#when i stop picking the most hated character to have as faves >>>

[andrewthedeadly]

andre doesnt deserve all this hate in this essay i will-

watching everyone dig at andre for things literally every other main character has done and some of them have done worse LEAVE HIM ALONE!

Cate had an affair with him while with luke yet hes taking all the lashings even though he's not the one who cheated... (if it was reversed where luke cheated w someone who was his bsf ikkkk that we would never hear the end of it)

He accidentally killed someone at a party and ran. which everyone else did but Marie. and we all know god u would have severely punished them for this. And we have seen where supes who can't control their powers go. why would he have stayed when nobody else who knows how the supe world works did ????? your out high asf w ur friends accidentally kill someone with your powers which could result in you going to supe rehab for like to be tested on and lose ur entire life you staying ??? like lets b fr now ..

ppl talk about his dad and idk what yall want him to do about that beside not be born or sumn like. his ONLYYYY story and saving grace for his plot. is his daddy issues and powers killing him like please.

people are mad that the person with whom he was in a relationship (not sure if cheating/post-mortem cheating?? counts idk)they were friends at least was found out to be manipulating him and others ao they could be experimented on and locked up and now he can't even be mad at that bc the lil white girl cried about doing it !!

[ghostly-penumbra]

Reflection

Ao3

Summary: Danyal reflects on the mending and burning of bridges.

Inspired by this post.

- - -

Danny stared and stared some more at his phone’s screen, undecided on what he wanted to do.

Somehow, he had seen his brother again.

Damian had grown, just like him, not just in height but as a person.

He was now an established vigilante, a champion of justice in his own right, an ally of the Justice League, fighting evil and protecting the weak.

He was a completely different person from the little boy that had ran him through with a sword at the behest of their grandfather, with a disgusted glare as he stared down at his dying twin.

He was good now.

But in truth, he was the boy that had killed Danny, the brother that he had wrongly trusted, and thought could be on his side.

Danny sighed, dropping his phone in his lap and wondering not for the first time at how they had ended up being so different, already back in the League, how had Damian not been able to see how wrong things were, when they had been raised together, and Danny had realized it early enough? Realize that the soldiers were people, and not just props or tools to be discarded –to be killed – on a whim.

Well, Damian seemed to have realized it by now, been taught better, like all he needed was for someone to talk sense into him.

Why hadn’t Danny’s pleas been enough?

And there was also… their… extended family. Their father, the Batman, and all the people he had brought with him.

Most of them had been… tentative, he would say, in the short time they had interacted. They saw that it was a tense situation and had handled themselves with care, hadn’t pushed Danny, but still showed they would welcome him if he decided to approach. That was nice of them.

The mater of his father, though…

Danny had thought, over and over as he smuggled himself from country to country with mother’s help until they had to cut contact least they be discovered by the League, about seeking his father, the mighty warrior that even his grandfather respected, someone who could protect him from the League.

Then he had found out about Robin, and decided against leaving one child-soldiering life for another.

Then he had met the Fentons, and he didn’t regret it one bit.

(He understood now, though, that the vigilante life didn’t respect ages, and sometimes you just had to step up, because you could, and no one else.)

And now he had the chance to have it all if he wanted. But if he did, it’d have to be everything, he couldn’t be cherry-picking what he wanted and what not, it was all or nothing.

“Nothing it is.” He deleted the number from his phone and the memory of it from his mind, and the slip of paper it had been scribbled on was burnt in green fire along with the communicator Batman had handed him (hesitant, hopeful, beneath his calm façade), and ended up in his trash bin once it stopped radiating heat.

Even if he wanted to have that part of his family, he didn’t want anything with Damian, and he wouldn’t make them choose between the two of them. The Bats were Damian’s and the Fentons Danyal’s, and that was it.

And maybe, just maybe, he would be broken all over again if they all chose his killer over him.

- - -

There is a post on tumblr that uses "Get in the Water" from EPIC: The Musical (my current fixation), where Danyal gives Damian a good scare for having killed him and things spiral from there for the bats. I love it very much.

I don't actually hate Damian or anything (i don't really care for his character, but the bats are a package deal), but as an abused sibling i've always hated with a passion the whole "forgive your abusive sibling uwu, they did't know any better u.u" fuck that noise. Even if they change and grow to be a better person, you don't have to forgive your abusers or be part of their lives so that they feel better. Fuck that very much.

i'm a bit of a hypocrite tho, since my fave is Jason and i forgive him the Titan's Tower incident (but if what i've read about Tim talking shit about Jay after he became Robin is true, then I won't even excuse him. shoulda hit 'im harder. i'll have to check that). alas i also don't care for Tim so i don't really read as much on his relationship with Jason. it's complicated but I wrote what i wanted.

please feel free to leave your opinion! on the subject, on the fic, i'd love to read it!

[rootsofdread]

I’m not sure how to start this off but do you mind writing some general fluff relationship images with as many women killers as you can? (Many some smut of you are cool with that)

-Anony🍄

sure thing! <3 i was really stoked about this request tbh, i wasn't expecting to get much for the fem killers so it was nice!! hope you don't mind i did the "weirder" ones cause they're personally some of my faves and i think they need love :-) <3

this does include the nsfw, they're the last two bullet points on every character in case anyone wants to skip reading them!

Sally Smithson / The Nurse:

Sally is super sweet and caring with you. She has some leftover nurse tendencies and is always trying to make sure you're taken care of. She may baby you occasionally, but she tries not to if it's not something you're comfortable with. Your comfort is her top priority.

She loves being close to you and touching you; holding your hand, having an arm around your waist or shoulders. She's very physically affectionate, and it helps her be able to protect you. She feels more comfortable with you as close to her as possible. (But if you're not comfortable with this, she'll settle for having you nearby.)

She also loves just spending quiet moments with you, where the two of you aren't worrying about anything and are just enjoying each others' presence. Doing your own separate things or just sitting quietly together, she doesn't mind either way. She's just happy to be with you.

You always calm her down when she gets worked up due to a trial, and she is endlessly thankful for that. It's been so long since she's had someone who helps her so much. When she's stressed out, she just thinks of you, and those thoughts take her to a much happier place.

-

Sally is very old-fashioned and vanilla. If you have any sort of kinks, chances are she won’t even have heard about it, but she’d be willing, if a little nervous (even if it’s something tame), to try it. Her main concern in the bedroom is making sure you’re pleased, and she’s willing to go way out of her comfort zone.

She’s also very susceptible to touches and dirty talk. You could turn her on just like a switch if you wanted to and have her borderline begging for it, depending on how far you want to take it. She prefers you don’t torment her…But she knows it’s all for fun.

Lisa Sherwood / The Hag:

Lisa is extremely protective of you, and can get a little hostile towards other killers and survivors when it comes to you. She's like an angry chihuahua. She just wants to keep you safe but doesn't know any other way, she hopes it shows you how dedicated she is to you.

If the two of you have to separate for a trial or something, she'll give you a bunch of her good luck and protection charms so you can stay safe even without her. She hates leaving you, but knows her charms will do her work for her if she must.

She's very clingy and loves to cuddle, it makes her feel safe. She especially loves resting her head on your chest or your lap, but most of the time she'll just trap you by wrapping all of her gangly limbs around you. Hopefully you don't have anything to do, because you might have to drag her with you.

She loves going on long walks with you, especially at night, or during rainfall. She'll always either walk ahead of you or will hold your hand while you walk, to be on lookout for you. She loves stopping by flowers and picking them for you, or wandering off a path to see wildlife.

-

Lisa is very bitey during sex. She won't hurt you badly — not on purpose, anyways — but she gets a little aggressive. She will scratch you, too. She hopes you don't mind having a few marks afterwards.

She gets very clingy afterwards, too, though. She may even get fussy if you don’t hold her in some way after. So if you have something you need to do when you’re done, it’s going to have to wait for a few minutes.

High Priestess Adiris / The Plague:

Adiris is always there to comfort you when you're upset about anything. She always mumbles about how the Gods have a plan (even if you don't believe — it's something she always says, in the hopes it helps any little bit), will cradle you in her arms, sing to you, make you a hot drink. Anything you need to feel better, she'll fetch it or do it.

She's always taking care of you in any little way she can. She may be a little overbearing, but she means well. She's always making sure you're feeling well and have everything you need. She checks in constantly, and she hopes she doesn't frustrate you. She just gets worried, is all.

She burns calming incense for you all the time, and for herself. But mostly for you. She knows how stressful being in the realm can be and she does what she can to make it better for you.

She's very shy, and is very prone to blushing. If you say any sweet little thing to her, she'll turn completely red, and may even find something to busy herself. She's not used to such sweetness, you'll have to forgive her.

-

Adiris prefers giving more than receiving, in all honesty. Performing oral, manual, being a service top. It's what she's more used to. That's not to say she won't accept you taking the lead…She just gets more flustered when it's you. She finds it difficult to keep her composure.

She's very insecure about her body, so she loves body worship. Even in just the slightest way — just a kiss, a word and she's crumbling. Melting into a puddle under your touch.

Charlotte Deshayes / The Twins:

Charlotte sees you as more of her protector than she as yours. You're so kind to her, she knows you'll stand up for her when she can't. She may be a killer now, but she still gets picked on, she's sensitive and appreciates having someone on her side. 

You're the only person she trusts to look after Victor when she has something she needs to do. She knows Victor is a handful, but she can always trust you with him. She loves seeing you running around with him, playing and having fun.

She can be a bit childish sometimes, having a sort of wonderment about things she never got to experience as a child. Cartoons, stuffed animals, coloring and painting. She feels insecure about this — but when you let her know it's okay and it's not weird, she's more comfortable. She loves it when you join her, she loves sitting down and doing silly things like that.

She loves reading to you or having you read to her, it's one of her most favorite things. When you're reading to her, she gets all cozied up to your side with Victor, and may just fall asleep. If she's reading to you, she has the book between both of you in case she needs help with some English. She also likes letting Victor look at the illustrations, if there are any.

-

Charlotte has a massive praise kink. She loves to be praised, especially by you. You can really turn her on just by telling her that she's a good girl, she's doing a good job. It makes her putty in your hands.

She absolutely loves it when you leave kisses all over her body. Her chest, back, shoulders, stomach, thighs. It makes her feel so…Fuzzy inside. She wishes you'd never, ever stop.

Carmina Mora / The Artist:

Carmina loves having a shoulder to cry on when she needs it. She's still so grief-stricken all the time, so sad. It overwhelms her sometimes, and she needs someone to hold her and tell her everything's alright. She is endlessly thankful for you and all that you do for her. You make life more bearable for her. She's so much happier.

She loves to sketch and paint you any free moment she gets, she has so many art pieces focused on you she could probably fill a whole gallery with them. She thinks you're so amazing, so stunning, she always feels the need to capture you.

She's so happy having another person to tend to her crows with her. It was the one thing that gave her solace before she met you, and now she gets to share it with you. She puts some bird seed in your hand and promises they won't hurt you, watching with a genuine smile on her face as they land on your wrist and eat from your hand.

She's always coaxing you to be creative, no matter your medium or skill level. She loves you, and wants you to express yourself. She would never stifle you. She absolutely loves seeing what you create, she's always full of compliments for you. She proudly displays your creations next to hers.

-

Carmina is very noisy in bed. A screamer. She hardly even realizes how loud she can be, she just gets lost in you, how much you're pleasing her, how right it feels. People can probably hear her all across the realm.

She can get a bit aggressive in bed. Not with the intention of hurting you, but she can just get so overwhelmed…She loses her control, thrusts herself against you like a wild animal. Clawing at you, biting you, leaving puddles of ink in your skin.

Adriana Imai / The Skull Merchant:

Adriana is very into PDA and loves showing you off to everyone else. You're her trophy partner, and she will parade you around and make sure both you and everyone else know just how much she loves you. It's rare to earn her affection, and you're very special.

She loves to have you on her lap or just sitting with her while she plans out her next trial, or works on her drones. She just enjoys having you close. And if you want to help her, she's happy to let you; listening to your input, or guiding your hands to fasten together her drones.

She's always fussing over your appearance, making sure your hair looks nice and straightening up your clothes, brushing you off. Even if you don't find yourself particularly good-looking, she thinks you're stunning and wants to make sure the outside reflects the inside.

You're the only person she cares to listen to. She knows her ideas are great and she doesn't need input from anyone else, except you. She's always willing to listen to you about anything, everything. You're the only person with valuable input.

-

Adriana is a verse, believe it or not. She prefers topping, but if her partner is strong enough to knock her down and wrench control from her, she'll accept it and she'll love every minute of it. Fighting for dominance in the bedroom is one of her favorite things.

She's into some hardcore stuff, and she's very dutiful with aftercare. If the two of you have done something harsh and straining especially, she'll pull you to her chest and ask if you need anything at all. She can't break her favorite toy, after all.

[blackhairedjjun]

flowers of every color | 6. red and purple zinnias

overall summary: when your father is assigned as the new head gardener to the royal family, you are also tasked with helping him maintain the castle's many gardens and extensive floral arrangements. by chance you find yourself crossing paths with the "ice-cold" crown prince, choi yeonjun... who turns out to be not as ice-cold as everyone says he is.

chapter summary: in which you are punished for your trespassing, and yeonjun starts to feel the pressure of his impending betrothal.

word count: 2.7k

warnings: angst + some insecurities

notes: adding some original characters here mostly to fill out the castle staff + the other kingdom, didn't wanna use actual people bc i don't wanna get hate for depicting others' faves as the "villain" of the story

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you water the zinnias in the greenhouse, humming a lonely ballad to yourself, until your routine is interrupted by a knock on the door. when you head over you see no one, only an empty flower vase waiting for your arrangement on a nearby desk. mechanically, almost thoughtlessly, you fill the vase with some of the zinnias that you just watered: a mix of reds and purples, not particularly caring for any special presentation or meaning. you knock back at the greenhouse door once you have finished and a pair of hands reach inside and take the vase, disappearing as quickly as they entered. you head back to the remaining zinnias. again you start to water them and hum, as if nothing got in the way of your errand.

part of you wishes that you received some sort of greeting or acknowledgment, even a simple “here is the vase for you to fill.” but this assigned servant or guard (you yourself aren’t sure) isn’t allowed to speak to you, just like every other person who has been assigned to pick up flowers from the greenhouse.

you dare not imagine where they are bringing the flowers to 一 perhaps they are headed to yeonjun’s room, passing through the route that once felt like home. 

and you dare not imagine what they have been told about your situation, or the rumors that must have been going around ever since the incident with the chamberlain. oh, the gardener’s kid? they got punished for trying to interfere with his majesty’s official duties. word is that they’ve been trying to manipulate him, pretending to be his friend, overstepping boundaries and all. i bet they were putting something weird in the flowers they used to bring.

regardless of how far from the truth those rumors are, your punishment remains: for the next two weeks, all your work is now restricted to the greenhouse. you cannot care for the plants in the outdoor gardens, and you certainly cannot bring flowers into the castle yourself. while you are still allowed to make floral arrangements, only assigned servants and guards can deliver them. most damning of all, no one is allowed to talk to you. your only conversations are with your father at dinnertime, and even then all he can offer are bits of news from the castle and well-meaning words of solace to look forward to the end of it.

on one hand, you feel relieved that the punishment isn’t worse; the chamberlain simply wanted to stop you from sharing anything that you aren’t supposed to know. you still have your job as gardener, and two weeks of isolation shouldn’t be too difficult. on the other hand, the days stretch on interminably, and you feel the loneliness start to gnaw at you after the third or fourth day. you sing to the flowers just so that you can hear a voice, and soon you start to talk to them as well 一 encouraging them to grow well, complaining about the isolation, or telling them whatever thought comes into your mind. but flowers are flowers, and they say nothing in return.

in those moments, you hear the voice at the back of your mind: if only yeonjun were here to listen to me.

every time the voice pops up, you push it away with another voice. being around yeonjun 一 no, his majesty 一 is what got me in trouble in the first place. as much as you yearn for his presence, you can’t ignore the creeping feeling that your friendship has set things all wrong. what were you thinking, seriously believing that a friendship between a mere gardener and the crown prince would work? no, yeonjun needs to be friends with more important people. he’ll marry a princess and bring prosperity to the kingdom with his union, and you will step aside and do your job and provide flowers for the wedding. that’s how things should be.

you repeat this thought to yourself as you prepare yet another batch of zinnias to be delivered to the castle on the last day of your punishment. it may almost be over, you muse, but you swear to keep to yourself even after you’re allowed out. you dare not put yourself in another situation that will get you, your father, or yeonjun into trouble.

your thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the greenhouse door. you head over to the little table where the empty vase is usually placed, but find nothing.

“y/n...?”

you jolt up. “wh-who’s there?”

the door creaks open, and soobin and beomgyu step into the greenhouse. your eyes go wide.

“i一 what are you doing here?!”

“we missed you!” beomgyu says, grabbing your shoulders and giving you a little shake.

soobin grabs his arm. “shh, not too loud!”

“but i一 you一” you push past them and peer outside the greenhouse, then breathe a sigh of relief when you see no one there. “i’m not supposed to talk to anyone.”

“we know, we know.” beomgyu nods and gives you a reassuring smile. “but we were worried about you, okay? we heard about the punishment and we felt bad, then we got dragged into a bunch of meetings so we couldn’t even check up on you.” he sets down a brown paper bag on the vase table. “we’re sorry, y/n. here, we brought you this.”

you peek into the bag and see a generous slice of key lime pie. for the first time in two weeks, you smile. “you didn’t have to...”

“we wanted to make it up to you for getting you into trouble,” soobin says.

“you didn’t get me into trouble. i trespassed into a part of the castle where i shouldn’t have been in.”

“but you only went there because you were trying to bring flowers to us, right? we made you do all those things to spend time with us, and you got caught. so it’s our fault too.”

you open your mouth to argue, but you can’t find it in you to rebut such a thoughtful gesture. “thank you, soobin, beomgyu,” you say at last. “i haven’t had anything sweet in two weeks.”

as you peer at the slice of pie, you notice a piece of card at the side. when you pull it out and examine it, you see yeonjun’s now-familiar handwriting:

i’m so sorry for getting you into trouble. please let me make it up to you next time. in the meantime, enjoy this 一 it’s the kitchen specialty!

“oh...” you try to suppress your smile growing wider but fail, and you feel the sudden burst of warmth tug at your heart. 

“yeah, it was yeonjun hyung’s idea to get the pie,” beomgyu says.

“where is he?”

soobin and beomgyu look at each other, their faces faltering, then back at you. soobin runs a hand through his hair before he speaks.

“he’s... at another meeting.”

“oh, is he busier than usual these days?”

“...yeah.” soobin looks down at the floor, then at beomgyu, then back at you. “they’ve started arrangements for him to get married.”

一

yeonjun fidgets in secret, stretching his fingers and knuckles on his lap underneath the table while staring at the vase of red and purple zinnias placed at its center. it’s a beautiful day, and the curtains have been drawn open to let the sunlight in, but all he can think about is how stuffy the meeting room feels. he tries not to squirm in his chair and finally lifts his gaze from the zinnias up at the visitors seated across him.

the visiting advisors look expectantly at him, as if expecting him to bend to their will as soon as they open their mouths. he wants to scoff at them, but bites his own tongue to stop himself, and instead gives them a blank stare. i won’t let you read me, he thinks, but as soon as his gaze lands on the visiting queen, his stare starts to waver.

her majesty queen hwayoung is standing behind her council of advisors. though she isn’t much taller than them when they’re seated, her posture and demeanor more than make up for it. her lips are pulled in a taut line, and she stares back at yeonjun with an icy gaze. her expression is not a calculated facade the way his is; her eyes alone speak with indifference and hide no warmth.

yeonjun breaks his gaze and stares down at the zinnias again. he feels a squeeze on his shoulder; he looks up to see his own mother, the queen, giving him a barely concealed smile as she takes her position next to him. he appreciates the gesture of comfort, and manages a stiff nod.

queen hwayoung clears her throat, and her council of advisors instantly snap at attention. one of them slides a document onto the table, marked with the seal of their kingdom.

“i suppose you find our terms of political alliance amenable,” she says.

yeonjun looks over the paper 一 he’d been given a copy to read earlier that day 一 and purses his lips. when he speaks, he keeps his voice as controlled as he can. “the terms are good, but i feel like your majesty is being too hasty. it wouldn’t help your kingdom either if you rushed into things.”

the visiting queen’s eyebrows quirk upward ever so slightly. “i assure you that we are not careless about these things, your majesty.” yeonjun tries not to wince at the way she says his title. “my advisors and i have done our research on the house of choi. our kingdom is in need of allies, and my daughter princess ajin is in need of a husband. your kingdom is modest but stable, and allying with us will also give you a good opportunity to grow.”

he lets out a soft tch. “and a marriage would solve all our problems? maybe your daughter might not find much to like about me.”

“with all due respect, i raised a strong daughter! an ice-cold prince is no match for her will.”

yeonjun’s mother cuts in, and he hides his sigh of relief. “what my son means to say is,” she says, “is that we should spend a bit more time building rapport between our families. not only will it give us time to analyze your deal more thoroughly, but if our relations are strengthened, then it will reflect well on our kingdoms as a whole too.”

the council of advisors start to mutter among themselves until queen hwayoung again clears her throat. she looks up at yeonjun’s mother, then back at the crown prince, and frowns. “i personally find it embarrassing for a royal family to dawdle and waste so much time,” she says, “but i suppose it’s a cultural difference between your kingdom and ours. fine, a few more meetings wouldn’t hurt. perhaps princess ajin can meet us if her schedule permits.”

yeonjun nods and looks up at his mother. she squeezes his shoulder again and returns the nod, and he understands the message. i did what i could.

he turns back to queen hwayoung with narrowed eyes. “it would be our pleasure to get to know your majesty and the family better, and to have her majesty here as our guest.”

一

“hyung, how’d it go? are you alright?” beomgyu nearly dashes towards yeonjun in the hallway, soobin jogging after him. both boys can’t help but notice the exhaustion in his posture and the slight frown settling on his face.

yeonjun rubs the back of his neck, glancing down at the floor. when he looks up, his frown is gone. “did you give y/n the pie? did they like it? how are they doing?”

“y/n’s doing alright. they were lonely but now they’re just glad to be almost out of it.” beomgyu waves a hand in front of yeonjun’s face. “what about you? you look like you just witnessed a crime.”

“oh, thank god y/n’s almost through with it. i want to figure out a way to make it up to一”

“hyung,” soobin interrupts. “we’re worried about you too.”

yeonjun sighs. he’s tried not to think too hard about the meeting with queen hwayoung, or about the mysterious princess who is supposed to be his bride. instead most of his thoughts gravitate towards you and the punishment he inadvertently got you caught in, and how he’ll treat you even more kindly the next time he sees you. you are his friend, after all.

but he can’t keep his own problems at bay forever, and they feel even sharper now that a potential engagement is looming. a new feeling of urgency has been bothering him recently: his time with you is running out, the feeling says, and his friendship with you will only lead to a dead end. he knows that his duty comes before his own desires, and that means having to give up whatever connection he has with you to secure a future for the throne.

on one hand, no one is asking him to sever that connection; he could still be friendly with you if he desired. but ever since the night of the ball he’s felt the connection growing stronger, warmer, more intimate... and he loves it that way. he’s never felt close to someone the way he does with you. a distant but cordial friendship between prince and gardener is no longer enough for him, and perhaps it never has been. if he could, he would leave his duties behind just to spend more time with you.

yet he knows that there is no reality that will allow him to do that.

“you can tell us, hyung,” soobin says, his voice softer.

yeonjun glances at him and shakes his head to clear his thoughts out. “i know.”

he looks around the hallway, paces back and forth, then ushers the two boys into an empty office. once inside, he closes the door and plops down on the nearest sofa. he rubs his face with his hands as he tries to gather the mess of his thoughts and feelings, which have only become more jumbled since the meeting. soobin and beomgyu watch and wait for him to speak.

he lets out a long exhale before he does.

“it’s going really fast,” he says. “i haven’t even met the damn girl yet, but her mother wants the preparations to start. and i know their kingdom is really rich and secure, and it’ll be good for us and everything, but...” he rubs his eyes. “i don’t know, i don’t know how i’ll manage to go through this.”

“i thought your mom would try to delay things a bit so you can think it over,” beomgyu says, “and so you can, y’know, actually meet this princess.”

“she did, we got a few more meetings to think it over, but she can’t keep delaying it forever. at some point i have to…” he trails off and rubs his face with his hands again. yeonjun blinks a few times, trying not to let the reality of it sink in too much.

“hey.” beomgyu walks over and grabs his hand. “it’s okay. it is crazy how they’re pushing so hard for it, but… you can talk to us.”

soobin takes his other hand and gives it a little shake. “we’re here for you, okay? i… i don’t know how you’ll get through this either. but maybe we’ll figure something out.”

yeonjun squeezes both of their hands and manages a tight-lipped smile. “thanks, you two.”

he looks up at his two friends’ faces. even as they try to console him, he knows them well enough that he can read the anxieties in their eyes. as much as he wants them to help him out, there is only so much that they can do within their duties. in their own time, soobin and beomgyu will have to go through engagement preparations similar to his — but he pushes that future worry out of his mind.

for now, yeonjun has the company of his friends. even if it isn’t enough, it’s something to hold onto.

end notes: so i try to feature at least one flower in each chapter (mostly so that the chapter can have a title lol). originally i chose zinnias just because they're a summer flower, and in my head the story takes place in spring -> summer, but i didn't think about what the flowers meant. later while writing the draft, i looked it up and i found out that zinnias in mixed colors mean "thinking of an absent friend," which fits this chapter really well!

taglist (open!) @seosalad @lilplilplilp @yeonboy @pyuae

[rbbalmung]

Pre-Timeskip Straw Hats Ranking:

1. Chopper - My baby. He’s like a little Ghibli character! I loved his design and he has such a good heart 🥹

2. Zoro - He’s so cool! I love how loyal he is and he always has the best fight scenes.

3. Luffy - Didn’t expect to like him this much, but here we are! God, he’s just such an interesting character. I really like characters with a strong moral compass/sense of their own justice, and Luffy fits that so well. Out of all the captains, I’d want him to be mine.

4. Sanji - He’s a little cringe (I am a woman), but he’s got really good scenes mixed in there! (Like that scene with Enel? Legendary).

5. Franky - TBH, he didn’t grow on me until Enies Lobby. But Franky is a homie! He’s SUPER!

6. Robin - Another character that took a bit to grow on me. I love how she just takes things in stride, it’s really funny. Her and Franky are my fave duo, so I love when they get scenes together!

7. Brook - I LOVE SKELETONS! I love his puns and his backstory made me cry. Minus points for the underwear thing, though

8. Nami - I like Nami! I wish she got a bit more control of the situations she gets thrown into (especially Thriller Bark, I felt so bad for her).

9. Usopp - I don’t hate Usopp, don’t get me wrong! He’s just kind of annoying. He’s the sniper of the crew, so it’s irritating that he rarely does any sniping. He also complains/is cowardly A LOT. I get that’s his character, but…

Time skip Ranking (I’m in Zou right now. Light spoilers for up until then?):

1. Luffy - My Number 3 pick overall! I love him so much, I can’t even. He’s really stepped it up! Something I really like about him is the slight changes in his personality after MarineFord. You can tell it effected him more than he lets on and I love that Oda is subtle about it. 10/10 protagonist!

2. Franky - SUPER!!! I just love him, he’s so fun! I may be a bit influenced because he’s my brother’s fave (we’re watching it together). Like Luffy, I love how positive and kind Franky is. I also love his power ups!! He’s so cool!!

3. Zoro - Still cool, haha. My opinion of him hasn’t changed much since before timeskip - he’s a really consistent, interesting character! I also love how he’s eager to fight, in a weird way. Nothing scares this man, it’s cool to see!

4. Usopp - Biggest jump on this list! But damn, I love Usopp now. He’s mellowed out a bit and takes a bit more of an active role on the crew! (Spoiler) He has Haki!!! I didn’t see that coming, but it’s by far the coolest Usopp moment yet!

5. Robin - As the sole introvert on a crew of extroverts, I love the dynamic she brings! Like I mentioned before, her “go with the flow” attitude is really unique and fun to see! I do wish they’d let her fight more, even though she has more of a supporting role.

6. Nami - Ever since Punk Hazard, I’ve come to realize the Nami is the heart of the crew. You can see how much she cares for everyone and wants the best for the people around her!

(I may start to sound mean from here on out, but I promise I like all the Straw Hats)

7. Sanji - SANJI STOP BEING CRINGE I SWEAR TO GOD. I know the Whole Cake is coming up soon, so I’m holding out for some major character development there. I just don’t like that women have taken over most of his screen time and that he holds resentment against Okamas. Like, not cool bro.

8. Chopper - He’s kind of been reduced to a mascot character. They never give him anything to do anymore (granted, he wasn’t in Dressrosa much so maybe I’ll be proved wrong). I don’t hate his new design, I just liked the other one better. And apparently he’s supposed to be 17??

9. Brook - Brook, for me, has filled the role Usopp had before timeskip. He’s always loud and being cowardly, it gets to be a little grating. He still has good moments, don’t get me wrong, but I wish he was a bit more like he was in Thriller Bark.

Bonus! Jinbe - Dad energy 👍 He was a real homie for Luffy on MarineFord, and I’m excited to see the dynamic he brings when he joins the crew!

[choicesficwriterscreations]

November Creator of the Month: Lizzybeth1986

Each month CFWC highlights one of our talented fanfic writers, and this month’s writer of the month is @lizzybeth1986 We hope you will enjoy learning more about them and their work below! The writer is selected at random. More info can be found on the navigation page.

Quick Links:

Tumblr Blog: Blog Masterlist

How do you want to be known on Tumblr?

Lizzy, absolutely 😁

*Center art by @sazanes

More below...

When did you start playing Choices? What was the first book you played?

I started playing mid 2017, I think. I played the flagship books (TF, TCaTF, MW), and def preferred TF at the time.

When and why did you join Choices fandom?

I joined the Tumblr fandom in 2017, around the time of the TRR finale. Mostly because the Liam hate at the time was intense and I wanted to write metas about why Liam was, in fact, not “a dick who betrayed the MC” 😂

I did have a Tumblr account before that (made it in 2015 to follow Bollywood film posts), but never actually used it.

How did you pick your blog name?

I was lazy af so it was my middle name plus my birth year haha

Pull up the first post in your archive, and tell us about it! 

I started out with a couple reblogs, but my first actual post was about the romance points mechanism in TRR1. There was a point in the middle of the book where one nice word to Drake would give you an automatic romance point, and I was like, “Huh??? Either treat him like shit or risk him catching feels for me? Is that how it is???”. Thankfully, that stopped after two chapters. After that, I did an essay series analyzing Liam’s actions in the finale called “The Crown, The King and The Flame.” Romance Points Post The Crown and the Flame

How long have you been writing fanfiction?

Almost 6 years now! I started doing Liam fics around the beginning of TRR2.

What is your favorite Choices book, and what is your favorite Choices book to write about?

I’m the most invested in TRR and PM, but between the two I’d probably say PM is my fave book overall. But yeah, my favourite book to write about would be TRR, because Liam, Hana and Kiara are such fantastic characters to write about! (Hayden and Sloane, too, but I’m still in the process of getting comfortable writing them).

Share the first fanfic you wrote with us. Do you still like it, or would you change it if you were writing it today?

It was Keychains, my two part fic series featuring my MC and Liam. It was set around the time the MC was waiting in the airport in TRR2, just before Maxwell and Bertrand intervene. It had a follow up with Liam’s PoV too.

I really like it. It included some really good hc’s I made at the time, like Esther buying an apple keychain to represent Cordonia at the same time, and Liam calling her his wife in Greek and Esther not realizing what the phrase meant. I thought the pathos and slight humour was quite well-done. I can’t think of much I would want to change in the story.

Keychains 1 Keychains 2

What is your favorite fic that you’ve written?

As a series – Eleanor’s Kitchen! It’s ongoing, and it’s a joy to write. I love exploring food from a cultural lens, and since Cordonia was a fictional country, I could explore a variety of ethnicities and food cultures. Liam had a literal diamond scene that explored gastrodiplomacy, and I wanted to explore his childhood and Eleanor’s friendships too.

Individually – I would say my Kiara fic “An Ear to the Ground”. Kiara is a delightful character and exploring the social season through her eyes was a real journey! I also love “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)” which explores the early days of the Sloane & Hayden friendship. I used asterisms and constellations to symbolize moments in their friendship.

Eleanor's Kitchen An Ear to the Ground The Stars (Are Out Tonight)

Do you have a fic that you didn’t expect to be well received, but it was? What about one you expected to be but found could use a little more love?

Cordonian Waltz was definitely a surprise in terms of reception!! It was written in the style of headcanons I was seeing at the time, and I wrote it in second person. It became my most widely-read fanfic very fast, and every once in a while it would experience a major surge in readership. I enjoyed writing it and thought it was a lovely, romantic piece, but I really wasn’t expecting it to finally have 250+ reblogs out of it, and people coming and telling me this was the fic that got them into Liam x MC in the first place. I find that deeply gratifying 😍

There’s a lot of fics that I feel need more engagement and appreciation, but I can understand that those characters also don’t exactly get much of an audience. My entire PM set comes under this category; they typically get low readership. I think my Hana and Kiara fics too could do with more of an audience.

@twinkleallnight once told me that when she reads my stuff, she usually takes a long time just to ruminate on the story, and I like to believe that often, that’s why the engagement isn’t always immediate. Which I like too!! I like that some of my stuff can make people stop and think, and I like to believe that over time, the work will have its own impact.

Cordonian Waltz PM Set

If you could write only angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

Probably fluff but with a lot of observation and sometimes somber reflections. I’m not that great with angst…and I’ve never actually tried smut? But maybe one day 😄

Do you ever recognize yourself in any of your MCs or in your writing?

Yes! Some of my MCs are v different from me but I always incorporate something from my life experiences in them. Like Esther taking photos of the sunset or Basil not being science oriented but still having an interest in space.

Character wise I find I put a lot of myself into a lot of the characters I write. Notably, Liam, Hana, Kiara, certain Haydens and Sloane. Liam’s love for learning, different aspects of Hana and Kiara’s experiences as queer women, Sloane’s experiences as a neurodivergent woman, and especially my Scholar!Hayden’s (Iris) observations. I tend to incorporate a lot of my feelings and experiences more into certain canonical characters than in MCs.

What element of writing do you struggle with most?

Dialogue, I think. Especially when it’s a character I don’t relate to that much. But also sometimes when it’s a character I love but am only starting to write because then I really overthink it!

Do you have any neglected work you really want to finish?

Hmm…probably neglected wouldn’t be the word I’d use…I just take a very long time to kickstart them 😂

But yeah, definitely my Petals and Thornes series? That’s the fic series I’m doing for Hana x Kiara, that is supposed to explore TRR2 and 3 from their PoV (with significant changes). So far I’ve only been able to do some one-shots and hcs in that universe, but I do want to start the actual series soon!

I have some essay series’ I’d love to work on too! My Hana essay series which has two essays left, The Hayden Young Project, and a possible series on the alternative Lis of TRR!

Petals and Thornes Hana Lee: A Study in Erasure

If someone you know in real life (who isn’t involved in fandoms) asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first?

Hmm. A few people have asked me, actually, and while I’m not fully opposed to showing them I’ll probably take some time before I do show my work. I’ll probably overthink how much will be understandable to a reader who doesn’t have the context of the source, and what they may not understand.

What to show them first? I’m not sure! Maybe the smaller ones first, like Cordonian Waltz. Or my RCD fic Snowstorms, because it doesn’t have more than 2-3 canon characters featuring and I do talk a little about being a closeted queer teen figuring out their sexuality through cinema, which is an overall relatable experience to some! Snowstorms

Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing?

In my early years I used to emulate Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s style. Much of her work that I read as a teen was pretty flowery, sometimes bordering on purple prose, and I really loved that style and tried to go that way. But now I think a variety of writers from different genres inform my writing. In terms of published authors, Jhumpa Lahiri, Helen Hoang, and non-fiction ones like Rukmini Pande, Ruby Hammad and Mikki Kendall.

In Choices fic, @callmetippytumbles for sure – a lot of the questions she was tackling with her MC in her Home series served as inspiration for some of the ideas I’ve been having in mind for Petals and Thornes. @thefirstcourtesan is a great writing buddy to have, too, and she has a knack for saying a lot in very few words! There’s also my amazing group of friends (shoutout to @cassiopeiacorvus, @thecapturedafrique, @mand-delemonde, and @beyonceswigs, as well as @twinkleallnight , @dcbbw @mariemarieohcontrary , @choicesfrog, @grapecaseschoices and @ohsnapitzlovehacker…the discussions are so good and leave some much to think about afterward 💖💖). All these discussions ALWAYS fuel my ideas and make me think out of the box.

I’ve also recently started writing polyamorous characters and relationships, and @angelasscribbles stories and resources have been such a great help in navigating that!

Home

@angelasscribbles Poly Resources

Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series?

Haha! I’ve not even started the proper series yet but I think Petals and Thornes? But besides that maybe Eleanor’s Kitchen may work as a series idk 😄

Do you write original fiction?

I do try! I’ve done a few short stories but before I started fanfic, I did a lot of spoken word poetry and that was fun.

What other hobbies do you have?

Reading, watching video essays, spending months on hyperfixations 😂 and a little cooking. My kid’s gotten into craft recently and has succeeded in taking me down that rabbit hole too haha.

I used to be into making fruit wines but have gotten inconsistent with that over the years.

What’s your favorite emoji?

Because I have a huuuge thing for nerds – this one: 🤓

BONUS – tell us anything you’d like (if you want to).

A story my mum often tells about how I got into writing, began with some good old-fashioned sibling rivalry. Apparently as a child I was notorious for writing things on the walls of our house. One day my older brother got a hardbound royal-blue covered notebook to write in, with gold lettering on the cover…and I got instantly jealous that I didn’t get one (I was 6 or 7 and already fond of telling stories). When I complained my mum made me a deal – she would get me the same notebook…IF I stopped writing on the walls and began writing in that instead 😂 It worked. My mother is a smart woman.

I love spoilers!! I will read the end of a novel I’m reading and then go back and read the rest. Sometimes I even read books all the way backwards lol.

I love romance, and my favorite tropes include second-chance romance and mutual pining while believing the other person will never love you back! Because, at heart, I’m a dramatic bitch.

[sarcasticmothwrites]

20 question for writers tag game

tagged by @alexandia03

1. Total number of ao3 works?

54

2. Total ao3 word count

233,997.

3. Fandoms I've written in

On the AO3: Empyrean, Repo! the Genetic Opera, Xiaolin Showdown, and a bunch of one-offs for Yuletide or other collection/prompt fics.

Pre-AO3, I've written FFVII, FFVIII, Hellsing (how I met my spouse), GI Joe, Babylon 5. Buffy/Angel. X-Men, X-Files. Probably others I'm not thinking about, I've been writing fanfic since before I knew that other people did it and by that I'm talking 1988.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos

Scott Pilgrim vs. the Unspoken History - Based on the 2010 film, Scott Pilgrim/Wallace Wells. Written for @copperfirebird

At Lunchtime, in the Wilderness - Calvin & Hobbes + Where the Wild Things Are, Gen. Also written for @copperfirebird.

Time and Time Again and Again and Again and Again - Xiaolin Showdown, Chase Young/Jack Spicer. Written *with* @copperfirebird, just for variety.

A Kiss is a Terrible Thing to Waste - Repo! the Genetic Opera, Graverobber/Nathan Wallace. Written for a request meme.

Sketchbook - The Empyrean, Violet & Brennan, Naolin/Brennan. The most recent of my top five by a LOT, this was my first posted Empyrean fic.

5. Do I respond to comments?

Not unless they ask a question or something similar. I'm not good at writing comments.

6. What has the angstiest ending?

I'm not sure if this is "of the top five" or "of the 54 pieces I've posted on the AO3," but I'm going to go with the latter because the former has angst but not really in the ending. So.

Angstiest ending is Dear Alex, a Yuletide fic I wrote for @copperfirebird. A Wrinkle in Time is one of his very favorite books, and this is Kate and Alex Murray figuring out how to be a married couple again. It made me cry, writing it.

7. What has the happiest ending?

It might be New Year's Welcome, which is FFVIII Seifer/Squall/Rinoa and is about finding a home and a place when you thought you'd lost everything.

8. Have I received hate?

Nope. Possibly because I've mostly stayed in very small fandoms.

9. Do I write smut? And what kind?

Yes, I do. If I had to describe it, I would call it lyrical smut, where it's about the flow of the words and the feeling more than the specifics.

10. Do I write crossovers?

One of my top 5s is a crossover, in fact, but it's not something I do very often.

11. Have I ever had a fic stolen?

Yeah, back in the ff.net days, and it was a very weird feeling.

12. Have I ever had a fic translated?

No.

13. Have I ever co-written a fic?

Many. @copperfirebird and I are partners in life and fiction.

14. What is my all-time fave ship?

I can tell you who my favorite child is (I only have one) but I could not possibly pick my favorite ship. I would have a hard time picking a favorite ship in any given fandom.

I love relationships between people whose feelings are bigger than their abilities to communicate it, but who find understanding in the silences; people who are drawn together despite all the reasons that they should not be; and people who are deeply loyal to one another.

15. A WIP I'll never finish

The Future Waits Without Us was supposed to be a large multi-part story that I wrote two pieces of.

Probably Came Too Far To Die because I have one mostly-written chapter I haven't published yet and then I have no idea what I'm doing. I have never known what I was doing with this fic, but I didn't let it stop me.

16. Writing strengths?

Lyrical prose. Three-part clauses. Emotionally complex characters. Witty banter.

17. Writing weaknesses?

Plot. Too bad that's, like, an extremely important part of story building.

18. Do I like foreign language dialogue?

This is a weird question. I don't have any problems with other people writing in multiple languages. There are bilingual characters who should use multiple languages. I'm more prone to things like, "This sentence is written in the common tongue," he said in Tyrrish.

19. First fandom I wrote for?

Dragonriders of Pern when I was in 7th grade.

20. Favourite fic I've written?

It's hard to pick one, but there are two fics that I'm always breathlessly startled I was able to write. Both of them were Yuletide requests, and I know Yuletide's coming around again when I start getting kudos for these.

The first one is In Two Bodies, Alexander and Hephaestian, inspired by Mary Renault's Alexander Trilogy. If you were wondering what I meant by "lyrical smut," this one's an excellent example.

The second one is Finding Zihuatanejo, inspired by the beautiful Stephen King short story "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption." It really feels like I got the narrator's voice down perfectly.

tagging: Anybody who hasn't done it yet

[attex]

are you still doing the ask game. tell me ur thoughts about fp

favorite thing about them

his personality but i can say this about most of my faves.. i love how hes stuck up and uncaring on the surface level but he is actually full of passion under there <3 i love him

least favorite thing about them

the fact that he doesn't make pained sounds when you hit him with things in rivulet or saint (like how moon makes pained sounds.. its sad i wish he made sounds like that too)

favorite line

hard choice. he has so many good lines that make me get gay af but if i have to choose atleast two in order.......

"I cannot help you. I cannot even help myself."

"These ordeals have made me understand what they all tried to tell me.

...I don't have to go through this alone."

brOTP

wit suns :) i just love how suns gets to be a makeshift mentor that has no idea what they're actually doing because despite their emotional investment they aren't logical enough to click and make the right choices regarding pebbles..

OTP

i'm insane* so i like no5 (or ragequit, colloquially..)

*selfshipping with extra steps

nOTP

i fucking hate sunstondfxghujertgeıyhwuwtgıerhsgfoer

random headcanon

i couldn't decide so my bf had to step in

unpopular opinion

he isn't as mean as most people make him out to be and nor is he that bitchy. people just cant write characters that aren't one trait.

also a weird niche headcanon i dislike is him having bpd. no he don't. project and cope as you want (its good to do this) but some people say its straight up there somehow . when it absolutely isn't Ok i have to stop before i start ranting and the mental disorder nerd within me unleashes

song i associate with them

THIS IS SO HARD I ASSOCIATE SEVERAL SONGS WITH HIM I'M PICKING SEVERAL. <3 THESE THREE are the songs i associate with him the most

I Love You More Each Time You Die

otc sleep aids

BAD LUCK!

favorite picture of them

uh... regarding the ingame artwork there isn't anything for him that i adore actively . does the fucking catboy outfit image where hes got his ass up and his thighs are really visible count.

I'm not posting that rn so instead ill post a pic my boyfriend drew of him that i still adore (@pothosrays)

HE'S SO CUTE LOOK AT HIM. AND HIS TIRED EYES <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

[spider-jaysart]

Hi!! I saw you reblogged the character ask game so can I ask for both Damian Wayne and Peter Parker? I love those boys and I'm curious 😊

Thank you and take care 💖/p

@zephyrwrites2

Aww you take care too and yes, you certainly can get both :)

Damian Wayne

1. sexuality headcanon:

Demipan

2. Otp:

Damijon💕

3. Brotp:

Damian and Jon

4. Notp:

Any batcest one and the canon ships with Mar'i and Cassandra Cain, plus any ones that have adult characters paired up with him, including the adult ones that were aged down just to be with him too, like Raven, Cassie, and Cassandra

5. First headcanon that pops into mind:

Besides sketchbooks, he also owns an expensive drawing tablet that Bruce got him for one of his birthdays. He makes good use of it, but he still prefers traditional more though since that's what he grew up with, so it's not something he stopped doing after getting an art tablet. He just loves the good feeling of getting out all his pencils, brushes, paints, and having fun expressing himself with them right there on his canvas or in his books. Another reason he perfers it more is because he can actually travel with a sketchbook too and just draw wherever he wants and especially because he also hates it whenever a digital drawing he's working on just suddenly deletes itself because of some error while he was in the middle of drawing it, which upsets him VERY much all the time. Most times when that happens, he just really needs a moment for himself to calm down, plus, process and mourn his erased piece that never got to be saved and truly finished.

6. Favorite line from this character:

"I'm from Earth. I'm ticked off. And I'm looking for a clown." From Adventures of the Supersons #7 (This is one of them that makes me laugh lol)

7. One way in which I relate to this character:

Okay, so remember that one Wayne family adventures chapter where Damian is struggling so much to socialize in school and it's all just so awkward for him? Well, that's me too, because I relate too hard to that lol (there's also the fact that we both love art and draw all the time too)

8. Thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character:

Nothing

9. Cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

Problematic fave but one that I love very much💖

Peter Parker

1. Sexuality headcanon:

I usually just see him as straight, but I'm not against any other kind of sexuality for him at all though

2. Otp:

Hmmm, him and MJ are sweet (the Rami version of it is definitely a mess though), but I also really like Peter x Michelle from the mcu and Peter x Gwen from the Amazing Spider-Man movies too hehehe

3. Brotp:

Peter and Ned. I just love how silly and fun they are with eachother lol

4. Notp:

Black cat. She's a villain who loves living the thief life, plus, I just don't believe she's right for Peter since she's more in love with his Spider-man identity and always sees things like a game, which just doesn't work for a real relationship

5. First headcanon that pops into mind:

He got braces in middle school and would always pick orange and yellow for the bands when he got them changed every month

6. Favorite line from this character:

"What's important is not standing by and allowing someone to suffer or die because you do nothing. If you don't get that, then you don't get the first thing about being Spider-man." A line he says in the video game Spider-Man edge of time

7. One way in which I relate to this character:

We care for others a lot and always want the best for them

8. Thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character:

Nothing at all

9. Cinnamon roll or problematic fave:

Cinnamon roll frrr💗

Thank you for the asks! I enjoyed answering them!!

[hairstevington]

"Barb is Alive?!"

Summary: Barbara Holland wakes up next to Steve Harrington's pool after what she assumes is the result of blacking out at the horrible party Nancy dragged her to. Instead, she discovers she's been dead for three years - yet, for some reason, this isn't the thing she finds most surprising. Nancy, Robin, Steve, and Eddie reunite with Barb, and help her come to terms with everything she's missed. (requested) - Ao3 link!

Word Count: 9.25K

Warnings: Steddie/Ronance are sickeningly cute (pretty heavy on The Fruity Four), slight reference to Barb having some self confidence/body image issues, mention of Byler (if you squint), Barb is also not straight, nothing too intense in this one, just a lot of processing the events of the series with funny banter from our faves &lt;3

A/N: This is obviously an AU fic, but I vaguely reference some canon through st4 vol 2, so if you haven't finished the season and don't want anything spoiled I'd sit this one out. Thank you to @eddiemunsonswife for requesting this (original post here)! I followed their prompt to the best of my ability, and they've been very patient and kind with feedback along the way :) I hope you all enjoy!

One time, when she was a kid, Barbara Holland stayed up all night with Nancy Wheeler during a sleepover. Neither of them had actually managed it before, as sleep usually took over around 3am. But this time would be different, they said. They were only eleven years old, but much smarter than the average kid. So naturally, they had a whole plan. They tucked sugary snacks and sodas under their beds for the weeks leading up to it in preparation. Nancy created a schedule by the hour of activities they could do so that they’d stay awake. It turned out to be one of the most memorable nights of Barb’s childhood. 

Mrs. Holland picked her daughter up from the Wheeler’s the next day, and wondered why she was acting so off. The thrill of their accomplishment kind of dwindled after sunrise, and after that the two girls were mostly just miserable. Barb fell asleep as soon as she got home, and she didn’t wake up until dinner. She opened her eyes to total darkness, and for a moment she forgot where she was, or even what day it was. Slowly, her surroundings made sense to her, and the night she’d had before with Nancy came back to the forefront of her memory. 

Waking up next to Steve Harrington’s pool was kind of like that. 

Her eyes snapped open, and she winced at the feeling of concrete beneath her. Her entire body ached worse than she’d ever experienced. She tried to remember how she got there - there was a party at Steve’s. I was with Nancy. Her and Steve went upstairs, and I -

That’s where her memory stopped. She only remembered having that one beer, if you can even count it, but she must have drank more after Nancy abandoned her. That must have been what happened. It seemed out of character for Barb to do, but Nancy sleeping with Steve “The Hair” Harrington seemed equally as unlikely, so she figured she couldn’t rule it out. This was Barb’s first time waking up after blacking out. It had to be. 

She managed to stand up, the night much warmer than she remembered it being. Most of the lights were off in the Harrington household, except one in the main hallway and one upstairs - Barb assumed it to be Steve’s bedroom. She felt a rush of anger and disappointment at Nancy. She’d never behaved like this before. Nancy had told Barb to keep her from doing anything stupid, but there was no stopping Nancy when she had her heart set on something. Or someone, in this case. Barb didn’t hate Steve as a person, but she certainly didn’t love him. He had a reputation, and he was funny and attractive and popular, and Barb was seen as a loser, an outcast. But Steve hadn’t done anything to Barb to intentionally hurt her. He didn’t really seem to notice her at all. That was the bit that hurt the most, along with him using Nancy like he was. Barb tried to see the good in people, and she wanted Nancy to enjoy the fact that Mr. Popular was interested in her, but she couldn’t help but feel like this was all a game to him. That Nancy was just another conquest - And Barb knew that Nancy was so much more than that. 

She peered through the window on the first floor, seeing no sign of anyone - not even Tommy and Carol. She wondered how long she was out, and why nobody moved her or took care of her or showed any sort of concern for her in any way. She rolled her eyes, and considered just leaving. She was Nancy’s ride home, but she couldn’t help but feel like if the roles were reversed, Nancy wouldn’t stay. She had no idea what time it was, and knew her mom would be worried if she stayed out any longer, so she decided to walk back to her car. There was a van parked in the driveway that she didn’t notice before. The sight of it gave her the creeps, and she started walking faster down the street to where she parked her car. Dammit, Nancy, she thought to herself. The long walk from Steve’s to the car (that Nancy had demanded they take) was a lot less spooky when they were walking together. 

It was also a lot longer of a walk than she’d remembered. Too long. She could have sworn she left her car by Cornwallis, but she kept walking anyway. 

Her car was nowhere to be found. 

Reality hit her like a ton of bricks. Nancy had left without her. Nancy had taken the car.  That had to be the case. Cars don’t just disappear like that, and there wasn’t a huge market for grand theft auto in Hawkins. Anger bubbled inside of her, more intense than she’d ever felt in her life. Barb wasn’t one to get angry, in fact, she rarely raised her voice. But this was different. This was betrayal, abandonment. This was awful.

She had no way home, no phone, and no idea how late it was. It was only about 8 or 9 when she blacked out. At least, that’s what she thought the time was. Barb made the trip back to the Harrington house with nowhere else to go. The light was on in Steve’s bedroom, after all, and although Barb hated the idea of asking him for help, she had no other choice. She at least could use his phone, or figure out where Nancy went, and why. Every step towards the house fueled Barb with more rage. None of this made sense. Nancy wouldn’t do this. Was she possessed? Was she crazy? How could someone do this to their best friend? It was mortifying. 

Barb went around to the pool again to check the back door, which was luckily left unlocked. The house was quiet, her footsteps echoing up to the high ceilings. She found a clock and realized it was about 10pm - not too horribly bad to call her parents or Nancy and ask for help. But before she went that route, it was time to face her fears and confront Steve. He took Nancy up here, and apparently did something so bad, she left without her best friend. Barb wasn’t a violent person, but she wasn’t opposed to kicking Steve in the nuts if she felt it was appropriate. 

She walked up the stairs, following the light under Steve’s bedroom door. There was music playing faintly, and she could tell Steve was at least awake. She didn’t think she was alone either. 

“Steve?” Barb asked, tapping lightly on the door. 

“Oh shit.” Barb heard various curses and muttering from inside the bedroom. Barb couldn’t really understand the frantic whispers between Steve and his guest, but Barb wasn’t naive - she had interrupted something.

“Nancy? Are you in there?” Barb asked, hopeful. If Nancy was in there, at least that meant she wasn’t completely abandoned. 

“Mom, you weren’t supposed to be home until Monday!” Steve called. Barb heard another male voice next.

“Did she just ask if Wheeler was in here?” The question was followed by a violent shushing.

“I’m not your mom, Steve.” Barb said, jiggling the locked door handle.

“What?!” Steve shouted. “Oh. Oh my god, it’s just Robin. Robin, what are you doing here?” Barb heard his voice get louder as footsteps approached, and then the door opened.

Steve looked different than Barb had remembered. He was bigger, more toned, and his hair was different, which didn’t make any sense. Behind him, a random man with hair longer than Barb had ever had hers was crawling back through the window almost as if…as if…

As if he was trying to make a quick exit so as not to get caught by Steve’s mom. And based on the state of their clothes, Barb could infer exactly what he didn’t want to be caught doing. But that…No, none of this made sense.

“W-where’s Nancy? Are you…What’s going on?” Barb sputtered, her brain malfunctioning. 

“That’s not Robin.” The strange man said, standing up and fixing his disheveled wardrobe. Steve stared at Barb, frozen and wide-eyed.  “Hellooo, Earth to Steve. Who is this chick?” 

“Eddie, what did…what was in that joint?” Steve remained completely still, his eyes fixed on her. 

“Just normal weed, man. What’s going on?” Eddie walked closer to Steve with concern. 

“No, no, no. Nonononono. I’m dreaming.” Steve shook his head and finally broke eye contact. He paced around the room before settling on his bed. Eddie looked at Barb next.

“Hi, I’m Eddie.”

“Barb.”

“Whatcha doing at my boyfriend’s parents house in the middle of the night, Barb?” 

“Jesus Christ.” Steve muttered from the bed. He was now lying on his back, his hands over his face.

“Boyfriend? No, he -” Barb looked at Steve, then back to Eddie. “He was just up here with Nancy. Except he looked…different.”

“With Nancy, huh?” Eddie said, amused. “Don’t think so. He’s been with me for, uh. I don’t know, a while. I’ve been here all night.” 

“No, that doesn’t make sense.” Barb’s brain was melting. “Nancy and I came over tonight for the party, and she went up here with him, and I blacked out or something.” Steve made a pained noise from the other side of the room.

“Don’t think so, Sweetheart. Sorry. Also, not to tell you how to live your life, but you probably shouldn’t just walk into people’s houses.” There was a lightness to his voice that pissed Barb off. He was being way too calm about this - He just seemed to be making fun of her. How could he be saying these things?

“But Steve’s not -” Barb stopped, hoping she didn’t have to say the word out loud, but Eddie waited patiently, his arms crossed, begging her to say it. “He’s not gay.” It came out almost as a whisper.

“I beg to differ on that one. Although, technically he’s bisexual, if you must know.” 

“Eddie…” Steve groaned from the bed. There was a vulnerability to Steve’s voice that made Eddie’s face soften into something a lot more likable than his previous disposition. He walked over to the bed and knelt beside Steve. 

“You okay?”

“It’s her. It’s Barb.” 

“Yeah, that’s what she said.”

“No, Eddie. Remember when I told you about…About Nancy and I? That one night? And her friend -”

“Oh, fuck. But how is that-”

“I don’t know. Call Nance. I think she’s with Robin. Get them over here. Please.” 

“Okay. I’ll be right back.” Barb watched as Eddie tenderly grabbed Steve’s hand, squeezed it, then brought it to his lips. It was a kind of intimacy that couldn’t possibly have developed in one night. Barb’s head spun. It still wasn’t making any sense. “Come on, let’s go downstairs.”

Barb followed him to the kitchen where the main phone was. She was somehow more confused than ever, but at least she knew Nancy was okay. Although, apparently Nancy was with some other friend. Maybe she’s the one that convinced Nancy to steal Barb’s car. 

Barb looked around the kitchen while Eddie dialed Nancy’s number on the phone. It was pretty clean. At Barb’s house, there were tons of pictures of her from all ages. Steve’s house had none of that. There was some opened mail on the counter, and Barb happened to glance down at it while she was walking past. And that’s when she saw the date, and everything simultaneously made more and less sense.

“Hey, Nance. It’s Eddie. Sorry, yeah, I know it’s late. It’s Steve….He’s okay, I mean, he’s not in danger or anything. But you should come here. No, his parent’s house.” Eddie sighed into the receiver. “It’s a long story. It’s, um…” Eddie glanced up at Barb, then quickly turned away. “Barb is here. Yes. No, like she’s literally here, dude. Hello? Helloooo? Shit…” He hung up the phone and sighed. “I think that means she’s on her way.” 

“Eddie, what year is it?” Barb asked, nervous. 

“Uhh, ‘86 last I checked.”

“No, it’s not.” She couldn’t believe this. I mean, time travel? That’s impossible. This is a dream. It had to be. A really weird, insanely detailed dream. 

“Okay, so uh.” Eddie began. “Let’s sit down.” He walked her to the couch and sat next to her. He took a deep breath. “I don’t really know how to tell this story. Not really mine to tell, honestly. You, um. You…died…three years ago.” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“So, I don’t know everything, and don’t shoot the messenger. Nancy and Steve were together back then, and they ditched you, and then you died out there near the pool. Wheeler, she uh. She felt a lot of guilt about it. Ended up breaking poor Harrington’s heart.” Eddie had lost his condescending tone, but he maintained a light quality to him that almost made this conversation seem casual. It wasn’t, but Barb appreciated it anyway, because the words weren’t landing in her head in a serious way. She couldn’t comprehend them at all. 

“Wow, uh…I’m…dreaming. Have to be.” She said to herself. 

“Do you want me to pinch you or something?”

“Please don’t touch me.” 

“Copy that.” 

“So, how did I die then?” Eddie shrugged.

“You’d have to ask Steve or Nancy. Or Dustin, he probably knows more than I do.” 

“Dustin?”

“Yeah, you know. Henderson?” 

“Wait, Mike’s friend? What does a child have to do with any of this?” Barb was getting more confused by the minute.

“He’s not so much of a kid anymore.” Eddie chuckled. “More of an annoying teen. Love the guy, but yeah. Him and Steve have a whole brotherly thing going on.” 

“Wow.” It was an understatement.

“You’re taking this pretty well.” Eddie acknowledged.

“Am I? I feel like my head is about to explode.” She looked down at herself, wondering if she looked any different, too. But her clothes were the same ones she remembered putting on before any of this happened. “Wait, so I died. Three years later I just…showed back up at this pool. I’m in the same clothes, I haven’t seemed to age, and I feel exactly the same -”

“If you’re asking for any sort of explanation, I gave up on figuring that shit out a long time ago.” Eddie leaned back on the couch, feeling more relaxed now that he was no longer the bearer of bad news.

“You’re saying things like this have happened before?” Barb asked, astonished. Eddie shrugged.

“Yeah. But since your brain is already about to explode, the rest of the story should probably wait.” 

“I feel sick.” Barb said, her hand pressing against her stomach.

“If you’re gonna puke, I highly recommend the bathroom.” 

“No, I think I just need to lay down.” Barb said, already doing so on the couch. Eddie stood up so as not to touch her when she stretched out her legs.

“Okay. Nancy should be here soon. Is it alright if I go upstairs to check on Steve?” 

“Yeah.” Barb muttered. Eddie waited awkwardly for a moment, in case she needed anything else from him, and then he left to go back upstairs. 

Barb lied there for an indiscernible amount of time, hoping that if she managed to fall asleep, she’d wake up back in the world she remembered. 

But she couldn’t fall asleep. She couldn’t stop thinking about what Eddie had said, and how Steve had looked, and how even though there was no explanation for how this happened, it clearly had. Eventually, the front door opened, signaling Nancy’s arrival. Nancy. Barb sat up, excited to see her friend, despite everything else that was going on. 

“Hello?” Her voice carried from the other room. Barb froze, listening intently to the footsteps walking through the foyer, around to the kitchen, and then -

Barb locked eyes with Nancy, giving her a slight smile and a shrug. Nancy’s eyes grew wide as saucers, her face growing with concern, surprise, fear, and a million other things Barb couldn’t place. Then, Barb noticed something in Nancy’s face that she rarely ever saw - there were tears in her eyes.

“Nancy, hey.” Barb said, standing up and whisking her way to where Nancy was standing. She stopped suddenly at the sight of the woman behind her - someone familiar. “Woah. Robin…Buckley?” 

“Shit. Nance, it’s really her.” Robin muttered. “Hi, yeah. It’s been a while.” Barb knew Robin, but she was a Freshman the last time she’d seen her - now, she was older, her style was different, and she was…pretty. It’s not like she wasn’t before, but she was also fourteen before. Nobody is that beautiful at fourteen - Barb wasn’t sure she even was pretty yet at 16, or whatever age she qualified as now. She hadn’t even looked in the mirror yet. 

Nancy was still frozen in shock, but she looked mostly the same. Her hair was bigger, and much shorter, but otherwise she looked exactly as she’d had the night of the party. She was still Nancy. Barb was relieved to see at least one thing hadn’t changed. 

“Barb, oh my God.” Nancy said, finally stumbling from her trance to launch herself into Barb’s arms. They hugged each other tightly, neither of them wanting to let go. Barb felt like she hadn’t hugged her friend in years, which wasn't technically incorrect. She heard sniffling next to her ear - Nancy was actually crying. Barb never really saw her cry, because she always insisted on being strong. She was a warrior, that’s what they always used to say as kids. “I’m so sorry.” 

“It’s okay, Nance. I’m here now.” Barb assured her. Nancy finally let go and backed away enough to look at Barb. 

“I can’t believe it. You’re really here.” Nancy said. “How did - What was it like for you?”

“I just remember the party, then nothing, and then I woke up outside like an hour ago.” 

“No injuries or anything?” Nancy asked. Barb shook her head. “You don’t - You didn’t - The Upside Down, the Demogorgon…?”

“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

“Wow.” Nancy sighed. “I just…Wow.”

“What…happened to me? To you?” Barb asked. “Did you know Steve’s dating a boy??” Robin snorted.

“Robin!” Nancy admonished in a hushed voice. “Yeah, he’s with Eddie.” 

“I met him. He seems nice enough, once you get past the fact he looks like a serial killer.” 

“Ha, yeah, about that. You’re not the first person to think so.” Robin said, rolling her eyes. 

“Anyway.” Nancy interrupted. “You, um. Maybe we should sit down.” Barb nodded, the three of them walking over to the couch. 

“Just tell me, Nance.” Barb sighed. 

“I should leave you two alone.” Robin said, nervous. “I can go check on Steve maybe?” 

“That’s a good idea.” Nancy agreed.

“He’s upstairs with Eddie.” Barb informed her. Robin nodded, then headed to the staircase. 

“So.” Nancy said, nodding awkwardly. “It’s been an eventful three years.” 

“Just start with that night.” Barb suggested.

“Okay.” Nancy took a deep breath. “Steve and I went upstairs, and we…We slept together. You were gone when I went back downstairs, so I just went home. I’d told you to leave anyway, so…”

“Yeah, you did.” Barb said, trying her best not to be bitter. But it hurt to know that Nancy had done exactly what she’d feared - she’d ditched her friend to have sex with a guy. 

“Barb, that night changed everything for me.” Nancy said.

“Okay, gross. Spare me the details.” Barb muttered.

“No, no. Barb, listen to me.” Nancy sputtered, trying to say things she’d never really let herself say. She’d never had the chance to before. “I haven’t stopped grieving you since that night. Not ever. I mean, it kind of set up a whole chain of events that led me here, with Robin.” 

“Wait, with Robin, as in…?” 

“I…” Nancy stumbled over her words. She still wasn’t used to coming out, still wasn’t sure of what she even was. “Yeah. I love her.”

“Woah.” Barb said. “You and Steve, huh?” 

“Yeah.” Nancy smiled. “It’s a wonder he and I didn’t work out.” 

“So that’s why it ended?” Barb asked, confused.

“No, it’s not.” Nancy corrected. “You disappeared, and Steve didn’t really seem to care.” Barb rolled her eyes. Figures. “I promise he’s a good guy, Barb. He’s really matured since then. But, yeah, he shook it off. We dated for like a year, but I just couldn’t get over that.” 

“Oh.” Barb said quietly. “I’m…sorry.” 

“What for?” Nancy argued. “No, I’m sorry. If I had just listened to you that night -”

“Hey, it’s okay. Teenagers do stupid things all the time. Usually the consequences are less…severe.” Barb pointed out.

“Thank you. I can’t believe how long I lost you.” She whispered. 

“Keep telling me the story, Nance.” Barb prodded, wanting to leave space for Nancy’s emotions, but also desperate to know more about what she’d missed.

“Right. So, when you disappeared, Jonathan was the only person who helped me look for you. Because he was also looking for his brother, and - “

“Byers??” Barb asked. “He always creeped us out.” 

“Yeah, turns out he’s not so bad.” Nancy shrugged. “We found Will, but you…Well, you were gone. So anyway, I dated Jonathan for a while too, after Steve. Up until we graduated.”

“Seriously?” Barb asked, astonished. Nancy nodded.

“Yup. But he moved to California, and we just had different aspirations, so it didn’t work out.” 

“You sound like you’ve really practiced that speech to avoid saying what actually went wrong.” Barb teased. 

“Yeah, well. It’s easier than saying I fell for my ex's best friend. Sounds more mature.” Nancy added with a flourish. Barb smiled. “I don’t know how you ended up back here, but I’m so happy.”

“Me too, Nance.” 

Footsteps started echoing down the stairs rapidly, signaling that their privacy together was coming to an end. Barb saw Eddie first, who made a beeline for the kitchen. Robin and Steve came next, slightly more hesitant. Steve at least looked less pale than he had before. 

“I’m sorry about my reaction earlier.” Steve said, sheepishly.

“Don’t be.” Robin said, smacking her friend on the arm. “This whole thing is bonkers.” 

“Robin, could you just, like, chill out?” Nancy asked.

“What? It’s true!” Robin doubled down. She squeezed herself on the couch next to Nancy. 

“I’m with Robin on this one.” Eddie mumbled with his mouth full of something he’d found in the fridge. Steve looped around to the far end of the couch, putting as much distance as possible between him and Barb. Eddie joined moments later with snacks, plopping himself between Barb and Steve. 

“So…” Steve said, breaking the silence. “Nancy told you…everything?”

“I still have a lot of questions, but I’m at least up to speed on your love lives.” Barb said before she could filter it. “Sorry. I’m very tired.”

“No, I get it. Finding out your friends are queer must be interesting as all hell.” Eddie approved.

“Well, that and the whole monster apocalypse underground secret government agency mind control demon dust evil Russians thing.” Robin vented the words in such rapid succession that Barb had no way to keep up in any capacity. The room fell quiet.

“I actually didn’t get to any of that.” Nancy admitted. 

“Ohhh, shit!” Eddie chuckled, amused. “Sorry. You dropped the ball on that one, Nance.”

“Eddie, come on.” Steve groaned. 

“You love me.” Eddie said, leaning over and kissing Steve right on the lips. Steve seemed to melt into him instantly, almost giddy from it. Barb stared at them, wide-eyed and entranced. She’d never seen two men kiss in her entire life. 

“Okay, right, so.” Nancy interrupted. “How you…How you died.” 

“Do you want me to tell her?” Steve asked once he pushed Eddie off him.

“No, it should come from me.” Nancy answered. “When Will went missing, he was taken to this place called the Upside Down. It’s like here, but dark and dirty and gross, and there are…Monsters.” Nancy finished. 

“Yeah, and the two dimensions started merging together and a monster came into Steve’s pool and totally attacked you.” Robin added. Nancy shot her a glare, then sighed.

“Uh, yeah. That’s what happened.” Nancy shrugged. 

“Well, I’d say that’s impossible, but…” Barb realized at this point, nothing would ever seem impossible ever again. “I’m really tired. I kind of just want to go home.” 

“Oh, well…” Nancy bit her lip. “Your parents don’t live here anymore. After the funeral, they…They sold the house.” For whatever reason, that’s the piece of information that affected Barb the most. She had no home to go to, and everything had changed, and she had missed it all. She must have started crying, because all of a sudden, everyone in the room was looking at her differently. Robin was the first to move, extending her arm across Nancy to grab Barb’s hand.

“Why don’t you come home with us? We’ll have a little sleepover or something.” Robin offered. Barb looked at Nancy, then to Robin, and nodded.

“Yeah, that sounds nice. Thank you.” 

“And I’ll call your parents tomorrow. I mean, if you want me to.” Nancy suggested. Barb felt herself feeling slightly relieved, knowing that she at least had people right next to her who cared. Nancy scooted herself closer to Barb and snaked her arm around her, pulling her close into a side hug. Robin leaned into them both. After a moment, Barb felt Eddie moving beside her, tentatively, with Steve following his lead.

“This, uh.” Eddie began. “Just feels like a good time for a group hug. But I don’t have to-”

“Group hug is cool.” Barb permitted. Eddie nodded, then shifted himself towards her and put his arm around her back, hooking with Nancy’s. Steve joined last, leaning his head against Eddie’s shoulder and reaching his arm across to grab Robin’s free hand. They sat like that together for a few moments, until Barb eventually broke the silence.

“So, after everything, the four of you are like…good friends?” She wondered. Eddie snickered.

“Yeah, weird, huh? The Band Geek, The School Freak, The Goody-Two-Shoes, and King Steve turned out to make a pretty good team.” He joked. 

“Yeah, and you’re one of us, now.” Robin added. 

One of us. Barb thought to herself. Maybe, she could get through this.

~~~~~

Robin, Nancy, and Barb headed back to the Wheeler house - At least one part of the Hawkins she knew and loved was still intact. It looked about the same, there were even still a few pictures of Nancy and Barb up in Nancy’s bedroom - but a lot of them had been replaced. 

“Can I take a shower?” Barb asked. Her clothes stuck to her, and she felt kind of grimy. She’d been dead for three years, after all. 

“Yeah, of course. You know where it is.” Nancy said with her signature tight-lipped smile. “Here, let me grab you some clean clothes.” 

“Uh, no way.” Robin interrupted. “No offense, Nance, but your clothes are itchy and uncomfortable. Here, I have something way better.” Robin walked to a dresser and knelt down to the bottom drawer, pulling out a pair of men’s sweatpants and a big t-shirt. 

“Are those Steve’s?” Nancy asked, confused. 

“Duh. You gave me my own drawer, I get to put what I want in it.” Robin smirked. “Besides, mens clothes are just so much comfier. I keep telling you this.”

“Yes, I know, I know.” Nancy dismissed, chuckling.

Barb stayed in the shower a lot longer than normal, but she felt that was valid considering the situation. She spent a long time washing herself of the night, using Nancy’s soap that thankfully was the same kind she used to buy. She left the shower feeling clean and refreshed, and then she looked at herself in the mirror for the first time since she’d woken up. Woah.

Her hair was the same. Her body was the same. But she still looked and felt older. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she thought she saw a stretch mark that wasn’t there before. She looked at it closer, only to find that - oh. It wasn’t a stretch mark. It was a scar. 

She hurriedly put on Steve’s clothes - which, by the way, is something Barb never thought she’d be doing in a million years. But she was grateful for them, because Robin was right - they were really comfortable, and Nancy’s clothes were always too tight. 

“Guys, I think I found something kind of weird.” Barb said as she returned to the bedroom. She lifted her shirt up to reveal her stomach and the pale line that crossed it. “I have them on my legs, too.” 

“Oh, shit.” Robin said, looking closer. “So does that mean-”

“You were attacked, and now you’re…healed?” Nancy added. 

“Yeah, but that doesn’t make sense. Where would she have gone then these last few years?” Robin asked.

“I have no idea.” Nancy shrugged. 

Barb was moments from passing out, so she quickly got comfortable in the makeshift bed Nancy and Robin had made on the floor in Barb’s absence. She felt herself losing consciousness instantly.

“Hey, you okay?” Barb heard Robin ask Nancy.

“Yeah, I’m….” There was a silence, followed by a sound that broke Barb’s heart - Nancy sniffling. 

It was the last thing she heard before she fell asleep.

~~~~~~

When Barb woke up, there was a moment she forgot entirely where she was. She thought she was home in bed, at first, and then she realized she was in Nancy’s room, which also wasn’t weird. But she was on the floor instead of in the bed with Nancy. And then everything from the previous night hit her all over again. She groaned, her body aching from sleeping on the floor - and also probably from the whole being dead 3 years thing. 

“N..Nancy?” Barb mumbled as she stood up. She looked to the bed to see her best friend snuggled up to Robin. They looked so natural together that Barb wasn’t even thinking at all about how it was two women, just that they looked like a good fit. And Barb was happy for them, truly. It’s just…

Well, three years ago, or yesterday (depending on who you asked), Barb had some feelings of her own to figure out. She didn’t really even consider dating women to be an option, and now here she was, surrounded by people who were treating it so casually. She couldn’t imagine that in only three years, society had changed THAT much. She wondered if they were open about it, or if they had to hide it. Either way, Barb was grateful they had a small group they could just be themselves around. And now Barb was a part of it. One of us.

She decided she’d let them be, instead finding a book on Nancy’s shelf that looked interesting and reading it until they woke up. 

“Morning sunshine.” Barb heard Robin’s voice.

“Mm, morning.” Nancy responded. 

“Good morning.” Barb said with a smirk, sitting up so her head became visible to the couple from the foot of the bed. Robin jumped, then laughed nervously.

“Holy shit, I can’t believe I almost -”

“Forgot? Yeah, me too.” Barb agreed.

“Hi.” Nancy said, quietly. 

“Hi.” Barb responded. 

“How are you feeling?”

“Better, oddly enough.” Barb replied.

“That’s good, because we’ve got some more craziness to face today.” Robin interjected. Nancy looked at her quizzically, then slapped her palm to her forehead.

“Dammit! Dustin’s party is today!” Nancy groaned. 

“Again with the Henderson kid.” Barb rolled her eyes, standing up to sit on the foot of the bed. “Eddie said you were friends. I guess I didn’t realize you were…good enough friends to party with him?”

“It’s not like that.” Robin said, chuckling. “But Steve and I planned a sweet sixteen for him, except he’s really only turning fifteen - don’t ask.” 

“It’s just gonna be a barbecue in Steve’s backyard.” Nancy explained. “We’ll be there, Steve and Eddie too, obviously. Dustin, Will, my brother, Lucas, Erica, Max, El…Oh, Hopper and Mrs. Byers, too. Maybe Jonathan?”

“And you guys…enjoy hanging out with these people? A bunch of kids, your exes, and the Sheriff?” Barb asked, confused. Nancy laughed.

“Yeah, actually. I mean, the kids are nice, and they entertain themselves while we get the excuse to hang out. The Sheriff and Joyce are actually engaged now.”

“Saving the world together really bonds people.” Robin added. 

“I can imagine.” Barb said, having no choice but to just accept this reality. “Saved the world, huh?” 

“Oh yeah. I mean, we mostly focused on behind the scenes stuff. El does most of the action.” Robin replied. Nancy took over to clarify.

“El is Mike’s girlfriend. She has superpowers.” Barb eyed Nancy, suspicious. “No, really, she does. Just don’t ask her about them, she doesn’t like being treated like a magician.”

“Okay, good to know?” Barb couldn’t believe a word she was hearing, but she figured she’d get to see it in the flesh soon enough. 

“Oh, and we do a lot more than behind the scenes.” Nancy said, nudging Robin. “Lest we forget when you were literally tortured underground.”

“I actually do really try to forget that.” Robin muttered. Barb cleared her throat before speaking.

“Right. Wow, your problems really went from 0 to 100, Nance. Like, last we talked our biggest concern was our chem test and whether or not we were popular,” Barb said. Nancy chuckled dryly.

“Yeah. All that stuff seems kind of silly in hindsight.” 

“And Nancy is a total babe with a shotgun, now.” Robin chimed in. “Owns multiple guns and is a great shot. Can you believe it?”

“Actually? Yeah. Nancy’s always been a badass.” Barb said, raising her eyebrows at her friend. 

“Anyway.” Nancy said, uncomfortable with the attention. “We should get dressed. Barb, we’ll - I’ll find you something to wear.”

“And then I’ll find you something better.” Robin smirked. 

“Right. Do you still want me to call your parents?” Nancy asked, nervously. Barb thought about this for a moment. She wanted to see her parents, of course she did, but they thought they’d lost their daughter for years now. They’d moved on, at least a little bit, and Barb’s reappearance was going to be a huge thing. She wasn’t ready to face that just yet.

“Maybe tomorrow.” Barb decided. Nancy nodded, with both understanding and relief, then got out of bed to start getting ready. 

The girls got ready together with Blondie playing in the background. They chatted exclusively about timeless things - Barb couldn’t handle any more surprises. They did each other’s hair and makeup, joking and laughing with each other in a way that put Barb at ease. It became clear that Nancy and Robin had nothing that would go over Barb’s hips. She was embarrassed, at first, but Robin just shrugged it off.

“Here, put on the jeans you woke up wearing, we have time to go shopping before the party.” She suggested.

“I can just wear these.” Barb replied, gesturing to the ripped, stained jeans she had put on.

“No way. You’re going to be making a grand entrance - your big return to Hawkins, Indiana. You really think we’re gonna let you show up looking like anything less than the total babe you are?” Barb glanced at Nancy, overwhelmed.

“That’s just kind of how she talks. She’s right, though.” Nancy added. Barb was open to the idea of spending more time with these girls, so she agreed. 

They went shopping together, and Barb let Nancy and Robin dress her. Every time she put something on in the dressing room, one of the girls threw something else over the door. It only took about fifteen minutes for them to find Barb the perfect dress.

“I think we have a winner.” Barb shouted from inside the dressing room.

“Come out, let’s see!” Robin encouraged. Barb emerged slowly, nervous to be seen in something as bold as the dress was. It was a pale yellow vintage dress - the kind that hugged tightly at the chest, then flared out around the waist. It looked like something Audrey Hepburn would wear.  It was completely flattering to Barb’s curves, and unlike any article of clothing she’d ever owned. She looked at herself in the full length mirror, aghast. Nancy and Robin appeared in the mirror behind her shortly after.

“Total. Babe.” Robin said in approval.

“Barb, you have to get this.” Nancy insisted. She knew it was the kind of dress Barb had always imagined herself wearing at prom - of course, she’d never gotten to go.

“It’s way too expensive.” Barb said, disappointed. Nancy pulled at the price tag to check.

“No, it’s not. We’re getting it. Come on!” 

~~~~|

They showed up to Dustin’s party about fifteen minutes late, although it didn’t really matter, as people were still trickling in. Robin had already called Steve that morning in secret, telling him to warn everyone he could about their surprise guest. The only people there that really knew Barb were already adjusted to the idea - other than Dustin, Mike, and Jonathan. But they didn’t really know her THAT well. Hopper obviously knew of the case, but he as well as everyone else was so used to chaos and people dying and coming back to life that he was hardly fazed. After all, he had “died” and come back, too. 

“Do people know about…You and Robin? Steve and Eddie?” Barb asked Nancy in Steve’s backyard. 

“These people do.” Nancy replied. “Like I said, they’re a good group.”

“Oh. Huh.” Barb said. As she stood in the corner of the backyard with Robin and Nancy, she inspected Steve and Eddie further from a few feet away. 

Steve was at the grill, wearing an apron that said Kiss the Cook. Robin informed Barb that she’d gotten it for Steve as a joke, and Steve was basically like, “jokes on you, I needed an apron anyway.” It was strange to see Steve like this, so confident in his masculinity that he’d be wearing an apron in public, around the freaking Sheriff, sneaking flirtatious glances with the long-haired man in the denim vest and ripped jeans. She watched Eddie lean against the brick wall, smirking at Steve. At one point he tried to help Steve cook, although it was obvious he really just wanted an excuse to be physically close to his boyfriend. Eddie would reach around Steve to grab the spatula, and Steve would smack Eddie’s hand away, playfully annoyed.  Barb was close enough to hear their banter.

“Sorry, I just - I got this, alright?” Steve said.

“I knowwww.” Eddie teased. “And it’s alright. You’ll just have to kiss it better.” Eddie held his hand up to Steve’s face. Steve grabbed it, bringing the back of his boyfriend’s hand to his lips briefly with a roll of his eyes, then threw his arm back down. 

“Happy?”

“Ecstatic.” 

They were perfect together. It was so weird. 

“Barbara?” Nancy’s voice brought Barb back to the moment. “You okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just - They’re really cute, aren’t they?” Barb said, nodding towards the boys in question. Nancy chuckled.

“Yeah, it’s gross.” Nancy countered.

“I think it’s amazing.” Robin added. “I mean, Steve needed someone to rough him up a little, you know? Expand his mind, or whatever. Obviously, I loved him even when he was striking out constantly with women at Scoops Ahoy, but I gotta say, Eddie’s influence has really changed him for the better.” 

“How so?” Barb asked.

“He’s just more…Well, he’s not pretending anymore, I guess.” Robin replied. Barb smiled. She liked that answer. “You ready to make your debut?”

Oh, right. There still was that. Barb was clearly overdressed to the event, which she realized as soon as they’d gotten to the party. That’s the reason she pulled Nancy and Robin to the back corner of the house - to hide from everyone else before they could see her. 

“I stick out like a sore thumb.” Barb said, nervous. “I’m already the zombie girl, I just - It’s a lot of attention.”

“Yeah, but it’s the right kind of attention.” Nancy responded. “Look, let’s just get out there, and if you hate it, I’ll take you home. Well, my home.” Barb pondered this, then sighed. 

“Okay. Here goes nothing.” The three of them walked into the backyard, in full view of the others. Barb saw many people she recognized - Dustin, who thankfully was talking to some girl about something and paying little attention. Jonathan, who was taking pictures and also therefore oblivious. Mike was hanging out with the girl Barb correctly assumed must be the one with superpowers, and holy crow. Puberty had hit Mike like a bus. He was tall and lanky now, but his mannerisms had at least stayed the same. Will Byers was next to him - He was also a lot taller than he had been the night of Barb’s disappearance. He no longer was the little kid on the Missing Person’s posters that had lined the halls of Hawkins High. He looked…healthy. Well-adjusted, despite what must have been a great deal of trauma. It gave Barb hope for her future. 

“Come on, let’s go say hi to Steve and Eddie.” Nancy said, tugging at Barb’s arm. They walked together towards the grill, interrupting yet another cute moment - although those moments seemed to be constant, so Barb didn’t feel too bad about it. Eddie managed to look away from Steve towards the ladies approaching, then did an actual double take in Barb’s direction. 

“Woah!” He said, his mouth agape. Barb waited for Eddie to continue his train of thought, but he didn’t.

“You look good, Barb.” Steve said with a sweet smile.

“Yeah, you clean up real nice. Prettiest former-dead chick I’ve ever seen.” Eddie finally managed to say. Barb blushed, far from accustomed to being complimented by boys. 

“See? Told ya.” Robin whispered in Barb’s ear. She found herself giggling, and was finally able to relax into the dress she was wearing. They were interrupted by a loud, booming voice.

“You sure you know what you’re doing there, champ?” Barb turned to see the Sheriff, now outside of uniform - which was kind of like seeing your teacher in the supermarket. 

“Yeah, I got it under control, Hopper, thanks.” Steve replied. 

“Let me know if you need any help.” Hopper offered.

“I’d let him be, sir.” Eddie said, smirking. “With all due respect.” 

“Watch your attitude, Munson. I’m still watching you.” Hopper’s eyes narrowed, and Barb couldn’t tell how intimidated she should feel about it. Maybe it was a joke between them, or maybe Eddie was often in trouble with the cops - it wouldn’t surprise her, considering what she knew about him already. Suddenly, a very tiny woman appeared right behind Hopper. She looked kind of like -

“Be nice, Hop. It’s a party!” She hooked her arm in the Sheriff’s and leaned into him. He happily brought her closer, kissing her on the top of her head. She smiled, then looked over at Barb in shock. “Oh.”

“Mrs. Byers.” Barb acknowledged, nervous. She continued to look at Barb, a million expressions crossing her face.

“Oh, please. Call me Joyce - I won’t be Mrs. Byers for much longer, sweetie.” Joyce’s arm slipped out from Hopper’s, and she took the chance to walk straight up to Barb, pulling her in for a hug. “Welcome home. Hawkins is happy to have you back.” 

Barb had never really interacted with Joyce personally - I mean, it was a small town, so they knew each other, but they didn’t have a rapport. But at that moment, it didn’t matter what history they had, because everybody at this damn barbecue seemed to have some communal understanding of each other. Joyce was warm and comforting, and while her hug was nearly a little too long, Barb didn’t mind at all. 

“Thank you, um. Joyce.” Barb finally said, overwhelmed. Joyce released her, and Barb locked eyes with Hopper next.

“I guess we have something in common, Miss Holland.” He said.

“We do?” Barb asked.

“We’ve both had funerals.” His joke was mediocre at best, and poorly timed. Still, Eddie and Robin couldn’t help but snicker. 

“...Okay?” Barb replied. Hopper bit his lip, his eyes going slim. 

“Sorry, I just - Don’t really know what to say here. I worked on your case, you know.”

“Was that before or after your funeral?” She asked. Hopper’s look of worry eased into a smile.

“Okay, well, uh. Welcome back, kid. And all that other stuff Joyce said.” He pulled Joyce back into him again. “She’s always been the words and feelings person.” 

“And he’s always been the muscle.” Joyce added. “And the person who gets things off the top shelf for me.” She winked at Barb, then gestured for her and her fiancé to leave the teenagers in peace. 

“Wow. I can’t believe I’m not even the first person at this barbecue that’s been resurrected.” Barb said, amused.

“You’re actually the third.” Nancy said. “Will technically had a funeral, too.” Barb paused for a moment, confused.

“Is this town….Like, are you guys okay?” Barb asked. Nancy and Robin glanced at each other, then to Eddie and Steve. All four answered at the same time.

“Nope.”

“Absolutely not”

“I mean…” 

“We’ve been worse.”

Barb shook her head, laughing.

“This is all so crazy.” She repeated. 

“Yeah, give it time.” Eddie said, patting Barb on the back. “Pretty soon you’ll look back on this and consider it a normal day - trust me.” 

“I’m sure you’re right.” Barb agreed.

“Order up!” Steve exclaimed, spinning the spatula in his hand. “Bonjour, psychos.” 

“I’m sorry. Did you mean bon appetit?” Robin said, laughing.

“Uh, yeah. What did I say?” Steve wondered. Barb and Nancy laughed with Robin, while Eddie just stared at his boyfriend in admiration. “Okay, well, sorry. I took Spanish in high school.” 

“Right. And how’s that going?” Nancy teased him. Robin reached her hand out and high fived Nancy at her hip. Steve glared at them, then thought for a moment, searching for a comeback that never came. He sighed.

“You’re so lucky I don’t remember enough to insult you.” Steve untied the apron and set it on a nearby chair. “Food’s ready!” He shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear. He turned back to the girls. “Was that better?” 

“Oui, c'est bien mieux.” Robin said. Steve scoffed while Eddie rolled his eyes, then both of them stuck their middle fingers up in Robin’s direction.

“Show-off.” Eddie muttered. They lowered their hands and intertwined them. 

“You know, with love and all that.” Steve added to soften the blow. He could never truly be mean to Robin or Nancy, even in jest. 

“You guys spend way too much time together. It’s honestly alarming how similar you’re becoming.” Nancy pointed out. 

“That’s rich coming from you two.” Eddie said, gesturing to Nancy and Robin. 

Their conversation screeched to a halt when everyone in the backyard appeared in line to get their food. 

Barb wasn’t feeling that hungry, and besides - there was no way she was going to risk accidentally spilling on herself. So, while everyone else ate, she continued to observe the people around her. Dustin seemed happy, which was good considering this party was for him. He’d also had a growth spurt, but he still had the same goofy kid energy Barb remembered from before. He was with Eddie, doing what Barb could only describe as play-wrestling, which she thought was odd. Then again, the way guy friends interacted never really made sense to her. 

“Hey. Uh, Barbara.” A soft voice said from behind her. Barb turned to see Jonathan Byers, a man she’d spoken to only once or twice in her life. He at least hadn’t changed in the slightest.

“Hi, Jonathan.” Barb responded. Jonathan awkwardly shifted his weight back and forth, fiddling with the buttons on his camera.

“I guess I just wanted to - “ He stopped himself, as if he shouldn’t say the thing he had wanted to. “Actually, I don’t really have anything to say.” They both chuckled awkwardly.

“That’s okay. I’m more or less getting the same reaction from everyone.” She responded.

“Oh yeah? What’s that?” Barb furrowed her brow and lowered her voice, impersonating nobody in particular.

“Hey, uh, wow. Look at you, um, back from the dead. Must be Wednesday, ha ha. ” Jonathan laughed.

“Yeah, it’s been a pretty packed three years.” 

“So I’m learning.” She responded with a nod.

“Do you want me to get you a drink or something?” He offered. 

“Yeah, sure.” Barb agreed, smiling. Jonathan nodded, then walked a few paces to a cooler. He returned moments later with a bottle of water. “Thanks.” 

“Don’t mention it.” Barb noticed him looking past her, so she turned to follow his gaze. He was looking at Robin and Nancy. “Is it…Is it weird for you?” Jonathan’s eyes snapped back to Barb.

“Oh! Sorry. Well, honestly, yeah.” He said, chuckling. “I mean, we ended on good terms, just kind of went our separate ways. We wanted different things.” Barb tried not to smile at the fact he had almost the same explanation for the breakup as Nancy. 

“Alright. So what have you been up to, then?” She asked him.

“Mainly spending time with Will. A-and our mom, although she’s mostly been busy planning the wedding.” 

“Will’s doing okay?” Barb wondered. Jonathan smiled.

“Yeah, he is. I mean, he’s got a few things on his plate right now, but - “ Jonathan looked to his brother, who was still with Mike and El. “- He’s one of the best people I know.” 

“Do you think it would be weird if I…talked to him?” Barb regretted it as soon as she’d said it. “Actually, forget I said that. It would totally be weird -”

“I actually think you should. Come on, I’ll introduce you.” Jonathan motioned for Barb to follow him across the backyard to Will, who smiled at his brother’s arrival. “Will, this is Barbara. She, uh-”

“I know who she is,” Will dismissed. “Nice to meet you, Barbara.” Will seemed kind. He was soft spoken and slightly awkward, just like Barb. And they’d both gone missing at the same time, so they were kind of like kindred spirits.

“Nice to meet you, too.” Barb knew she had specifically requested to talk to Will, but now that she was actually doing it, the words had fallen from her head. “Shoot. Sorry, I don’t mean to be awkward, I just-”

“I-it’s okay,” Will said, empathetically. “I remember how weird it was for me. To be back, you know. After missing so much.” 

“Yes, exactly!” Barb said, thrilled someone actually understood. “So much has changed, I can’t even wrap my head around it.” 

“Yeah, I only missed like a week and that was already insane to come back to. I think it’s impressive you’re acting as normal as you are.” 

“Thanks, Will.” They smiled at each other in understanding, but then Barb turned to catch the eyes of Mike and El, who were watching her with unease. “Uh, hi you guys.” 

“Hey.” Mike waved, non-committal, his discomfort obvious. Barb snuck a glance at Will and caught the way he looked at Mike - Barb knew that look well. She’d had that look before. Suddenly, another piece of the puzzle clicked together. 

“You were - “ El began, processing what she was seeing. “You were gone.” She shook her head, unable to make sense of it.

“Trust me, I’m just as confused as you are.” Barb assured her. 

“But I saw you -”

“Hey, hey.” Will said, cutting El off. “What matters is that she's here now.” Mike jumped in a moment later.

“It’s like when we found Will in the quarry, and then it turned out to be a fake body.” 

“So what I saw…Barb in the Upside Down…That was fake?” El wondered.

“No, it’s a little different, but…” Mike thought for a moment on how best to explain it. “Remember when you saved Max? Someone must have saved Barbara, too.” 

“Oh. Like Henry.” El’s eyes narrowed. Mike grabbed her hand quickly.

“No! No, not like him. Like -” Mike sighed. “Help me out, here?”

“Don’t look at me, I’ve been dead for three years.” Barb said. Suddenly, a mop of curly hair showed up beside them.

“Are you guys talking about how Barb came back to life? Because I have a theory,” Dustin began.

“By all means,” Barb said, permitting him to share.

“Okay, so we defeated Vecna, then the gates closed, and Max woke up - right?” Everyone nodded (except for Barb), listening intently. “Okay, so since Barb died in the Upside Down -”

“Everything reset.” Mike said, softly. “Barb was the only person killed in the Upside Down.” 

“So when the Upside Down ceased to exist…” Will continued.

“Barb got a second life.” Dustin smiled, content with his theory.

“Huh,” Barb said, processing all of it. She had no memory of her death, and certainly didn’t feel the time that had passed. But, did the how of it all really matter? She was here now, with a great (albeit incredibly strange) group of friends - some old, some new - and she was accepted for exactly who she was. Hell, she was accepted for who she was and she was accepted as some zombie freak of nature. If they could still treat her as a normal girl after all that, she couldn’t imagine a single thing they wouldn’t accept, which was a very freeing feeling. 

Barb had missed out on a lot. She didn’t get to graduate, or go to prom, or grow up. She hadn’t even had her first kiss, yet. She’d fallen asleep next to a douchebag’s pool at 16 years old, angry over being ditched by her best friend, and she woke up next to the same pool, except now she felt pretty and loved. Her future felt full of possibilities. The next day, she’d talk to her parents, and her life could actually be normal, finally. 

She looked out across Steve’s backyard, admiring the people she knew were going to become like family. Everything seemed all right, now. 

Barb chuckled to herself in disbelief. She’d conveniently missed the craziest and most dramatic part of her life, of her friend’s lives. 

Maybe all of this was a blessing in disguise.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TAGLIST: @ofherscarlettwitchways @livvyshmiv @paintballkid711 @abraca-fxckyou @allbimyself26 @jellybabiesforall @allbymyselfexceptformycactus @aethermint @mysteriousxmidnight

Feel free to send requests! :)

[knightsofsomethingorother]

😤

😤 - Your Most Specific Nitpick About Your Fave

Yay! Complaining! My favorite!

Okay, so my favorite is Bedivere (if I haven't made that so painfully obvious by now) and it is such slim pickings for him even appearing much less appearing and being used well. The biggest one is people just up and forgetting he's disabled. The guy has one hand, goddamn it! That's literally his defining feature! The singular thing that makes him unique, seeing as there's a cavalcade of 'handsomest guys who are good at fighting'.

Another issue I have (and this goes back as far as original Welsh texts) is him just being an attachment to Kay when Kay's around and nothing else. I haaate when two characters are put in a relationship (platonic or otherwise) and one half of that relationship is sundered into the vague imprint of a person that exists solely to be an accessory to the other. Give him personality! Opinions! Relationships with other characters! He is OOZING with the potential to be interesting! I'm a ride or die for Bedikay (again, platonic or otherwise) but I want both of them to be people!

More to that point. I really, really, really hate it when modern authors just slap his name on another character or otherwise use him to fill a role arbitrarily. I am on my hands and knees begging everyone to just use the original knight for that role or at the very least an OC instead of stretching my guy's skin over a random dude. That isn't my boy! That's a wholly different person who committed identity fraud!

Lastly, and this is completely and totally a taste thing, I don't like it when he's written to be too nice. I personally don't like it when he's the kind, warm, calm, has-his-shit-together voice-of-reason type. That is a perfectly fine way to write the character, and there's nothing wrong with it, I just have a very specific, very neurotic image of the guy. He's in a position of authority in a place full to the brim with violent weirdos where magic bullshit traipses through the front door every other day; I just feel like he should have some bite to him.

That said, him having the self-perception of being or needing to be this magnanimous, rational, dare I say perfect guy, and that just straight up not being the truth at all is something I personally lean into when writing him because it's fun as hell.

Okay, I'm stopping myself before this post gets too long and off-topic. I just really like talking about Bedivere.

[gatiox3]

kung Fu panda. 4

u guys thought I forgor about my ramble? UR WRONG

so um WTFOK SO KUNG FU PANDA i freaking love kung fu panda HE IS MY FREAKING LIFE if he never existed my sister wouldnt be a furry (will not elaborate she is blocked here FOR A REASON sorry nox) I HAD HIGH HOPES !!! (FIRST MISTAKE.) the music, was breathtaking, felt like i was watching kung fu panda for the first time again (not really but u get wat im saying) the animation was FLUID! there were some stiff parts, but I hardly noticed them, theres only one part where some movement didnt make sense?? like for example po was flung to the left but was then was stopped mid air, and awkwardly moved right to the ground?? i was the only one that noticed it i think thats a me thing FUCK HALF OF MY RAMBLE GOT DELETED ANYWAYS. OK SCREW WHAT EVER I WAS GONNA SAY UMMM THE ART. THE COLORING. THE CONTRASTING COLORS. THE TRADITIONAL CHINESE ART (duh) I WAS JUST AMAZED BY IT ALL IM A FREAKING ART NERD loved it so much AND THE CHARACTER DESIGN for the villain BEAUTIFUL. other character okayish.... picked most obvious animal and made her wear clothes...! im a picky person. OK WHATEVER BUT WHEN THE MOVIE FINISHED, it felt so short?? maybe cause IT WAS SO FAST PACD??? WHY DID THEY DO THAT. the beginnning started out good ! there was that initial action, somewhat revealing the villain their motives, and then showing where po is and what his dilemma is !!! BUT JUMP CUTS EVERYWHERE. IM BEING SO SERIOUS WHEN I SAY THERES PROBABLY ONLY ONE FADE IN SCENE (done perfectly if i may say) BUT WHAT. AND SOME OF THE SCENES FELT A LOT MORE SHORTER than others. almost like they added the scene last minute because they needed it?? or sm like it cuts from one scene, characters bond for 2.2 seconds, JUMP CUT! WHAT! OK SO NOW IMA GET INTO THE STORY, I WONT GIVE MANY LIKE MANY SPECIFICS< BUT ITS UNDER THIS CUT

ok so i noticed this in kfp3, but they donot take the movie that seriously anymore! in the og kfp obv there were some funny scenes, and they fit PERFECTLY. there were serious scenes, heartwrenching ones, and they worked so good. BUT IN THIS ONE. THEY HAD TO MAKE EVERYTHING A GAG. IT PISSED ME OFF???? I COULDNT LIKE FEEL FOR THE CHARACTERS??? EVEN THE VILLAIN CANT BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. gags EVERYWHERE. not even to the build up when then villain finally acts on their master plan! not even when PO GETS A VISION. NOT EVEN THE FREAKING. THE HOLY SHIT THE ENDING PISSED ME OFF SO FUCKING ABD YOU HAVE NO FUKCING IDEA. WHEN THE VILLAIN GETS SENT TO THE SPIRIT REALm, GAG. OH MY FUCK. NOT EVEN LIKE WHEN MASTER SHIFU IS MEDITATING AT THE END. GGAG IM GOING TO GAG ON YOU. EVEN WHEN THERE WAS A SERIOUS SCENE BETWEEN TWO CHARACTERS, OR LIKE A STORY ON THEM, i coulnt take it seriously because the story wont take itself seriously! ok ummm where am i OH DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON THAT FOX GIRL WITH PO I HATE HER SO MUCH THAT I DONT EVEN KKNOW HER NAME. this might be more spoilery so BUT SHES BASICALLY JUST SOME SELF INSTERT Y/N WHOS A BRAT?? AND IS EVENLY MATCHED FOR PO AND IT FELT LIKE I JUST WATCHED A WATTPAD GET TURNED INTO A MOBVIE. I SERIOUSLY THINK ITS JUST A ME THING BUT IDK. YOU PROBABLY DONTK KNOW JWAT IM TALKING ABT BUT YEAH. i wish the whoel thing was just a lot more like! kfp u know! i might just be blinded by nostalgia ! im not even gonna lie my fave part was seeing TAI LUNG I FUKCING LOIBVE TAI LUNG HI TAI LUJNG IMM YOUR BIGGEEST FAN DID THEY GET THE OG VOICE ACTORY??? IDK BUT I LOVE U HE WAS THE MOST SERIOUS CHARACTTER IN THE WHOLE MOVIE AND IT JUST SOLIDIFIED MY LOVE HAI TAI LUNG !!! HAI !!!!!!!!!!! they also had the other villains there but werent really like used within the story but i understand, they also kinda did the same with tai lung but I LOVE TAI LUNG UGHSHWBDW. ok yep ALSO GAY DADS!!!!! but there were like 3 story lines going on, gay dads, villain, po and the other thing, it coulda worked out! but it felt rushed! idk but the betrayal was just sooooooooo obvious wdym u trusted a FOX who is a CRIMINAL who says DONT TRUST ANYONE, and I KNOW HOW TO GET YOU TO THE VILLAIN. po is kind hearted so i cant blame him for trusting her anyways i love u po big kiss. BACK TO VILLAIN, ugh she had so much potential, like the true introduction to her was merely perfect! there were gags to the side, but it didnt effect it as much! but PLEASE JUST LET HER BE A BAD PERSON SHE ISNT FUNNY !!!! WE NEED TO START TELLING PEOPLE THEY ARENT FUNNY OR IT RUINS THE WORLD!!!/j but the fight scene at the end was beautiful, it showed her true potential, but how it ended was anti climatic. a single move they couldve done at the beginnning, and a skadosh (i love skadosh btw) and when all the villains were finally leaving, there was no SERIOUS ENDING FOR HER. she just screams on the way in, gettiing one last laugh. idk i just love kfp im very passionate abt movies animation art music wat not sooo yeh i think thats it HAI TAI LUNG I LOVE UUUUU I LOVE UUUUUU AHHHHSHHAHAHAHHSSHSHAA conclusion the movie was beautiful, kinda funny, but beautiful das it the end

[fyeahiwatarikei]

Shipping Hiwatari Kei - A non-exhaustive menu

Feat. Fugitivehues' beautiful art ♥ ♦ ♠ ♣

Obsession

“This is why I have always hated you.”

Love art deeply and I'll love you more, because you're the most talented being in this world and do I love beautiful things. Of course, you create for a reason, so having someone inconditionally support you through the agonising ordeal of manifesting ideas can be a relief. You can doubt, you can give up, you can cry your eyes out because this is it, you cannot go on anymore, but I will hold you until it stops and give you the means to overcome all obstacles. Your art is worth it. You are worth it.

Bitterly, you can feel the other side of that coin: that support can be... is suffocating. You do need a break from time to time. You do need someone getting mad at you for acting so whimsical. But I won't, which is almost terrifying.

No one will stop you if you ever go too far.

Worse, I'll shield you, destroy myself if I must. Then what? What can you do?

What else could you do? It was entirely your fault, you thought.

But I won't ever hate you.

Exception

“She felt no love, equally, for any work of art. [...] Therefore, I had been able to love her.”

Not only is that Hikari unlike any other, but part of her particularity is that she is unable to destroy him, so he doesn't have to watch himself around her. Thus, he is able to love her at all and indulge in the wonderful pain of never being appreciated back! Flawless. Dreamy. That angst is delicious, and it's canon! Anyone'd wish to see their fave tortured like this.

Besides, not only is she perfectly safe to have around, but she comes up with the best art collab ideas! No other Hikari has suggested this before and it's messed up: his motivation hasn't been higher in decades. (I refuse to believe he only participated out of sheer love and not because it was crazy and new!) Somewhere in the process, it was even decided that he'd have to pass as human, going as far as getting a job and giving up on the role he's been playing for centuries, for Satoshi's sake. How peculiar! A new challenge for him! Well… another one. These never stop coming, with her.

Of course, we're talking about a tragic non-love story so she dies early and he dooms himself when telling the truth to their son. His survival has always been an afterthought, after all.

Bon appétit.

Devotion

“I cannot afford to lose you.”

Pick two characters and give them similar tastes: nerdy art lovers, rather absent and discreet men who, most importantly, would both die for their respective son. Now, make one eager to help everyone and the other manipulative. You have so many ways to make them meet and interact that there's barely any challenge.

Kosuke is canonically sweet, ready to reach a hand towards Satoshi, refusing to sit back and see the children suffer, how can we imagine he'd skip an opportunity to verify if maybe perhaps eventually Hiwatari Satoshi's father knows something and is eager to… lend a hand? Join the cause?

And is that powerful cop eager. And dangerous. An alliance would come with a beautiful dance of knowing the other knows that he knows yet refusing the drop the D word in conversations (not that one, silly, the one that jumps on rooves at night.) Testing waters, loyalty or skills, may it be during a museum visit, a friendly chat, an apparently innocent discussion about their families. And being pleasantly surprised every time? Until a betrayal or divergence occurs and… they're in too deep to do what they should have long ago: give up on this ridiculous, exhausting relationship.

A capable (?) policeman. An unbiased (?) Niwa. Both patient, mature men with mutual interests and a burning desire to find a solution. What else?

Normalcy

“I simply wanted to act like a ‘father’ would…”

What if your immortal character who's always been surrounded by extraordinary artists, witchcraft and cursed items decided to get an office job, with technology, gossips at the coffee machine, completely clueless people, the complete package in short? More: what if said clueless people were regularly exposed to part of the magic without any idea of how it works nor how to face it? And dealing with it more or less accidentally became their job? (What if the immortal character decided to not help them at all, too, because it's funny?)

Despite the comfort of being surrounded by familiar exceptions, the pressure can become overwhelming: Kei has always had to control himself, plan events in advance, keep an eye on the last Hikari who slowly decides to stop fighting… Can a relationship with a banal man (who potentially wants Satoshi safe, very sexy of him) be a relief? Fresh air in a life so far devoted to ungrateful, self-centered artists?

Saehara knows nothing. Saehara looks up to him (Debatable.) Saehara would jump if Kei told him to (Hugely debatable.) With him, the latter can pretend he is what he was supposed to be before canon changed its mind: a powerful man who just wants Dark captured.

A goal Saehara definitely shares. Alliance, then? With a mutual enemy, surely a dog and a fox can get along.

[epitomereally]

🎵 🎶 5 faves from H/D Wireless 2023: Week 1 🎶 🎵

@hd-wireless, as always, has served us excellence. Thank you to the creators & mods. Usual disclaimer: I haven’t read everything yet!

Fic:

(you) find me when the lights go down by anon (1800 words, T)

Harry can hear footsteps on the stairs behind him but doesn't bother turning to look. There's only one person likely to follow him out here at this time of night.

"Potter," comes the crisp voice, easily recognisable as Draco. "You do know that most sane people, especially those who spend every waking moment complaining of being cold, would cast a warming charm. Or at the very least grab a sweater. Not spend every night attempting to turn into an icicle." What makes someone a ghost? Because if it's dying, Harry's got that covered.

A beautiful exploration of Harry’s demons in eighth year & how Draco can help exorcise them. How do I know I'm not a ghost? just punched me the solar plexus, so beautiful and so awful for Harry, and how tenderly Draco treats him, while still being Draco. One of the two masterclasses in short fic on this list! How MA says so much in so few words—I’m in awe.

Don’t hate him when he gets up to leave by anon (2200 words, M)

The linens are white and empty, sunlight slanting through the window illuminating a bed that has been deserted. Draco knew Potter would leave; he’s always gone by morning. Draco doesn’t even remember what he looks like in daylight.

Three words: pining while fucking. PINING. WHILE. FUCKING. I don’t even need to write a rec for this fic. Please click the link just for that tag.

Just kidding: MA, you can shove your brand of angst down my throat any day. I had to stop myself from quoting the entire fic back at you in my comment. Your prose is so evocative and sparse and melancholy. Marry me, please?

Title & Possession by anon (49k words, E)

Harry Potter’s life is going well in the aftermath of the war. Sure, his house is dark and run-down and might hate him (while his house elf definitely hates him). But other than that, things are good. Except, yeah, okay, Hermione and Ron are no longer on speaking terms. Worse, they keep trying to get Harry to pick sides. But otherwise, Harry couldn’t be happier. Well. Except for the fact that Ginny is being super weird about their relationship and never wants to have sex or talk about the future. But other than that, Harry is perfectly fine, thankyouverymuch. At least, he is until Draco Malfoy sues him for ownership of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Then Harry really isn’t fine at all.

This fic is FUNNY. Harry is such a wally, so perfectly in-character as our awkward, repressed, depressed, hilarious little cinnamon roll (and Draco is so proud and petty and desperate for Harry too). The romance is so well-deserved by both, and we love a Harry-realizing-his-sexuality fic (SO well-done here—the tension is scorching!). 

Everybody Hates a Tourist by anon (51.5k, E)

On a stag do in sunny Brighton with the Gryffindor lads, the last person Harry expects to run into is Draco Malfoy. After a glimpse of Malfoy’s Muggle life in Britain’s gay capital, Harry’s curiosity gets the better of him and he finds himself returning to the seaside again and again, drawn to the city, drawn to this new version of Malfoy that Harry barely recognises from school. Meanwhile, Draco’s just trying to live his big and best queer life: working for the weekend, chasing hot men, getting lost in Brighton's nightlife, and making friends with the neighbourhood cats. Why does his former school rival and crush have to show up and spoil everything?

An absolute banger on the first day of the fest. Come for the absolutely perfect characterization of Harry & Draco, stay for the lush descriptions of Brighton and EVERYWHERE. The perfect start-of-summer fic, absolutely impeccable, gentle, gorgeous summer vibes (conveniently when where I live FINALLY started getting hot). So many elements to love here: Harry learning about himself, gently and with grace from everyone around him, the TEXTING (absolutely perfect), the side characters with perfect characterization (Seamus at the hotel!), the flirting, DRACO BUYING HARRY A LEATHER JACKET (;_;). Just bury me dead; this fic was so lovely & it’s all I need.

Art:

Alive by anon (E)

Harry is lost after the final battle, but he finds comfort from an unexpected source.

Eighth year will forever have my heart for some angsty healing, and MA has captured this so beautifully. This art is not only beautiful (the animations! the color palette! both Harry & Draco! Idk how to compliment art!), but it’s such a gorgeous journey for Harry—from the trauma of the war towards happiness again. Exactly what our darling boy deserves <3

[total-drama-takes-takes-2]

ttwt character profiles - batch 2

FROLLO

What's your best quality? My devotion. Faves? (music, colour, movie, food)

Gospel choir.

Purple.

Movies are an invention of the devil.

The body of Christ.

Describe your craziest dream. I do not dream. Best memory from childhood? No. Most embarrassing moment at school? None. Describe the first job you ever had. I am always in service of the Lord. Ten years from now, what are you doing? Serving the Lord. My dream date would be with ___________, doing what? Jesus. Discussing Leviticus. It’s the last day on earth. In five words or less, what would you do?

Enjoy watching the heathens underfoot disappear as I am raptured to Heaven.

FREN (ALISTAIR)

What's your best quality? My impeccable personality, my skills, my talent... where do I stop? Faves? (music, colour, movie, food)

Vocaloid

Pink!

Mamma Mia

Pancakes!

Describe your craziest dream. As in goals? Becoming the most famous stage actor in history! Best memory from childhood? My first performance- the audience was so captivated, my own mother forgot my real name for a few days after Most embarrassing moment at school? Being picked on by people with a less refined palette... always a plague on our society, honestly. They're the real freaks! Describe the first job you ever had. My first show occurred when I was five years old. I played Oliver Twist in a stage adaptation of the classic novel Ten years from now, what are you doing? Acting in the Globe Theater, of course- or, alternatively, being a world-famous super model My dream date would be with ___________, doing what? Mm... I suppose any noteworthy actor, but I'm inclined towards Hatsune Miku, enjoying a play from the audience, for once It’s the last day on earth. In five words or less, what would you do?

I haven't had enough time!

JONER

What's your best quality? I'm pretty funny! Faves? (music, colour, movie, food)

All kinds!

Definitely couldn't pick just one

I don't dislike any movies at all

Anything!

Describe your craziest dream. One time I dreamt that I ate a paper towel and turned into a giant plum. That was pretty crazy Best memory from childhood? Getting lost on a camping trip with my buddy Michela when we were kids! Most embarrassing moment at school? I guess that year Miccy and McLovin stopped talking to each other was pretty rough overall... I had to pass messages from one to the other every time they wanted to talk! It made group projects brutal. Describe the first job you ever had. I worked at a hot dog stand in the park one summer. 80 degrees and eight hours over a hot stove- I was bright red for months! Ten years from now, what are you doing? I'm a professional skateboarder- no, a movie star- no, an archaeologist- no, a professor- no, a master chef- no, a- My dream date would be with ___________, doing what? If by "date" you mean hanging out, I'd love to spend another weekend camping and hiking with my buddies! It’s the last day on earth. In five words or less, what would you do?

Spend it with my friends!

JULIA

What's your best quality? Intelligence, of course. Faves? (music, colour, movie, food)

I'm impartial to dubstep, but I also like acoustic guitar, in a weird way

Yellow

Is Ex Machina too corny of an answer?

Chips and salsa

Describe your craziest dream. Goals or REM? Okay, I'll do both- I've had fleeting dreams of being a CEO of some tech startup. As for nighttime dreams, I used to have nightmares about being chased through the woods. I so hate nature. Best memory from childhood? Um... I'm not sure I really have any. Most embarrassing moment at school? I was kicked out of debate team in middle school because I yelled too loud. After that, I had to train myself to be more subtle about rage. Describe the first job you ever had. I used to send people scam emails when I needed a quick buck. Does that count? Ten years from now, what are you doing? Sitting pretty in my mega mansion, somewhere warm, but not too warm. My dream date would be with ___________, doing what? ...Pass, thanks. It’s the last day on earth. In five words or less, what would you do?

Sleep in.

KELLY

What's your best quality? I get along with everyone, really! Faves? (music, colour, movie, food)

Music- pop!

Color- sky blue, it's so dreamy

Movie- Legally Blonde

Food- Lemon loaf

Describe your craziest dream. All my dreams are pretty normal, as far as dreams go. Best memory from childhood? My nana teaching me how to bake Most embarrassing moment at school? I once mispronounced the name of our German foreign exchange student in front of the class... how embarrassing for both of us! Describe the first job you ever had. I worked on my grandpa's farm for a summer- it did not agree with me. I'll stick with the beach and the city, thanks! Ten years from now, what are you doing? Rolling out my first makeup line and releasing my third studio album. My dream date would be with ___________, doing what? Ooh, good question! I would say Jensen Ackles from 2006, and we're getting our hair done. It’s the last day on earth. In five words or less, what would you do?

Say goodbye to my family

KITTY

What's your best quality? 🎈 Faves? (music, colour, movie, food)

🤖

🔴

🟢👹👸🏼

🌳

Describe your craziest dream. 🐵🌆☕ Best memory from childhood? 🤡 Most embarrassing moment at school? 👸😒 Describe the first job you ever had. 🏪🛍 Ten years from now, what are you doing? 🎪 My dream date would be with ___________, doing what? 🤵📵🌳🌲🌳🌳 It’s the last day on earth. In five words or less, what would you do?

🍴

[zukkaoru]

OKAY UMMMM this is hard bc I know most of this. imma give you a couple:

ezekiel jones bc silly guy & uhhhh chuuya or gin, ig you haven’t done them bc i literally CALLED that you’d love them!!!

also did you know that. um. ily~

hi beloved ily 🥰💕 starting with gin bc. fave 💓💓💓

first impression:

"wait 'he'? i didn't think corey said they were a boy??" and then i think i proceeded to actually pause the episode and check bsd wiki to make sure i had the right character and correctly remembered what you told me about them

impression now:

i need to see them again Right Now. please asagiri bring them back i need to see them i need to know they're okay i need them to reunite with akutagawa and i need to see what happens between them and tachi and and adn

favorite moment:

all of them <3 uhh real answer is i really love the omake where they're going around asking for advice about how to help akutagawa deal with his stress in a healthy way now that he can't kill people

idea for a story:

sometimes i think about a tachigin bodyswap au.. post-doa arc so gin has to deal with tachi's limited vision while tachi is suddenly faced with the brunt of gin's body dysphoria. gin hates hearing their voice but tachi doesn't actually mind it and he won't shut up. gin doesn't mind talking either now though bc their voice just sounds like tachihara's. and they don't actually mind being in his body either. but also having to watch their body from the outside is weird and awful. they have to call akutagawa to pick them up and take them to the agency so dazai can switch them back. akutagawa seems to hate the switch even more than gin and tachihara do.

unpopular opinion:

they're the best character in bsd.

favorite relationship:

any flavor of tachigin and also the akutagawa siblings!!! i want to see more of them in canon asagiri please also i'm kind of really intrigued by their dynamic with dazai,, like we don't really see much interaction between them in canon but i like how i picture their dynamic in my mind bc gin has a lot of complicated feelings towards him and i'm not sure dazai really even realizes that, or at least he doesn't realize the full extent of it

favorite headcanon:

transmasc gin!!!

chuuya:

first impression:

"he's the geto of bungou stray dogs"

impression now:

for someone who has literally the most fans out of all the bsd characters, there are surprisingly few people who even remotely understand them😐

favorite moment:

basic but probably when he comes to save the ada in the helicopter. or the scene in dead apple when he goes to fight the dragon and ango is like "dude dazai's probably dead. you're going to die if you use corruption." and chuuya's like LOL dazai??? dead????? trust me i'd know if that waste of bandages finally kicked the bucket. now stop talking i have a dragon to beat up

idea for a story:

i think i told you about this but a kunichuu 5+1 that's just chuuya not being able to shut up about kunikida when talking to literally everyone at the port mafia. they're spending a half hour talking about kuni during an executive meeting and they aren't even dating him yet. how is this somehow worse than teenage dazai and chuuya, mori wonders. at least it isn't dazai, kouyou argues, blissfully unaware that dazai will end up being part of the relationship too.

unpopular opinion:

i don't like transmasc chuuya. it won't turn me off a fic completely but chuuya is one of those characters like cherry and zuko who gets softened and uwu-ified and oftentimes, this is just made even worse when they're written as trans. which is. a problem across fandoms in general obviously since cherry and zuko get the same treatment. also this shouldn't be unpopular but chuuya didn't spend like eight months crying himself to sleep after dazai left. hello??? do you even hear yourself??? i'm not a big fan of femchuuya either and in fact like that less than femdazai. nor am i particularly into ada chuuya, mostly because people soften their character way too much when they write ada chuuya. i want my chuuya still recognizable as chuuya!!! alas most people can't even get chuuya's characterization right regardless of any au or gender headcanons. anyway i'm sure i have a bunch more but i'll stop here

favorite relationship:

have you heard of kunichuu. or kunichuuzai even. it's not as if we have spoken about this at length multiple times or anything

favorite headcanon:

nonbinary chuuya!!!!!

--

ezekiel:

first impression:

i first watched the librarians in 2015 i do NOT remember that

impression now:

i miss him :(

favorite moment:

in the apple of discord episode where he snatches the apple but nothing happens bc he's "already the worst version of himself". i don't think we talk enough about the implications of that!!! the others immediately went for murder but ezekiel's "worst version" of himself is?? a thief who's kinda lazy but still clearly cares about everyone around him?? do you understand how insane that is!!!!!!

idea for a story:

once a very long time ago (in high school) i started writing an arospec ezekiel fic. i didn't get very far and i'm sure whatever i had written was bad but it was such a good idea

unpopular opinion:

i don't think there were any popular ezekiel opinions i heavily disagreed with?? best i can think of is that i like caszekiel better than jassandra

favorite relationship:

jazekiel realness..... and i do enjoy caszekiel too

favorite headcanon:

demiromantic/demisexual ezekiel!! it's canon TO ME