemble a horrible night where the monster lurks. And as xl deals the "killing blow" he hides him in the folds. Xl makes a big show of his skills and while he draws the attention mq vanishes to the guards. He hands fx the tiny hc. "At least five." He nods to fx a reminder of their earlier promise before quickly changing into another stashed mask and getting a different sword, then returning to the stage. It was never the plan for xl to only face one demon during the ten rounds. It would habe gotten tedious and there were many more stories of jun wu's glory to act out. For thw first round mq is to play different ghosts jw beat. At round six there will be dancers to tell another of jun wu's tales while xl gets a break. in round eight xl will fight against eight, then nine then ten. Standing the victor in the last round. All but their fight scenes are carefully choreographed, the steps having been decided on months ago. Technically they also have a Skript to follow but that went out the window when they began fighting for real in round two. They keep going and by the time the dancers get their turn mq has changed mask and weapon two more times. His body is burning and his spiritual energy straining. He feels so exhausted he doesn't know how xie lian plans to manage the last three rounds. He's exhilarated. Maybe they shouldn't have fought for real but it was so much fun. Xl is sweaty and flushed as he sits down and starts drinking from the prepared glass. There is an exhilarated air to him too. They have about two sticks of incense (30 minutes) before its xl's turn again and mq gets to work immediately. He fixes any one xl's hair that got loose, layers his clothing new so it doesn't look as disseveles. And re does his makeup. Xl asks about the child and mq tells him he gave them to fx and they can look after and xl concedes easily. When the time is up xl looks as refreshed as he did that morning and mq is pleased with his work as re refixes tge mask, sturdier this time. So it won't fall of again. Then the dancers are chased away by "ghosts" and xl gets back on stage to "defend them. Following the pre planned steps perfectly. Mq changes out of his billowing robes into the dark grey, tight ones the others have and grabs a mask and sword identical to theirs then jumps in when round nine begins on his cue.

When the parade is finished and hailed as a big success xl is celebrated by the court and chewed out a bit for the stunt at the beginning and what happened in round three but praised for everything after. Mq stands in his shadow and he can feel how impatient they both are to get away. Finally everyone has congratulated xl and they are free to leave. Fx and the tiny hc are waiting for them in blorb. Hc still looks distressed and immediately starts clinging to xl and bawling. Mq is pretty sure this didn't happen the last time. But more he feels awkward and pitiful at seeing a child so young in distress. He looks to be around ten and while mq knows the potential the child has to grow he doesn't look like that now. He just looks like a tiny, distressed, terrified child. Fx had the foresight to clean him a bit this time but he's still to dirty to be clinging to xl's robes and bawling into them.

Hc it terrified. Hes small powerless and there are people all around him. Then there's a push and he falls. Its a feelig so familiar. Then there are warm arms enveloping him and his highness smiling down. Warmth fills hc but there is no recognition in his highness eyes and he's still tiny and powerless. Then there are swords clashing, his highness face hidden by a mask and suddenly he's pressed against the chest of a masked actor. It's all to much. Then they move fast enough the world blurs and the actor speaks revealing himself the traitor friend as he presses hc into the others arms. Then they are gone. The other friend tells the guards to ensure the parade continues and they follow. After ensuring the parade continues he takes hq to blorb where he blorb. Then after hours of this finally his highness returns, flushed and beautiful. Something in hc snaps at the sight of him and as soon as he feels his touch again he's crying.

"You can't stay at the palace." Mq tells hc "you wouldn't want to." Hed be seen as a stain on xl as a pity project and with daily meals and weekly baths he'd soon enough be pretty for horrible rich people to take a liking to him. Mq wants to spare him that but he also knows hc has no where to go and wants to stay with his highness. Fx is the one to get the solution and break the stalemate on mq's side but not against hc. "You mother." Mq hates it but it would be a great fit for their problem. Hc would get a home, mq's mother a helping hand, mq could easily visit them both. Hc wouldn't nessecarily get to see his highness but it would be the ideal solution. If it did not involve crimson rain sought flower living with his mother. Still, in the end there doesn't find itself a better answer so mq consedes. Hc is powerless and if he grows fond of mqs mother maybe hell be alright to help her when mq isn't able to get the time during busy weeks.

Hc isn't entirely sure why he agreed but now he's living with the traitor friends mother. She tries to raise him and he is instructed to bring her her medicine and make sure she eats. It's not all that bad, her hands in his hair comforting and her voice soothing. It's been to long since his mother died and even throgh this time distortion she's alteady dead. He missed her by two months. Weekly mq comes and brings money, cherries and a bag of rice he bought. Sometimes fx comes with. Xl never does - too busy and too under guard - but grudgingly they tell him how he fares and what he's doing. It's a huge step down from his time as a ghost but so much better that when he was alive. Hc is content. Much to his surprise. He's not as obsessed with xl, though he still loves his highness above all. He hadn't realized how much being a ghost changed him. He'll thinks maybe he doesn't want to die but gamblers den and ghost city need to be build and ni mortal and no god could hold it.

[lemonluvgirl]

Okay, Chica - A G rated prompt: Katniss gets goosebumps when she holds Peeta's hands.

Thank you to the INCREDIBLE @mega-aulover for this prompt :) I hardly get the excuse to try and write fluff and I have to say I enjoyed the entire exercise!

She'd like to say that getting close to Peeta again was as easy as breathing, but that would be a lie.

It wasn't easy. It was difficult. Full of false starts and awkward interludes and enough unsaid words to fill a shelf of books. Katniss understood this because she knew there was no way to ever truly start over with Peeta Mellark, even if she truly and deeply wished she could erase the past year of him being captured, tortured, and everything that followed until the end of the war.

There were layers of history and trauma in between them, and Peeta wasn't always aware of the context or meaning that colored their interactions, but neither was he oblivious. He felt things and picked up on things and he could still read the room with startling precision.

He remembered odd snippets sometimes, and the major events of their history together but the day-to-day workings of their relationship (which was still stuck in some strange place between cautious allies on good days and distrustful antagonists on the bad ones) seemed to puzzle him at first when he came back if not downright confuse him.

He legitimately didn't understand why Gale hadn't come back to District 12 with her after she had been exiled.

They got into it one night after seeing his face pop up on the nightly newscast. He asked questions with an internal compulsion that she had come to recognize. It was an extension of his 'Real or Not Real' mechanism.

The coping strategy he defaulted to when something just didn't sit right in his mind. And she knew that it was finally time to tell him why Gale hadn't come home, why she hadn't wanted him to accompany her back, why it might be better if he just stayed away indefinitely. Or at least until the still razor-sharp pain she got inside her chest every time she thought of him lessened somewhat.

So she told him about that day outside the president's mansion. She told him about the bombs and about what Snow said in the rose garden. About Coin and her tests of loyalty at the victor's meeting. She told him about Gale and Beetee's bombs and how no one knew for sure how it had happened, who had given the authorization, or what design they had used.

But the implication hung heavy in the air as it had that day that Gale had come to bring her the final arrow to end the war.

"So that's why he's not here." That had been his only reply. Katniss had nodded, not looking at him, lost in her thoughts about how far they had all come from the people they had once been three years ago.

Peeta had taken her silence and had wadded through it, unafraid to confront the dark waters that threatened to drown out the moment of honesty between them.

"There are a hundred reasons why he's not here." Katniss finally replied looking at him and finding his blue eyes dark, sad, and full of that special kind of empathy that never felt inconsequential, or cheap. Even as lost in his own mind as he tended to get sometimes, Peeta's reactions to other people's pain were the same as they used to be. Pure and noble, and not stemming from any misguided sense of pity.

His hand reached over to cover hers, and he enfolded her own small hand into his grasp. Goosebumps spread from the place where his skin touched hers.

"I'm so sorry Katniss." He said, tone even and quiet. "We were all forced to do horrible things in the games, and in the war, but that really is something terrible to try and come back from. But maybe with time you and he could—"

"There's no coming back, Peeta." She said cutting him off.

"But, if you could find it in your heart to forgive me after I tried to kill you then surely you and Gale can work this out. You two have been through so much together."

Katniss nearly recoiled at not only his words but the earnestness with which he said them.

"Everyone's been through a lot these past two years. You included. I don't need to work out anything with Gale. He can stay right where he is for the foreseeable future."

"But you love him," Peeta said quietly, but his eyes were confused and his brows were pulled down and tight together.

She shook her head slowly at him, recognizing immediately the familiar tone of his voice. It usually preceded a barrage of questions in the real or not real vien.

"No, Peeta. I don't. Gale was never the one I loved. Not like that. "

"Well, my memory isn't the most reliable but from what I've pieced together about you two before the games, and then everything that came after, I was sure..." He trailed off and she reached out and hesitantly placed her hand over his. He looked down and frowned slightly, but in a way that illustrated his confusion.

"I wasn't. When I came home after the first arena all I wanted was for things to go back to the way they had been before, clear-cut and easy. But I couldn't go back. And trying to feel something for Gale beyond friendship was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made. I just didn't know how to let go of that part of my life, where all I needed was my bow, the woods, my sister, and my best friend. I might have loved him once, the way you love someone who is like family to you. But I was never in love with him. I've finally learned the difference between real and not real when it comes to that. " She said it with such surety, such conviction, and the way she stared at him. It was like her gray eyes were trying to press some kind of message into him.

He looked startled by her words at first, then he blinked, and it was like he was seeing her clearly for the first time.

Well, maybe not for the first time. There had been many moments where the secret and mysterious nature of the inscrutable Katniss Everdeen was revealed to him in snapshots and quick glances. Like catching sight of something that arrests your eyes right before the door snaps shut.

But looking at Katniss at that moment Peeta knew the door wasn't going to close this time.

No, the warmth of her hand in his, and the look in her eyes told him that this time the door was open for him, as long as he was brave enough to walk through it.