#this is definitely not a teaser to a personal project I have

[mashirodayo]

[ripclaudia]

i know that jesse armstrong is more than capable of knowing when to end a series but the way it was announced that season 4 is going to be the last one kind of made me feel like the whole process behind it is a bit sketchy. they only revealed that s4 is the last one only a month before the premiere, even after posting teaser trailers that never even hinted at the season being the last, and even the cast got the news only during the table read for the final episode. the promotion of season 4 has been disappointing especially when compared to season three. while the actors are not the ones writing the show, most of them have been very clear that they could have seen the show go on for another season and their disappointment over the show ending has been clear as day. while an ambiguous ending will be a very fitting end to succession and i am not against it, i am definitely wondering if the decision to finish with season 4 was something that developed during the filming process instead of it being a clear guideline throughout the creative process of season 4.

[simpjaes]

☆ WIP DIARY ── MILF HUNT (p.js)☆

You’ve never been one to chase younger men, but that doesn’t change the fact that one particular younger man won't stop chasing you. You barely recognized him at first, with the dyed hair, a matured attitude, and a darkened wardrobe. He definitely recognized you though and apparently has made it his mission to prove his worth to you. Unfortunately for him, you’re not interested in giving a chance to the pain-in-your-ass son of the family you used to babysit for. 

⨯ park jongseong x afab milf!reader  

⨯ minors dni

⨯ tags: tags are subject to change as i write this fic. age gap: reader is in her late 20s and jay is 22, milf trope, college pool boy jay (turned part time babysitter), reader has 1 kid and jay really wants to give her another, reader has morals!! jay just doesn’t care and is dead set on making her break her moral code for him lol, jay is actually very sweet when he gets what he wants

⨯ !WARNINGS!: warnings are subject to change as I write this. age gap, jay is the aggressor here, like he will not lay off it or take no for an answer. A LOT of chasing, manipulation, and dub-con (reader does want it). major breeding kink and kind of a mommy and daddy kink but mostly in terms of being turned on to having a domestic life lmao, angst regarding reader and her ex husband, reader has huge tits

LAST UPDATED: 10.19.24

⨯ est wordcount: 15k (hopefully not more this time)

⨯ current wordcount: 7.8k

⨯ est release date: tbd

⨯ taglist: ask to be on my perma tag list!

teaser:

Today, you’re more thankful for Jay than you have been previously. After a heavy workload has been lifted off your back with the approval of this project, you need a night out. 

He was so understanding when you called, even happy to come over right then and there to put your daughter to bed and mostly just house-sit for the night. Even without an end time for him, and even without asking for extra pay, he just…accepted with an understanding tone and that stupid breathy chuckle he gives to you when you ask for favors. 

It’s the fact that now, as he sits on your couch looking at you in your chosen outfit…he seems a little off. Maybe it’s because you asked him where the best spots in town are since it’s been so long since you’ve gone out, or maybe he just feels awkward seeing so much skin on your body. 

In reality, he’s just awestruck. Already you look great even after your busy days at work but…this is a different level. He’s struggling more than usual to keep himself calm around you, rubbing his legs together when you walk away and releasing a small sigh before you’re looking at him again.

His skin feels like it’s on fire knowing you’re going out looking like that.

“You sure you're okay to sleep over? I figure it’ll be easier since I’m not sure when I’ll come home, or if I come home.” You smile with a wink, your stomach in knots over the two shots you’ve taken for the first time in years. “I can call my friends and tell them not to come if you’d rather focus on your studies.” 

Jay shakes his head, waving his hands in defense for you. 

“No, no! Go on, have fun.” He says, as if encouraging you to go out despite hoping you come home with no luck of finding a man out there.

Just, look at you. He hates knowing that he could be one of the guys at whatever bar or club you’re landing on tonight. He could be the person that makes sure you don’t come home tonight. He could be whatever you want him to be if you’re looking like that. 

But no, he has to play husband again, which is normally something he’s all too excited to do. Tonight though, he feels like a fucking cuckold. After everything he does for you, after not mentioning how you’ve skipped a few of his payments, after slaving away for hours over your pool, your household chores, your goddamn stove to make sure you have a meal when you get off of work…you implied you may not come home tonight?

And you’re dressed as if you were intending easy access? 

And you’re…

Fuck, you just look so good right now. It pains him to know you didn’t dress like this for him, the only man in your life who cares enough to make your life easy. He’s not mad at you, per se, but he’s pissed that you don’t see him as an option despite showing you time and time again that not only is he an option, but the right choice. 

Maybe he’s just too deep in his one-sided roleplay but it really, really fucking feels like he’s watching his woman go off and look for someone to fuck, or love, or–

“Thank you, Jongseong,” You smile, walking over to him with a saunter in your step and a gentle smile across your lips. 

He’s never heard you speak such casual words so sensually. He’s never even seen you saunter before. Fuuucking hell, somehow it feels worse internally seeing you act like this, after how many times he’s imagined it. 

A slow walk from you, with the strap of your shirt slipping off your shoulder, lifting the hem of your skirt, or dress, or whatever you’re wearing in his fantasy at that point. Your voice, so soft, so sexy. And you’re practically bringing his fantasy to life right now, except he knows you’re going to fucking walk away from him like this. Into the fucking arms of some random dude at a club. 

“It means a lot.” You add, popping a quick, platonic kiss to the top of his forehead. 

Ah, it burns. That little kiss on him is enough to ignite him to the point of no return. He almost wants to skip the part of asking you not to go and straight up just beg that you pick him, that you choose him. It’s not just your home, or the luxuries that come with it. It’s you that he wants. You’re the fucking luxury and you’re just gonna go to some sticky-floored club and pretend he’s not clearly checking you the fuck out right now? 

The same way you checked him out so many times before realizing who he is? 

“It’s no problem.” Jay says shortly, now adjusting his body to sink deeper into your couch to keep himself from arguing against everything he’s giving you permission to do right now. 

Hah. Permission.

“Be safe.” He adds again, in an even more monotone voice. “I’ll be here when you get back.” 

And god, he seethes in his thoughts after you close that door and hop into the car with your friends. You don’t look like a mother tonight, and he wonders if you’ll be upfront and forward with anyone you intend to hit on too. Hah, probably not. He’s well aware of the men in this city, after all, he’s one of them.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

Jay hates that he’s now forced to get used to your late night ventures. Every weekend you ask if he’s willing to stay over so you can go unwind, and despite his better (or worse) judgment, he accepts. The only solace he finds in these ventures is knowing you consistently come back home right after usual closing times, and you’re mostly sober. Sometimes even a bit whiny that you’re not lucking out, worrying that maybe you’re too old now, or maybe you’re just not as desirable. 

He knows in your tipsy state that you usually wouldn’t talk about these things with him, but he’s all too happy to get the details once you come home. Mostly because it calms his rising rage at how you’re doing this, and entirely because you’re technically coming home to him. 

This time though…three in the morning has passed and normally you’d have been stumbling through the door an hour ago. Normally, he’d be fighting back the need to tell you that you’re beautiful, not too old, and entirely desirable. Normally, he would be fisting his cock in your guest room, getting off on the idea that he can cum in a house that you live in. 

Have you really done it this time? Gone off with some man? Are you getting railed right now in some hotel, or car, or someone’s shitty man-cave? God, his mind is racing, both aroused at the fact that you must be horny to be constantly wanting to go out like this, but equally as devastated because like…he’s right here.

Like, who the fuck cares if you babysat him? He’s a man, clearly. No longer that child who sprayed cheese in your hair or dumped salt into the bag of sugar. He’s a fucking man, cooking you dinner when you work, parenting your child, cleaning your house, maintaining your pool and fence….

Click.

Jay’s ears perk up instantly at the sound. He sits up on the couch from his depressed slump of scrolling through his phone, quickly fixing his hair and clearing his throat. 

In you stumble, right into the little entryway table with a whisper-screams “Shit, fuck–”

Jay looks at your state before standing to his feet and rushing to you, helping you balance on your feet despite your footing not quite being grounded even with his help. You lean on him closely, letting out a sigh. 

“You’re late.” He says shortly, smelling the alcohol on your breath and telling him, if the stumble didn’t, that you’ve had far too much.

“Late?!” You raise your voice before looking at him with drowsy eyes, furrowing your brow. “I don’t have a curfe-”

“Shh–” He shushes you, helping you get to the living room. “She’s sleeping and you’re going to have her make a fuss about waking up.”

You giggle to yourself as he drops you onto the couch, now aware that yes, you are not a single college student anymore. You’re a single woman. A fucking mother.

“Right.” You laugh, slouching, spreading out wide against the couch and trying to fix your gaze on him. “Why’re you still awake?”  Jay rolls his eyes before fixing them on you. God, the things he’d do to you right now. The things he could get away with if he wanted to. ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ i'm really trying to keep this one at 15k or less, but i rly don't know if that'll happen. we shall see!!!

[lu-is-not-ok]

Timekilling Time Trailer Frame by Frame

That's right. The second trailer for Timekilling Time is out, and I'm gonna go through it frame by fucking frame. I've always done this for story-related teasers and trailers, just not on Tumblr. So, might as well do it here for once.

First thing after the logo of the event:

We see a view of a T Corp street. The visual effect over some of the silhouettes if very interesting, especially considering it's almost completely unseen on the more working-class looking people, while being very extreme on the one person with color. Some sort of visual cue showing how much 'Time' currency everyone owns perhaps?

Judging by the golden accents and clockwork motifs, seems like a T Corp official dealing with one of the workers. The official does mostly match the outfit one of the T Corp collectors we see in Canto 4, so we might be seeing some more intricacies of whatever their job entails in this Intervallo.

The transition between this and the ID showcase is a glitchy effect, interestingly enough.

Project Moon why the fuck is Ryoshu's dialogue so goddamn blurry here? Whatever, we'll get back to that line later. Let's focus on what we can see.

Ryoshu is getting the 00 Identity, and is an Event Reward, meaning you'll be able to get her through grinding the event itself. Also, in case the pattern on the bandana wasn't already a dead give-away, then the name of the identity will be - we're dealing with the Yurodiviye again.

This has. A lot of lore implications. For one, we know from Canto 2 that the Yurodiviye are no longer confined to just District Y, but the fact that this is a confirmation they exist in District T as well means they are far more widespread than we might think.

Also the role they seem to take on is very interesting as well. In Canto 2 we learn of them as being a Syndicate that has connections with a bunch of other Syndicates in District J, but in here it seems like they're more official than that? We're talking straight up detective stuff, with the previous teaser implying the people we'll be working with are actually officially recognised by T Corp. Just what the fuck has Sonya been doing?

First look at event combat. Unsurprisingly, we're in the streets of T Corp. Interestingly, we're fighting the human T Corp Collectors we got to see in Canto 4 but didn't get to fight. Does that imply some sort of inner conflict in T Corp? Like I said above, the previous teaser implied the detective work we're doing is for T Corp's interests, why are we being impeded by other T Corp officials?

Looking at the Skill animation, Ryoshu's Skill 1 is two coins.

Skill 2 looks like maybe three coins?

Skill 3 is definitely three coins, and that is Very Much a Tremor Burst sound effect on the last coin. We got the Tremor baby!

Finally, some readable dialogue! Doesn't give us much, but "Shake down the loaded pigs..." shows us that even in their new role, Yurodiviye still despise the rich and focus on redistributing wealth.

Also, hi Hong Lu! You're here early! We'll get to you in a moment.

Let's talk about Ryoshu's guard, as the trailer very nicely shows us that's what Ryoshu is using.

"...and share the pilfered time with everyone." Yup, just as I said, redistribution of wealth.

Anyway, Ryoshu's guard seems to have a sort of Assist Attack mechanic to it, causing her to follow up with an attack of hers after Hong Lu's own attack. This Defense Assist Attack appears to be two coins, with a Tremor Burst on the second. Already looking very interesting as an ID.

Good lord Project Moon, what is it with the unreadable Ryoshu dialogue?! At least this one is slightly legible. "Pictures? Hmph, fine-snap away. Just make sure to get all the blood splatters." This combined with the post-uptie art showing an overlay of a camera with a shattered lens gives the idea that the Yurodiviye are somewhat well known I think. Enough to warrant taking pictures of.

Aaaand here's man of the hour! A 000 Identity that will be in the Gacha - District 20 Yurodivy Hong Lu. Same faction as Ryoshu, and the fact that we are definitely dealing with a Detective archetype here, again, it brings Yurodiviye's spot in T Corp into question. Are they going to be the people we help out, or are they the bad guys we'll be catching?

There's a lot to unpack here. First - "Hmm... What an amateurish finish... They must've been really pressed for time." - again with the Hong Lu identities utterly unphased by violence! What is the deal with him! The fact that he comments on the murder scene in terms of 'finish', as if judging a piece of art, is extra suspicious considering we've got Ryoshu as the other Identity here. It also has a weird connection to Sign of Roses's Observation Log, where Hong Lu starts describing it as if it's an art piece. Something is going on here.

Next, probably the least important part - new Hong Lu hairstyle! This is the first time we get to see Hong Lu with a low ponytail, as opposed to his usual high ponytails.

Finally, something I'm sure everyone has been talking about since the first teaser we got of this Identity - the marks under his jade eye. That is very clearly a T, again seemingly marking him as connected to T Corp itself in some way. Add to that the uncanny resemblance those marks have to the barcode mark under Alphonso's eye, and we've got one hell of a mystery. What the fuck is his deal!

Another look at event combat. A different area of T Corp + a return of the more robotic looking T Corp collectors. I repeat, why are we fighting T Corp collectors if we're working with T Corp on this case? What the hell happened?

Anyway, Hong Lu's Skill 1 seems to be a two coin, and I believe this is the same animation as in the Ryoshu Defense Skill showcase, meaning we got a potential early peek at its Sin Affinity - Gloom! Doesn't bode well for this Hong Lu story-wise!

Skill 2 is a three coin skill.

"Okay, let's think. How would I do this, if I was the killer? I just have to slowly think it through, and..." Now, this doesn't have to be that deep, but this line combined with the previous one where Hong Lu judges the murder scene as 'amateurish' feels... just the slightest bit sus.

"...Hehe, I suppose I'll find the truth sooner or later, hm?" He's the worst. I love him. Anyway.

CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT SKILL 3?

First, the animation start with Hong Lu spitting out the stick he's had in his mouth, which is followed by a flashy either one or two coin skill with a Tremor Burst, which is then followed by that same eye sparkle effect that signifies SP healing in the Liu Identity and Dieci Identity. SP heal on stagger? SP heal on Tremor Burst? Fuck if I know.

That eye is definitely sparkling. Project Moon please give us eye lore.

Also, the background is very interesting. The visual style and slight transparency makes it feel like a sort of replay of events. Is that what his eye allows him to see? Just straight up visualizing the murder?

And let's not forget the dialogue line. "Hm... let's think about what we should target next." This is. Ominous. Again, we know very little about why Yurodiviye are involved, but judging from Ryoshu's dialogue lines their core motivations haven't changed. What does it mean for them to 'target' something? Are they faking being detectives and just framing people to get their 'Time'? It is notable that the title of Hong Lu's Identity never actually refers to him as a detective or anything of the sort. Just what are they scheming?

Another glitchy transition out of the ID showcase section. Glitches seem to be a recurring theme for this Intervallo.

Anyhow, time for the event enemy showcase!

We got another look at the T Corp collector guy from the ID showcase, not much to say here.

Next up we've got... Oh! That's a Yurodivy! Looks like regardless of the faction we'll be actually working with, we'll be making enemies with everyone! That being said, it's exciting to know we're finally seeing the Yurodiviye in combat, even if it's just a very specific branch of them. The chance for a future Sonya fight or Sonya Rodya ID has risen due to the fact we're seeing this faction in action!

T Corp collector guys from Canto 4, yup, we've seen that earlier as well.

And here we are. In a split second frame. That is the character that Hong Lu's Identity is based on! Not much else to say on this because it's such a quick snippit, but it again puts Yurodiviye's role in the Intervallo's story in the question. If we don't start off working with them, why are they appearing as detective types? If we do start off working with them, what happens to make them turn on us?

Fascinating.

Also, another glitchy transition.

Alright, there's a lot to talk about here. First off, the CG in the background - what the fuck is going on.

Dante and Hong Lu (in his detective garbs) are looking at Meursault in... some Zero Time Dilemma looking ass contraption. Meursault has his arms crossed, the contraption connects to his head, and there's a T Corp logo on it. I honestly have no idea what to do with this information.

Next up - the dialogue line and character sprite silhouette.

"We observed a large-scale, unauthorized temporal leakage phenomenon... which shot you up the progressive Time Tax bracket due to the immense amount of time leak." Uhhhh, I understand what those word mean on their own I guess. My only guess here is that this is the work of Yurodiviye in some way. Looks like Limbus Company is gonna be dealing with the fallour of this temporal leak, whatever that entails.

The character silhouette itself... doesn't give us much. A secretary of some sort? One of the T Corp officials giving us a job? Hard to tell.

Again, a lot to look through.

First we got a view of the whole room the previous CG is taking place in, including office desks and a shitload of clocks everywhere. We're definitely in some sort of T Corp office space, that's for sure.

"Isn't it absolutely brilliant? The very concept of 'killing time'. They're not slowing down or speeding up time; they're eliminating it completely, just entirely yanking it out of circulation." Hmm... Again, hard to say much about this line with its lack of context, but it certainly does seem interesting. All of T Corp stuff we've seen thus far does rely on things like speeding up or slowing down. The TimeTrack upgrade in LobCorp lets you speed up time. The L Corp time loop and the R Corp hatchery compress time so that what takes a long time inside takes less time outside. The Warp Train collects the time of its extremely long travels to sell to T Corp. Straight up deleting time seems very different from what we've seen thus far.

Also, the matter of the silhouette - whoever it is doesn't seem to be the same person as the Yurodivy we see in the split second frame, so whoever this is likely has no connection to Rodya or Sonya.

...This might sound a little out there, but I feel like this would be the perfect opportunity for Project Moon to pull out their own version of Sherlock Holmes. It almost feels like a waste to not include that reference in a detective themed Intervallo.

And now for the biggest surprise of them all from this Trailer - Faust is getting a WAW E.G.O. The name of the E.G.O itself is Everlasting, and the Abnormality it's based on is the Time Duck from the Mirror Dungeon event, also known as the Abnormality that gives the E.G.O Gift Melted Spring.

Not much is known about the Abnormality, as its MD Event primarily connects it to the Duck-Rabbit Illusion, where you have to tell it whether it's a Duck or a Rabbit in your eyes, with the Abnormality fleeing if the answer isn't confident enough.

"How does it appear, my form in your eyes? Perhaps within the clockwork of time the answer lies?" First of all- nice rhymes. Second of all - this is a direct reference to the MD Event, but also very interesting with regards to Faust herself. There's a lot about Faust that shows she lacks self-awareness, with her describing herself as someone who only speaks when asked and doesn't talk much, when in reality she goes on endless tangents without prompting. Add to that the Council of Fausts theory, and it makes the idea of her seeking the opinion of other people with regards to her identity resonate quite intensely.

Also, I'm pretty sure more than enough people have made comparisons between Everlasting Faust and Eileen the Church of Gears leader, but it has to be stated that there definitely are some parallels here. Again, further adds to the Council of Fausts theory, as it would make Everlasting Faust a mirror to Eileen. Eileen, who controls the gears in her head, and Faust, who is controlled by the gears in her head.

Oh, and the E.G.O is Tremor as well. Because why not. At least Faust has a good Tremor Identity already, so it works well.

Putting this here for the woman likers.

Corrosion time. For one, Faust takes on a distinctly bird-like form here. Not sure what exactly this means in the grand scheme of things for the E.G.O's meaning just yet, but it does feel important to note.

"Thus. You cease to move. Trapped in the stopped time. For eternity." ...Hm. There's a few ways this can be interpreted. If we ignore the time-related references and treat them as something only connected to the Abnormality, it gives us the idea of Faust being trapped. Being unable to move on her own, likely due to her extreme ties with Limbus Company and/or the Council of Fausts.

However, adding the time motif into it makes it more interesting. There's a lot of ways one can be 'stuck in time' and unable to move forward. One is a literal time stop Za Warudo style, and another is being trapped in a Time Loop, being unable to make progress due to always being reset and thus ceasing to move for eternity. Both feel relevant to Faust when it comes to what little we've learned of her 'goal' from her original character PV.

There's something Faust is seeking above all else. Some piece of knowledge that is nigh unobtainable. ...But what comes after she reaches it? I think the Corrosion line alludes to exactly that.

If it's a Time Stop scenario, that means that once Faust reaches the unreachable she will just. Stop. There's nothing left for her. She'll be trapped for eternity knowing everything she wished for but being unable to keep moving forward, because there'll no longer be anything for her to move towards.

If it's a Time Loop scenario, that means that Faust's constant push towards the unreachable is an inescapable loop. Once she learns what she wishes, it won't be enough, and she'll just repeat the process again. Stuck in a cycle of reaching everything, coming back to nothing, and reaching for everything anew ad infinitum. No movement made in the process, because she always comes back to square one.

Either way, it doesn't bode well for her.

On another note, the animation fucks severely, and there's another glitchy transition.

Time Georg. Sorry. Actually not sorry.

Seriously though, we get to see another view of T Corp streets, this time with one of the factories in the background and, funnily enough, the fucking Big Ben. We really are in London.

"An average T Corp. citizen has about 20 to 28 hours in a day, but you might also run into people like him; people with plenty time to spare. Because he has so much surplus time, he can afford to condence 40, 50 hours into a single day." Looks like the 'Time' currency doesn't just act as money - you literally can use it to manipulate your time scale. If you're rich, you can do like L Corp Time Loop and make yourself experience more time than everyone around you. It's also notable that the average T Corp citizen can go as low as having less than 24 hours in a day. Guess that explains why people are so desperate that they try to steal 'Time' from each other - their days literally get shorter than more debt they have.

Also, who is this 'him'? Who is this mysterious man with so much ''Time' he can have double his daily hours? I wonder if it's the fully colored man from the first CG of the trailer?

Hey it's the same factory CG from the previous teaser! Nice to know we're still on the track of visiting one.

"And to people with fewer hours in a day... it'll look as though he's moving two, three times faster than them. Someone with that much time could pick their nose in the blink of an eye before anyone even has the chance to catch them in the act." Yup, this explains the visual effect in the first CG. People with a lot of 'Time', who can have more hours in a day than other people, straight up look like they're moving so fast they leave behind after images.

Also, this very much feels like a commentary on how the rich can get away with things just because they're rich. A man rich with 'Time' can get away with unsightly behaviors just because he moves so fast people can't see him do it, just how real life rich people can get away with crimes because they have enough money to not care about fines.

Another glitch transition.

We get to see the iconic CG from the Roadmap, this time in washed out T Corp colors and in all its glory. God I'm excited for seeing more of these goobers.

After we get the logo again, not only do we see the glitch effect, but the music completely cuts out.

What follows is a constantly glitching out text with a background noise that gets louder and more discordant as it goes on.

"Can't wait for what won't come."

"Now is the time for action."

"All those time-killing bastards..."

"I'll..."

Hmmm. Curious and ominous. The presentation of these words does not bode well for the fate of whoever is speaking them, but the content makes me even more interested.

Because... this is Yurodiviye we're talking about. Sonya's whole thing was that he kept reading and learning about theory instead of actually acting until after Rodya commited murder, and even then his personal actions within the group seems confined to establishing connections with other Syndicates and delegating duties to others.

So to have someone who opposes the idea of sitting back and waiting so vehemently in the same Intervallo as Yurodiviye coming back into the spotlight... It is certainly interesting, don't you think?

Alright, that's all for the Trailer! Holy shit I'm excited for this Intervallo.

[andvys]

This world is only gonna break your heart part one | E.M.

Warnings: 18+, angst, underaged drinking, mentions of drugs, eventual smut,

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!reader

Summary: Eddie is desperate to be close to you and uses every chance to become your friend... or more.

Teaser

-

It’s a Saturday night, the hideout is a little more crowded than usual. Eddie and his friends sit at their usual table– it became a regular hangout place for them all, even when they’re not here to play. 

Gareth makes a joke which makes everyone laugh, except for Eddie. His eyes are on you. Sitting in the little booth by the window, you smile at Robin who sits opposite of you and Steve. His arm is wrapped around you and he traces your bare arm, laughing at something you said to him and Robin. 

Eddie can’t help but feel jealous as he stares at Steve, why does he get to hold you like this? 

“You okay, man?” Jeff asks as he eyes his friend in concern. 

The anger is clear on his face and in his eyes. 

“Yeah,” he grumbles without looking away from you. He knows that you know that he’s staring at you but you ignore him and pretend not to notice. 

After what happened in the hallway at school a few backs up, your teasing only got worse and worse. You were driving him insane with your lingering gazes and touches, whenever he told you to stop teasing him, you would bat your lashes at him and look up at him with innocent eyes, ‘I don’t know what you are talking about, Eddie.’ Infuriating, you are an infuriating person but you're also the cutest one.

Gareth chuckles as he follows his vision, a smirk appears on his face, “you jealous, Eddie?” 

Eddie scoffs, tearing his gaze away from you, he leans back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest. 

Jeff and Gareth look at each other with smug looks on their faces. It’s not the first time they caught him staring at you. 

“Why would I be jealous?” Eddie scoffs, shaking his head. 

His fists are clenched and he feels the bitterness on his tongue from watching you and your golden boy. 

“Maybe because you have a little crush on y/n?” Jeff grins, wiggling his brows. 

Little crush? Yeah, it’s definitely more than just a little crush. 

“Right,” Eddie mumbles, reaching for the beer bottle, he tries to ignore the teasing looks of his friends. 

“You know, she’s not dating him or anything.” 

Eddie swallows the bitter liquid before he looks back at his friends, eying him in curiosity, “and how would you know that?” 

Gareth shrugs, “she told me that she doesn’t wanna date anyone or settle down or whatever,” he explains.

“Whoa, wait, how do you know that?” 

Gareth furrows his brows, “know what?” 

“That she doesn’t want to settle down?” 

“Oh,” Gareth chuckles, “we were partnered up for an art project, she’s pretty talkative when you get to know her.” 

“What?” Eddie gasps loudly, staring at his best friend with a shocked look on his face. It’s the first time Eddie hears about it, he never even knew that you talk to Gareth. 

Jeff laughs, nudging his shoulder, he tilts his head towards you. Eddie’s eyes widen as he finds you staring at him, his cheeks heat up as you smirk a little. Eddie watches you intently, he eyes the arm around your shoulder. You notice it, of course you do. Surprisingly, you move forward, leaning your elbows on the table, Steve’s hand slips from your shoulder. 

“Wait, what is she like?” Jeff asks. 

“She’s cool, definitely not how everyone says she is,” Gareth shrugs. 

Eddie tears his gaze away from you and stares back at his friend, as a new wave of jealousy runs through his veins, “w-what… so you’re friends now or something?” 

“I mean, I guess but we only talk in class,” he says, chuckling when he sees the jealous look on Eddie’s face, “don’t worry, Eddie. She is all yours.” 

Eddie rolls his eyes, “how did you even become friends with her? I can’t even have a normal conversation with this girl!” he exclaims in frustration. 

Jeff and Gareth glance at each other in amusement. Eddie is blind, very blind. 

“Maybe because you always try to flirt with her,” Jeff says, chuckling. 

“That’s..... that’s not true!” 

“Uh, yes it is! You tried to ask her out and failed, then you figured out that she is into assholes so you tried to be an asshole and failed…. horribly. Then you tried to flirt again and then made her think that you think she is a slut!” 

Eddie’s cheeks grew red as he listened to his friend’s words. He still feels awful for what he said to you in the hallways at school, a few weeks back. He didn’t mean for it to come out the way it did. He never thought of you as a slut. 

“Maybe if you actually tried to be her friend without flirting with her or insulting her, then maybe she’d give you a chance, man.” 

Eddie runs a hand through his hair and sighs loudly as he looks down at his hands. 

“But, just so you know, I don’t think that she rejected you because she doesn’t like you.” 

Eddie raises his head, tilting his head in question, “w-what?” 

“You’re not an asshole– even when you tried to be,” he snorts, “I think she just doesn't want to hurt some good guy's feelings, that's why she probably only ever goes for douchebags, I mean just think about it. Billy Hargrove, Jason Carver and his friends, some of the other jocks.” 

“That one asshole who graduated the same year Harrington did,” Jeff points out, “what was his name again? Harvey… Hayden?” 

“Hayden, yeah… That guy was scary,” Gareth mumbles. 

“Wasn’t he her boyfriend or something?” 

“I’m not sure,” Eddie mumbles, "I don't think so. It was just a rumor."

Hayden Reed 

Eddie remembers him, he was in a few classes with him. The guy was popular but unlike the others, he never participated in the bullying, Eddie always had to endure. Still, there was always something unsettling about him. Eddie doesn’t know what it was but he always had that dark and void look in his eyes. He was one of his regulars, he wasn’t one to buy weed though, no, he wanted the heavier stuff. 

He has never seen you around him but rumors flew around that you dated him. The thought made him uncomfortable, Hayden was violent, he could tell by the bruised knuckles he constantly had. And it wasn’t just that, you were fifteen, a freshman. He was eighteen and about to go to college.

Your friendship or relationship or whatever it was between the two of you, didn’t last very long. Hayden went missing one night and he was never found again. 

–

“Can I ask you something?” 

You raise your head, meeting the hazel brown eyes of your best friend, “sure, what’s up?” 

"Why is Eddie Munson staring at you like that?"

You furrow your brows in confusion, not daring to look at him and those pretty eyes of his, “like what?” 

Steve chuckles, “like you broke his heart or something, he stares at you with those huge sad eyes.” 

Your heart softens and you hate it. Ever since Eddie has been trying to do everything to get your attention, you couldn’t help but find a liking towards him, more so than before. You continuously try to avoid him but it seems as though fate has different plans, everywhere you go, he is there, even tonight.

Shaking your head, you lean back in your seat, looking around the bar, your eyes search for Robin. She went to the bar to get more drinks with her fake ID but it seems like she found something or rather someone more interesting. Standing next to a pretty girl, you can tell that she is flirting with her, heavily. 

You make the mistake of looking at him.

Steve clears his throat, “I thought you didn’t go for nice people.” 

Sighing, you tear your eyes away from him and look back at Steve, “that’s why I rejected him.” 

He raises his brows, “oh, you rejected him?” 

You nod, “yeah, he uh– he asked me out on a date a few weeks back and then he tried to flirt with me and now everywhere I go, I see him,” you mumble, growing flustered under your best friend's gaze. 

“Did you want to go on a date with him?” 

You shrug, “I-I don’t do dates and relationships and stuff… you know that.” 

Steve’s gaze softens. 

“Y/n.. you don’t have to do this anymore, I think you proved that you’re a much better heartbreaker than I am,” he laughs as he thinks about the stupid bet you made a few years ago. 

Steve was your very first date, it was a summer night, he took you to a fair, you had an amazing time with him. You would be lying to yourself if you said that you didn’t have a huge crush on him back then but Steve was a heartbreaker and you knew it, even back then, you were a little naive but you weren’t blind. You knew that after you’d have sex with him, he would drop you off at home and the next day, he would act like he never even knew you and you didn’t want that. You kissed and did some other stuff but you never went past that, you teased him and he stayed around, hoping that you would finally let him have you but it never happened. You expected him to get mad and frustrated and just give up but instead you somehow grew closer and oddly enough, you became best friends. 

“You gotta stop doing this.”

“Why?” 

He shrugs, “because it’s pointless, you don’t even like going on dates with all these losers.” 

“Yeah but it’s fun how they all just trust me and tell me all their secrets, I mean, who would’ve thought that Jason snorts cocaine or that his best friend is actually gay.” 

He laughs, shaking his head, “but where does it get you? Does it make you happy–”

“It distracts me, Steve,” you mumble, looking down into your empty glass, you avoid looking into his worried eyes. 

He speaks your name softly, “I think, you would feel much better if you found a better distraction, if you let some feelings in, love, y/n.” 

You roll your eyes, “I don’t do that.” 

“It feels good though, loving someone is the best feeling in the world,” Steve says with a small smile on his face. 

You look up at him, shaking your head slowly, a frown appears on his face, “and where did that get you?” you ask with a sad tone in your voice as you think of the heartbreak he went through when Nancy hurt him and replaced him with Jonathan. 

He tilts his head, a sad smile tugging at his lips, “it was still nice while it lasted.” 

“While it lasted,” you nod, “yeah, it’s all nice in that moment but then they break your heart. They lie, they cheat and then they leave, I don’t want that,” you say coldly. 

His eyes soften, sadness flashing in his eyes. He knows that you are scared of getting hurt. All this attitude is nothing but an act to protect your feelings. 

“It doesn’t have to be like that for you, honey.” 

“You don’t know that.” 

He blinks, staring at you in silence for a moment, looking over your shoulder again, a teasing smile appears on his face, “you know, I’d say that Munson over there would die for a chance with you.” 

“And that is my cue,” you mumble, rolling your eyes as you grab your empty glass and get up, “you want another drink?” you ask, ignoring the smirk on his face, you reach for his glass as well before you walk off. 

Steve chuckles to himself when he sees Eddie scrambling to his feet and going after you. His friends laugh at him when he trips over nothing. He flips them off without looking back. 

You lean against the counter, waiting for the bartender to come over to you but he seems to be in a deep conversation with one of his regulars. Eddie takes a moment to stare at you. There’s something different about you today, not only did you ditch your tight tops and short skirts for jean shorts and an oversized shirt with a band logo on the front, you also wear your hair differently today. Soft waves fall down your back and the front pieces of your hair are braided, you look cute today. Not seductive, just cute. Although, no matter what, you are always hot and sexy to him. 

He clears his throat and runs his hand through his hair, ignoring the stares and giggles of his friends. 

Walking up to you, he tries to ignore his pounding heart and the shakiness in his hands. He is nervous, always is when he talks to you. It’s not like that with other girls, if anything, he feels smug and flirts like his life depends on it when he gets the chance to flirt with a girl– usually that only happens when Corroded Coffin gets a chance to have a gig out of town, where no one knows him. He fucked his fair share of groupies and he sure as hell never felt nervous about that but you? You drive him crazy, you make him weak, you make him nervous, you make his heart race like crazy, you make him stutter, you’re just something else. 

Still trying to get the bartender’s attention, you sigh and roll your eyes, giving up, you sit down on the barstool. Eddie chuckles to himself, walking closer to you, he turns to look at the bartender, “Theo,” he calls out to the older man, who turns to look at him right away, “this pretty girl here wants to order another drink.” 

You turn to look at Eddie, you blush at the nickname and at the smile he gives you. 

‘You’re ridiculous..’ you think to yourself. You’ve had men call you other things before and yet none of them actually ever made you feel as flustered as he does– not that you would ever tell him that. 

“I’m sorry, sweets, I didn’t see you there,” Theo says, giving you an apologetic smile. 

“It’s alright,” you smile and order your drinks for you and Steve. Turning towards Eddie, you give him a small smile, “thanks for that,” you mumble. 

“No problem,” he smiles. 

“You come here often?” you ask. 

Eddie raises his brows and chuckles, “is that a pick up line?” he smirks. 

A laugh falls from your lips, “you’re funny, Munson,” you chuckle, “but no, that was not a pick up line. I’m just asking because you know his name,” you say, pointing to the bartender. 

“Oh, well, that’s actually a friend of Jeff’s dad and our band plays here every week,” he explains. 

“Right,” you smile to yourself, “corroded coffin.” 

Eddie’s eyes light up, “y-you know about my band?” 

“Of course, you played at the talent show, right?” 

He blinks in surprise, “yeah!” he smiles, “and now we play here every Tuesday.” 

“That’s cool.”

“You should come watch us.” 

“Maybe I will.”

You stare at each other for a moment and you quickly get lost in his eyes. Eddie is cute and very pretty, probably the prettiest person you have ever seen. You always liked that he is different from everyone else, while other people think that he is mean and scary, you know that there’s not a single scary thing about this man. One look into his eyes is enough for you to know that he is a sweet person with a soft and gentle heart. 

Eddie might think that he was invisible to you all this time but it’s not true, at all.  Of course you have noticed him around school, even before he tried to ask you out on a date. How could you not? He left big impressions everywhere he went and maybe there was a time where you had a tiny crush on him, even with the buzzcut and all. 

“Listen, I uh–” Eddie starts, not knowing how to say it without saying the wrong thing again. The last time you had an actual conversation, he ended up insulting you, making you think that he thinks that you’re a slut. Eddie would never think that though, “I-I just wanted to apologize.” 

You raise your brows in surprise, tilting your head, “what for?” 

“I– well, I was an asshole to you that one day, I didn’t mean to make you think that you’re a.. that you–”

“That I’m a slut?” you chuckle, looking at him in amusement. His cheeks are flushed and he looks embarrassed. 

He closes his eyes, shaking his head, “d-don’t say that, I don’t think that you’re… that,” he mumbles, “and I didn’t want you to think that I think that.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, I’d never think that of you.”

“Why not?” you ask, “everyone else thinks that of me.” 

“Well, I’m not everyone else.” 

Your gaze softens and your smirk falls, “no.. you’re not.” And that’s why you can’t be around him.

Eddie furrows his brows as he looks into your eyes. He expected you to tease him again or give him the cold shoulder. The usual coldness in your eyes is replaced by something else tonight. There is a sense of vulnerability lingering in your eyes. 

“Here you go,” Theo smiles, placing the drinks on the counter. 

You tear your eyes away from Eddie, thanking the bartender and placing the dollar bills on the counter, “you can keep the change,” you smile, grabbing the drinks, you’re about to go back to Steve but you halt in your tracks when you see another girl sitting in your spot, talking to your best friend. Great. 

Eddie turns around, glancing at what you’re frowning out, he finds Steve flirting with a brunette. Perfect. 

“Sweetheart, I think you got replaced,” he says, chuckling at your eyeroll. 

“Yeah, uh– not the first time tonight,” you mumble, pointing to Robin who is still talking to the same girl, “she found a.. new friend.” 

Eddie nods, staring at your friend before he turns back to you with a teasing smile on his face, “and you got two drinks now.” 

You know exactly what he is hinting at, smirking at him, “maybe I ordered them both for myself.” 

Raising his brows, “really? Two drinks just for you?” 

“Yeah,” you shrug. 

Shaking his head, he sits down next to you, “you could spend some time with me.” 

“What about your friends?” you ask, looking over his shoulder to find them staring at you with curious looks on their faces but they quickly look away after being caught, trying to act casual as they start talking to each other again. 

“Oh, they won’t miss me,” he grins. 

You squint your eyes, “did you make another one of those silly bets with them?” 

He blinks, scratching the back of his neck, he clears his throat, “listen, I didn’t ask you out for just that… I just wanted to ask you out in general.” 

You ignore the fluttering in your stomach. 

Sipping on your drink, you smile to yourself, “why?” you ask, pushing the other drinks towards him. 

His eyes light up and he accepts the drink with a smile. Finally, he gets to spend time with you. 

“Why did I ask you out?” 

You nod. 

“Well, I think you’re pretty cool,” he says, “considering you’re wearing a Metallica shirt,” he smiles, pointing to the shirt you’re wearing, “a-and you’re very pretty.” 

He raises the glass to his lips to take a sip. 

You move closer to him, your fingers brush against his, your bare knees bump against his as you lean in to whisper in his ear, “and I bet you wanna see me naked after our date, you wanna take me to your van and fuck me like I’m one of your filthy little groupies, huh?”

Eddie’s eyes widen and he almost spits out his drink as he starts choking. You giggle as you pull back to look at the shocked expression on his face. Those images invade his mind and he can’t help but feel his dick twitch in his pants. 

“Y/n!” he says through gritted teeth as he calms down again. 

“What?” you ask, still giggling. 

“Y-You can’t just do that!” 

“Why not?” you ask, batting your eyelashes at him. 

His eyes are wide, his cheeks are red and he gapes at you. 

“B-Because!” 

You roll your eyes, leaning back against the counter, “oh come on, Eddie. Don’t act all innocent. I know all about your groupies and dirty stories.” 

He looks taken aback and he stutters, a frown appearing on his face. Obviously, he didn’t want you to know about that, for some reason. 

“How do you know that?” 

You smirk at him, taking your time with the next sip before you place it back on the counter. You look around the bar before your eyes meet Gareth’s, you tilt your body to the side, waving at him with a smile on your face. 

Eddie furrows his brows and turns around to find Gareth waving back at you before a panicked look appears on his face when he sees the angry look on his best friend’s face. 

“Your friend has a big mouth, he told me a lot of things about your gigs. You are living the rockstar life already, huh?” you ask, “groupies, sex, alcohol. Are drugs a part of it yet?” 

Gareth, you asshole. 

He doesn’t know why he feels the need to explain himself but for some reason he feels embarrassed and bad about it. He hasn’t been with many girls, a few groupies here and there, it wasn’t even anything memorable. A blowjob or a quick fuck in some dirty bathroom wasn’t something special to remember and he quickly realized that it’s not something he wants to keep doing.

“Listen, it’s not like that. I’m not a–”

“Not a fuckboy?” you ask, chuckling, “don’t worry, I don’t judge. I get it, you’re attractive, girls throw themselves at you all the time, who would pass up on an opportunity like that?” 

His eyes widen, butterflies fluttering in his stomach, “you think I’m attractive?” 

Amusement flickers in your eyes and you smirk, “that’s all you heard?” 

He shrugs, smirking at you, “would you throw yourself at me if you didn’t know who I am? Would you be my groupie?” 

“If I didn’t know who you are?” you ask, ignoring the rest of the question. 

“Yeah, I mean that’s why you rejected me, right?” he asks, “because I’m a freak and you’d be embarrassed to be seen with me, people would talk.”

You frown at his words, that’s not it, that’s not it at all. 

“You’re not a freak,” you mumble, “and I don’t care about people or what they think.” 

“Then why did you reject me? I’m not mad or anything, just curious.” 

You avoid looking into his eyes, downing the rest of your drink before you place the empty glass back on the counter and get up. 

The disappointment is evident on his face but you can’t stay here any longer or else it will be harder to leave him later on. 

He still waits for an answer though, you sigh, a serious expression crosses your face, “because you’re not like the others,” you say as you look into his confused eyes. His lips part and he stares at you, not understanding what you mean by that. 

“I-In what way?” he asks. 

There was always something special about Eddie, being around him always felt so natural, there was a connection. Whenever one of you would walk into a room, your eyes would always find each other, it felt like there was a magnetic force between the two of you, it was difficult to stay away from him. No one has ever made you feel that way before and it scares you, knowing that he has the power to hurt you makes you wanna run away from him, you refuse to give him your heart, knowing that he will crush it eventually. 

“I’m just not interested in breaking your heart, Eddie.” 

He huffs, shaking his head, he grabs your hand before you can walk away. You tense up at the feeling of his touch. 

“Is that all you care about? Is that all you wanna do?” he asks, staring into your eyes, he tries to figure you out, “hurt people, break their hearts. Is that some kind of thing you get off to?” 

You’re taken aback by his words but you don’t show it, you don’t let him see the pain in your eyes or the shock. 

“Those people deserve it, don’t you think?” you snap.

What started off as a competition between you and Steve quickly turned into something bigger. The first heartbreak and the realization of what you had done and what you were able to do made you want to keep going. While Steve never cared what kind of girls he was hurting, you purposely only went for guys who were known to be heartbreakers and bullies. Not only did you manage to steal their hearts, you also gained their trust and they spilled all their secrets to you, especially when they were drunk. Their secrets were valuable, you used them all against them and they did everything you told them to do, even sparing a certain person from all their cruelty. 

Eddie frowns at your words. Yeah, maybe they do deserve it. You hurt people who hurt others, people like Billy and Jason but this can’t be your life forever. 

“Yeah but you deserve to be happy too, y/n.” 

You blink. 

Suddenly your heart feels heavy in your chest. Your dad, Steve and Robin all say the same thing to you and yet you can’t allow yourself to be happy, at least not in that way. 

“I am happy, Eddie.”

What a lie. 

“Now, if you’ll excuse me–”

“No, please don’t go,” he pleads, not letting go of your hand just yet, “spend some time with me, please. I-I won’t flirt with you or anything, we can be friends, right?” he asks, staring at you with his beautiful eyes. 

You could never be just his friend but you can’t say no to him. Damn you, Eddie Munson and your stupid puppy eyes. 

You want to say yes, that you can be friends but in the end, you still end up shaking your head, “I-I gotta go…” you mumble. 

Eddie can tell that you don’t want to go, you want to stay and he wants you to stay too, so so bad but he lets you go nonetheless, he watches you walk away, he sighs, shoulders slumping in defeat.

“You trying to win that girl’s heart?” Theo chuckles as he takes in the lovestruck expression on Eddie’s face. 

Eddie blushes, shaking his head, “n-no… I’m not– that’s not what I’m trying to do..” 

The older man only laughs in response, shaking his head, “that’s exactly what you’re trying to do,” he grins.

“I– we barely know each other,” he lies. 

Eddie knows you, even if you aren’t close. He knows you. 

He knows that behind the walls you build up around you, is a girl that is too sweet and too good for this world, that’s why you put on this mean act, this heartless and cold girl. It’s to protect yourself from all this pain and destruction in this world. 

And there is more to it, so much more, he knows it, he can feel it and he can see it whenever he looks into your eyes. Others might not see it but Eddie does, he can see the pain in your eyes, you can’t hide it. Not from him. 

“And yet you look at her like she is your personal sun,” he chuckles. 

Eddie rolls his eyes, shaking his head, he tries to hide the blush on his face by looking down. 

“She looks at you the same way, boy,” he says before he walks off. 

Eddie’s eyes widen, “w-wait! What?”

-

The rest of the weekend goes by in a blur, probably because you spent all this time thinking about him. You hated it, hated the way he just took over your mind. Even now, when you are supposed to focus on class all you can do is think of him.

Feeling a pair of eyes on you, you turn to your right, sure enough, you find Eddie staring at you. His dark chocolate eyes bore into you, a shiver runs down your spine and you blush a little. 

His words echo in your mind, “we can be friends, right?” Maybe, you can be friends. Maybe. 

Eddie bounces his foot, playing with the rings on his fingers as he tears his eyes away from you. After he got the smallest taste of what it could be like to be your friend, it was even more difficult to stay away from you.

A crumpled piece of paper lands on his table and he furrows his brows in confusion, the two girls behind him immediately begin to whisper amongst each other, probably gossiping about him. Looking up, he finds you staring at him with a smug look on your face. 

Sighing, he looks down, folding the paper open, his eyes widen and his cheeks get even redder, heart fluttering in his chest– ‘You look so pretty today, Eddie. I love your shirt’

What? 

He blinks as he stares at the paper for what feels like forever. Blushing like crazy as he looks down at his old Def Leppard shirt.

He raises his head and turns to look at you, you flash him a sweet smile before you turn away from him. 

Your smile was enough to make his heart race in his chest. 

“What was that?” the girl behind him whispers. 

“Guess she’s going for the freaks now,” the other one giggles, “I mean, she must’ve gone through every popular guy at school.” 

“She’s just as much of a freak as he is, Sarah.” 

Eddie rolls his eyes at the girls behind him, drowning their voices out, he turns to take another glance at you. 

“You’ll be working in pairs for this project,” the teacher announces. Eddie raises his brows, head snapping towards the teacher. Project? What project? 

“You can choose your partner yourselves.” 

He looks at you, expecting you to get up to pick a partner but you don’t even bother, you just continue to draw something in your notebook. His heart starts racing as he thinks of asking you to be his partner, he should, right? Out of the corner of his eye, he notices someone getting up, Chase. Jason’s friend. He is looking right at you. ‘Yeah, not happening’ Eddie thinks to himself. Scrambling to his feet, he grabs his stuff and rushes towards you before Chase can, he looks at him with a smug face as he sits down next to you. 

Chase glares at him, clenching his jaw, he takes a look at you before he turns around to walk away. 

Eddie’s knee bumps against yours, he leans his elbow on the table, your eyes meet as you raise your head to look at him. A smirk tugs at your lips, “hi…. partner.” 

“H-Hi,” he stutters, “d-do you wanna be my partner?” 

You smile at his stuttering, “yeah, sure,” you chuckle, trying to act unfazed, like you aren't just as nervous as he is.

Eddie scratches the back of his neck and chuckles nervously, “u-uh, so.. what are we working on?” 

You snort, “you don’t listen to the teacher, do you?” 

He blushes, shaking his head, ‘I’m too busy staring at you,’ Eddie thinks to himself. 

“Me neither,” you giggle, “we can pick the topic ourselves though, we’ll figure something out.” 

He nods, trying not to stare too much. 

“Uh– so, should we meet up somewhere or..” he trails off, getting lost in your eyes. 

“Well, if you aren’t scared of my dad then you could come home with me after school.” 

He furrows his brows in confusion, “why should I be scared of your dad?” 

Your eyes flicker with amusement. Considering that your sister is dating one of his little sheep, you figured he knew who your dad is but it seems like he is clueless.

“Oh… no reason,” you chuckle as you picture the shocked look on his face when he sees you going to see your dad later. 

Eddie chuckles nervously, “you sure?” he asks. 

“Totally, I just don’t bring any guys home– well, except for Steve but he is just a friend.”

Eddie’s eyes widen, “and what am I.. to you?” he asks. 

A smile tugs at your lips as you notice the blush on his cheeks and the soft look in his eyes. You have to look away to stop your heart from fluttering, “you’re my cute project partner,” you giggle as you start gathering your stuff after the bell rings. 

Oh.

“Let’s go.” 

He snaps out of his thoughts, looking up, he notices you staring at him, waiting for him. 

He gulps nervously as he realizes that he is gonna be all alone with you. 

“Y-You know we could do this at my place,” he says, causing you to giggle. 

“Why, are you scared of being alone with me in my bedroom?” you smirk.  

Eddie’s blush deepens as one of the jocks who was just walking by, heard your words. Glaring at Eddie with a look on his face that he can just describe as jealousy. Suddenly, he feels smug, picking his stuff up, he grins at you, “let’s go.” 

As he walks through the hallways next to you, he notices all the stares, the odd and the jealous looks from the jocks. The angry glares from Jason’s friends. He knows he should probably feel nervous, knowing that they’ll only bully him even more out of jealousy but he can’t help but feel smug about it, smirking at them when you step even closer to him. 

“Did you drive to school?” he asks you. 

“No, Steve gave me and Robin a ride,” you say, glancing at him. 

The sunlight makes his eyes shine even brighter, butterflies swirl in your stomach as you look at each other. 

Oh no.

You tear your eyes away from him and look down at your shoes as you make your way towards his van. The sweet gentleman that he is, he opens the door for you, he smiles down at you, noticing the flustered look on your face.

He is surprised, after all the dates you have gone to, you must be used to this and yes, you are used to this. You are used to men pretending to be sweet and soft gentlemen but that’s all that it is; pretend. None of them are actually sweet, they just act like they are to get in your pants but it’s different with Eddie. 

“Thanks,” you say as you get into his van. Eddie smiles at you, closing the door, he walks around the van with an excited look on his face. You notice it and can’t help but smile. 

Disposable Heroes by Metallica is playing as you drive through the streets of Hawkins. Gripping the steering wheel with one hand, his other hand is resting close to your thigh and you can’t help but stare at the rings on his fingers. You can feel his eyes on you every once in a while, stealing glances whenever you are not looking. 

Eddie can’t believe that you are in his car. Even that always seemed like an unrealistic thing to even dream about but now you are here. Just a few days ago, he tried to make you stay, he tried to befriend you but you left, walked away from him the way you did before and now you’re here, with him, in his van.

Parking his van in your driveway, he notices another car standing there, it looks familiar but he can’t remember who it belongs to or who he had seen driving it. 

“Come on,” you say, smirking at him already. A look of mischief flickering in your eyes, he doesn’t know why but for some reason it makes him nervous, very nervous. 

“Don’t worry, daddy isn’t home,” you chuckle, “but my sister probably has friends over.” 

“You have a sister?” 

You hum, nodding your head. 

He grabs his backpack and follows you to your front door, allowing himself to stare at you and the way your skirt is hugging your ass so perfectly. 

You unlock the door and step inside, turning around, you welcome Eddie in with a smile on your face. 

He steps in and he is hit by the smell of chocolate chip cookies, the sound of chattering and pop music. He scrunches his face up at the sound of Madonna’s voice. 

Eddie looks around the hallway, pictures cover the wall, he recognizes the little girl in the picture, it’s you and a man he doesn’t recognize. 

“I’m home and I brought a guest!” you announce to whoever is in the kitchen. 

Eddie gulps, he doesn’t know why but his heart starts pounding in his chest as you take his hand in yours, leading him further into your house. He walks into the kitchen after you and his eyes widen when he finds  his neighbor sitting by the kitchen counter, flipping the page of a comic book and munching on a cookie. She raises her head as she notices two pairs of eyes on her, a smile appears on her face when she sees you before a frown settles on her face when she looks at Eddie. 

“What are you doing here?” she asks Eddie, causing you to chuckle. 

“Red is your sister?” Eddie asks surprised. 

You shake your head, “no–”

“I’m her sister.” 

Eddie turns to the girl who just walked into the kitchen from the living room, eyes widening even further. He stares at the brunette in shock, the look on his face is comical.

Mike’s girlfriend is your sister. 

He turns to look at you, you stare at him with an amused expression on your pretty face. 

Mike’s girlfriend is your sister. 

Jane Hopper. 

Jane Hopper is your sister, that means that Jim Hopper is your dad. 

“Oh, you little shit,” he mumbles under his breath as he grows even more nervous. 

He knows that you know that he was arrested a few weeks back. It was after a night out with the boys at the hideout. He was drunk and stumbled towards his van, he didn’t plan on actually driving, he just wanted to grab his keys for the trailer but Hopper caught him getting into the van, not believing Eddie when he told him that he didn’t want to drive. Eddie and his big mouth is what got him into trouble though, the chief got sick of him and arrested him but Eddie refused to spend one more time in a cop car or a cell, he managed to run off in handcuffs, which found home in his room now. 

Thanks to Wayne and his friendship with Jim, he got away with it and Eddie managed to avoid the chief but now here he is, standing in his house. 

“Hopper is your dad!?” he asks, squinting his eyes at you as they flicker with both anger and fear. 

Max giggles at the expression on his face. 

El looks at him in confusion and then turns to you, looking at you in question. 

You chuckle, “yeah, he’s my dad, don’t worry, he isn’t home.” 

Eddie sighs, “that doesn’t make me feel any better!” 

“What did you do this time, Eddie?” Max smirks. 

He sends her a glare. 

“Come on, you’re safe in my room,” you giggle, tugging at his hand.

“Are you sure you wanna be caught making out with Eddie?” Max giggles, looking at you smugly. 

El’s eyes widen, “you are dating him?” She asks you, “you finally have a boyfriend too?”

And suddenly, Eddie feels so much better when he sees the flustered look on your face, shaking your head, “no… no, he’s a… a.. friend.” 

Max snorts and looks back down at her comic, “right… friends always hold hands,” she mumbles. 

You quickly let go of his hand and he chuckles, “we’re not friends, I’m just your cute project partner, that’s what you said, right?” he smirks at you. 

You glare at him and Max and El giggle at the look on your face. Eddie looks smug as he stares into your eyes. 

You are blushing like crazy. 

‘Oh, this is going to be fun,’ Eddie thinks to himself. 

-

Taglist: @prettyboyeddiemunson @littledemondani @wroteclassicaly @corrodedcorpses @aftermidnightwriting @emma77645 @aysheashea @spookycreepycookie @vintagehellfire @lfaewrites @zoeymunson @tlclick73 @hanobe8

[shortfeather]

22 "…in a rush of adrenaline." with Zed/&Tango for the ask game iyw??

Sorry this is nearly three months later I had to give my writing muscles a break! But here they are... the dorks of all time...

(send me a ship and a number and i'll write a kiss)

“This is an insane way to start a season, Zed!”

Either Tango had a very impressive set of lungs—true, but perhaps not “bedrock to build height” true—or the voice in Zedaph’s head that sounded rather a lot like his best friend was speaking up. Either way, it wouldn’t be enough to dissuade him from attempting Caves and Cliffs. He’d already gotten all dressed up for it; it would be a crime to waste a costume this good! A crime, seriously.

“Ready?!” he shouted down the massive tower of scaffolding, as loud as he could. The sound didn’t echo; he was too high above the nearest surface for that.

There was no answer. Another point to the prior Tango being brain-Tango. Braingo? Sounded more like a game of some—

Oh. He’d apparently stepped off while lost in thought about Tango and brains, and now he was falling rapidly towards a hole that ran all the way down to bedrock, where his best friend was waiting with a water bucket.

The idea was simple: the ultimate trust fall tied into a rather impressive achievement. Who did Zedaph trust to do the clutch part of a water bucket clutch for him? Well, honestly, a few people. Impulse, definitely… Skizz if he was here… really, most of the Hermits, although everyone except perhaps Skizz would let him go splat a couple times first for comedic effect. But one person had been on Zedaph’s mind lately, to the point of distraction, as evidenced by him absentmindedly walking off his tower of scaffolding a few moments ago.

As the wind rushed around his ears (and face, and body in general), Zedaph considered Braingo, and then sans the brain bit. Tango had really been on his mind lately, which maybe wasn’t such a weird thing considering they were best friends, but Zed didn’t tend to focus like this. Sure, he had projects, and a season-long goal, but he tended to flit between tasks unless they were particular brain-teasers.

So maybe Tango was a brain-teaser, then. But how? After so long, Zedaph felt he had a pretty good handle on the guy. He was goofy, and liked to skirt the edge of immature jokes, and had big ideas with even bigger outcomes. Snarky, silly—oops, there went the trees, he was officially underground now—and he constantly sounded like he needed a cough drop. Yes, Zedaph knew him well, and yet he apparently didn’t know him enough.

Science time, then. What didn’t he know about Tango? What study could be conducted outside the area constrained by their friendship—

“Shit!”

Zed heard the yelp briefly, and then went splat, and woke up back in the forest. Ah, damn. That would be a long climb back up. 

“—pid idiot!” came Tango’s voice, very faintly, and very wetly. Zedaph slid out of the bed to peek into the hole to bedrock, and yep, there was Tango swimming up the waterfall with a frown. “You can’t just jump, you have to tell me when you’re going so I’m ready!”

“I did yell,” Zed called to him. “I just didn’t really consider the ramifications of you not being able to hear me.”

Tango paused, then swam harder, scowling even as his eyebrows danced in a way Zed knew meant he was trying desperately not to laugh. “Of course I couldn’t hear you! You were hundreds of blocks away from me!”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, you’re not the one who went splat.”

And then Tango was climbing out of the waterfall with Zed’s help, except he kept getting closer, his face in Zed’s, and oh! That was new! That was definitely something not in the usual friendship, which meant Zed needed to really pay attention—

“Oh man.” Tango abruptly broke the kiss, and Zed wrinkled his nose in annoyance. “Wait, no, Zed, I’m sorry—”

Zed flapped his hand to get him to shut up, and leaned in and kissed him again. Tango’s face was still wet from the waterfall, which was definitely skewing the data, but his lips were chapped and even at the very beginning of a new season he smelled like redstone. Despite the chill of being down by the void and then swimming over a hundred blocks upwards, he felt very warm, although that also may have been Braingo internally overheating Zed by making various screeching noises. Good kind of screeching, thankfully, because otherwise the kiss would have been really awkward.

“Zed.” Tango pulled away again, but not so far. “What’re you doing.”

“Kissing?” Tango raised an eyebrow, so Zedaph elaborated. “Studying the sensations, really. The you in my head seems very happy about it, so I’m trying to figure out why.”

Tango stared, which wasn’t unusual, and then burst into laughter. “Y’know what? Sure. I don’t know why I expected anything else.” He sat down on the bed, immediately soaking the blanket, and then made grabby hands towards Zedaph. “Come here and kiss me some more, then, we’ll see how happy other-me gets. And me-me, for good measure.”

And, well, he did have a world-spanning trust fall to complete, but he could wait a bit for some other science first.

[lurkingshan]

My Love Mix Up Episode 1

Let me start with some clarity on my perspective on this adaptation:

I have of course seen the Japanese live action Kieta Hatsukoi. It's not one of my personal favorites but it's a great show doing a very Japanese style of slapstick comedy.

I am going into this adaptation skeptical, same as I did for Cherry Magic Thailand (though that project completely won my heart and I ended up liking it more than the JBL, so my skepticism is by no means immovable). I am not opposed to this adaptation, but the pre-show content has not been promising.

I’ve been a fan of Fourth and Gemini in previous shows (Moonlight Chicken being their best work, IMO), but I have felt since they first started releasing teasers for this project that they are miscast in this and should have swapped roles.

So with that said, how was episode 1? It was fine! Not bad, not amazing, and pretty much what I expected. Some reactions:

I really like the actress playing Mudmee and think she has good chemistry with Fourth.

This first ep hit all the expected beats and inserted a couple things that are not in the source material, like the cat and the badminton plot. I am guessing that's mostly to add time, though personally I think the JBL’s choice with the dog who doesn't like Aoki is much more fun than the ~fated cat connection~ thing.

This version has toned down the zany energy of the original live action. I think that's for the best, as the slapstick moments that are still here are not hitting very well, but it does change the overall feel of it quite a bit.

AUNGPAO MY BELOVED. I'm excited to see him in another show and he looks flawless.

I stand by my belief that the main pair should have swapped roles. You can see them working hard to suppress their natural instincts in every scene. I don't blame the actors for this, they are still so early in their careers to be asked to act against type to this degree.

GMMTV is doing the same weird light filtering thing on this show that they did on 23.5. Why??? It makes the scenes look fuzzy.

This one definitely doesn't feel as revelatory to me as Cherry Magic Thailand's first episode did. With that one, right out of the gate I knew I was eating crow on my skepticism. I am not eating crow on this one yet; its execution is about at the level I expected and so far it hasn’t recalibrated the story to fit these actors and the Thai style as well as CMT did. But it’s still early so we’ll see how it progresses!

[accio-victuuri]

12/28 ( love bo ) day sweets! 🤍

i thought we can get some rest before tomorrow’s busy content day, but i guess i was wrong cause the cpns won’t let up. lol. we are definitely ending this year with being busy! we will get more once we have the full experience of yibo’s new EP and i’m waiting for XZ’s marie claire magazine interview.

let’s start with the most obvious thing we all observed from the teaser, the 🦴 necklace being front and center. this just tells me how personal this project is for him. tho his yearly song is as personal as it gets and is his yearly commitment to his fans as well. but he could have easily worn something chanel for promotion sake since he is their ambassador, but he still chose to use something of his own. this necklace that he always wears. i am usually open to interpretations of cpns, but there are very few that i’m stubborn about and this is one of those. this necklace is connected to xz, i accept no other explanations. i’m sure we will notice more clues but this one has made a lot of us happy 😋

some are also pointing out that scene in the train, the people on it are all bundled up and cold. however, wyb’s character has his neck exposed like that so you can see the necklace. he is also wearing a shirt with shoes printed on it xie zi = xz.

this bit is the one making a lot of cpfs scream. the similarity in the question asked from an xzs video to to the untamed. 🤯

so, have you thought of a name?

we have already takes about everything is lovely that was cued before in xz’s birthday, and now this. it’s like him asking, have you thought of the name for the song? the same way wwx asked lwj about wuji. and this song, everything is lovely is the answer to that. we are very much aware that wwx/lwj is different from xz/wyb but these parallels are hard to ignore. and what if they also think of themselves as somewhat these two soulmates? i think that makes sense too. and oh, if you wanna go more galaxy brained - the date difference between 10/5 to the release of the new song 12/29 is 85 days. are they counting??? we all questioned the new release date and why it’s 12/30. maybe this seemed more like an auspicious date based on that. who knows 🤷🏻‍♀️

I also forgot to add this when i first discussed the lyric that talks about white hair. this part of the fanmeet where they had to act out seeing each other after a long time. WYB mentioned pulling out XZ’s white hair for him. 🥹🥹🥹

at the time (2019) it seemed like he was being a gremlin and the subject of white hair was for a joke. now, years later (2023) he uses it in a new way. i will love you till your hair turns white. I will love you forever.

• THEIR EYES 👀

• In the behind the scenes video shared by shunan laoshi, who worked with WYB last year, we can see the card case. HAHAHAHAHAHA! I can’t believe this simple thing is one of the strongest cpns we have.

• GQ shared this photo taken by WYB and it reminds us of an effect also used by XZ and XZS. I know this is not some effect that is unique to them and that other people can do it too, but the point is the similarity. you have WYB who has been into photography lately and he is using a trick that XZ and his team have used before.

• a video has been shared from 10c night in 2019 and it really proved one of the things we’ve been saying before, that their dressing/waiting rooms were right next to each other.

• WYB is allegedly listening to this song on QQ. I wonder who comes to mind when he listens to it 😏

-END.

[alittlefrenchtree]

I'm against any kind of hatred towards Nick because he "hates rwrb" because obviously that's not the case but I don't understand why we can't even express legitimate perplexity in the way he completely ignored (on social media) everything related to the film including the announcement of the sequel.

Today he will definitely announce the new project and ok, that's right, it's his job but isn't the sequel his project as well? Why doesn't that project deserve the same space on his socials? I don't understand why we can't talk about it in any way because we are immediately attacked by the throat and there is not the slightest possibility of exchanging an opinion and understanding.

ok, this one is polite and i’m too weak to resist talking about marketing stuff so i’ll bite.

Because there is nothing to talk about? Nick’s social media and instagram accounts are exclusively dedicated to promote what he has to promote (and also trying to be in Arsenal’s good graces, free tickets and all access invitations) and believe it or not, there is rules to follow with social media management.

Without talking about a ban or an exclusivity, there is still a schedule to follow when you promote something, similar projects on the same plateform and general logic about what you’re posting and when. When you share something, there is a goal to achieve. Remind your audience of a release date. Remind them they have your movie on their watch list and need to watch it (again). Lead them to like a post, to watch a trailer. Poke your favorite football so they notice you and give you stuff. Show to the people who are hiring actors to do stuff that you might not be a big name just yet but you’re hanging out with them and know how to wear expansive watch as well.

Breaking news, actor’s personal feelings is rarely on the list. Fan service for the pure purpose of fan service either (at least not in this case).

So regarding of the sequel, right now there is nothing to promote? Not a release date, not a teaser of a teaser of a teaser, not a visual (the generic ugly thing made in 5 minutes on canva.com isn’t a proper visual) not even the beginning of a shooting date. You don’t promote something when there is nothing to promote. The announcement was early, given that they had nothing to say about it except for Matthew and Casey writing it together. So it’s was mainly for fans. It doesn’t need Nick’s audience’s boost to spread the news because everybody who cares about rwrb (and also their grandmas) already know about the sequel. And there is nothing more to do at this point since there is nothing more to sell. Would it make sense if you were asking why there isn’t any billboard out there promoting the sequel? Like to say what? They didn’t even share a year for the movie. Not even a title 😭 So far it’s only a fan news.

So no, I don’t understand the perplexity (and even less the worse takes i’ve read out there). If you already know he cares about rwrb and its sequel, why would you need the validation of a random story or a random post?

That should be an opportunity for you and everybody who shares your feelings on that to ask yourself about what meaningless social media management bother you so much. That would be a more interesting question. Maybe it could help you make some of your relationships with people a bit healthier.

Took this one because i had free time on my hands while commuting, but i’m on my way to eat delicious food and next time i’ll have that much free time and energy on my hands will be in 9572847 business days so we’ll see if i’ll answer on any follow up on this conversation. Take care xx 💜 (and don’t forget to celebrate Nick’s announcement!! still on the Knives Out 3 boat personally)

[kishibe-kisser]

Wish I Never Met You (Ghost/Teaser)

A/N: Sorry for my absence y'all, I had exams and was studying like crazy. But that's over so you all can see my new big project!! Let me know what you think and if you want to be tagged.

Tags: Zombie Apocalypse au!, Ghost x afab!reader, mentions of blood, death, Soap, Price, yelling, arguing, enemies to lovers, smut (smut tags in actual post)

“You get used to being alone so long, being around so many people can be overwhelming.” You admitted and you felt absolutely pathetic. A solid roof over your head, people that want to look after each other surrounding you and you couldn’t get a night’s sleep? You hated your body and mind for being so ungrateful.

He knew the feeling well, better than most. He struggled with this when they brought the first batch of survivors on base. They were strangers to him, sleeping a few feet away from him and they were loud. They weren’t really loud, he knew that. But you never quite realize how loud people are in general until it’s all taken away, it takes getting used to and he felt somewhat… sympathetic towards you. Being in the military equips you with coping mechanisms for things like this, it was harder for the average person.

“You’re not the first one to experience this. Which should be comforting, you’re adjusting normally.” Price told you and you feigned a smile. “If you need anything let me know.” Price added on and dismissed you. You didn’t feel comforted really, but you knew you needed to fight through it. It was a safe space and you hadn’t met anyone yet that made you uncomfortable, Ghost aside. You could do it, you had been through worse than a sleepless night.

You had been dreading the night and doing anything possible to avoid thinking about it. Oddly enough, there was plenty to do. You helped organize some of the canned food, looked into the farming system they had set up and helped cook dinner. It was a community and helping out made you feel better.

“There you are! Was beginning to think you were never going to show up.” Christine smiled as you entered the barracks. She had been kind to you from the moment you walked onto base, though it was clear she had been well socialized already. She never seemed to have an awkward moment with anyone and well, you were filled with them. It was nice to know she was worried about you though, it was dark outside and you had to sleep at some point.

“Yeah, was just doing a bunch. What’s up?” You asked, slowly walking together towards your cot. “One of the Lieutenant’s asked me to pass this along to you. You know, Ghost, the one with the skull mask.” She smiled, showing you the items in question. Earbuds and a historical fiction novel. “Did he say anything?” You asked, accepting the items with hesitation. He hadn’t said one kind thing to you since you got there, whatever this was about it couldn’t mean anything good. “Nope, just asked me to pass it along.” She said and you nodded in understanding, despite not understanding anything at all.

“Can I ask you something.” You said, mouth speaking before you even realized. “Of course.” She beamed, brushing her long blond hair behind her ear. She seemed eager at the chance of getting to know you more. “What’s his deal? Ghost’s. Like I’ve only seen him in the mask.” You asked, watching her smile pull even wider. “And that’s the only way you will see him. It never comes off. He’s a good guy though, I think. The most he’s said to me was asking me to give you that. He takes good care of everyone though. Just not with a lot of words. The kids think he’s a superhero.” You found yourself smiling at the way she talked about him and you could totally see the kids seeing him as a superhero.

The mask thing didn’t become anymore clear to you and well, you definitely weren’t going to ask him about it. You simply took his token of kindness and kept your mouth shut.

A/N: Like I said let me know what you guys think! Full thing should be posted towards Friday!

[legacygirlingreen]

A New Era…

See what I did there… because it’s the eras tour… and the start of a new era for me fandom wise… I’ll let myself out 😭

Hi friends,

I know it’s definitely been a while since we had a little fireside chat of sorts. I never wanted to be that person who posted this big long rant with nasty call outs or annoyed remarks. But, I have to be honest. I am really, really growing to find writing for Hogwarts Legacy to be a chore. It used to come by so naturally and I’ve lost a lot of the enjoyment due to fandom fighting, the lack of a real update with the recent announcements and just some honestly, nasty anon asks I’ve received over the last few weeks.

I have a lot going on in my personal life right now and with that, it’s caused this fandom to feel more like a burden than an escape. I have surgery coming up and it just doesn’t feel like the supportive, loving, atmosphere it once did in so many ways… So for a while I think I’m going to shift gears until I find the energy to return to my works.

Having been on tumblr for a long time, I’m sick of starting over with every shift in fandom interest so I have decided to leave this tumblr, add to it and let it be a hybrid of my interests. I will return to working on my HL content, I just don’t have a set date for it.

To those who will likely depart this blog due to this announcement, thank you for the support. I hope life treats you well. To those willing to jump to a side project I’ve been working on, I’m excited to bring you all along. And to those who may soon find this blog from other spaces, welcome.

I just really need a break from what I’ve been doing and I’ve found inspiration elsewhere in the meantime.

Thank you all for being understanding and know that I have truly enjoyed the ride with this blog so far and hope to continue to do so as I post a project that I’ve been inspired by the finale season of the Bad Batch to write. I won’t give way too much, but I’ve got 50k words on my hard drive so far and I’m still going for our favorite mechanical engineer, pilot, riot racing, definitely not dead in my delulu: Tech

(If anyone actually is interested in a teaser I would love to share)

Once again, I hope this can be a discourse. Let me know your thoughts, opinions, etc. if you are willing to give other content a try and aren’t so familiar with the animated side of Star Wars I will gladly send you a guide I made for my best friend to aid. She has no knowledge of the animated series, and as someone who went to film school purely for my love of the clone wars, this return to the universe in many ways has felt like coming home. It’s where I have always felt the most safe. It’s where I always felt the most inspired. I am just overall so thankful to have found joy in writing once again as I feel like I lost it for a while there.

I am sorry if I have disappointed anyone, I just really need a break from HL creating until I sort out my life. I’ll still lurk on my lovely mutuals since I do love you all so dearly. @eternalremorse @writing-intheundercroft to name a few. I also owe this wonderful fandom for my best friend in the whole world. It’s a love of mine, right now I think we would be better on a break… if that makes sense…

That being said, I am so, so, SO thankful for the last year (plus a few months but who’s counting) with you all. I really do look forward to eventually coming back. Right now, I just would love to explore other avenues while I’m feeling so drained.

That’s all for now but I hope to post new content soon,

- M 💚

PS : to anyone who’s found this under TBB tags… I’m a bit nervous to dive back in to the Star Wars realm since I deleted all my old ST fics but I’m ready to try again…

[alena-draws]

I watched Blue Eye Samurai!

Something different for a change..let's make a series review! I finally came around to watching this Netflix Show that caught my interest about a year ago. Short summary: a full 8.5/10! Read under the cut if you want the long (not spoiler free) version of my review:

So first, let me tell you what I loved:

The Soundtrack? 10/10. That thing is beautiful, atmospheric, fitting...just overall, I love it.

The Voice Cast! 10/10 I just really think they are really fitting for their characters! Especially love the bad guys' voices.

The Artwork holy cow. 10/10. This thing could be a movie piece with how much care and effort is put into each background. Character designs also top notch! The colours, wow.

Scene writing/Shot writing. 10/10. I think they are done marvellously. The composition of each scene, how it progresses, the narration, I got nothing to complain!

Which, now, brings me to the overall story of the show! It's not a bad story, not at all, but I still have two things that I personally would have liked differently:

One, I am a bit disappointed that there's a second season. Probably a strong personal reference but I would have preferred this story to be done in one season only. It feels like they are turning this story about revenge into a bigger epos of finding your identity, coming to terms with the past and finding a new reason to keep going. Which are all cool themes. But, I'm not all that interested in them with these characters. I would have much rather preferred they keep this short, either Mizu gets her revenge, breaks apart in the process, or fails...whatever, but a quick definite ending for this story. On top of that, I don't feel like Mizu is really in a different place at the end of the season compared to the beginning. Of course she has found friends, and when she went back to her master she cleared her head to NOT be the demon everyone sees her at. But at the end, we're still on our way to England, for her to get her revenge. I'm sure they will make a good story out of it nonetheless- but with all the amazing skills in this project, they had the potential to make a great story out of it! Something shorter but with much more impact!

Which brings me to point 2: The story itself. Because it's a good story- but it's not a story that makes me go „Woaah ooof“ The writing of the scenes I think is really high level, but when it comes to the overall story, there's nothing that really takes me by surprise? For example: Mizu being a woman, and making her own sword out of the meteorite. Her childhood antagonist reappearing, they start off as antagonists but with some witty bickering they become somewhat friends, only to promise the potential to become even more in season 2. Of course they are back at the swordsmith's place before the final battle so that Mizu can find clarity of mind there. And Akemi, the girl that never should have been allowed to chose her own path stands atop the ruins of a country, where she might be one of the leading figures in s2. I like that there's a lot of character developmet with most characters, and that the circumstances are drastically different at the end of s1- but in a way, it feels a bit cliché to me.

My biggest fear is that everything that has been teasered, like the romance between Mizu and Taigen, Akemi's path to power, Mizu's return to the master to make her own sword- and everything that I can imagine Mizu might encounter in the new land with all the conflicting feelings that facing her ancestry will bring her- my fear is, that this might all come to be, in some way. I want to be surprised, and I want sudden unexpected elements to enter the story and change the relatively clear path that the characters are on! And going by season1, I'm not entirely sure I might get that. Well, that all sounds a bit more negative that it should probably. It's a great show! I'm just sulking a bit because..well, they could have closed everything off in one epic season with an epic showdown and BOY would I have loved to see a story about revenge where the main character completely breaks apart after accomplishing their goal. Anyway, I'm still excited for s2, and I dearly hope that everything I said and predicted here will be proven wrong!

[amageish]

Reflecting on queer representation in X-Men 97 - and speculating on the future...

Before X-Men '97 was revealed, I made a post all about queer X-Men characters and the possibilities for this show... and now the show is out... so I figure I should do a follow-up! Let's discuss what happened and the possibilities for the future.

This is a long post, so I'll put my thoughts under the cut!

Part One: What We Got

Morph

The show's primary form of queer representation is in the character of Morph. They're the main "OC" of the original 1992 cartoon - they've always been important to the animated series canon despite not having much presence in the comics - so this is a pretty bold choice from that perspective...

They are a fairly unique type of gay by 2024 mass-market corporate standards. They're sassy bordering on mean in a way that would feel very typical for the 2000s but is sort of refreshing in the 2020s... They are non-binary, though their gender is never really discussed in the show itself - their voice actor sees them as being on a gender journey, though my personal reading is that they seem quite comfortable with themself and their gender already... Everyone who refers to them uses they/them pronouns thus far, though most dialogue is written to avoid gendering them entirely.

They are also notably attracted to Logan, something reflected throughout the show though most directly acknowledged in Episodes 3 and 10. They joke about showering with Logan and, when they think they see him in the showers, they give themselves Wolverine claws to help him reach the "hard-to-reach places"... Morph then actually says "I love you" to him in Episode 10, taking the form of Jean Grey to do it.

Whether a queer character pining for the "straight"* friend is good representation or an overplayed trope is subjective, but we will see where this arc goes in future seasons!

*Logan definitely isn't straight, but Marvel Corporate and Season 1 showrunner Beau DeMayo both say he is lmao.

Cipher + Boom Boom

I made an entire post about these two, but we also got a same-gender duo dancing at the Gala on Genosha... These are Cipher and Boom Boom - two characters who are not currently explicitly queer in the comics, but are interesting characters to read as queer IMHO! Cipher especially is a fascinating choice - the background gay is someone with the power to literally turn herself invisible lmao.

Northstar

Marvel's first openly gay superhero made two cameos in X-Men 97 - he appears in an X-Men recreation of A Different World in Episode 4 and with his fellow Alpha Flight members (plus Cipher and Psylocke) in Episode 10. He doesn't do anything of note really, but his hair colour is correct at least - the original show mistook his hair having white streaks as a trick of the light in some famous books and comic covers as him actually black-and-white hair in-universe...

Pixie

I'm not 100% sure if this should count, but the ever-perky Pixie turned up on Genosha in Episode 5 alongside her fellow New X-Men. As of writing, she's more of a queer-coded character than a capital-C canon queer in the comics... but she is solicited to be in the next Pride book alongside Bling! and Anole, who are canon queers, so I feel like her long-implied (and confirmed in an AU) bisexuality is likely to be canon in a couple weeks... so yeah - Genosha had a queer fae on it! Good for her.

There were a couple of other background gay characters, but nobody recognizable from the comics - there are some theories Blink and Husk were presented as a couple, but the "Blink" character appears to be a shapeshifter, so I would guess they are just OCs...

Part Two: Who is Teased

Like any modern Marvel project, we ended on a bunch of teasers... Two big explicitly queer names appear in those final moments - let's chat about that...

Iceman

After a season of appearing in the portrait of the O5 X-Men in Xavier's office, Bobby appears in Forge's DoFP-style board of potential future teammates at the end of the show.

In the comics, he famously comes out as a result of time-displaced versions of the original X-Men team showing up. A teenage Jean Grey reads the mind of a teenage Bobby Drake, who has been obscenely remarking on his very-real totally-not-fake attraction to Magik, and tells him that he is gay. This... probably isn't going to happen in the show, but I could see them taking this as a chance to do another take on Bobby's coming out.

They also could adapt the older story where Emma Frost possesses Bobby's body and, among other things, informs him that he will not be able to master his powers to their full potential until he works through his internalized identity crisis - though she doesn't say that he is gay at the time (the Comics Code prohibiting such things was still in effect), just implying it.

Bobby's had a lot of pairings in the comics, but in the show I think he is likely going to be Morph's actual love interest. He's gay. He's also a queer jokester. They'd probably get along and enjoy ribbing each other. We'll see what happens, but that's my guess...

Rachel Summers

Mother Askani was a shadow that lingered over the entire show and finally revealed herself in the final moments. The woman who raised Cable in a distant future alongside a cult of her worshippers, Mother Askani is a variant of another Summers-Grey child, Rachel Summers from Days of Future Past.

After decades of queer-coding, Rachel was finally confirmed as queer in 2022 when she kissed Betsy Braddock. This coming-out took around a year to be approved by corporate, but it did indeed finally happen and she even has a story in this year's Pride special. So I am hoping that she will be doing some queer stuff in the show itself...

Rachel's younger form was already present in the original show, albeit as a non-verbal cameo, so my prediction is that she has done all her time-travelling stuff and got split into her Askani and Mother Askani forms off-screen... but we will see how they adapt this character - Rachel's never really had a chance to be multi-media before, so I'm unsure how much they will streamline things.

Part Three: Askani's Partners

Rachel Summers has only had one textual girlfriend, but she's somehow still gotten around... Let's discuss some possibilities!

Betsy Braddock

Betsy Braddock is Rachel's current and thus far only textual girlfriend. Not unlike Rachel, Betsy has some... complicated lore. While she is currently the leader of the Captain Britain Corps, she spent a lot of her publication history with her mind trapped in the body of the Japanese Ninja Kwannon, operating as the assassin Psylocke.

Yes. That Psylocke. Most Psylocke appearances are actually a white British woman inside of a Japanese woman's body. I am sorry if anyone had to learn that this this way.

In a not-so-hot take: I think the show should just skip the body swap... but with rumours of Captain Britain in the MCU and the Captain Britain Corps being a multiversal entity (it is basically the Spiderverse movie's Spider Society, but done in the 80s) there may be some red tape around the use of Betsy. I hope there isn't though as I would like to see them in animation!

Kitty Pryde

Rachel's other big queer love interest in the comics is Kitty Pryde. Chris Claremont, the architect of what most people associate with the X-Men, has gone so far as to say that she is the "primal love" of Pryde's life and tried to imply that they had gotten married and had kids together in his epilogue for the X-Men brand, X-Men: The End. It's never been textual, but they are pretty darn gay in plenty of the Claremont stuff - including his Excalibur, the run that Kitty Pryde's design on the Episode 10 billboard is taken from.

Kitty Pryde is a complicated character when it comes to queerness. In 2020, Pryde kissed a girl and plenty of news publications ran stories about how she is finally canonically bisexual... and then, uh, nothing really happened in the comics? She has continued to be bi-coded since, but it doesn't seem like Marvel Corporate considered that kiss to be a coming out at all? Which is wild as it is, uh, a same-gender kiss, but she hasn't gotten to be in a Pride book or anything since then... I am unsure if '97 would be able to make it explicit when the lower-stakes less-widely-read comics are currently struggling to do so, but we will see?

Though speaking of Kitty Pryde being queer...

Illyana Rasputin

Cameoing in Episode 3 via Morph and appearing on the DoFP billboard as well in Episode 10, the marvellous Magik seems set to make her 97 debut! She's Kitty Pryde's OTHER roommate who she has a soulbond with. Yeah, uh, Pryde got two of those. We love that for her.

Like Rachel, she's also a long-queer-coded woman with a history of violence, having her autonomy taken away from her, and deep-rooted insecurities which Pryde uniquely is able to help her through...

I'd be surprised if either Illyana/Rachel or Pryde/Illyana managed to happen in this show, but this is one of my favourite X-Men pairings so I had to mention it... I am a sucker for soulmate "Our subtextual queerness gives us EXTRA SUPERPOWERS" stuff and Illyana and Pryde have had some truly S-tier moments like that that I'd love to see in animation. Honestly, I'd even take it if they were just "soulmates" and they played it in a campy Xena-y way too...

Concluding Thoughts

I feel somewhat mixed on the queer rep of 97 in general. The show is super bold politically and thematically, but feels below the level of queer representation projects like Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur or even Hulu's Runaways provided. The show thematically is so invested in queer experience, using mutant metaphor to tell a number of incredibly well-written and resonant queer stories via several characters (especially Sunspot), but it doesn't seem as interested in explicit direct queerness.

I'm optimistic we'll see more in the future seasons though... but we'll see if this post ages any better than my last one lmao.

[mobumi]

So Here's my final Bucchigiri review!

Overall a fun ride, but something is missing.

I give it a 6.8/10.

First time I saw the teaser and trailer for this l was so curious because the visuals looked amazing and I couldn't wait to see it. When I finally watched it, I have to admit I was disappointed, not because I thought it was bad, but because I thought the plot would be something completely different, especially judging Utsumi's previous works. I wanted it to be my new Buddy daddies, but alas.

As I mentioned before, I noticed some problems in the pacing and writing which, in my opinion, affected the quality of the show. But what I really enjoyed was how entertaining it was. The comedy seemed just right, the running gags were okay, and just the vibe in general worked for this universe they created. The 1001 nights lore was really well used!

I liked how this anime subverted my expectations and played with the shonen genre and overused tropes, that was definitely the fun part. There were some very good parts and metaphors that I think elevated the show and gave it something special.

But with this finale, you can clearly see all the things that the show lacked, more so in the writing. Ichiya's motivations were nonsensical and it didn't justify manipulating a teenager or killing him just to fight his former bestie. Arajin has such a rocky development and seeing him the exact same at the end felt kind of useless after his face off with Matakara. Added to that, the genie lore that doesn't make sense even with the great metaphor of being a Honki person and some plot holes here and there that are hard to look past. It almost feels like the people working on this project were not fully invested in developing the world more or the characters, just enough to keep the audience guessing. For me it was like eating something good but lacking in seasoning. I wanted more SEASONING, and not just salt and pepper (ok I'll stop with this analogy 😂) but yeah something more consistent.

I didn't expect something incredible though, so in terms of ending it did do the job and overall gave us something more than satisfying for what it was.

I had fun watching Bucchigiri and getting involved in the fandom! Though I have conflicted feelings about this show, it made me watch until the end so that means they did a good job making the audience interested and see its potential.

If there is a season 2, I would probably check it out of curiosity, but I think it'd be better to just end on this note and move on...

[bearhyuck127]

series review

Spoiler warning!!!

we are the series -

This show is so cute.

I can definitely see myself coming back to watch this as a comfort show.

Pisses me off that it took phem and peem up until episode 13 to start dating.

Q and toey are so cute I want to rip my hair out omg. Definitely my favorite side couple.

So sad it's ending soon.

8 out of 10

I give this rating because it took so long for the main couple to get together. Also I feel like it was dragged on a little longer than it should have. But the acting is great ( as expected from pond and phuwin) and I keep coming back for more.

My stand in the series-

BROOO

This show most definitely keeps me on my feet.

I don't understand why Joe would go back to the people who basically killed him.

I tried so hard to like ming but the second he chained my man how up I lost any liking I had for him.

I was a passionate Joe and sol supporter but when I saw how sad and helpless ming was I couldn't help but feel bad for him. ( I know I'm insane)

After finding out that Joe was in this joe's body he knew he had to make things right and I'm proud of him for all the sacrifices he is making right now.

9 out of 10

I give this rating because it's genuinely a really good series. Sure I kick and scream like a mad person but that's just apart of the experience.

I know that Joe will choose ming in the end because I've seen the trailer but its still nerve racking.

That are so foul for not giving the teaser for the last episode. I have to sit through the week in pain.

This love doesn't have long beans-

The way I've waited so long for this.

When I saw the announcement I was in school and I tried my absolute best to keep calm.

I've been obsessed with sailubpon since pit babe and I'm so happy that they have their own series.

Not to mention Garfield and benz. I'm so excited to see how there relationship develops.

I find the fact that the restaurant is actually babe's house from pit babe so funny.

8.5 out of 10

I think it's only fair to give this rating.

The first episode just came out but I'm already in love.

And like I said I waited so long for this series.

I'm so excited for next Friday.

I am definitely not excited about the "love triangle" though sigh.

My love mix-up

I cannot stress enough how much I love this series.

I love how fun Geminiforth make every series that they are in.

The confession was soo stressful though.. because what do you mean atom confessed got scared and tripped, ended up rolling down the hill with kongthap and then kongthap got bit by a snake...let's just say I was out of my bed for the whole thing.

I'm so ready for mudmee to confess because her and half are so cute.

9 out of 10

This series is so refreshing after the trauma I get from my stand in.

I can never get bored with geminiforth and I will always support them in all of their projects.

Sunset x vibes-

im not going to lie I wasn't too interested when watching the first episode but I let a few more episodes to come out before continuing and now I like it.

It's definitely something to watch when I'm bored every Saturday.

The friend group does kind of annoy me a little bit.. they blackmailed people that are way higher up in the business than they are which kind of gave me the ick. I understand that they were worried about their friend but I wouldn't go around blackmailing people. I'm pushing through though and I'm looking forward to the development of Sam and yo though.

I love moss and bank and I've wanted to see them in another series again for a while now.

7.5 out of 10

Though I like how the show is developing I have a few problems with it.

I wish they added translations for the jewelry scene but then again that could just be my streaming platform problem.

I will always love anything moss and bank do and this is no hate towards anyone!

Love sea-

oh. my. god.

This show has me in a chokehold i swear.

Again with the friends though omg! Mook girlie I promise tongrak will be ok if he has a man in his house.. I mean look at mut.. all I have to say.

I find the whole nook and vie situation is so cute though I'm so ready for them to get together.

Also these scenes man... they need to let us breathe. LET US BREATHE.

8.5 out of 10

I love fortpeat sooo much.

The difference between their characters in love in the air and love sea is funny but I live for it.

So ready for mut to show tongrak what love actually is.

Also money doesn't buy love guys 😔

Those are all the the shows I'm watching right now..it's a 9 to 5 job I swear... ( Please I need more shows ☹️) If you have any recommendations I will gladly take them. Sadly I can only watch on iqiyi and YouTube though so please stick to shows that air on those platforms please and thank you ����🫶🫶

[yukidragon]

The Phantom of Sunny Day Jack Headcanons Teaser

Good news, everybody! I've been given the green light to share some of my headcanons about the world of the Phantom of Sunny Day Jack! It's just a little taste of the worldbuilding for now, but soon I'll be allowed to cut loose completely and ramble to my hearts content about the world, the project, and future plans.

Believe you me, I have thoughts about this AU.

First of all, as I’ve said previously, this AU isn’t just a retelling of Phantom of the Opera with a Something’s Wrong with Sunny Day Jack reskin. Jack isn’t Erik from the musical, book, or whatever. He’s in a similar role, being the phantom of the opera house who wears a mask, but he’s still Jack. Considering the character of the phantom changes quite a bit depending on the telling of the story, I should hope that this won’t be too surprising. ;3

The MC takes the role that Christine Daae typically fills in a Phantom of the Opera story, but they are definitely not Christine. Their name, appearance, backstory, etc. are far more malleable, but they are 25+ years of age like the love interests, similar to the original SDJ game.

MC is a singer at the opera house and made some friends there, including the friendly director, who quickly became their best friend and a great support. Even the diva who is the shining star of the opera house is looking their way, though their relationship is more of a friendly rivalry since he’s seen MC’s potential to outshine him. MC has a childhood sweetheart that they lost touch with for what were less than ideal reasons, who has suddenly come back into their life wanting to mend their relationship.

Then, of course, there is the mysterious phantom of the opera who has never revealed his face to anyone… except a very special person who brightens up the dark and lonely life that he’s forced to live in the shadows by being his ray of sunshine. He sees the beauty in MC and their voice, and wants to help them to shine brighter than anyone else. He’s surprisingly sweet, kind, and supportive, which is a total opposite to all the dark rumors swirling around him. Surely they must be exaggerations, right?

While this is taking place in the late 19th century, this is an alternate universe, so things are a little different during this period than in our world. For one thing, the fashions and colors of this world's 19th century France are amazing. Just look at these gorgeous outfits!

Wait until you can see these without the shadows obscuring them. These sprites are just so, so pretty. EC and everyone else working on the art for this project has really created a world full of style~ ✨

Clearly, this world’s textile technology is pretty advanced, even if they’re still lagging in other areas. Also their cuisine is far more advanced as well since, let's face it, if we’re going to make an indulgent and stylish AU, why not throw in some comfort foods like pizza and hot cocoa with whipped cream as well?

An area where this world is far more progressive than our modern day world is with LGBT+ acceptance and rights. No one bats an eye at what pronouns you use, being trans or cis is just what you are, loving someone of any gender identity is just plain love, and it's not strange if you simply don’t have romantic or sexual desires, or just less of it than most.

Overall, this AU is meant to be an indulgent and comforting gothic romance, while also offering elements of intrigue, drama, and horror for spice. Sure, there are bad ends, but sometimes it’s fun to explore those sorts of darker narratives too along with softer happy endings full of love.

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur