#these will in fact be easter themed ^___^

[caffeiiine]

haiii soda tell me bout those robloxes you've been into lately!!

HI BASIL!!!!!! okaaay firstly you can blame my friend for dragging me and my other friend into roblox Forsaken roughly 3 weeks ago. My brain has not been the same since. Super long post. I am very invested in this game and its lore.

OKAY!!! So basically the game itself: i dont know if youve ever played roblox, lucky ive been playing since 2017!!!!!! So pretty much its like a typical 'survive the killer' [where you run around one {usually poorly made} map until you get killed or bored. There's no official rounds in these games as they're minimally scripted.] but scripted a lot better, organized into 3-6 minute rounds, and have premade characters to play as–each with different skills and roles. Additionally, some rounds if you collect enough 'malice' you can be the killer and hunt down the rest of the players. Every round you'll either play as a character, or a killer.

The characters themselves are nearly all OCs, or real roblox accounts reimagined as OCs–like C00lkidd or 007n7 for example. Other characters pull from previously popular media or robloxian stereotypes for lack of a better word–like Noob [the little yellow, blue, and green guy usually used to depict the average player], Guest 1337 [via The Last Guest on youtube, a roblox animation movie made by ObliviousHD], and Jason Voorhees [via the Friday the 13th movies. Note: he's obviously not originally from roblox, but he does have a place as being a common killer in the poorly made 'survive the killer' games on the platform, hence his place in game as a playable killer].

Basic lore to the game is as follows: Forsaken is a sort of prison realm ran by the Spectre. They're a god of sorts–atleast I think. I don't think much canon has come out about them as a character, especially because they're unplayable, so I'm not sure about much of their lore stuff. Anyway! The Spectre brings down survivors and killers alike to play matches against each other for presumably their own amusement.

So from here on out I'll be differentiating between characters by referring to playable killers as killers, and playable characters as survivors.

So first off! Killers, admittedly with them is not really where the majority of my attention is focused so this section will be sparse. There are 4 right now, with a 5th about to come out.

Firstly Jason, as he's called in the game, basically is Jason Voorhees from the same movies. His inclusion comes from his place in the 'survive the killer ---' games as I've explained before. His playstyle is best suited for close quarters combat since he doesn't have any ranged attacks, which also makes him best suited for beginners. He's also one of my favorite killers as well as the one I usually play as. <3

Second, there's C00lKidd. He comes from an account of the same name which was just an alt of 007n7. Pretty much he'd go into games like Work at a Pizza Place [Dued1] and Natural Disaster Survival [Stickmasterluke] and exploit with his C00lGui, mess around, play music, etc. There was one time he–or maybe a copycat account now that I think about it–exploited in a game I was in and stuck the image of his avatar everywhere back in June 2018. He has ranged attacks as well as close quarters melee so hes pretty easy-ish to use, I think he has a 3 star difficulty rating? His lore goes like: he's the adopted child of 007n7, found on a doorstep, the usual. He and his father would usually go to places like Builder Brother's Pizza [the official name of the pizza place in Work at a Pizza Place], and mess around with the C00lGui that 007n7 built. They got banned from the place after awhile, and a little ways after that C00lKidd went missing. I think nows a good time to mention that he's canonically 9 or 10, even in the Forsaken realm. It's heavily implied that he died and then was brought down to Forsaken by the Spectre, but nothing is confirmed as far as I know. Usually if you search Forsaken, he or 007n7 will be the first ones you see. On that note, if 007n7 is the last survivor alive during a match, a custom Last Man Standing theme will play: "Plead".

Anyway, back to March 18th, 2017. It was rumored that the John Doe account–an old test account for roblox–would hack everyone and basically wreck the game. Of course, March 18th came to pass with no incident. He was a pretty old urban legend. His playstyle is largely trap based where he can bring up spikes to trap/damage players and set up spots that slow you down and deal damage if you step in them. Other than that, he's able to slash survivors, surprisingly not using his larger arm I just realized. His lore is from my understanding, he got corrupted by old dysfunctional code, forgot his wife, and started killing. I'm not too sure. His wife, Jane Doe is set to be added to the game as a survivor at some point, not much is known past that.

Next up, we have 1x1x1x1, or 1x4 for short. I'll just be calling them by 1x since I cannot be bothered to use all that. In short, they were manifested from Shedletsky's hatred, as in Forsaken lore, and are now devoted to killing him over and over and over again. It's unknown how they were Forsakened. Their origin comes from back when Shedletsky, as in one of the original Roblox admins, used to make backstories for Roblox. 1x's backstory was that he came from the fourth dimension and hated Roblox for being 3D then vowed to destroy it. The account was later taken over by hackers before being deactivated by Roblox. Their playstyle has a lot of faith in the player's ability to finish off kills, as they're very reliant on ranged stun attacks. They're also the slowest killer in the game. Also fun fact! If the last player alive in a match is Shedletsky, then a custom LMS theme will play, "Creation of Hatred".

Then, Noli. He's an upcoming killer whom everyone is very excited for, myself included. He is currently in testing stages!!!!! Not a ton is known about him, nor do I know much about his origin. I think it's an old myth from 2010 about a hacker by the name of Noli? The account has since been deactivated so, not much there. According to what's known, in Forsaken lore he was a previous friend of 007n7 prior to his adoption of C00lkidd. Apparently 007n7 pressured him into taking the Void Star, which is rumored to be what's controlling him in Forsaken alongside the Spectre. For some reason it's not on his model, so I'm not really sure what's going on with that. His playstyle looks like it'll be similar to John Doe?? Probably trap based, but I'm unsure. I really like his voice lines, they do something to my brain.

Finally!!! Azure. ohh Azure. Azure my beloved. OKAY!!! I'm sure you've seen me obsessively post about Azuretime, so this is Azure from Azuretime. Azure is not released right now, nor is he set to release any time soon. Either way I am insanely excited for whenever they release. They were the partner of Two Time within the Spawn cult, where they both resided prior to being Forsakened. Since there's so much stuff already, I'll keep this short as I can. Two Time is implied to be mentally ill as well as have religious delusions exacerbated by the cult they're in. This build up of circumstances led them to sacrifice Azure to the Spawn in order to attain their second life [something that the cult strived for]. We actually do have canon confirmation how Azure got Forsakened!!!! So after he was sacrificed, the Spectre appeared to him in death, taking the form of the Spawn and pretty much guiding them down to the realm of Forsaken. In Forsaken, his mouth is zipped and apparently his hat speaks for him [the hat is implied to be a subset of the Spectre, if i remember correctly, it also controls his thoughts]. Although the hat claims otherwise, Azure as a person without the influence wants Two Time back in their life. He does hold a bit of disdain and betrayal for the sacrifice, but the hat exacerbates that a lot.

[loss-protocol]

idk if i ever actually posted these doodles to tumblr so.. hi gguys

[vertigala]

*Grabs you by the throat* Listen to me you TMAGP-loving freaks. Listen to me right now. RedCanary might be the host for this universe's Jonah Magnus.

This is under the assumption that TMAGP takes place in a parallel universe that may or may not have already had the fears in it prior to Jon releasing them at the end of TMA.

RedCanary goes to explore the Magnus Institute ruins. They become paranoid because the Eye is watching them. They pick up a wooden box with strange symbols carved into it. They go to put it back. Next we hear from them, they post an image of gouged out eyes with the caption "Canaries should stay above ground."

They found the tunnels, hence that caption. Then they found Jonah Magnus's body sitting down there, waiting for a new host.

In this universe, the Magnus Institute burned down in 1999. Maybe in this universe Gertrude went through with her original plan of burning the place to the ground after finding out Elias was actually Jonah in 1997. Either way, let's say Jonah's original body is down there, maybe with Elias's body and his eyes and all that, and with his plans foiled, he's just chilling down there waiting for an opportunity which RedCanary then gives him. This is my going theory due to the specificity of the caption "canaries should stay above ground" (referring to the tunnels, and also it being in third-person) and the fact that RedCanary themselves would be pretty unlikely to be able to post that picture of THEIR OWN EYES GOUGED OUT unless it was Magnus assuming their body and identity and being a freak about it.

But there's more.

Narratively speaking, it makes sense for the third voice in the computer to be Jonah Magnus, right? If Jon and Martin ended up in this universe as voices in a computer, the only other person sharing their fate would have to be Magnus, given how TMA ended. Recall, also, the boot-up sequence in the trailer of TMAGP.

[id: a screenshot of the text from the TMAGP teaser, which says “initializing J.01… OK/initializing M.01… OK/initializing J.02… OK”. end id.]

Jonathan, Martin, and Jonah, right? Unless Augustus is gonna be a new J name or this is just an unrelated easter egg but like. It's Jonah right?? Right??? And he's watching the O.I.R.A through the systems like a good little voyeur, and Colin knows it!

So now we possibly have TWO Jonah Magnuses in this universe!! That's absurd!! One from the TMAGP universe now loose and running around in RedCanary's body, and one from the TMA universe trapped in a computer. But if this is true...doesn't that mean there would be two Jons and Martins too?

And listen...I'm thinking about what Jonny and Alex said during that liveshow panel about this story's themes regarding "what makes a human." If we dare to hope that Jon and Martin (and Jonah, if it's his voice in the computer) are going to gain consciousness and once again become proper characters...then, are they going to simply stay in the computer? Or are they going to "manifest" physically? Are they going to UPLOAD themselves into THEIR OWN TMAGP UNIVERSE BODIES?

@doomatix and I have been going crazy over these theories and they were the one that initially considered RedCanary's new identity as Jonah Magnus. Are our facts wrong? Does any of this even make sense? We haven't seen anyone else posting about this particular theory. Someone help us we are rotting. And don't even get me started on how GWEN would fit into this--

[lu-is-not-ok]

two in one theory... i am listening very intently if you ever feel up to share it!!

Alright, so this is gonna be... as close to an Abridged explanation of the theory as I can make, because if I went off on everything about it I would end up writing a whole dissertation or five hour video essay script on this shit.

There are gonna be three main sections to this post - Hong Lu's Daiyuisms, Hong Lu's Themes of Identity and how that connects to the concept of Two in One, and the Daiyu-Baoyu theory itself.

Strap in folks.

Hong Lu's Daiyuisms

If you know anything about my theories in the earlier days of Limbus, you might know that I'm one of the very few people who was convinced Hong Lu is actually Daiyu, due to some evidence I found personally compelling. This has not changed, as we've only gotten just as much extra evidence to this as we have to him being Baoyu. So let me just speedrun through some of these points.

The Fucking Jade Eye

Ok hear me out. This is maybe the least important piece of evidence but I can never stop thinking about it. Hong Lu's jade eye? Not actually fully blue! If you look closely on most of his sprites, you can see that he actually has sectoral heterochromia, meaning his jade eye is both blue and black.

Daiyu's name, quite literally, translates to blue-black jade.

Now, you could claim that this is merely meant to be an easter egg reference to her, but... is that really Project Moon's style? After all, when people speculated on Don Quixote being Sancho or a Bloodfiend partially based on her appearance all the way back since near launch, they turned out to be right.

Hong Lu's Father

As of now, there is only one instance of Hong Lu referencing his Father in Limbus, and it's a voiceline from his Base Identity:

Now, if you know anything about DOTRC, this should already be raising some flags, because if Hong Lu was just Baoyu, he would not fucking talk like that about his Father.

In the book, Baoyu is consistently shown to be afraid of his Father, for a good reason mind you, as he's his main abuser. Baoyu would not be looking forward to introducing his friends to that man.

Even if Hong Lu was trying to downplay the abuse he's recieved, this would still not fit his pattern of behavior. When topics that genuinely bother Hong Lu come up, such as what could make him distort or how rich people would enjoy gifts made of humans, he immediately pivots and tries to avoid the topic at all cost. He would not bring up his main abuser in such a lighthearted manner, he would avoid bringing him up at all cost.

However, there is a character in DOTRC which does in fact have a more positive relationship to her Father, and would likely be the one with an opinion such as that - Daiyu. Daiyu loves her Father, and when he dies she completely disappears from the story for a bit to attend his funeral. If there was anyone who would be excited to introduce their friends to their Father, it'd be Daiyu.

Lasso Hong Lu's Corrosion

I made a whole seperate post about this, but I might as well mention it here as well for the sake of completion. The design choices made for Hong Lu which are missing for Faust are very, very Daiyu-coded.

For one, not only does Hong Lu completely turn into a flower, unlike Faust, his horse also gains a flower in its mouth. For those whose knowledge of DOTRC is zero to none, Daiyu is a reincarnation of a Flower given sentience due to being watered by the Jade. I don't think I have to be the one to connect the dots between those two pieces of info for you.

The second is how the halters become a noose for Hong Lu. This, too, is a very Daiyu thing - Rose Hunter as an Abnormality represents the inability to escape one's fate, and Daiyu's fate is to die - the Jia Family arranging a marriage between Baoyu and Baochai leads to Daiyu falling deathly ill, which in itself could be considered a part of her repaying her Debt of Tears - the debt she swore to repay to the Jade/Baoyu when she was still a Flower.

The hilarity of the fact that this E.G.O came out in the same update as Hong Lu being called Baoyu in-story is not lost on me.

Rose Sign Abnormality Log

The third Log for Rose Sign ends in a very peculiar way.

There's multiple ways one can tie Hong Lu's odd reluctance to talk about flowers and the petals. One is the obvious "he's being reminded of Daiyu because she was a Flower" connection, but there's another one.

One of the most commonly potrayed images of Daiyu relates to a scene in DOTRC where she buries fallen flower petals, weeping for and lamenting the mortality of the flowers and herself. Hong Lu's reaction here to his fellow Sinners being reduced to nothing but petals upon Rose Sign's death feels like a notable parallel to Daiyu's flower burial scene.

Like literally everything about Kurokumo Hong Lu

The title for this is a bit of an exaggeration, but at the same time. I'm serious. Kurokumo Hong Lu is perhaps the most Daiyu Identity out of all the Hong Lu Identities we have, and the way he is designed to stand out among them further makes me go insane.

Kurokumo Hong Lu's most defining trait is his attitude - he often complains about his position and how authority treats him, though he doesn't really act out against them in any major way outside of making snarky or sarcastic remarks.

This is, frankly, an extremely Daiyu thing to do. Daiyu is one of the few characters who audibly complains about her treatment in the household. For example she complains about not being given as many opportunities to show off her poetry skills as her male peers are, and she recognises how, when all the girls in the family are given flowers, she's the last one to recieve them and thus is stripped of the ability to pick, being only given the leftovers.

Then there's the whole. Everything about Kurokumo Hong Lu's visual design. Because once you realize just how Daiyu-like the Identity is, you realize just how weird he is compared to other Hong Lu Identities. I mean just look how he compares to his other Identities.

He's the only Hong Lu Identity with a blue tint to his hair in the combat sprite rather than the usual purple.

He's the only Hong Lu Identity whose hairtie is a ribbon rather than a jade ring (Liu Hong Lu technically has the ribbon in his post-uptie art, but he doesn't have it in his combat sprite so I'm not counting him).

He's the only Hong Lu Identity to not be smiling in his combat sprites.

And he's the only Hong Lu Identity (and one of only four Identities in the game) whose Idle sprite has its body facing away from the opponent rather than facing towards them.

All of those combine to make him stand out like a sore thumb in a Hong Lu Identity lineup in a way that makes it feel intentional, especially since he's also the only Hong Lu Identity with that kind of notable attitude towards authority. Other Hong Lu Identities are either obedient, don't express any opinion, or just straight up are the authority.

The Baoyu reveal is framed in a very weird way

This is, admittedly, less of a Daiyuism and more of a not-Baoyuism, but I thought it'd be important to mention nonetheless.

There are a lot of things about Canto 7's reveal of Hong Lu's name being Baoyu that are very strange, especially compared to how the Canto frames Don Quixote's own reveal of actually being Sancho.

For one, the timing itself - why is such an important piece of info being revealed so early? Again, compare to Donqui - she was revealed to be a Bloodfiend in the Intervallo right before Canto 7, and the Sancho reveal only came in the second half of the Canto.

For two, the framing - Donqui's reveals are treated as what they are, Major Reveals. The Baoyu reveal on the other hand happens in a single off-handed line, with nobody reacting to it in any way. Neither Hong Lu nor the other Sinners seem to hear it after all.

And mind you, it's not like Limbus is opposed to giving us important information in off-handed lines - far from it in fact. Project Moon loves shoving little bits of foreshadowing and reveals you don't realize are reveals until way later in these kinds of off-handed lines. But the way those lines are treated is still very different to how the Baoyu reveal is treated.

Usually, when there's foreshadowing in off-handed lines, it's usually either vague enough to be something a character could say regardless of context (see Yi Sang getting hung up on the Sedatives bit in Canto 2 or Ishmael's comment about Syndicates pretending to be Families foreshadowing her own history with the Middle via Queequeg) or something that is in the middle of a scene that distracts from what is actually being said (like Hong Lu's distortion foreshadowing being in the middle of an important infodump or most of everything in Canto 2 being surrounded by a comedic tone).

None of this is present for the Baoyu reveal. There's nothing to distract you from this information, as the scene is already focused on discussing Hong Lu, meaning you're already likely to be paying attention to what is being said about him. There's also no vagueness about it, there's no way you can brush it off since not only are Wei and Xichun newly introduced characters, but it's a whole ass clearcut namedrop.

The only way I can justify that reveal being there in the form it takes is that it in itself is the distraction. Think about it. Didn't I point it out earlier that this reveal came in the same update as the E.G.O with an extremely Daiyu-coded corrosion design? Wouldn't it make sense for that reveal to be there to lower your guard, make you think you resolved that mystery, only to later on reveal it wasn't the whole story after all?

Hong Lu's Themes of Identity

So this section is a bit more vague than the Daiyuism section, because Hong Lu is the type of guy to just Say Shit all the time. It's basically just. Anything that I find relevant to the idea of Hong Lu's Identity being more complex than him just being a random guy using a pseudonym, with some (but maybe not all) of them directly tying to the idea of Two in One.

"Which one is the real you?"

There are currently two seperate scenes where Hong Lu muses on the idea of someone's identity being in some way vague or obscured.

Is Dante the person or the clock? Is the dreamer the one in the dream or the one who wakes from it? Which you is the real you? Does it even matter if that you will flutter away in the end?

This idea of there being one true self. That even if there are two, there is only one of them that is actually you. Curious, right?

Face-changing dance

During the Canto 2 scene where everyone gives their reasons for whether or not they'd be a good pick for being the one to dance, Hong Lu says this.

Bian lian is a kind of dance literally translated as "face-changing". It involves rapid changes between various masks and make-up to represent different emotions or characters.

Now, it's no secret that Hong Lu is a great actor, as we see in Canto 4, and Canto 7 shows how the comparison to theatre and actors can be used to symbolize one's performance of identity, as it does for Sancho and her Don Quixote persona.

Mind you, this reveal comes in the same scene as Sinclair's dance invoking the image of a bonfire burning all through the night according to the Mariachis, a clear foreshadowing to Canto 3 and the Literal burning down of Sinclair's home.

Hong Lu knowing bian lian could be further foreshadowing to his own skills in deception, and how he too is a sort of actor, not unlike Don Quixote. On the other hand however, it could also be a more literal foreshadowing, that he (Baoyu) Quite Literally changed his face. We won't know until Canto 8, but it is an option you know.

The HamHamPangPang dish(es)

For those who don't know, here is a list of the Sinner-themed dishes that were available at HamHamPangPang.

EDIT: THE ABOVE LIST IS SLIGHTLY INNACURATE. Hong Lu's dish is actually pepper steak (Chinese beef stir fry) and mandarin rolls, and Rodya's dish has since changed to chicken blini.

Now, chances are, not all of them have deep meanings. I don't think there's much of a deep meaning to Heathcliff and Ishmael's dishes, I think PJM just legit don't know much about British/American cuisine so they just picked something recogniseable.

However, not all of them are meaningless picks either. Ryoshu, likely a mother, has a meal literally called "parent-and-child donburi". Don Quixote, a Bloodfiend, has a garlic-based dish. These were clearly done on purpose.

So, what does it say that Hong Lu's dish is actually made up of effectively two different dishes? What does it mean for it to be the only one to be like that? And it's clear that this is one of the dishes with intent behind them like Ryoshu's, as another name for mandarin rolls is flower buns. You know. Flower. Like Daiyu.

The Daiyu-Baoyu Theory (finally)

So. I gave some evidence for why I think Hong Lu could still be Daiyu despite being revealed as Baoyu. I gave some evidence for why I think Hong Lu could be a Two in One deal, or that at the very least there's something more complex going on with his identity. But let's discuss the theory itself, how it would recontextualize certain things, and why I think it's an extremely fitting an thematically resonant direction for Hong Lu's Canto to go in.

The Theory

Here's what I speculate is going on.

Daiyu, just like in DOTRC, is someone who was taken in into the Jia Household rather than born in it, and who strongly connected with Baoyu upon meeting him. The two would end up forming a bond strong enough that they would be willing to die for one another (or, if they're in particularly argumentative moods, to kill themselves just to force the other to have to live a long life grieving over them - this is an actual argument they have in DOTRC and I pray to god this is adapted into Limbus because it's too fucking funny).

At some point, Baoyu either dies or is brought to near death, likely through the same circumstances as in DOTRC - being beaten by his Father. To save him, his memories and consciousness would be transferred to his eye, a process not dissimilar to the one Xichun brings up in Canto 7, and implanted into Daiyu's body, causing them to become a vessel for Baoyu. This would be how Hong Lu as he is now is created.

All of the above is the main basis for this theory. Everything else that I might speculate about, such as the exact nature of the two's relationship, Daiyu's more exact background and personality, how their pre-reincarnation lives could be adapted - all of those are things that are purely speculative and ones that I don't really expect to be actually fulfilled. The only bits that I am sure are likely to be true is what I laid out above.

So... what does it all mean for the future? I'm glad you asked!

The Recontextualization

Here's a collection of just a couple of things that Hong Lu has said or is depicted as that would be heavily recontextualized if this theory ends up being true.

Hong Lu surviving despite claiming he didn't fight back when his siblings first tried to kill him: With the context that he used to be two seperate people, the answer to how he survived is made very simple. Baoyu is the one who wasn't fighting back. Daiyu, however, could have still protected him in turn.

The red ribbon on Hong Lu's weapon: There is only one other Sinner who has a similar decoration on their weapon - Ryoshu, who also has a red ribbon on her sword, which could be easily connected to Yuzuki and her death. With the context of Hong Lu being Baoyu occupying Daiyu's body and thus effectively rendering their self non-existent, the red ribbon could be a parallel symbol - a symbol of Daiyu and their 'death'.

How Hong Lu treats his weapon in his base E.G.O: The way Hong Lu holds his weapon in the illustration is more like he's cradling another person. This could be a representation of how he feels about Daiyu's situation. Likewise, in the attack animation, he's not really attacking with the weapon itself, is he? He's simply using it to direct a ribbon (which in itself is missing in the illustration), the part that is actually the attack. If the weapon in the base E.G.O represents Daiyu, this could be a parallel to how Baoyu feels like he's merely directing Daiyu's body to attack, rather than being the one actually attacking.

The duality of Hong Lu IDs: There is a notable pattern among Hong Lu IDs, and that is the focus on his attitude to violence. When he's in a situation where he's obedient towards his Family, he's either uninterested in violence, bored of it, or otherwise given no other choice but to use it as a reprieve from boredom. However, when he's in a situation where he's disconnected from his Family or otherwise questioning the status quo, he's shown to not only be much more aggressive and violent, but to outright enjoy it. With the context of Hong Lu being composed of two people, this duality could represent each of his components - the obedient and violence-averse being more Baoyu-like, while the questioning and violence-favoring being more Daiyu-like.

So, there's a bunch of stuff that would be given new meaning under the premise of this theory being true. But now, what about the future? What would this theory mean for the themes and ending of Canto 8?

The Resolution

I believe this is how the Daiyu-Baoyu theory will affect Canto 8.

At some point, whether before or during the Canto, it will be revealed that Hong Lu is both Daiyu and Baoyu. There will be an attempt to seperate the two, perhaps to implant Baoyu into a more fitting, more Jia Family-approved Vessel. Perhaps because the 'arranged marriage' from DOTRC could be adapted into something more... let's say Fear and Hunger kind of marriage rather than traditional marriage.

This will leave Hong Lu to be returned to their state as Daiyu, who will be revealed to be a very different person to what the Sinners knew Hong Lu as. There is a non-zero chance that Daiyu will be unable to hear Dante or be revived by them due to the one who signed the contract being Baoyu, and so they could end up acting as an uncontrollable ally unit not unlike Xichun in Canto 7.

The climax would then be Daiyu and Baoyu reuniting and being unwilling to part with each other again, even for the sake of returning to being the fake persona that is Hong Lu, leading to a potential duo boss fight/distortion boss fight/duo distortion boss fight.

The ending would be the two of them deciding to embrace their new identity as Hong Lu and truly becoming one, discarding their pasts and the selves that had been forced on them by the Jia Family. This ending would have a twofold meaning regarding how it connects to the DOTRC adaptation.

One - it would be a direct parallel to the ending of DOTRC where Baoyu leaves to become a monk. By becoming Hong Lu and discaring his previous identities, he'd be leaving behind the earthly attachments inherent to being Baoyu and Daiyu and become spiritually whole.

Two - it would be a reflection of the major theme of DOTRC, that being "Truth becomes fiction when the fiction's true. Real becomes not-real when the unreal's real." Hong Lu, as a person, is a 'fake' persona used by the 'real' Baoyu and Daiyu. However, by discarding those two identities and deciding to just be Hong Lu, the fiction of his existence becomes the truth, while his former real selves become not real.

Conclusion?

I could honestly just keep going with this post, but I think I'm going to stop myself here before I'm forced to find out what tumblr's character limit on posts is. Believe me, I was trying to be brief, and still this post is. This fucking long.

I hope this explains why this theory has been the subject of my brainrot for the past however long, and why I feel like it's surprisingly plausible despite being as deranged as it is.

Godspeed and godbless, I have classes tomorrow and I'm spending my time on this.

[bvbygrl-writes]

Trick or Treat

Pairing: Stu Macher x Reader x Billy Loomis

Word Count: 3.5k

Summary: It's Halloween and you find yourself experiencing both a trick and a treat.

A/N: As usual I didn't proof read. I know people wanted a part two to Wrong House but this unfortunately is not that. I offer this as consolation. There will be no part two of this one either. 18+ so minors and accounts without age dni or I'll block you.

Warnings: dubcon, mentions of blood and a dead body, painal, double penetration, dacryphilia, roughness, use of the pet name bunny, dark themes, just absolute sinfulness

The Senior Halloween Bash was something people started preparing for months in advance, as it was a big honor to attend. And, despite the fact that a string of murders was happening in the area, that was not enough to kill the hype for the party. Well, it was enough for (Y/n) but not enough for her best friends who were not going to let her get out of going to another party. Plus, as they had reminded her at least one hundred times, she had promised she’d go.

“I’m not sure how practical this outfit is.” (Y/n) remarked, grimacing as she snapped the fishnets against her skin. The entire costume was uncomfortable, tight, and unbearably itchy. The most form fitting thing she had ever worn was a tank top and even then, she never left the house in them. Going from flannel to the Easter Bunny’s Mistress was not going to be easy to adjust to. The feathers cuffs on the gloves were driving her insane already, causing her to scratch at her arms aggressively. Molly swatted her hand, glaring at her overly dramatic friend.

“Come on, (Y/n/n), it’s not that bad! Plus you look super hot. It’s one night. Let’s live a little.” she whined out, pouting as she leaned over the girl’s shoulder in the mirror. (Y/n) observed their appearances. Molly had dressed as a beer tavern maid and Toni, the quietest of the three, was a sexy pirate, her hook hand doubling as a flask which most certainly would need to be refilled before they left. 

“Living is exactly what I’m worried about. If the killer is at the party, I won’t be making it five steps in these damn Barbie pumps!” (Y/n) huffed out. She held onto the vanity as she stood up, her ankles wobbling. “I can’t even walk, how do you expect me to last all night?” Molly simply ignored her complaining, fluffing her hair up a little. The (h/c) looked down at the smell of rum under her nose. Toni’s plastic hook was opened at the top as she tipped the remaining amount of liquid towards her friend's mouth.

“I think you need this a little more than I do.” Toni slurred her words slightly, giving her friend a lazy smile. (Y/n) shook her head, pushing the hook back towards her.

“Someone’s gotta be sober enough to drive and considering you’ve had half a pint of rum and Molly took an edible half an hour ago, that really only leaves me,” she took a moment to take in her very pink appearance once more, sighing as she grabbed the keys from the top of Molly’s dresser on the way out, “Let’s get going before I change my mind.”

The party was in full swing at Shane’s mansion. Despite the fact he had been out of high school for four years, he still insisted on hosting the party at his place every year. For free booze, free food, and such a nice pad, nobody really complained. He got to smash girls who were freshly eighteen and they got a place to party with their friends. It was a win all around. 

It had only been fifteen minutes and (Y/n) already found herself separated from the girls she had come with. Toni had gotten whisked away by some girl in a Cat Woman costume and Molly…well, she was gone before they had even made it through the back door. The pain in her feet was becoming unbearable and unfortunately, there was no place that looked optimal enough to sit. The couch was filled with her half naked peers, making out with one another. The loungers outside were more or less in the same position.

Grabbing a slice of pizza from one of the many open boxes, she made her way upstairs, the music growing quieter as she made her way down the long corridor. Her eyes landed on the set of double doors at the end, a large ‘OFF LIMITS’ sign plastered on the front. To socialize or to lock herself in one of the only unoccupied rooms? The choice was not too hard to make. Carefully, she looked both ways before hobbling towards the double doors, opening them without a second thought.

The bedroom was massive and from the decor choice, she assumed it belonged to Shane’s parents for the rare times they found themselves home. A large king size bed with a lush comforter set on a rounded platform against the wall. On the other side of the room was a black leather couch, what she hoped was a fake bear rug, and an unlit fireplace. Taking her shoes off, she let out a relieved groan as she kicked them to the side. “Hello, sweetheart.” she purred at the empty bed, sprinting up the small steps before throwing herself onto it, stomach up. She began to make snow angels, the soft fleece making a swishing noise as she did so.

However, she couldn’t fully enjoy herself. There was a dripping noise coming from the ensuite that was driving her up the wall. Sighing, she reluctantly threw her legs over the side of the bed. “Rich people. Who doesn’t check their appliances before going on vacation?” she scoffed, shaking her head as she opened up the bathroom door. Her hand searched the side for a light switch until she felt a bump under her gloved fingers. Flicking it, she let out a horrified scream. Blood covered the walls and floor. In the tub, she recognized the girl. Jessica from her AP English class. Her curly hair was tousled and ratty, eyes wide open. Whatever she had last seen absolutely terrified her from her permanent shocked expression. Trailing her eyes down, (Y/n) could saw the dripping was a result of the blood running down her neck to the tips of her fingers, dribbling down into a pool of crimson on the floor.

(Y/n) felt sick to her stomach. It was taking everything in her to not pass out, throw up, or hell, even do a combination of both. With a hand over her mouth, she slowly began to back out of the door. She couldn’t bear to look at this any longer. She had to call the cops! Her steps were suddenly interrupted from a wall that wasn’t there before. A warm, breathing wall. A strong arm wrapped around her torso, holding her in her spot.

“Where do you think you’re hopping off to, little bunny?” The gravelly voice said in a humorous tone that she found to be extremely inappropriate given the circumstances. Her breath hitched in her throat as she began to stutter nonsensical words, begging her brain to piece together some english.

“I-I won’t tell anyone! Please just- just let me go!” she stuttered out, her voice cutting in and out in fear. The arm around her middle shifted, the hand splaying across her torso. Her legs began to tremble as a pair of lips trailed down her neck before pausing at her ear.

“Now where’s the fun in that, hm?” he chuckled. The strange man loosened his hold some, beginning to walk backwards with her. Her eyes flickered to her heels only a bit away from the two of them. Should she risk it? If he was the one responsible for the mess in the bathroom, chances are he was armed and more than capable of using his weapon. But if she didn’t try, would her fate still be the same? ‘Focus, (Y/n). You only have one shot.’ Without waiting a moment more, (Y/n) dropped her weight to the ground, quickly shimming across the carpeted floor. His arm gripped her leg, dragging her closer to him causing her to scream, jabbing the heel into the space between his neck and shoulder. The man groaned, falling back onto the ground.

 “Fuck!” he screamed out. Turning towards the door, a man with brown hair stood in front of the doorway. He had on a cloak and what you assumed was fake blood. (Y/n)’s eyes widened as she recognized him. Billy Loomis, a boy she had many classes with. He usually wasn’t very talkative but he was very helpful, always letting her borrow his notes when she missed school.

“Billy!” she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him as she managed to scramble up from the floor. “Thank god, you’ve gotta help me! There’s a girl dead in the bathroom!” (Y/n) wailed out. Billy stayed silent, wrapping an arm around her waist. His expression was blank as he looked down at her. Confusion overtook the girl as she looked up at him. “Billy? We need to get help!” her fear rose to another level as he began to laugh, using his free hand to move a piece of hair from her face.

“Surely you didn’t think that was a one man job, Bunny. Come on, I know you’re smarter than that.” he cooed out in a faux sympathetic tone. (Y/n) felt her whole body shaking and if it wasn’t for Billy’s firm grip around her, she surely would’ve fallen to the ground. But, it wasn’t as if her current position was any better. Using his teeth, Billy pulled off his glove, caressing her cheek with a calloused hand before turning her around to face the other man. A gasp fell from her lips, another one of her peers, Stu Macher. The blonde was now standing, massaging the bruised spot where she had attempted to stab him. The severity of the situation was now looming over her. She was trapped in a room at a loud party, where no one would hear her screams, with the killers responsible for all the deaths that had occurred in the past month. “Since you’ve already gotten the trick, it’s only fair you get the treat too.”

“I-I’d hardly consider murder to be a treat.” she stuttered out. Both men looked at each other, sinister cackles leaving their mouths. Stu marched over to her, tilting her head up towards him.

“We’re not gonna kill ya, Bunny. But I don’t doubt you’ll be screaming like we were!” he exclaimed in his gravelly tone. (Y/n) found herself relieved until she realized what he meant. They were planning to have their way with her and if she was honest, she wasn’t exactly opposed to the idea. Having sex with two of the hottest guys in senior year versus being brutally murdered like Jessica had? She’d choose the first any day. Jessica would get her justice but, it wouldn’t be from her. She was dragged from her thoughts as Billy’s large hands began to toy with her breast over her bodysuit.

 Her eyes flit close, lips parting as a soft moan fell from her lips. She could hear Stu growl before feeling his soft lips on hers, catching her off guard. She quickly reciprocated, allowing him to lead the kiss as he began to violate her mouth. The feeling of his tongue piercing was new and foreign, making the intoxicating motions of his tongue even more sinful. The blonde grabbed her hand, moving it to the tent present in the front of his pants. If his bulge was any indicator of the size, she was surely in for a treat. Stu’s hand traveled to the crotch of her bodysuit, massaging her cunt over the velvety fabric, rippling a muffled whine from her lips. The wetness grew, leaving a dark mark where his hands were working magic. He pulled away from her lips, his eyes focusing in on it. Her face grew warm with embarrassment. Had she always gotten worked up so easily or was the danger she was in adding to her arousal? Billy gripped her jaw, forcing her to look down as Stu toyed with her.

“Don’t get shy now, Bunny. You weren’t when you made the decision not to wear any underwear with this little get up.” Billy said in a disapproving tone. His free hand moved to pull the front of her suit down some, revealing her breast to the two of them. Stu whistled some before flicking her hardening nipple on her left breast.

“You’re so reactive! I bet it won’t take much to get ya to cum will it, Bunny?” He commented before latching onto her breast. A shuddery breath left her mouth at the sensation. The ball of his cold tongue piercing swirling around her nipple with hunger. Billy removed his hand from her face, trailing it down her chest before engulfing her remaining breast with a firm grip. 

He massaged it in a circular motion before pinching her hardened bud. (Y/n) moaned, resting her weight back on Billy’s chest. Reaching her free hand back, she began to play with the short hairs at the nape of his neck, giving Stu’s now fully erect cock a firm squeeze. The blonde growled, tugging on her nipple gently, sending a wave of pleasure to her throbbing clit. He pulled away from her chest with a pop before dropping to his knees, spreading her legs. She watched as his hands ripped at the fabric, leaving a large hole in her tights and bodysuit. His left hand massaged at her clit slowly in contrast to his right hand which roughly shoved two thick digits into her sopping hole. (Y/n) winced at the intrusion, the pain short lived as his fingers expertly massaged at her walls. A string of high pitch noises left her as he scissored his fingers inside her, stretching her out.

Billy tilted her head towards him, taking her into a sloppy open mouth kiss. His tongue overtook hers with ease as he gripped her throat roughly, leaving her with little air. He nipped at her bottom lip before pulling away, looking into her eyes intensely. She felt like a captured prey and at the moment, she technically was. But, even as he wrapped his hand around her neck firmly, she couldn’t find it in her to care. “I want your eyes on me as you cum. Don’t you dare look away.” he commanded in a deep tone. (Y/n) nodded to the best of her ability, staring into his dark eyes. They examined her face carefully, taking in every flinch and quiver of her lips. His arm tightened around her waist as her knees began to buckle. With every thrust of Stu’s fingers, she could feel herself growing closer.

Her (e/c) eyes struggled to stay open as he began to suck at her clit, his tongue licking up every bit of arousal that spilled from her. Stu’s fingers disappeared into her deeper, curving upwards until he hit that spongy spot inside of her. (Y/n)’s eyes widened, her lips parting as another loud moan ripped from her. “There it is!” Stu growled out before delving his head back down, his fingers applying more pressure to her g-spot as his lips sucking on her clit with an entirely new level of strength. 

The contrast of his fast working tongue combined with the languid feeling of his fingers massaging her spot was enough to send her over the edge. Her legs began to shake violently, labored breaths causing her chest to rise and fall like crashing waves. Billy’s grip on her throat tightened, reminding her of his words. She struggled greatly with keeping her eyes open as pleasure washed over her, the knot in her stomach unraveling completely. Tears of pleasure streamed down from the intensity of it all, her lips quivering as she whimpered pathetically. She had never experienced an orgasm so intense, so prolonged before. Her pussy was unbearably sensitive, a new feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. Billy smirked, wiping her tears with his thumb before bringing it to his lips. Her eyes widened as a gush of clear liquid began to gush from her in a long stream, soaking Stu from below her. Billy took his eyes from her to watch, groaning at the sight, her cunt continuing to squirt. Her eyes clenched shut as she screamed in pleasure. She was already reaching her limit and they hadn’t even gotten to fucking her yet. The flow came to a gradual stop, her body jolting in after shocks as she panted. 

The girl felt her body being lifted, the feeling of the soft bed returning under her. Billy slapped her face, her eyes flying open in alarm. “You’re not tapping out already. The fun hasn’t even started yet.” he teased. (Y/n) groaned, propping herself up on shaky elbows. The two men were now nude from the waist down, their cocks fully erect. Her eyes followed Billy as he climbed onto the bed behind her, pulling her towards him with ease. His cock was wedged between her open legs, giving her a closer look. What he lacked in length, he certainly had in girth. “It’s a shame that tail on your ass isn’t a plug because,” he pushed her forward, ripping the tail from the back of her bodysuit, leaving a clean hole where her butt was, “You’re really gonna wish it was.” Before she could climb away, he pulled her back into his lap, aligning the tip of his cock with her rear. Her eyes widened at the feeling of his thick head pressed against her virgin hole.

 Any protest she had fell onto deaf ears as the tip of his cock pushed in. He was nowhere near fully in yet but the burning was so painful. It felt as if he was splitting her in half, forcing his thick cock into her unexplored hole. Her throat was growing raw as she screamed, only seeming to egg him on. She was so out of it that she completely missed Stu’s presence, holding her legs up as he aligned himself with her front. Her teary eyes shot open as his cock slid into her cunt with one swift motion, his head thrown back in pleasure. Billy was now fully situated inside of her, the burning of her ass a bit more dull but still present. She could feel them both pressed against the thin wall separating them, the feeling was indescribable. And despite the pain, she couldn’t recall a time she had felt so much pleasure.

“You’re so pretty when you’re screamin’, Bunny. Couldn’t resist shoving my cock into you.” Stu said through gritted teeth, folding her legs back as he began to thrust into her. Billy wrapped his arms around her waist with a bruising force, holding her up just an inch above his lap as he began to pound her at an assaulting pace. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, tongue lolling out of the side of her mouth lazily. She was aware she was babbling, but her brain was completely disconnected from her body. Stu pulled his cock mostly out before slamming back into her, the three of them moaning in unison. With each movement, their cocks brushed against the thin lining of her walls, sending a volt of pleasure straight to her clit. The blonde leaned over her open mouth, spitting directly into her mouth. She began to choke, gasping for the air that seemed to no longer be present in the room.

“Don’t be-be rude, Bunny. Swallow it like a good girl. Here, I’ll help you.” Billy said, sticking his fingers down her throat. (Y/n) gagged, swallowing around his fingers. The brunette growled, looking at her with hungry eyes. Stu whimpered, his hips stuttering a bit as he looked upon, his cock twitching inside of her.

“Oh fuck!” he whined out. He was close, but he refused to be the first one to come. Moving one of his hands, he began to rub at the girl’s clit roughly, his thrust growing more sloppy. (Y/n) screamed around Billy’s fingers, her eyes rolling back into her head. Her holes began to pulsate around their cocks, causing them to let out a string of swears. “She’s close, Bill.”

“You’re almost there, Bunny. Make a mess on our cocks. Be a good fucking girl!” and right on cue, (Y/n) felt herself snap. Her pussy began to gush around Stu’s cock as she sobbed, her mascara running down her face. She began to thrash in their hold, rabid speaks of tongue flying out of her mouth. Billy removed his fingers from her mouth, choking her harshly as he buried himself deep in her ass, hot streams of cum filling her to the brim. Stu came only a millisecond after, burying his face in her chest as he painted her walls white, collapsing on top of the pile. Their cum spilled out of her, making its way onto the fleece blanket. None of them noticed as they panted, two pairs of hands trailing along her body. 

Stu pulled himself up on shaky arms, hovering above her. (Y/n) looked up at him through blurry vision as he gently moved her hair back, adjusting the pair of ears on her head.

“How’s that for a treat?”

[whousestypewriters]

──── ୨ৎ CHRISTMAS WITH YOU — AARON WARNER + READER ‧₊˚

a/n: hiii lovelies!! this is probs the most random fic ive ever written (im at tennis and got bored so here we are) but im in a christmas mood so expect a few xmas themed fics to come ur wayyy 🤭🤭 ALSO THE NEXT PART OF THE GRAY FIC WILL BE UP SOON!!!

aaron didn’t like holidays, okay? he really didn’t like them. the needless dressing up for halloween, the crazy amount of chocolate consumed on easter, the countdown and partying on new years. it was all just very pointless to him. christmas was his least favorite though.

he despised the horrible holiday.

the unnecessary money spent on pointless gifts that people will forget about in two weeks and the false sense of cheer and merriment that dies the second christmas is over are just some of his many reasons why he dislikes the holiday.

or maybe it was the fact that is father used to come home over christmas. he doesn’t like to dwell too much on that one.

so imagine his luck when he finds out the girl of his dreams, the love of his life is obsessed with the holiday, he's torn.

he tried. he really tried to put up with it, but at some point enough is enough and he has to leave the house, the amount of christmas decorations you have put up - which according to you is not enough but according to everyone else is a sickening amount - is driving him insane.

he loves you, but hanging tinsel inside your closet was a bit too much for him. so he escaped. to the front porch. he wasn't actually going anywhere, that's just stupid, why would he leave on christmas eve? thats basically just him begging for kenji to hunt him down and attempt to kick his ass.

so obviously he didn't leave, thats just childish.

but he did sit down on the steps of his house and rested his head in his hands. breathing in the cold fresh air. it's been snowing all day, and its only just paused, he's grateful for that. usually the only reprieve he receives is late at night when you're running your hands through his hair and murmuring sweet nothings into his ear. so this moment is nice - it would be nicer with you, but he always thinks that.

the moment's disturbed when he hears the front door open and your soft footsteps that follow.

"what are you doing out here, aaron?" your voice is soft and calming, he loves your voice, it always seems to bring him peace.

"i was just getting some fresh air," he answers and you watch the steam leave his mouth. okay yeah it's pretty cold, maybe he shouldn't have come out here in only a sweatshirt and plaid flannel plants - matching with yours - you let him because it seemed like he needed a moment. but in only pajamas? not that smart.

but damn does he look good in them.

actually you applaud yourself getting him to wear the outfit. he wasn't thrilled when you suggested matching pj's and watching christmas movies all day. but the fact he still put them on makes your heart warm.

you know he's not a fan of the christmas thing. and maybe some part of you wanted to try and get him to love it, but clearly shoving christmas-y themed things in his face wasn't the way to go.

you sit down on the step next to him and wrap the blanket you dragged out here around his shoulders.

"i'm sorry for forcing all the christmas things on you," you say resting your head on his shoulder.

"don't be, love," he says his voice low. "it's me not you, never you."

"i kinda just pushed everything onto you, though, and expected you to love it," you sigh. "i know christmas isn't your favorite holiday, so i was just trying to make it special for you, its our first christmas together i wanted it to be extra special."

"it is special," aaron answers. "its special because you're here with me. its special because you're trying to make it special for me. its special because you love me enough to try and do all this," he waves his hand back towards to the house.

you smile at that, shivering slightly from the cold. how is aaron not cold right now?

"lets head inside, love," he murmurs wrapping his arms around you and gently helping you up. "we can go watch that christmas movie i know you've been dying to watch."

"its okay," you hum as he wraps his arms around your waist and kisses the crook of your neck as you walk. "we don't have to do that."

"i want to, for you. and maybe, maybe i'll start to like christmas, but only if its with you."

𐔌 . ⋮ 🏷️ tags .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱

@arqbella, @midiosaamor, @reminiscentreader, @maybxlle, @sweetreveriee, @kozumesphone

@tornqdowarnings @benny1989fredd, @shiftingtomydrs, @ruriloveshim, @sheinstyou

[hylemorph]

Ellen as an Inverted Christ-figure

My mind has been marinating in all the delicious gothic themes in Eggers' Nosferatu, especially Christianity and how the story wrestles with it but also makes use of its symbolic language. Full disclosure, I am not religious personally, but I did go to Catholic school for a while and I minored in Classical/Medieval/Renaissance studies, so this stuff is usually near the surface of my media interpretations.

The movie is full to the brim with crucifixes: the window panes of Knock's office, the graves, the shrine on the road to the castle, an old Romanian woman gives one to Thomas and Anna gives one to Ellen. But the mere image of a crucifix does nothing to repel Orlok; the only thing that can defeat him is a metaphorical crucifixion, a selfless sacrifice. Von Franz tells Ellen that only she can "redeem" the people of Wisborg, and that in order to defeat the darkness we must find it within ourselves and crucify it. Ellen, who is uniquely aware of internal darkness, has to carry out this crucifixion as both sacrifice and executioner.

The metaphor is even built into the timeline - Orlok gives Ellen three nights, but when he tells her the first night has already passed. This is similar to how there are supposedly three nights in between Jesus' crucifixion and his resurrection, but the way they count the days is a bit weird, there aren't three full days and nights in between Good Friday and Easter morning. The rising sun is also a common symbol of Easter and resurrection, the ultimate triumph over death.

Ellen parallels Jesus from the very start, because she is uniquely spiritual and uniquely innocent in a world that doesn't trust her. As a teen she is emotionally abandoned by her father, which mirrors the only moment of Jesus' doubt, when he cries out to God the Father and asks why he has abandoned him. I can't give Eggers credit for this part because Thomas was Thomas' name since 1922, but it's super interesting that Thomas the apostle is called Thomas the Doubter, the one who refused to believe in Jesus' resurrection until he was shown his stigmata, which is sometimes used as a sexual imagery. Our boy Thomas also got to see lots of bleeding holes on Orlok .

Ellen sacrifices herself willingly out of pure love, but this is a gothic narrative and the ending is tragic, it leaves us unsatisfied in the moral sense. Right before the final shot we see von Franz starting directly into the sunrise, his face illuminated in the mirror, but its not really a pay-off for his ecstatic calls for redemption! redemption! earlier. Were they really redeemed, or just spared? The crucifixion is the foundation for European society's entire moral framework, the shame of sins that can only be forgiven through sacrifice, but that is exactly the framework that failed Ellen and set off this whole horrific story. Shame and a false need for forgiveness is what turned Ellen's spiritual power into a monstrosity, so how can it redeem them?

I love that Nosferatu was released on Christmas day for these reasons. Obviously Christmas is just a big box office day, but the fact that it's Christmas within the story highlights the cognitive dissonance of it all. This is a dark, inverted version of this fable, and the redemption at the end is meagre and tragic.

[lexirosewrites]

So, remember that deer-themed omegaverse idea from a while back? Well. I wrote this in one sitting, and there WILL be a part 2 lol. Consider it a two-shot I suppose.

uhhhh it's not bunny or particularly Easter, but it's spring themed??? (despite the fact that. deer rut is in. the fall. idk man, this has been haunting me for months.)

-

Deer to Me

Eddie never considered himself a smart boy. 

Clever, sure. He could outwit any big, dumb cludd any day of the week. Quick-thinking, maybe. He had to be, or else face more problems from life than even a Munson might be able to overcome. 

But ‘smart’? 

The jury was still out on that one. 

Eddie watches as Steve’s hand settles on Martin’s arm again. Again. He’d done that three times now since their little conversation started, and every time, it made Martin’s ears tick up, his nose flare, and his smile grow. Eddie watches with a hard line across his brow, a fair idea in his head of just what else about Martin was growing. 

Not that Eddie could blame him. Steve is a doe every young buck was sniffing out this year. 

The cafeteria is loud, and Eddie’s ears are already pinned back to try and mitigate the cacophony of banging dishes, footsteps and chairs being scooted around, and the student body all in a tizzy. 

It’s spring. Rut season. 

There wasn’t a person in the room not affected. Freshman looked on with envy at the three-tine racks of the Juniors while furiously discussing methods they’d sneakily read in their father’s GM magazines to rapidly increase antler size, while Sophomores found the smallest excuse to piss each other off and lock their rakes in the spaces between tables. Showing off. Some of the braver ones actually approached the lauded Seniors, with their full four prongs, nape manes, and settled attitudes, kings of their little domains. Some would take up the challenge, either because of the possibility of an easy win, or because they had nothing to lose. 

Others didn’t, though. They would just shake their heads, their partner at their side, and the trinket from their claim would rattle against bone where it was wrapped around their antlers. Pretty things, made by the does with love in every personal affect.  

It was the same every year. 

Eddie had once been a little Freshman. Watching keenly as the velvet bloomed and grew. Staring wide-eyed at the clashes of the upperclassman. Violent, bloody things, sometimes. He too had grown, waited anxiously, year after year, for the godly three-month time in spring when he could see his success or failure crown his head. A tine every year. 

But never anyone that made the possibility of fighting all that inspiring. 

Uncle Wayne had pretty well warned him off of trying his hand for no good reason. Not with words, mind, but the simple fact that the old stag was missing an eye. Gored in his own youth, being young and hot and stupid for a doe that ended up not even interested. 

Well. Never let it be said that Eddie doesn’t listen, either. 

Again - it’s not that Eddie is stupid. He knows he isn’t. 

He’s just not smart. 

The apple juice carton crunches in his fist, and Gareth bothers looking over for the first time. Not that he hadn’t cared before, but now the puddle from the destruction had leaked over to his lunch tray. 

“Dude, fucking chill,” he grumbles, lifting it away, and dabbing at the juice with his napkins. 

“Sorry,” Eddie replies automatically, voice flat. Still watching Steve and Martin. 

Gareth shoots him a glare. “I fucking hate spring. You’re all insane.” 

Easy for him to say. His doe spots dapple his skin cutely, like patches of warm sunlight, but the earrings littering his ears jingle with every flip, little punk. He’s never been interested in anything like this, and no one would ever bug him about it the way they did Eddie. Gareth said he never felt the heat of spring, either the pounding, migraine-like energy of needing to push and rage against another like the bucks, or the frantic, feverish need tease and play catch-me, chase-me games like the other does. He didn’t understand. 

Martin tosses his head, showing off the light bone of the antlers, clean and polished and not even nick on them. Eddie’s own are still a little patchy with dead velvet at their bases, still. He’d bumped them last week on a doorframe and chipped an end, making them lopsided. 

He can see how Steve eyes the nice set. Brown, spotty ears perked forward, tail wagging, just a few interested twitches. 

Eddie needs to leave. If he turns away, he might be able to get ahold of himself long enough to hide under the bleachers until the end of the day, and then go home and squeal and cry into his pillow at home and then wallow his sorrows away in bad movies and icecream- 

And then Martin reaches out, and takes Steve’s hand. His pretty, speckled hand, his spots a beautiful pattern of alternating light and dark, painted with the precision of a master artist of the universe, a single nail on his hand darker than the rest adding just that extra touch of gorgeous, and Martin just grabs it, no asking, no offer to take it, just fucking takes it for his own and. Lifts it up, to his stupid, over-large rack and makes Steve grab them.

Eddie can see the flush that crosses Steve’s face. Wrapping his perfect fingers around the bone, feeling the smoothness of it, Martin’s hand covering his. Keeping it there. 

One moment, Eddie is watching this, a pit in his stomach. 

The next, Steve is nowhere, and Eddie is plowing right into Martin’s bulk that’s taking up too much space in Eddie’s vision to tolerate. 

Given that he’d been on the complete other side of the cafeteria, one had to be somewhat impressed with Eddie’s sheer speed. No one’d had the time or presence of mind to shout and give Martin a heads up, or maybe they’d just not expected the explosion of Eddie damn Munson, the snarky-but-non confrontational buck that kept to his little freak corner most of the time. Either way, he plows straight into Martin, hitting like a truck and rumbling in his chest like the engine of one. The other boy goes sprawling on the floor, his dumb-ass oversized rack smacking against the tiles with an awful clatter. 

Eddie stands above him, nose flared, tail sticking straight up like a blinding white flag. For a moment, even in the general chaos of the cafeteria, silence reigns, and there’s a part of Eddie that’s shocked at himself, staring with a metaphorical gaping mouth at his audacity. Had Eddie Munson finally grown a pair (of antlers)? 

He makes the mistake of glancing to the side. To try and find Steve. 

Turns out, Eddie isn’t the only one who can hit hard and fast. And Martin doesn’t have a whole giant room to clear before he can. 

And Eddie Munson, is not smart. 

If Eddie, with all his gangly limbs and adrenaline-fueled anger and mis-matched antlers had hit hard, then Martin with his wrestling team body and giant rack, and sheer rage at the little nobody trying his luck during spring of all times, swung back ten times harder. Eddie doesn’t have even a moment to let his thoughts settle before his head and neck is exploding in pain, stars dancing across his vision as his antlers meet those of Martin, and he’s shoved bodily into the isle between tables. 

People are shouting around them - it’s not unusual to see two bucks working out some steam or showing off for their does at lunch, given the space and access to each other, but this isn’t a swanning competition, with laughing and goading and a dance of back-off-and-push-forward. 

Martin had grabbed Eddie’s shoulders, face blotchy red with his anger, like an ugly caricature of doe spots of his own. His ears are pinned so far back, it looks like he doesn’t have any, his hair practically on end. Teeth bared. He’s pulling Eddie in, and in a moment of panic, Eddie realizes what he’s doing and tries, in his sobering moment of clarity, to wiggle out of it. 

There’s a click, a sudden sticking as Eddie’s smaller antlers catch against the crotches between Martin’s tines, and Martin gives him a truly awful grin. Eddie tries to grab for him, shove against him, old beat-up reboks trying to find purchase on the floor but it’s a useless endeavor. 

He’s locked. 

And with shoulders like two mountains of muscle rolling and a vein popping out on his forehead, Martin <i>wrenches</i> his head to side. 

Eddie’s poor little body has no choice but the go along. 

He feels like a doll, an old half empty sack of beans being flung. Flailing. There’s a heartstopping second where Eddie is sure, sure that his neck is about to be broken because his antlers are locked too tightly, and his body is going on way while his head is staying still, but. Some higher power must think his existence is too entertaining to let go that easily, because there’s an awful scrape and grind, and suddenly he’s been thrown free. 

For a moment, he’s fucking airborne, his body twisting in the air like a failed cartwheel.

He hits the floor head first. A deafening crack resounds through the air, and then into Eddie’s head. Galaxies and supernovas pop behind his eyelids and he bounces, rebounding off his own antler. 

It saves him in the end. Right at the pedestal, it twists , splinters, and breaks right off, a little bloody spatter spraying across the nice white floor. The antler goes skittering under a table. 

Pain like nothing Eddie has ever felt radiates from the broken base into his face, his neck, his back, everywhere it feels like. He reaches up, and his shaking hand comes away bloody, and it feels like he can’t breath. 

Above him, a shadow looms. Eddie stares up, meeting Martin’s glare. 

“You want some more, freak?” He snarls, tossing his head obnoxiously. Terrifyingly. 

Eddie doesn’t even give an answer. 

For once, since lunch started, he does the smart thing. 

He runs. 

Hand pressed to his broken pedestal, leaving even his backpack at the table (Gareth and the herd will get it for him - they’re the best.) Head still spinning nauseatingly and tail tucked so far against his butt it’s trying to crawl inside of him, he flees. There’s a roar of sound behind him. Laughter, too. Jeering too, he imagines, though he’s too far away to tell. 

Too far away to tell that not all voices rise in sudden astonishment, or derision. One voice remains quiet as it slips out of the cafeteria doors to follow. Soft, like mottled spots on warm skin, worry in a pair of golden brown eyes. 

(part 2 for next week ;) )

poor Eddie😭 i need Steve to comfort him!!!

[dailyhomestarfacts]

Fact 8:

Excluding holidays and easter eggs, only four toons and three sbemails have had all twelve main characters appear

Toons:

Where's The Cheat?

Weclome Back

One Two, One Two

Meeple Grove

(Theme Song Video could technically count, but only in the DVD version)

Sbemails:

different town

rock opera

dictionary

[taylorklosscomeout138]

Karlie JUST posted this and it didn't even take me 2 seconds to see that the easter eggs here for Uno (Karlie's Version) are:

1. A blue 5 as the top card because 1989 is Taylor's blue themed 5th studio album, and today is the "This Love" anniversary !!

2. A green 1 and a green 3 paired perfectly over each other to form a 13, this either being for Debut TV or Rep TV as green is considered a color for both but I'd say between the two it's a Debut TV easter egg

3. This is obvious because conveniently no other card numbers are visible in the pile, in fact all the red ones are covered up potentially indictiating leaving the Chiefs beard behind as it connects back to Taylor's original Uno game which was *checks notes*

83 weeks and 83 days ago

[blurredcolour]

Born To Be Yours

[One-shot | Sequel to We'll Meet Again]

Eugene Roe x Nurse!Female Reader

Despite the end of the war in Europe, violence still finds its way to the men of Easy company. Thankfully, Eugene knows just where to find you to get them help.

Warnings: Language, Weapons, Canon Typical Violence, Smoking, Treatment of Wounds, Medical Procedures, Hospital Settings, Questionably Written Cajun Accent, Inevitable Historical and Military Inaccuracies, Mature/Explicit Themes [Kissing, Necking, Dry Humping] - 18+ ONLY

Author’s Note: Slight warning - the events of this fic are centered around the shooting of Sergeant Charles E Grant. The title of this fic is based off the song 'Yours' by Vera Lynn. For your reference, the Cajun pronunciation of cher, Eugene's term of endearment for the reader, is 'sha.' Just to help you really imagine it in your head. This is a work of fiction based off the portrayal by the actors in the HBO series. I hold nothing but respect for the real life individuals referenced within.

Word Count: 3887

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

This kind of thing wasn’t supposed to be happening. Not here in Austria after the surrender of the German army. Not today, the anniversary of D-Day. And yet here Eugene sat, balanced over a stretcher bearing a motionless Grant, holding an IV of blood above his head as Speirs sped down the road toward Saalfelden where the 47th Field Hospital was set up on the edge of town. Talbert rode in the front seat, frequently glancing back at them over his shoulder.

It was a miracle Grant was still breathing after receiving the headwound, continued to breathe through the frantic bandaging and loading onto Speirs’ jeep.

“Where’s the nearest surgeon?” The Captain had barked and Gene had answered easily, known it immediately, because the nearest surgeon was with you.

After parting ways in Titz, following that very eventful Easter Sunday, your hospital had stayed precisely where it was intended to be – twenty-five kilometers behind the line as they advanced across Germany. You had surprised Eugene by sending your next letter not by post, but in the pocket of an ambulance driver who had been all too happy to receive a pack of smokes from you for his trouble. Your ingenuity had opened his eyes, and he’d sent his own reply back two days later, postage paid with chocolate from his rations.

Being able to write one another without the censors having a say, to share every detail of your daily lives without fear of the letter going missing – as long as you each chose a trustworthy deliveryman of course – was a relief after all the delays in communication the pair of you had previously endured. Eugene was admittedly disheartened when he learned that your station in Austria would be in Saalfelden with the majority of the 101st Airborne while Easy and the rest of 2nd Battalion found themselves a further seventeen kilometers down the road in Zell Am See.

There remained a remarkable number of things for him to do, and the lack of ambulance traffic, while a blessing, severely impeded your correspondence once more. In short, Eugene was feeling awfully guilty about the fact that he had not managed to visit you since the war in Europe had ended. As the jeep pulled up outside the requisitioned gymnasium that had been turned into the 47th Field Hospital, he was not certain if he hoped you were there or not.

He jumped off the back of the vehicle as Speirs and Talbert grabbed each end of the stretcher and the three of them rushed toward the building. Eugene hurried a few steps ahead to pull the door open, wincing a little as Speirs shouldered it open fully, sending into the wall with a ‘bang.’ There was a scurry of footsteps from down a hallway to the right before you stepped into view, clad in your white and brown striped hospital dress, a brown cardigan over top with the sleeves pushed up to your elbows. Concern etched your features.

“Follow me.” You said quickly, rushing to pull open the next door into the gymnasium itself. “On the table right there please, sir.” You gestured to a makeshift exam table built of filing cabinets and a cot.

“Chief Nurse?” A young woman poked her head out from behind a privacy screen and Eugene nearly tripped over his own feet.

Last he’d heard you were Assistant Chief Nurse, promoted after your natural leadership of the group of nurses during your nine hours of capture. You’d gone and gotten yourself promoted again. He fought the urge to grin at you proudly as they carefully set Grant down as instructed.

“Shirley, go fetch Dr. Brock from his office immediately.”

“We need a surgeon.” Speirs rasped and Eugene watched the girl halt her progress across the room and look back to you questioningly.

“Dr. Randall then, quickly.” You amended, shifting to begin triage on the patient by checking his vitals as Speirs took Grant’s hand in his tightly.

Shirley fled the room, returning in less than a minute with a dark-haired man wearing a white coat in tow – surely Dr. Randall. A cigarette hung for his lips as he looked to Eugene for the hand off.

“Shot in the head with a pistol, maybe twenty minutes ago? Bandaged and given blood by IV.”

He saw Shirley hand you a chart out of the corner of his eye and you quickly noted these things along with the vitals you’d been taking when the surgeon had walked in. Dr. Randall leaned down to lift the bandages, inspecting Grant’s wound.

“Jesus.” He muttered.

“What?” Speirs asked, looking to him quickly.

“He’s not gonna make it.” Dr. Randall said, taking a slow drag on his cigarette.

“Ya can’t operate on him?” Eugene asked incredulously. This man was a surgeon, this was his job.

“Not me. You’d need a brain surgeon. And even if you had one, I don’t think there’s any hope.” Dr. Randall rubbed at his eyes, obviously just as worn out from the endless number of casualties he’d born witness to, before walking off.

Eugene’s eyes slid to meet yours where you remained next to the spot recently vacated by Dr. Randall; felt his throat clench painfully at the look of deep sympathy you were sending him.

Speirs took a breath and turned to Talbert, breaking the stunned silence that had fallen over the group. “You find the shooter, I want him alive.” He pointed at him for emphasis before turning back to Eugene. “Come on help me.”

“What’re you doing?” Talbert asked, grabbing the end of the stretcher.

“We’re gonna go find a brain surgeon!” Speirs declared before they were off and running back towards the door.

“There’s a German hospital further into town, follow this road for five blocks then hang a left.” You spoke quickly, hurrying to hold open the doors to ease their progress back to the jeep.

“Thank ya, Ma’am.” Eugene nodded quickly, ducking slightly as it had begun to lightly rain while they were inside.

“Take care.” Your voice shook a little and Eugene looked back to you once he’d resumed his perch on the back of the jeep, watching you wrap your cardigan tighter around yourself as you stood in the rain, staring at him intently until the vehicle jerked into motion as Speirs took off in the direction you had instructed.

The hospital was easy enough to find, thanks to your directions, and Talbert secured another jeep there to carry out Speirs’ orders to find the shooter. The brain surgeon was not currently on duty, but Speirs was undeterred and demanded his home address, from which he fetched him out of bed to operate immediately.

“It will take several hours.” The German surgeon had warned them when Speirs had asked where the waiting room was.

“We’ll wait.” He had replied flatly, and Eugene had followed after him as a nurse led them into an empty room filled with worn chairs and a few side tables with outdated German periodicals.

Eugene watched Speirs sink into one of the chairs while he found himself unable to sit down, wandering the perimeter of the room quietly, mind turning over all manner of things, but always coming back to how reluctant you had looked to see him go. The guilt within him had multiplied astronomically – he had been a fool to not rush to see you the instant he could, and now your first interaction since Easter was purely professional and surely terrifying. Precisely why he had been so very reluctant to admit his feelings to you in the first place.

“Doc, if you’re not going to sit down, go talk to that pretty Chief Nurse, would you?” He muttered, pulling the garrison cap from his hair.

Eugene’s head whipped up to look at his commanding officer in shock. Shock at the fact that Speirs had had the wherewithal to notice the looks you had been exchanging over Grant’s prone form. Shock that he was allowing him the liberty to visit you. Pure shock.

“Otherwise, it’s going to be a very long couple of hours.” There was a dangerous edge to the man’s voice that made Eugene swallow nervously and nod sharply.

“Yes sir, I’ll be back in a few hou’s then, sir.” He moved to slip out of the waiting room.

“Be careful out there, Doc.” Came Speirs’ parting command and Eugene nodded once more before heading out into the street, thankful that the blackout was no longer in effect and he had the assistance of streetlights to retrace his steps back to the Field Hospital.

He made a much quieter entrance this time, finding the nurse, Shirley, at the desk near the door in the gym.

“Oh, you’re the medic from earlier – how is your man?” She asked in a hushed voice as she stood.

“In surgery with a German brain surgeon now…I was wonderin’ if I migh’ speak ta you’ Chief Nurse?” He tilted his head, and she nodded quickly leading him down the hall to an unassuming office door.

“She’s still here, working late again.” She laughed softly and knocked.

“Thank ya, Ma’am.” He nodded as she nodded in return before heading back into the gym as your door swung inward.

“Gene…” You breathed in surprise, peering into the hallway as if to confirm he was truly alone.

“Cher…” He murmured in response, tremor in his own voice this time, and your fingers wrapped around his wrist, pulling him into the moderately sized office.

Your arms pulled him into a tight embrace as you nudged the door shut with your foot. He buried his face into your hair, fingers curling into the knit of your cardigan against your back.

“I’m right here, Gene.” You sighed soothingly, arms holding him so tightly, so warmly, Eugene was convinced you might actually be able to fuse his broken pieces back together. To make him feel whole again.

“Merci, cher.” He managed to find his voice after a moment, pulling back slightly only to press his lips to yours tightly in a physical expression of his gratitude.

Eugene felt the tremble that rolled through your body in response, his hands gripping you tighter as your fingers wended their way into his hair making him shudder in return. There was something about your touch tonight that felt like he was playing with fire, your entire presence loaded with explosive charge that could set him off at any moment. He pulled his lips back quickly before he did something wildly inappropriate in your office and panted against your mouth.

“M’sorry I haven’ come ta visit ya.”

Your response was a breathless laugh that made him bite the inside of his cheek.

“I’ve barely left this office. I’m beginning to think this promotion was a curse disguised as a blessing.” You smirked and stole one more kiss from his lips before straightening to look over his face warmly.

“It’s late, and I know ya don’ work nigh’s no mo’e…” He tried to keep the admonishing tone in his voice light, but he was admittedly upset you were working after midnight, something that even he was aware was unusual for a Chief Nurse.

“You know too much, Gene.” Your fingers smoothed his hair gently, restoring order to the strands you had put into disarray, a fond smile stretching his lips as he truly adored hearing you call him ‘Gene.’

His heart had nearly stopped when it had appeared in your letters but to hear it leave your lips was heaven itself.

“Let me walk ya home, tha man who did tha’ is still out the’e.”

He watched your eyes widen before you frowned deeply, shaking your head in dismay. “Did you find the hospital?”

“German brain surgeon’s operatin’ now…”

You took a slow breath before nodding. “I usually have an MP escort me, are you sure you don’t have to get back?”

He shook his head. “Grant’ll be in surgery a few hou’s longah. Cap’n Speirs won’ leave ‘till it’s ovah. Told me ta ‘go talk to that pretty Chief Nurse’ if I wouldn’t sit still.” Gene smirked ruefully and you blinked rapidly before biting your lip.

“Perhaps we have not been nearly as subtle as we thought, Gene…”

He laughed softly under his breath as he watched you turn to collect your things, sliding a small utility bag over your shoulder before turning out the desk light. The desk itself was still covered in stacks of files and he couldn’t help but frown as it seemed that your late nights had barely made a dent in the work your new position had foisted upon you.

“Wait here.” You said once you’d locked your office door and walked a little further down the hall to knock on another door.

He could barely make out another man’s voice, it didn’t sound like Dr. Randall, so presumably Dr. Brock, before you swung by the desk in the gymnasium to wish Shirley a good night. One last stop at the MP office to the left of the entrance where you informed your usual escort you had someone to walk you home before the pair of you were able to step out into the damp night. Thankfully, the rain had stopped falling but the puddles on the ground were plentiful as Eugene offered his arm. He could not help his fond smile as you took it without hesitation, hugging his elbow close as you walked side-by-side.

“I’m quite close to the hospital actually.” You gestured down the road and he nodded, turning that way.

“Tha’s how ya knew…”

Your soft laugh made his stomach quiver slightly though he did not miss the yawn you tried to smother.

“Ya been workin’ late a lot, cher?” He prompted softly, vigilant to your surroundings but so far, the streets were quiet.

“Mm.” You nodded slowly before sighing. “Seems the Chief Nurse before me was not such a fan of paperwork. Maude was a fantastic leader, we’re lucky to have her as the Assistant Director of Austria base, but if I had known what was awaiting me in that office…well I’d probably have asked to help her more when I was her assistant.”

He felt you tug on his arm and looked down to you quickly to see you pointing across the street to a modest apartment building.

“We’re quartered here.”

Eugene nodded and led you across the street as you fished for the keys in your bag. He couldn’t help but notice that you were in fact only a few blocks from the German hospital where Grant was still undergoing surgery. He said another silent prayer to guide the hands of the surgeon to success as you led him up to the building entrance.

A pair of sharp cries cut through the night, making the both of you freeze briefly.

“Hey!”

“Stop right there!”

The voices were still a block or so away, but belonged to men that Eugene knew a well as his own family.

“Inside cher, now.” He said quickly, pulling you toward the building.

“Second floor.” You uttered quickly and he pushed you up the stairs front of him, hands on your hips as he could hear the voices of Talbert and Malarkey growing closer, accompanied by footsteps splashing through puddles and the rumble of a jeep engine close behind.

You stopped at an apartment door and Eugene noted your struggle to line the key with the deadbolt, gently but firmly taking it from you to unlock the door and push you inside. He was quick to close and lock the door behind him, wanting you nowhere near the drunken madman who had already killed at least two people tonight. He heard you take a breath as you turned back toward him and he gently covered your mouth with his palm, shushing you softly as he listened for further noises from the street below.

They sounded as if they were right outside, their voices rising up through the stairwell as his wide eyes bored directly into yours.

“Yeah, that’s him!”

“Get in the jeep you son of a bitch.”

The sound of the engine faded off into the night and Eugene waited a full minute before lowering his hand from your mouth, the only sound remaining being the pounding of his heart in his ears. He heard you suck in a breath, the only warning he was afforded before your lips collided with his. He stumbled slightly, startled a moment, before the adrenaline in his veins was transformed into white hot desire. His hands clutched at your lower back, pulling you tightly against him as he blindly stumbled toward the doorway he had glimpsed upon entering your apartment.

He felt your body impact with something behind you and pulled back from your lips quickly to see he had backed you into the kitchen table. He felt you rise up onto your toes, seemingly intent on sitting on the tabletop and his hands quickly seized your hips, aiding you in your efforts by hoisting you the last bit of distance. He could not help the smirk that graced his features as you gasped at his strength; hard-won through years of training and carrying wounded from the battlefield. His mouth quickly returned to yours, shuddering as your tongue met his eagerly, your fingers once more burrowing into his hair.

Eugene’s lungs began to ache from a lack of oxygen and he reluctantly pulled back from your lips only to begin trailing open-mouthed kisses along your jaw and down your throat. Your shaky exhale filled his ears as your fingers began to tug at the buttons of his OD jacket, sending his own in search of the same on your cardigan. As he pushed the fabric out of the way, he slid his hands along your sides, sucking at the hollow of your throat, exhaling hotly against your skin as you parted your legs for him.

“Cher…” He rasped against your skin, gulping at the whimper that fell from your lips as he stepped closer, nestling between your thighs.

Your body felt so hot against him, even through his ODs and wool trousers, he was helpless not to press as tightly to you as possible, not even leaving a hairsbreadth of space. Your fingers curled into the front of his wool shirt, hips bucking against his slightly as you whimpered again.

“Gene!” Your gasped and he kissed you fiercely as his lower abdomen grew heavy with arousal, blood rushing to his already hardening length as he rutted against you obligingly.

The moan that rattled from your throat into his mouth had his head swimming, his baser instincts immediately taking over, demanding he do anything and everything to draw that sound from you again and again. His hands shifted to grip your thighs, pulling your body even tighter to his as he continued to move against you, delighting in your repeated cries of pleasure which he devoured hungrily. He barely noticed your persistence against the buttons of his uniform shirt until he felt your hands sliding around his torso with only the thin barrier of his undershirt separating your skin, a groan falling from his lips as he tore them from yours.

“Merde.” He hissed, screwing his eyes shut against the salaciously delicious friction between your bodies.

“Mm! I know that one…” You giggled breathily against his neck before your lips were on his skin, making his hips rock sharply against yours.

“Feel so good, cher.” He groaned again, hands shifting beneath the hem of your dress, beneath the hem of your slip, to find the bare skin of your thighs. Quite possibly the softest thing he’d ever touched.

“Yes, Gene.” You whined against his kiss-dampened skin. “Don’t stop.”

He grunted in agreement, fingers tracing higher to grip your hips, increasing the friction yet again as he rutted his fully hard cock against your underwear. The moan that fell from your lips contained an almost anguished tone and he had to grit his teeth against the desire to climax at just the sound of it. Your fingers were digging into his back through the cotton of his undershirt, hips echoing every motion of his as his fingers delved past the edge of your underwear to curl into the soft flesh of your buttocks.

“Oh god Gene I’m…” You panted, head rolling back, and he nodded vigorously, eyes latching onto your face, desperate to watch you fall apart in his arms.

Eugene had long been convinced that you could do everything with grace, and you once again proved his assumption correct as your eyelashes fluttered against your cheeks, your mouth falling open to emit a soft wail of pure ecstasy. Burying his face against your neck, he cursed harshly as his hips bucked sharply, all sense of rhythm and control abandoning him as his orgasm immediately overtook him. Sliding one hand out from beneath your skirt to brace against the table lest he collapse onto you, he smiled sheepishly as you grinned up at him, your lower lip caught beneath your teeth.

“Sorry, Gene…” You murmured, running your hands along his back soothingly, your chests brushing against one another as you both struggled to catch your breath.

He shook his head quickly and then tensed. “Do ya….are ya the only one billeted in he’e?” He glanced back toward the hallway, suddenly aware of how much noise the pair of you had made.

Your bright peal of laughter caught his attention, and he turned back to you quickly.

“You ask me that now, Gene?!” You teased, gripping the back his neck to pull him down for a lazy kiss as he huffed a laugh against your lips in reply. “No, just me. Chief Nurse perk.”

He relaxed with a nod, straightening slowly as his legs finally felt like solid muscle and bone once more.

“The washroom is just down the hall if you wa–”

“Be my wife.” The words fell out of his mouth before he could stop them.

He had intended to make more of a spectacle of it. Hell, he had intended to have a ring to put on your finger. But the way you were looking up at him now with glossy eyes still hazy with pleasure, crinkled at the corners as you smiled his favorite smile to date – he was helpless to hold them back.

Eugene held his breath as he watched your eyes widen, your mouth drop open, as his unexpected statement hung in the air.

“Are you…proposing to me Eugene Roe?” You exhaled and he gulped roughly.

“I understand if ya don’ wanna marry me, I still have ta go ta tha Pacific an’…”

“How could I say no, Gene, when I was born to be yours.” You eyed him softly but there was something about your words, and the way your lips were twitching with mirth, that tugged at the back of his brain.

“Cher are ya quotin’ Vera Lynn again?” He huffed and grimaced playfully at your answering laugh, yet felt his heart begin to beat double time as your hands cupped his cheeks and your expression grew serious.

“Eugene Roe, I would love to be your wife.” You nodded firmly and sealed your acceptance with a firm kiss that made his heart soar.

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

Band of Brothers Masterlist

Tag list: @ronsparky, @fuckoffthanos, @bcon24, @phyllisthefirst, @footprintsinthesxnd, @she-wolf09231982

[itficlibrary]

This Week’s Theme Is Bev-Centric!

the following are recs for fics that are mostly if not solely focused on beverly marsh! remember to check the tags & leave comments on your faves!

like an angel (too good to be true) by leahrocky (3.2k words)

a quick & joyful little benverly origin story set in 1965, wherein bev owns a bar and bumps into ben after closing one night. featuring bisexual beverly, swimming kisses, and all around warm beachy vibes.

break the rules (spikes grow from your skin) by quirkily (7.8k words)

a bev character study via bathroom breakdown + general pennywise-y psychological warfare. featuring angsty flashbacks, body horror, and a quietly hopeful, empowered ending. this also has some lovely accompanying art!

all hail me by werewolfologist (6.2K words)

a college fic focussed on bev’s self-discovery in early adulthood, set in the late ‘90s. featuring a fantastically fiery writing style, eddie & bev bffship at the forefront and even a carrie white cameo!

power, kingdom, power by loserchildhotpants (6.6k words)

a delve into what bev might’ve seen in the deadlights at the end of IT Chapter One. featuring lots of easter eggs, the exquisite misery of beverly marsh’s childhood, and dark & nasty loser death visions.

send in the clowns by hammerhorror (8.2K words)

another bev + eddie friendship focused fic, only this time it’s set right after the events of IT chapter two, seeing the two of them staying together while avoiding their respective shitty spouses. featuring lots of introspection for both beverly and eddie, platonic slow dancing and the bittersweet healing process.

I Know A Place (We Can Run) by MonoclePony (38k words)

Set three years before the events of It Chapter Two, Bev leaves Tom and by a stroke of good luck, runs into Eddie. They decide to go on a roadtrip together, destination unknown. This fic is super cute and such a good look into Bev’s inner dialogue! The characterisation is perfect, and the fact that you get to go on this journey with both of them is amazing.

Construction and Alteration by stitchy (5k words)

An amazing look into Bev’s life in the twenty-seven years in between chapter one and chapter two. I loved following Bev throughout her story, and I really enjoyed the monologue and thought process we are privy to in this fic! Also includes some amazingly cute art!

good things ahead by reallyros (3.7k words)

A super cute story about the Losers ringing in the New Year together, from Bev’s point of view. This is a super sweet fic, and the introspection is second to none. This fic is super cozy, and perfect for people who love fix-it fics with happy endings! 

The Clown Monologues: The Darning Stitch by ratbird0917 (190 words)

A short poem from Bev’s point of view! This is super cute view into Bev’s internal monologue! 

the benevolence of beverly marsh by tozier (33k words)

A delve into Bev’s journey of self discovery! This fic is an amazing character study that goes into all aspects of Bev’s life after the events of IT chapter one, and I especially love the introspection as well as the dissection of her relationships!! Also lesbian Bev I love you… call me baby…

[xexed]

it really shocks me, the difference in the quality of severance analysis between reddit and tumblr.

i find that the former is overly consumed by the plot, by outsmarting the writers, by theorizing. they sacrifice the romance and depth of character for the novelty of the twists and turns – at times, perceiving simple plot points to be evidence of some greater meaning, an easter egg that reveals all (/s). other times, redditors will draw connections that aren't there at all; the shape of the lumon building + parking lot is shaped like a uterus, which is totally an intentional reference to gemma's fertility struggles. my eyes rolled so far in the back of my head at that one that i nearly saw my brain.

the other quirk of the severance subreddit (that can certainly be applied to that platform as a whole) is their intense enforcement of morality. redditors, in their inability to meaningfully engage with the social complexities of life, also fail to decipher the relational idiosyncrasies that make this show so great. yes, i am generalizing, but it is a theme i have noticed. for example, while helena is clearly skewed in her ethical perception, redditors proclaim her to be irredeemable. the truth of helena's morals have been left intentionally unclear; but her motivations in pursuit of mark and intimacy are markedly clear. ask a redditor, however, and they will tell you she is a monster who is only making the decisions she is to serve lumon. while it's pretty obvious to the average viewer that she's got a bit of an unhinged fixation.

and this is why i prefer reading the tumblr analyses – y'all not only leave room for the 'gray', but in fact you welcome it. reddit loves to sanitize; tumblr loves to fuel the chaos. people will never fit into neat boxes of good and evil – nor should they. the process of maturing, of procuring wisdom, of accepting the fullness of your humanity is done through the integration of your shadow – not your rejection of it.

[revive-the-fandom]

please please please talk about how Jack looks to North for confirmation and how he left after North turns away during the Easter scene I really wanna hear your thoughts about that

ahhh anon tysm for asking!!!! i will gladly ramble about this, but remember, you asked lol

(also so sorry!! this has been a draft since August :| whoops!)

i feel like it's important to note that the Guardian's don't have a leader - at least not in an official capacity. in battle they individually hold their own and defend each other, but there's no one calling the shots because they're all equal. and when it comes to decisions, they discuss them as a group (and seem to go by majority rather than unanimous decision).

North is often mistaken for the leader, when the fact is that he's not. He's just loud and driven, and often more proactive or impulsive than the others. They tend towards following him because he is the only one who actually suggests anything. He's the Idea Guy. He's also the Guy With The Tools. so they default to his house, not because that's their Home Base, but because North is the only one to invite anyone over.

But North's not the leader because there is no leader.

which makes this scene really interesting to me, because when Bunny dismisses him, Jack doesn't give up then and there,

Jack turns to North for confirmation that he feels the same,

and yes, technically Tooth is also there, and a part of the Guardians, and we've established that North is not the leader because they work as a team in all aspects. but Jack is not looking at Tooth, the camera work/angle shows that explicitly,

the only opinion that Jack deeply cares about is North's.

not Bunny's, who's holiday he (accidentally) ruined, who he just started honestly getting to know and like, whose relationship has the most history and tension and stakes. not even just because Bunny's the symbol of Hope and this scene is about the destruction of it.

nope. North is who Jack looks to.

because North has repeatedly proven himself as someone Jack can trust to have his back socially, emotionally and physically. North has shown that he's willing and able to see through Jack's blase front and that he knows how and when to knock it down and talk through the issue, and when to play along with it.

He knows when to seek Jack out when he by all accounts appears to want to be alone.

North and Jack is perhaps the most vital relationship in the whole movie. North is the biggest reason Jack stays with the Guardians, and Jack is the only reason the Guardians survive the movie. Despite the movie's focus on the Guardians working as a team (including Jack), the movie relies heavily on Jack and North's friendship/father-son relationship to carry the movie.

North and Jack have only known each other for a handful of days, and yet the scene in which Jack and Bunny have a falling out, which is central to their characters and character arcs/themes, has to include Jack and North because it's already such a deep bond.

and it's so clear as to why it is that way! after 300 years of isolation (whether that be near total, or just as someone disconnected from his family and friends in an unfamiliar culture) Jack finally gets someone who goes out of their way to bring him comfort and stability.

like, the others try, and they're lovely to Jack but they're not equipped to do the same thing as North. North has this near-instant and total understanding of what Jack needs to feel comfortable.

I know a lot of people don't like the GoC books, but given his backstory there - an orphan who was raised by Cossaks, who was constantly on guard, constantly moving around, demanding authority, but still retaining a strong moral compass - it makes a lot of sense. He's probably trying to emulate either Ombric (his mentor and father-figure) or Katherine (his little sister-figure), and how they comforted him. He's probably treating Jack how he himself wanted to be treated, though likely tweaked a bit to fit Jack's personality (he's shyer than North for sure).

which is a very long way of saying, I love that North's relationship with Jack is strong and deep enough that Jack, even after being threatened with physical harm

and being outright rejected by Bunny, he still looks to North. Not because North has any authority, not because Jack wants to stay on the team, but because he wants to know he hasn't disappointed North. He wants to know that North believes him, will hear him out, will sit him down and explain that no, actually, it wasn't his fault.

it's only once North turns away, rejects him too, that Jack accepts the rejection.

and his response? He throws away North's doll (which represents a lot of things for Jack, but for the purposes of this argument) because the relationship is broken at this moment. they've lost that trust and understanding, and Jack is acknowledging it, accepting it, and cementing it all at once by leaving.

and North immediately grieves and regrets it

because again, in this moment that's centered around Jack and Bunny, Jack is once again only (or, mostly) thinking about North. It's North's rejection, North's doll, North's trust and compassion that he cares about.

North gave Jack that little piece of himself, that little bit of Wonder that sits in North's core, so that Jack could experience it, lean on it in place of his own core, while he works out what his own is. He gave Jack that reasurrance that he would support him, and Jack throws it away because it didn't work (again, in part because of Jack's own failure to communicate).

there's just something so tragic in that moment to me. more so than the argument between Jack and Bunny, more so than the antartica scene or the memories. Jack and North losing faith in each other is more of an emotional gut punch than anything else.

[artbyblastweave]

what, in your mind, is the difference between a story being predictable (solid foreshadowing, well constructed and clearly telegraphed story arcs, early and solid establishment of themes) and "predictable" (trite, cliched, overreliant on stereotypes). because sometimes it really feels like a case of "our glorious tropes" vs "their barbarous cliches" where the only real differenc is just "well i like this one more so i dont care if i can see where the story is going"

I've never really come up with a satisfying answer to the "their barbarous cliches, our glorious tropes" thing, and I don't really think I'm going to; my respect for a story's execution is often bound up in my respect for the overall project, which is often contingent and vibes based.

An example of this- around Easter, I was doing a review (since on the backburner) of a bad pulp sci-fi novel from the 60s called The Day They H-bombed Los Angeles, which is, basically, the exact kind of referent fiction for the pastiches present in Fallout. I found it interesting as a time capsule but not good in any meaningful way- but the thing is that it did contain a plot twist, right. Well telegraphed, logical within the rules set up within the story, more visible on a second readthrough (although still pretty visible on the first readthrough.) It borders on active genre commentary, even! But it's embedded in a book so thoroughly mediocre and of-its-time in its prose and politics that I can't bring myself to be enthusiastic about or even fair in my assessment of the solidly workmanlike elements. And on the other hand, I know for a fact, right, that if I'd encountered this book as a small child, if it had been a formative read rather than a curiosity, I'd be running defense for the exact same elements that I'm writing off right now, scrambling to find something worthwhile to latch onto and elevate in order to validate my one-time tastes, in order to escape the sense that I've built my entire sense of aesthetics on a foundation of quicksand. Which is what I think a lot of people are doing a lot of the time.

So, you know. It is what it is.

[game-boy-pocket]

Maybe i'm just hanging out around the wrong places where the new Donkey Kong design is being discussed, but Donkey Kong fans sound a lot like what people say Sonic fans sound like right now, and they're being very alarmist about the future of Donkey Kong. I've heard really shitty things being said. Things like "Nintendo is doing this because they hate Rare, they're trying to spite them! They want to erase Rare's Donkey Kong!" and "This is the end of DK as we know it, this art style is prepping him to be swallowed up as a permanent Mario character now. We'll never get a solo DK game again!"

It's nonsense. I understand not liking the new design, but giving him a new design at all can only be seen as a sign that Nintendo has big plans for the franchise in my book.

Let me go over all the evidence to suggest that Donkey Kong is going to become a huge IP in the near future, and not merely a bit player in the Mario spinoffs.

Donkey Kong had a huge presence in the Mario movie, there was more Rare references in the movie than we've seen in a long time, and DK himself was probably more active in the movie than even Luigi. Why would they portray DK the way they did instead of being an escaped zoo animal kidnapping mayor Pauline if their plans for him were to absorb him into the Mario franchise forever? Miyamoto also chose to address the design very directly, which he didn't do for other characters. He had a hand in the design, this is not "Illumination Donkey Kong" this is Donkey Kong, as updated by his own creator. So you might as well divorce this design from Seth Rogan in your brain, it's still gonna be the voice of Ganondorf coming out of this ape ( most likely. I still miss Grant Kirkhope peresonally )

Super Mario Odyssey's New Donk City was obviously an homage to Arcade Donkey Kong, except it wasn't JUST an homage to the arcade era. There were more Rare easter eggs than you could shake a stick at, every street sign was named after something from Donkey Kong Country including Animal Buddies Kremlings and Kongs not yet present in the Retro Studios games, you can see the full list [here].

After years of selling Donkey Kong toys and other merchandise with "Super Mario" logos, they stopped doing that a few years back. Now, Donkey Kong merch is using actual Donkey Kong Branding. Again, this is not something they would do if they wanted Donkey Kong to be swallowed up by Mario.

Donkey Kong got it's own lego set, which includes Funky, Dixie, and Cranky, yes they were in tropical freeze, but they wouldn't be using those characters at all in new merchandise if their plan was to dissolve DK into Mario.

www.donkeykong.com used to redirect to the Nintendo home page. Now it leads to a portal for all things Donkey Kong. If you test a number of other Nintendo IP, Star Fox, F-Zero, Warioware, Yoshi's Island, what do you see, you either get redirected to Nintendo's front page ( currently advertising Donkey Kong Country Returns HD ) or a picture of Wario saying "nope, doesn't exist."

Nintendo always seems to add Donkey Kong stuff in batches to NSO and Nintendo music. This hasn't happened for other franchises, but they always make Donkey Kong stuff a big deal.

King K. Rool did so well in the Smash Ballot, that, while he was not realizable at the time ( because secretly the Smash Ballot was never about Smash 4 ), they added a Mii costume into Smash 4 to throw fans a bone. DK Vine has an insider reporting that Nintendo was stunned by his popularity, they were unaware he had so much support. Retro Studios wanted to add him into the Switch port of Tropical Freeze, but it was decided Smash Bros would be the more meaningful re-introduction for the character. That's all rumor, but the fact is, they chose King K. Rool for Smash Ultimate.

THEY OPENED A GOD DAMNED THEME PARK. Does Star Fox have a theme park? Does Kirby have a theme park? Is there an F-Zero ride at Super Nintendo World? Did Pikmin get anything other than minor appearances in the Mario lobby? DOES ZELDA HAVE A THEME PARK?? No to all of these... Donkey Kong has a theme park, it's modeled after his IP, and while it's main influence is Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze, the theme park was in the works so long ago that those were the most current games at the time. They might not have much merch outside of DK and Diddy but it's not like the Mario park has the most diverse merchandise either. I didn't see a single piece of Wario merch while I was there. I'm sure as the years go on, more merchandise will come to these parks. I doubt they'll be selling the same things forever.

Donkey Kong has new key art made for a calendar for 2026. And yes, Diddy will be in the calander too. No word on other characters but K. Rool was in a 2020 Donkey Kong Calendar. Why would they be making DK merch for TWENTY TWENTY SIX if they want to kill his franchise and absorb it into Mario??

And finally the big rumor, again, from a DK vine insider. A 3D Donkey Kong game was reportedly in development from Vicarious Visions before Activision pulled the plug because they didn't want to develop single player games anymore after Skylanders sold poorly. DK being a guest in Skylanders just makes this rumor seem even more likely. Rumors say that Nintendo finally decided to make Donkey Kong a series they would develop internally like Mario, and bring him home to Japanese devs, instead of always relying on partners to develop Donkey Kong.

The Mario Kart redesign further supports this, as it heavily resembles the way Japanese artists have been drawing Donkey Kong for years, if you look at his gallery in the Mario Wiki, you'll notice the resemblances long before the movie design was revealed.

Last thing, they chose to close out the Nintendo Switch's life with remakes of Mario vs Donkey Kong, and Donkey Kong Country Returns. They could have remade anything, but they think Donkey Kong is valuable enough that people would want to play it. Yeah, it's fully priced, which sucks, but just take it as a sign that Nintendo sees Donkey Kong as a premium brand.

Donkey Kong fans have been dooming about the state and future state of the IP for so long that they're ignoring all the signs right in front of their noses that the IP is very healthy, and I don't think there's a reality in which we don't see a new Donkey Kong game in the first few years of the Switch 2's life, and it's not going to involve Mario. I will say I can't guarantee they'll bring back every Animal Buddy, Kong, and Kremling the fans have been missing, but it would be extremely weird and dumb to dump all that after... well *gestures to the bulleted list above*

Donkey Kong is going to be just fine.