#yes I know he covered it because he didn’t want people know about his association to khansaar

[ririsasy]

Varadha's goofy ass boyfriend.

.

.

(Also it's so funny the way I didn't realize in the first watch the reason that Deva was wearing long sleeve on his left hand the entire time was in fact to cover Varadha's demon seal tattoo and not just to cover his electrocution scars or fashion statement only lmao his goofy ass made that tattoo by himself and then later used it as a brand for Varadha 😭 if this wasn't the kind of devotion at the highest order. He literally offered Varadha his demon persona for him to use as some kind of guardian devil watching over Khansaar bringing fear to all his enemies. Also that's why you shouldn't be tattooing anything on your skin that's related to your lovers when you're drunk in love with someone because when you two became ex-lovers it's too freaking embarrassing to see or show those tattoos to the public eyes lmao)

[soullessdianthus]

𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭 | 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 (𝐱 𝐊ö𝐧𝐢𝐠)

Summary: During the mission somewhere in Austria, König takes an interest in TF 141 medic. Little did he know, she's Lieutenants Riley's girlfriend.

��𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟐

A/N: Possessive/Protective boyfriend Ghost? Yes, double and give to the next person. Also inserted Hank/Connor "lieutenant" reference, I just find it funny. Y/C ━ Your Codename (have fun, pick something babes) Poorly translated German ━ correct me if needed!

Warnings: nothing, reader is eastern european coded (we deserve more recognition as reader inserts ꃋᴖꃋ )

Word count: 1.8k

The tree line of the thick forest melted into the base of the rocky mountains. Your gaze traveled across its pointy shapes and up higher - there hadn’t been a single cloud on the sky that day, causing a slight heatwave.

You let your body slightly wag as the car passed over surface bumps on the earthen road. The dry lump grew in your throat as the dust hovered all over the convoy and all you could think of was a sip of cold, mineral water. 

Soon, you reached the small town in Austria, secluded from the ring roads. The cars were parked near the surrounding forest at the entrance of the village. Lieutenant Riley's sight crossed with yours as he helped you get out of the truck. 

He could be such a gentleman sometimes. 

A handful of soldiers gathered near the vehicles - some of them wearing a KorTac patch on their shoulders, the other ones (from your unit) a Task Force 141 badge. But besides those sigils, none of them were wearing full battle gear. 

There was no active fighting against the enemy at the moment. It was just a careful chase after the terrorists - following their footsteps, interviewing associates, gathering proof. Because at the end of the day, the military (or army related organization) cannot shed blood over a defamation.

But KorTac and TF 141? Quite an unusual partnership between the two groups, right?

━ Ghost, Y/C you’re goin’ with me ━ Captain Price announced, adjusting his hat as he closed the car’s doors behind him. ━ Gaz, you’ll stay here, is that clear? 

Captain heard a firm ‘yes, sir’ from your teammate Kyle who was to stay at the parking spot. Meanwhile the KorTac colonel gave an order to his soldiers in German. “Such a tough language” you thought to yourself. Only two of his people went along the wood road with the rest of you.

The Colonel. 

Exceptionally tall, Austrian man who served many years for his country. The one you found yourself in on the latest mission. 

Each time you wanted to look at him while Colonel König was speaking, you had to chin up. And even though, a black hood with a red paint on it covered his whole face besides his cold, blue eyes. He was lowkey intimidating with his massive size, but just like your captain, the Austrian’s rough looks didn’t reflect his character. At least to you and your comrades he was quite nice. 

Unfortunately, you couldn’t say the same about his teammates. 

You didn’t have to walk for long as the isolated, one floor house emerged behind a hill. By the quick peek at that building and the noises coming from the inside you knew, it felt like a warm home. 

As you approached the building, you heard a child’s cry. 

Price knocked at the front door and soon after a man with dark bags under his eyes opened them slightly. He was peeking through the crack.

━ Jakob Hausner? ━ The Captain asked with a playful smile under his mustache, his thumbs interlocked with the gear straps over his chest. 

━ Ja, wie kann ich helfen? [ger.: Yes, how can I help?]

━ Can you ask him if he speaks english? ━ John looked over his shoulder towards König, asking for a favor. 

━ Yes, I speak english ━ master of the house answered with a thick accent, before colonel could translate. ━ What do you want? 

He wasn’t trusting at all, well, how could he? You were all strangers at his doorsteps, two of your partners wearing scary looking masks. But it all had a purpose - they were supposed to look… intimidating, yes? 

A loud wailing made their ears hurt, it was that damn baby again. Jakob sighed loudly, his shoulder collapsing as he opened the doors a little bit more.

━ We just want to talk about the company you were working for. ━ Price continued talking. 

━ About them again? ━ Mr. Hausner frowned his eyebrows and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Poor man was exhausted apparently. ━ Okay, okay, ja, come in. 

The man let you all inside, however König told his soldiers to have a look outside the plot - to make sure it’s safe here and you’re not being watched. Poor Jakob wasn’t even fully aware (because of his state) that he let in a group of military people inside of his home.

As soon as you crossed the hallway into the dining room with a big, wooden table, you noticed a struggling toddler in a children’s chair. The girl was crying, her face red from the tantrum. 

━ I’m sorry, it’s just my daughter, she… she doesn’t want to eat her–. Lina, bitte. [ger.: Lina, please.]

Being a parent. Must be tough, huh?

Not when you were forced to babysit your siblings or cousins since you were a teenager. 

━ She’s not hungry. ━ You noticed the way the little girl pushed her plate away and how she tried to climb out of the seat. Christ, that man really had to be exhausted. ━ Can I?

You took a few slow and calm steps towards the sitting child - a warm smile painted over your face. Even your boyfriend Ghost was slightly… surprised? Seeing you drop the apathetic shell, then becoming more warm and gentle towards the little girl.

━ She’s our medic ━ your Captain explained to the worried father ━ let her take the kid and we’ll have a talk. In peace. 

Mr. Hausner let you take care of his unsettled daughter, so they could have a conversation about his former employers. You took the girl out of her chair and placed her over your left hip, pushing it outward. 

━ Come, Lina ━ you addressed the girl by her name, even though she probably couldn’t understand what you were saying ━ let’s leave the stinky men alone, ja?

You left the dining room and entered the seemingly endless garden behind the house. Since you took that girl in your hands she already began to calm down, perhaps a woman's touch was all she needed? 

“Where was your mother? Was she at work working a long shift? Did something happen to her? Did the bad men–” your thoughts seemed to take a rather pessimistic route, so you had to quickly change it. 

You didn’t know much German. Well, you didn’t know any at all. 

Fuck.

But at that moment you were thanking the heavens that your father watched movies about Hans Kloss or war on a regular basis. You were happy that your father was taught some phrases and somewhere in your subconsciousness he passed them to you.

You sat on the wooden bench somewhere in the garden not far from the building. Then, you placed the child on your lap and began talking to her - mostly in your mother tongue. Then you added some words in German that you knew, like: 

━ Schau, schmetterling! [ger.: Look, a butterfly!] 

Soon you grew more comfortable around the girl named Lina, even though there was a language barrier. Without your knowledge, your legs began to bounce her, pretending she was riding a horse. 

If anyone would point that out later, you would certainly deny it. You, getting soft for a child? No, no, no. 

You were so occupied with entertaining her that you didn’t even notice a looming, black figure in the corner of your eye. Watching the scene from somewhere nearby.

König was standing just next to the doors, leaving against the white plaster on the outside walls. He listened to your attempts to speak German, finding it… adorable? 

Never did he meet a woman in his profession so empathetic and gentle. Especially the one who managed to catch his attention. Let’s be honest, most of them were cold blood murderers and he was a colonel - he couldn’t let himself have such a luxury of having a family. 

Until now.

His imagination began to play a nasty and stupid trick on him - just because he saw you speaking German with a kid. What if it was you to take care of his children? Were your hands usually this delicate? Would you care for him as much?

The tall soldier was intrigued by you and his dreamy stare exposed him for it.

━ Don’t even think about it. ━ Ghost voice snapped him back to the reality. The British soldier emerged from the building the same way the colonel did after the conversation came to an end with Mr. Hausner.

Simon Riley wasn’t a fool. He noticed all the little peaks at his girlfriend other soldiers usually would take, she was in fact a pretty thing. So it didn’t take much to notice that the tall guy from KorTac took a liking of you. Too much liking in Ghost’s opinion. 

━ Verzeihung [ger.: Excuse me] ━ König apologized, flustered slightly by obviousness of the situation. He instantly understood the reference. ━ didn’t know she was… taken. 

━ Yeah ━ British lieutenant scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. His dark irises didn’t even dare to stare at him. His eyes were on you ━ she’s very much taken. 

There was a dead silence between the two of them - for a short moment, before Ghost gave you a heads up. 

━ Y/C, we’re moving. 

The rough and firm tone of Ghost’s voice made you snap back into reality. You were in the middle of something, right? Yet, you almost jumped on that little bench painted in floral patterns. 

━ Coming, lieutenant. ━ You declared quickly, before putting the little girl over your hip again and heading inside of her home. 

Ghost was a few steps ahead and so you had to pass the massive figure of König to go inside again. You pressed the child’s head into your cleavage as she was a little scared of colonel’s hood. 

Well, you would be too, if you saw his cold stare in the middle of the night from under that veil, right?

━ Don’t worry, he just looks scary. He won’t bite. Isn’t that right, sir? ━ You sent him a polite smile as you tried to comfort the petrified girl. Your hand caressing her golden locks.

But he was speechless at the moment. He couldn’t form a simple sentence. A fucking grown ass man. “So fucking pathetic”, he thought to himself. Your lips twisting into a wide smile for him. It wouldn’t be easy for him to erase that sight from his memory. König would have trouble falling asleep that night, thinking of you.

A/N: ♪ Two big guys and they grab on my thighs ♪

[larriescompass]

ways to dispel gay rumors, according to louis tomlinson and harry styles:

1. write a love song, and include the place where you and your enemy lived together.

2. constantly walk away from your at the time girlfriend of nine years.

3. struggle to hold hands with and kiss your at the time girlfriend of several years.

4. repeatedly say ‘no’ when asked if you and your girlfriend are engaged.

5. but do say, ‘it’s confidential, but we’re already engaged,’ when asked when you are gonna propose to your best mate.

6. say you have a crush on your best mate, and that you’ve discussed it and say that it’s mutual.

7. when asked if the rumor is true, smile fondly and say yes.

8. when your best mate is talking about finding someone they would want to date, cough really obviously and loudly.

9. choose to play a song on your tour, where the first word has major involvement with the rumor.

10. when asked about the rumor, turn into a horse.

11. deny the rumor while emphasizing the word ‘obviously’ and MAKE SURE to be very sarcastic.

12. dress up rainbow bears on stage that represent gay artists.

13. dress up said rainbow bears in wedding outfits on stage with a picture positioned in front of it of a man named larry, while signing the photo with the words “love, larry.”

14. when you see something involving the rumor, give it a thumbs up!

15. get matching tattoos.

16. go to amsterdam with your wonderful girlfriend at the time, then come back and write a song where the first line is, “i went to amsterdam without you,”

17. having to adjust your pants because your best mate’s shirt popped open.

18. when your “mate” asks to give you a blowjob, respond with “i’d love it, if you’d just wait.”

19. when asked about your favorite traits in a female, say “not that important” about the person being a female.

20. look depressed whenever someone mentions your child.

21. cover a song where the main objective of the song is to be the girl just so you could be with the guy.

22. get a tattoo that you know people will link to the person involving the rumor.

23. dress up as queer idols for halloween.

24. go to gay bars.

25. bring your girlfriends to gay bars.

26. cook a meal for your girlfriend even though you didn’t even know her when you cooked it, and she was vegan at that time.

27. make a dopey fonding face while you’re staring at your best mate.

28. sexually tease each other on stage.

29. while your best mate is hyping himself up and says while referring to himself, “that’s just sex on legs,” agree and say, “yeah it is,” while giving him love eyes.

30. at your solo concert, point to a replica of the rainbow bear in the crowd that you and your best mate dressed up on stage.

31. change the lyrics of your song from “i love it” to “i love him.”

32. you must wear a vintage umbro t shirt that is very rare, and make sure to have your best mate show up wearing the same vintage rare umbro shirt just a few months later.

33. go completely MIA while your best mate has his off season, and pop back up in public when he goes back on tour.

34. host your own festival and have an artist with a song named “you’re not harry styles” perform during it.

35. consistently use colored lights that are heavily associated with the rumor during your concerts.

36. use art of your “totally platonic” friend’s tattoo for the spotify background of one of your songs.

37. do a photoshoot with clothes from a gay clothing brand that dates back to the fifties.

38. go to the same euros game and make sure to be seen in the same room together.

39. bite your best mate’s back after you deny the gay rumors.

40. look at your best mate and sing “i’m in love with lou, and all his little things” in a totally normal and platonic way.

[baldval]

Hi! I hope you had a good weekend! Can you do a Husk confession oneshot?

PURRING!₊˚⊹♡

characters: husk x gn!reader

wc: 761

warnings: mentions of alcohol

a/n: it might technically not be a 'confession' but it's something of the sort. genuinely love Husk and love this request <3

"You don’t happen to have any alcohol on you, do you?" Husk asked.

He had been your very first visitor since you had been brought to the hotel's 'nursery' (if you could call it that) after getting wounded during the battle against the angels.

You considered Husk a friend, of sorts…though you two didn’t get along very well when you first met.

You smiled gently when you realised Husk was, once again, here to visit you.

"You think I’d be able to smuggle something like that in?"

"You’d be surprised." He said, in a matter-of-fact tone. "Soooo... are ya feeling any better?" He asked, now stepping into your room.

"Better than yesterday, yes." You shook your head. "I don't know if i'm 'being able to walk' better though."

Husk chuckled amused at your words as he sat in a nearby chair. "I really hope you get better soon." He said, in a much kinder tone than that of how he spoke to you before. He didn't seem like the type to care about other people's welfare - but he has been much more attentive to you since the battle.

"Since when have you started being so nice?" you asked teasingly.

He shrugged, raising an eyebrow as if he just found your question confusing. "You're not in a condition to be picking fights, are you?"

You scoffed.

His yellow eyes scanned your face until they met yours, resting his gaze in your eyes.

"Besides..." He continued. "I've always been nice. To you."

You chuckled at his comment. "No, you haven't. We hated eachother when we first met, don't you remember."

"Yeah well but that was simply because you used to be pretty annoying." He said and you opened your eyes pretending to feel offended.

"Perhaps I was not annoying but you were an asshole?" He laughs at your words.

Like genuinely laugh.

And, honestly, that just fills you with a certain warmth that you can only associate with him.

"I wanted to smack you in the face the first time we met" he said, between chuckles.

"And I would've loved every second of it," You said, a smirk on your face appearing as he rolled his eyes.

A moment of silence in which all you two could do was stare at each other.

It wasn't uncomfortable, quite the opposite.

You think you've never felt more comfortable.

"husk, can i- can i ask you something?" he nodded. "could I- I mean, only if you want... but I've always wondered how it feels- your wings." Husk looked confused.

"Umm... can I touch your wings? Maybe?"

"Oh! Uh... yea of course. I mean, I don't see why not" He was nervous, you noticed how his gazed was directed to the floor. Trying (and failing) to hide the redness that had crept in his cheeks.

Gasping at the velvety texture, you ran your fingers along the crimson bend of the cat's wing. You felt Husk shiver behind you, breath hitching quietly.

A low rumbling caught your attention. You paused, face scrunching in confusion. Why was Husk vibrating?

"Husky, are you purring?!" you said as you sat up and practically squealed, eyes gleaming with delight.

Husk tried to avoid your eyes and coughed. Shit shit shit. How could he cover this up? How had he managed to reveal more of his annoying cat habits? He struggled to grasp at a believable excuse before giving in.

"Yeah. Laugh all you like," he murmured, tone the same but gaze turning more unreadable, "Fuckin' hate being a cat." The last part was barely audible as he faced further away.

You frowned, placing a delicate hand on the gambler's cheek. "Husk, I think it's sweet."

The bartender searched your gaze for a hint of sarcasm or lying and found nothing. He smiled warmly, the purring starting louder this time. You smiled and leaned your head on Husk's shoulder, nervously entwining your hands.

Husk took a deep breath. It was now or never. He'd spent days thinking about this; hell, it might''ve been months.

He grabbed your face with his fingers delicately. You looked him in the eyes, which where looking straight at your lips.

A few seconds later, Husk's brain caught up and he wrapped his arms around your waist, unable to prevent the affectionate grin spreading across his face.

Your heart leapt into your throat as Husk leant closer, eyes heavy with something deep that you were trying to understand. He gulped.

"Can I kiss-?"

Before he could finish, his question was answered as you closed the distance between you.

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

just out of curiosity – why do you like sukugo??

i've just never seen any of the accounts i follow/my mutuals celebrate this pairing so i'm really curious!

:))))))))) i smiled so wide getting this ask anon. PLS DON’T BE ALARMED just take my hand and let me tell you abt two deeply violent homoerotic men….

okay so when it comes to sukugo i just. ADORE their dynamic and relationship. it’s one of my favorites in the entire manga and i truly think akutami COOKED with it . not only the shinjuku fight itself (which is, ofc, what sold me on the ship) but also the foreshadowing beforehand!!! like sukuna telling gojo that he’ll be the first one he kills…. the two of them making the same kind of pose in their respective volume covers (vol. 4 & 14….. another parallel which is even more devastating when you remember that the number four is associated with death in japan)….. both of them being referred to as ”the strongest.”

i actually didn’t pick up on a lot of it until we got to shinjuku!! but i just think akutami teased at their importance to each other so well and so early on.

WITH THAT BEING SAID . their dynamic. their parallels. yes. they’re both the strongest and the most isolated and those two things are synonymous. it ties into one of the most central themes of jjk that equates absolute strenght to absolute solitude — it’s a kind of curse. a curse and a blessing. and they both have it.

the main difference is that gojo knows what it’s like to be understood and loved — but sukuna doesn’t. so he can’t feel lonely. he’s never known what it’s like to not be alone. but gojo has!!! gojo has felt love and felt what it’s like to be understood, and when geto died a part of him died too. he’ll always be lonely. he’s the loneliest character in the series. and when he looks at sukuna he sees the exact same isolation that’s plagued him since the moment he was born. so what does he do about it?

he tries to teach sukuna about love.

^ and THAT’S . the most delicious dynamic ever. i take no criticism. i’ll die on the hill that this concept and their dynamic is one of the absolute highlights of jjk. it’s so GOOD. it’s so insanely good. gojo wants to teach sukuna about love/cure him from his solitude by killing him. and vice versa. it’s inherently violent and inherently tender and it makes me INSANE. to me that’s the greatest appeal of sukugo!!!! violence as tenderness is a trope very near and dear to my heart (and also VERY frequently associated w queer subtext in media…. just putting that out there……) and they do it so good. they have a blast killing each other.

also i just NEED to say how much i love the ”teach you about love” line. it’s one of my favorites in the manga and akutami utilizes it so well!! he repeats it over and over as foreshadowing and to build up the sukugo dynamic. the final reveal that gojo is ”the one who will teach [sukuna] about love” made me weep (even though it was so obvious)…. it’s just so deeply. idk. it just says so much about gojo as a character :(( the fact that he wanted to teach sukuna about love. i’ve seen some people who think that part is ooc but i disagree completely!! gojo has never concerned himself w the morals of others. not really. toji kills riko but gojo still has a respect for him and allows him to say his final words. he never hated geto despite his crimes. he supports yuji fully no matter how many people die because of him. etcetc. same with all his students.

gojo looks at sukuna and sees someone who is just as alone as he is. so deeply, deeply alone. him wanting to change that is not ooc in the slighest because that’s quite literally what drives gojo as a character:

he’s just such a genuinely good person at his core. and it coexists with the way he sometimes disregards morality. this is a hot take but i genuinely think gojo’s character blossomed fully in his battle with sukuna….. i don’t see him as ooc in it at all. he genuinely wanted to reach sukuna!! he knew he was the only one who could even hope to do so. and he tried his best.

and, i would argue that he succeeded.

SEGWAY TIMEEEEEEEEE LET’S GO. okay so let’s talk abt one of my favorite panels in the jjk manga, the panel that solidified sukugo as one of my favorite pairings Of All Time:

(two diff translations bc i love them both :3)

THIS. wow. wow. wow. i could talk abt this panel alone for hours and hours but i’ll try to be coherent……

there’s just? so much meaning to be found here??? for both of them????? not only is it a fundamental moment for gojo — being praised and acknowledged and accepted as himself rather than the strongest — but it’s also proof that gojo did reach sukuna!!! he’ll remember him forever. sukuna will never fully be entirely isolated because even millenia into the future he’ll still remember gojo. gojo nestled his way into sukuna’s heart.

and that’s just . so romantic isn’t it???? so beautiful???????? this is the culmination of gojo’s efforts; the most genuine expression we’ve ever seen on sukuna’s face. he actually looks happy.

i cried seeing that panel btw 😭😭 not a joke!! i was already crying when i started chapter 236 bc i knew how it’d end but this panel (+ the one w geto cheering gojo on in his cult leader fit) made me SOB. not exaggerating. i’ve never cried so much reading a manga… T_T

so!!!! yeah. i just love sukugo. their dynamic is so interesting and beautiful and i can never get enough of it. sometimes i love it more than stsg… don’t tell geto that though……..

[shayshaybiscuit25]

I believe boundaries have to be established between said celeb and their fandom because honestly celebs don’t us a damn thing when it comes to their personal lives, not even regarding who they date or marry, BUT in this particular case since Chris and team attempted to use the fandom to sell whatever this bs is, HE was wrong. As time carried on the fandom began during the most, so there is no innocent party involved in this. No one should have any private info regarding when he purchased or sold a home, nor should anyone be using any bs info they received via anon to taunt the fandom with “marriage” information or claiming they know a BuA is coming.

As far as Chris, due to his MO being one thing and that MO being the very reason so many loved him, it was devastating to realize the possibility that it was all a lie due to his choice in partner. It’s one thing not to like who your fav marries, it’s a complete different story when they marry or associate with racists. THAT is the main issue here. Who the fuck is Chris Evans in real life? Because if this turns out to be real……fuck his and her and all associated with them.

Like I said …..before this mess he didn’t owe anyone a damn thing, but because of this mess he does owe an explanation or he should just rip the damn bandaid off and fully claim your racist ass wife so everyone can finally move on.

Due to him and this crap we had people DEFENDING racism, so yes this is personal because I as a black woman had to log in to see the very same idiots who once claimed it was pr yet are now screaming how this is real, post Justin posts showing the n-word. I told them to cover the word and these mofos refused to and claimed they were “advocating” against racism. 🙄 stupid fucks.

But yeah at this rate, I don’t care. Chris lost me when he claimed he got married so if this isn’t legit, he should have kept her ass as gf and then ended it when the racism came to light, yet he’s out here claiming her as his wife, with a damn disappearing ring and what not.

I’m mad I wasted my time thinking he was someone he clearly isn’t.

Real or fake, he doesn’t come out looking good either way.

Again if fake, he better get that Netflix documentary ready to expose the bs he was “forced” to do other than that, he’s shown true colors and it is what it is. I want her ass to post a wedding pic so everyone can be like ……okay so he’s cool with racism, fuck him, bye. ✌🏾

But due to not having 100% evidence of this being legit, I hesitate typing because as crazy as it sounds what if he’s actually in some deep shit he can’t get out of and we’re all right with speculation that this is pr, but then I think about how they always do something else and I get pissed again, so yeah I’m over this shitshow…..and I typed all of this to show that. 😂😅

I still care about his ass, but I want to know what’s really going on because this is too much and I just refuse to believe his entire persona was a lie especially since we all clearly see based on his actions, something is wrong. This man shows the world his love for Dodger yet acts like he hates the person he told the world is his “wife”.

Yeah, not falling for that shit. #PR100%

He should have done a lot of things and he still has a lot things to do. I really hope we can one day just collectively move on and focus on ourselves. Humanity is something else.

[steddieas-shegoes]

Chapter 16

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10 / Chapter 11 / Chapter 12 / Chapter 13 / Chapter 14 / Chapter 15

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

Eddie didn’t usually get nervous about meeting people. Even the few times he met parents, he didn’t really expect them to be a forever thing, so it didn’t really matter to him if he made a good impression.

But this was Steve. This was the person he was spending forever with. And despite his clearly complicated relationship with his parents, his mom seemed to mean something to him.

Steve explained their entire conversation on the way to his apartment, his old apartment, the one he hopefully wouldn’t move back into.

If it were up to Eddie, this temporary move to his house would be permanent, but he didn’t want to push. He knew Robin and Steve were close, and that Robin looking for a new roommate may take some time, that Steve wouldn’t want to just leave her with such little notice and no one to cover his half of the rent.

The closer they got to the apartment, the more nervous Eddie became.

Steve looked over at him when they stopped at a red light, brows furrowed in concern.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

“Nothing, my love,” he brushed it off, kept his face forward so he wouldn’t fall for the puppy dog eyes Steve gave him to get what he wanted.

“You know, my mom isn’t that bad. I don’t get along with her all the time, but she is definitely the lesser of two evils when it comes to my parents.”

“Mhm. Just wanna make sure you’re okay with everything.”

Steve was quiet for a moment, the soft tones of a song he didn’t recognize playing on the radio.

“You know it’s okay to be worried about yourself, Eds. I’m feeling…well, not great, but kind of positive about this? I know it could turn into nothing, but my mom is kind of relentless when she’s set on something and it doesn’t sound like she’s gonna give up until I have my job back.”

Steve’s hand settled on Eddie’s knee, providing him a comfort he didn’t realize he needed.

Eddie often found comfort in putting others’ needs first, that’s what made him a good dom, a good friend, a good person. But even he needed to take a break from that sometimes. He knew it, he just didn’t actually do it.

“I’m mostly worried about you, but I am a little worried about meeting your mom. There, is that better?” Eddie asked with a small smile.

“Yes. She always comes off scarier than she is. All yip, no bite, or whatever the saying is,” Steve said confidently.

Eddie loved him. God, he loved him so much.

He watched as Steve bobbed his head along to the music, his hand remaining on Eddie’s knee and tapping his fingers, though he was completely off beat.

Eddie loved him so much, it felt like a part of him was always going to hear Steve’s name and associate it with comfort and home.

Steve pulled into his usual parking spot, sighing as he parked.

“Just don’t take any offense to what she says. She has no filter and forgets that people have feelings. I barely listen to anything she says anymore.”

Steve sounded nervous suddenly, maybe even more than Eddie had been on the way here.

Eddie turned, cupped his face in his hands, and kissed his nose.

“I’m here to support you, protect you. I want her to help you. I don’t care if she likes me or is rude to me, it’s about you being happy.”

“Eds, I don’t want her to upset you. Please just don’t let her scare you away.”

“Sunshine, I’m not goin’ anywhere, especially not because of your mom being a little mean to me. Your my home, and I’m yours, right?”

He felt Steve relax into his hands, a fond smile taking over his face.

“Yeah, baby, you are.”

“Then let’s go see your mom.”

—----------------------------------------

Robin was standing at the front door as soon as he opened it, her eyes begging him to do literally anything to help.

He almost laughed.

Almost.

But then he heard his mother, presumably on the phone with someone, and he decided he probably should be easy on her.

“Who’s she talking to?”

“It’s been someone new every five minutes since she got off the phone with you. I think this one is your father, but I’m not sure because she talks to everyone the exact same, which is like they are specks of dirt on the bottom of her shoe.” Robin rolled her eyes and turned to Eddie with a smile. “Hi, Eddie.”

“Hi, Robbie. Gonna make it?”

“Hard to say. I hope so.”

They gave each other quick hugs, an exchange of wordless support, and Eddie felt a bit better. If Robin could handle Steve’s mom, he certainly could.

“Richard, I don’t give a shit and a half if you think I’m babying him. He’s our son. He didn’t do anything wrong and he’s being punished. Our job is to help people who don’t do anything wrong and are being punished. I’ll be better off without your help, but I refuse to let you make empty threats at me or him.”

“You guys stay here,” Steve muttered, making his way into the kitchen to talk to his mom.

“I have to go. You can go fuck yourself or the newest woman who has to fake it through a few minutes in bed with you to get a new diamond bracelet.”

Anne Harrington did not fuck around. Steve could admit to himself that it was probably the best part about her.

“Oh, good, you’re home. I’ve contacted the school to let them know any future interviews involving you will also have me present. Any paperwork sent to you or requiring a signature will be reviewed by me first. I’ve already been sent the paperwork you signed, which will not hold up in court because all parties involved in the case are supposed to sign it and only you signed it. You work for a school system that doesn’t seem to understand basic law, which is concerning since they’re opening themselves up to a hell of a lawsuit.”

“It’s nice to see you, Mom.”

Anne sighed, releasing the weight of the world from her shoulders, and pulled him into a hug.

They were never a touchy family, not even when Steve was a small child. But every once in a while, usually during the most stressful times, his mom would pull him into a hug that actually felt like the type of hug a mother would give her kid.

“What a pickle this is,” she said against his shoulder, a solid six inches shorter than him, but always bigger than her body when she spoke.

“I know. Thanks for helping.”

“No need to thank me, it’s gonna be easy to handle. Now! Where’s the boyfriend?”

“Uh. With Robin.”

“Let’s go get this out of the way, then,” she said as she pulled away from him, her face back to the stern look he’d walked in on.

“Just be easy, please. He-”

“Steven, I know what it looks like when you’re happy. I know I rarely was around to see it, but it’s easy to see the glow, even with all this stress happening around you. He makes you feel loved?”

“Every second of every day.”

“Then he won’t have to worry about me unless that changes,” she said as she walked out to the living room.

Anne walked up to Eddie, his eyes wide as he took her in.

“Edward Munson. Nice to meet you. I’m Anne Harrington. I am certain I like you just fine, but let’s get right to it: my son is all that matters to me right now and if you get in his way of getting his job back or me doing my job, you will never step foot near him again, understood?”

Steve rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help the blush creeping across his cheeks. His mom had never been this protective of him, not even in high school when one of his friends tried to drag him into a legal issue with another basketball player.

“And if I ever get in the way of his happiness and future, I hope you would do whatever you can to protect him,” Eddie responded.

Anne studied him for a moment, looking him up and down and trying to figure out what her response should be.

She nodded once, turned to Steve, gave him a wink, and then looked back at Eddie.

“Let’s get Steve his job back.”

—----------------------------------------

The next three days were endless meetings with his mom, the school, and the school board.

Steve was instructed not to open his mouth except to give the same answers he’d already given, let Anne do most of the talking otherwise, keep his head up and appear confident that he’d done the right thing.

He had done the right thing, so it was easy to do.

Every moment he got with Eddie was special, his mom taking the guest room of the house and making it difficult for them to have any time alone.

But they still stole away in the evenings, when his mom decided to take a break from everything and shower and read her book for a bit. Eddie and Steve would take a bath together, Eddie washing Steve, Steve washing Eddie, touching every inch of each other with reverence as they silenced the moans with their mouths.

It wasn’t enough, but it would have to do for a while.

Steve cooked them breakfast every morning, Eddie wrapped his arms around his waist and rocked side to side, humming a song Steve didn’t know.

Eddie went to the shop while Steve stayed home and made sure his mom had everything she needed to do her job. He would bring Eddie a late lunch to take a break, and his mom would often go find a restaurant she deemed tolerable so she could enjoy a “decent salad, nobody makes a decent salad anymore, Steven.”

By the time dinner came around, Steve was feeling too much, and he had no way to feel better about it until Eddie got home.

Eddie would just know.

He’d pull him against his chest, run his hands up and down his back for a minute, then tug on his hair just right, just the way Steve craved.

It wasn’t enough to float, not even enough to drift a bit on the edge, but it was enough to make him feel like Eddie knew what he needed and would help as soon as he could.

“Your mom in the kitchen?” Eddie whispered against his head.

“Mhm.”

“She okay?”

“Yeah. Said we should be hearing anytime now about everything.”

“Did you talk about her treatments yet?”

Steve shook his head against Eddie’s chest.

“She doesn’t want to?”

Steve shook his head again.

“Want me to ask?”

“No. I just want you to be here with me when I do. Is that okay?”

“Of course it is, sunshine,” Eddie kissed the top of his head and pulled away so he could head into the kitchen to start making dinner.

It was smooth, or at least as smooth as it could be with an extra person in the house who was toeing the line between welcome and nuisance.

Eddie was making steak salad tonight, at his mom’s request, because he was incredible and a small part of Steve loved seeing that Eddie was doing whatever it took to keep her happy, to keep the peace between them.

“Hi, Anne. How’s today been?” Eddie asked as he moved towards the fridge to pull everything out to start prepping.

“It’s been another day, Edward. How was your day?”

“Had another first tattoo today. Those are always interesting,” he sent a knowing look to Steve, who was shaking his head slowly.

“Oh? Do you get them often?”

“Honestly, no. Steve was my first first in a while. This was a friend of a friend who only trusted me to do it.”

Steve froze.

Somehow, Steve had managed to hide his tattoos from his mom the entire time. He’d been wearing Eddie’s hoodies around the house and long sleeve shirts and blazers or jackets for the meetings.

Eddie must have realized what happened as he turned to see Anne’s eyes searching Steve’s visible skin.

“You have a tattoo?”

“I have two.”

“Steven, tattoos aren’t very professional for your line of work.”

Eddie was standing at attention now, ready to step in the moment Steve needed him, but waiting for a signal of any kind.

“I got them in places that can be hidden. You haven’t seen them the entire time.”

“What could you possibly have gotten tattooed?”

“Will made me a sun painting and I decided I wanted it as a tattoo. Eddie did it on my wrist. Then I got a robin done.”

“This is the Will that you helped?”

“Yes.”

“Can I see?”

Her voice was much gentler now, almost too kind compared to what Steve was used to when she was disappointed in him.

Steve rolled the sleeve of his hoodie up, holding it out towards his mom as she sat at the table.

She took his wrist and turned it back and forth as she looked at the sun.

“He’s quite talented,” she said softly.

“He is.”

“I’m proud of you, Steve.”

Steve’s heart stopped, his eyes widened, and he felt his eyes flood with tears.

His parents had never said that to him, not when he made the varsity basketball team a year earlier than most people do, not when they won a championship, not when he made swim team captain as a junior, not when he graduated high school, not ever.

He’d stopped expecting to hear it eventually, especially when he’d cut himself off from them.

But some part of him, probably his inner child who had craved hearing those words for his entire life, felt incredibly overwhelmed at the way his mother was looking at him with tears in her eyes.

He distantly heard Eddie walk out of the room, and he struggled with the combination of feelings of relief and anxiety knowing that he wasn’t right there.

“I’m sorry I don’t tell you more, or ever, I guess. I know you’ve deserved to hear it so much. I guess-” she took a shaky breath. “I guess it was easier for me to pretend I wasn’t proud because I had no hand in your accomplishments. It was selfish of me to think that way, and I know that no amount of apologies will make up for it, but I let my job and your father dictate my entire life to the point that I forgot my son needed me.”

“Mom-”

“Let me finish first, please,” she held her hand up to stop him. “As I’ve been working on this entire situation, I’ve read through the interviews the school board conducted with Will, with his mom, with his brother, with other students, with the principal. Everyone loves you, everyone is on your side. Your own principal said the school would never be the same if you weren’t given another chance, that they would never find anyone as valuable as you are. The place I went to lunch the other day saw my last name and asked if I was related to you, and when I told them I was your mom, they gave me lunch for free because you helped the owner rebuild his shed when a snowstorm collapsed the roof last winter. And Eddie. Honey, that boy looks at you like you’re his sun. I cannot believe you’ve only been together a couple weeks. I don’t think I’ve ever felt the way you two feel about each other. Robin wanted to kill me when I walked into your apartment, and I assume it’s because she knows I haven’t ever been a good mom to you, and she’s right for wanting to protect you like that. I was never around to protect you, and probably caused more pain than anything, and I will spend as much time as it takes to try to make up for it.”

Steve was crying, the tears running down his face, soaking his hoodie, his vision so blurry he could barely even see that his mother was crying, too.

She stood up and pulled him against her, her head resting against his shoulder, his head resting against the top of her head.

“Honey, I’m so sorry,” she sobbed into his hoodie, her voice muffled but still audible.

“Why wasn’t I enough to be proud of?” Steve asked, his voice breaking.

“Oh, darling, you were. I promise you were. This isn’t anything you did wrong, or didn’t do well enough, this is all me failing you. You deserved to know I was proud of you, but I didn’t stop to think about how much not telling you would hurt you. That was my fault, not yours., you understand?”

Steve nodded, letting out another sob.

Suddenly, Eddie’s hand was on his lower back, and Steve’s body instantly relaxed.

“Sorry to interrupt, but your phone keeps ringing, and I figured it must be important if they keep trying,” Eddie said quietly, softly, the gentlest interruption he could possibly have made to their moment.

Steve pulled away sniffling, wiping his eyes as his mother did the same.

He reached for his phone, a new set of vibrations alerting him to another phone call.

“Hello?” Steve answered, hoping his voice didn’t give away the emotions of the last 15 minutes.

“Mr. Harrington, so sorry to keep calling like this, but I wanted to make sure to reach you before the school board official called.”

Principal Graves’ voice sounded excited, barely containing something that Steve hoped was good news.

“Is everything okay?”

“They’re going to be calling with the scheduled hearing for all parties involved today. They only do this when they’re pretty sure about reinstating someone, so I have a very good feeling you’ll be coming back to work within the next week.”

Steve started crying again.

Eddie and his mom looked at him concerned, but he gave them a wet smile to show that he was okay.

“I’ll get to talk to Will there?”

“This is why you’re the only person qualified for this job. The person filling in for you doesn’t believe in weekly sessions with students, says it causes students to become too attached to the counselor and services. I can’t wait to see her go. You didn’t hear that from me though.”

Steve let out a laugh, his tears finally slowing down, and his head falling to rest on Eddie’s shoulder.

“I miss my kids,” Steve admitted, closing his eyes when Eddie’s hand rubbed up and down his back comfortingly.

“They miss you. We all do. We owe a lot to your mother for how quickly this has turned in your favor. This could have gone on for another month at the rate they wanted to do things. She’s an impressive woman.”

Steve watched as his mother sat back down at the table to write something down in her notes with a smile.

“Yeah, she is.”

He wrapped up the call so he could be available for the school board call, thanking the principal multiple times for her help. He knew she struggled with filing a report at all, that she was only doing her job.

When he hung up, he explained everything to Eddie and his mom, getting interrupted halfway through by a kiss from Eddie, their teeth clacking together because of the broad smiles on both their faces.

When the call from the school board came through, Steve was sitting on the couch while Eddie prepared dinner in the kitchen, having a casual conversation with his mom while she worked at the dining room table.

On Monday, his entire future would be decided, and hopefully, he’d be back in his office to make a difference.

—------------------------------

When Monday came, Robin and Chrissy met Eddie and Steve at the school board office an hour early.

“Your mom coming?”

“She had a phone call with her doctor this morning so she should be here soon,” Steve said.

They’d talked over dinner a few nights before about her treatments, and how she had been putting it off for work, but also putting it off because she was scared. Steve told her she had to take care of herself, that her health needed to take priority, and if she needed to have support through it, he would be there.

Eddie took it a step further, and offered her the guest room during her treatments so she didn’t have to be alone.

Steve loved him so much.

“Should we wait inside?” Chrissy asked, holding onto Robin’s hand.

“You guys go in. I just wanna talk to Steve for a second,” Eddie said, wrapping his arm around Steve’s waist.

Chrissy smirked, but didn’t say anything as she guided Robin inside.

Steve turned to Eddie, nervous smile on his face.

“What is it, baby?”

“I just wanted to say that no matter what, I’m in this with you. We’ll figure it out if things don’t go as planned, and nothing with us is going to change. You’re an incredible person and counselor, sunshine, and if they can’t see that, they don’t deserve you,” Eddie pecked his lips quickly to emphasize his words.

“Thank you, Eds. I love you.”

“I love you, sweetheart.”

With one more quick kiss, they parted, and made their way inside to find the room the hearing would take place in.

When they found it, the Byers were already there, and Will looked ready to vibrate out of his seat when he noticed Steve walk in.

He looked to Joyce, silently begging for permission to go to Steve. When she nodded with a smile, Will shot up out of his seat, nearly tripping on his own feet to run towards him.

Steve nearly fell backwards with the force of the hug, Will’s arms wrapping around him as he let out a sob. Eddie held them both up as Steve found his balance again, smiling down at them.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything to anyone. Mom’s trying to put together a fund for you so you can still pay your bills and Jonathan booked a show and the band is gonna give up their money from it to help you. And I made you a painting, but I couldn’t give it to you because Mom said it would possibly be worse if we tried to talk to you while they did everything. And I hate the new counselor, she’s terrible. She said if I need weekly services I should see a therapist and didn’t understand that we can’t afford one, that’s why I talk to you, but she just kept saying there are ‘resources for people in poverty’ which, we know, but they’re terrible and there’s a long wait list or else I would have already tried and-”

“Woah, buddy. Take a deep breath.” Steve helped him take a couple deep breaths and smiled down at Will. “It’s gonna be okay. Even if today doesn’t go well, I can still help you somehow. And you don’t have to worry about the money, you guys are amazing, but I’m doing fine.”

“Mom brought you a check already today. You can’t leave without it.”

Steve shook his head.

“Keep it. Use it for art supplies or something. I’ve got my bills paid and if today goes well, I’ll be back to work very soon.”

Will looked like he wanted to continue to argue, but Anne walked in, followed by Principal Graves and a few school board officials that Steve recognized as the interviewers for the case.

“You must be Will,” Anne said as she walked up to them.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Oh, don’t do that. I fear I’m looking much older than I wish to these days and that doesn’t help. I’m Mr. Harrington’s mom, Anne.”

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Anne.”

“You’re an outstanding artist, Will. I’d love to commission you for a piece for my office when you are done with school for the year.”

Will’s jaw dropped, and Steve couldn’t help the little giggle he let out.

His mother had only told him about that plan the day before, and he wholeheartedly agreed with it.

“Like, for money?”

“Of course. We’ll discuss it more when we get past this little bump in the road, okay?”

Will nodded, his mouth still open in shock.

“Attention everyone, please take your seats so we may begin,” a loud, deep voice echoed through the room.

Everyone followed instructions quickly, silent agreement that this needed to be over with as soon as possible.

Steve was nervous. He’d done okay up until this point, relying on his mom to explain technical things to him and Eddie to help him stay grounded and relaxed as much as possible.

But neither of them could do that now. Now, it was up to everyone at the front of the room to make a decision, a decision they probably already made, that would determine if Steve left here with a job or without one.

“As all of you know, I am the lead official investigator for this case, Mr. Hammond. We have spent many days conducting individual interviews with all parties present, as well as group interviews and other individual interviews with students and teachers at the school. We are here today to allow both sides to state anything they may have left out during interviews before we make our final recommendation on Mr. Harrington’s employment.” He cleared his throat before turning to look at Joyce and Will. “We will begin with you both. You are not required to add anything, but if you feel there is anything else you’d like to say, now is your chance.”

Will stood up immediately.

“I’d like to say something, please.”

The group in front nodded.

“Mr. H has been the best thing about school for me. He’s helped me really feel comfortable with myself, and helped me make new friends, and helped me understand that my art can be special to me and can provide a future for me if I try hard enough. No other counselor or teacher has ever been there like he has. My grades have suffered since he was sent home,” he sighed. Steve didn’t know that, and he felt anger rise up as he thought of the counselor in his place turning Will away while he struggled. “I haven’t been able to focus on my portfolio. I get encouragement from my mom, but she works hard and sometimes it’s just nice for someone who isn’t related to me to offer their support. Mr. H was that support for me, and no matter what decision you make today, I know he will do his best to still give it to me in whatever way he can.”

“Thank you, Will.” A woman next to Mr. Hammond gave him a smile. “Anything else?”

“No, thank you.”

Will sat down and Joyce hugged him, whispering something into his ear that no one could hear.

“Mr. Harrington, now is your chance to speak. You may say anything you wish to discuss your actions.”

Steve looked at Anne, who nodded at him encouragingly. They’d agreed the day before that she would only step in if things got ugly, and it seemed calm enough that he could speak on his own.

“Thank you,” he said as he stood. “I believe I spoke a lot during my interviews about how much my students, not just Will, mean to me. I got into this profession because I want to be a support for kids who may not always have it. That isn’t to say Ms. Byers doesn’t support him, but she’s a hardworking single mom, and it does take a village to raise a child, as we all know. When I first met Will, he barely spoke to anyone, he was barely passing his classes, and he was on his way to being a statistic that doesn’t look good for the community, the school, or himself. After a few sessions, he started opening up a bit more to me, and I saw a major improvement in his grades. He started making friends, he started becoming more involved in school activities like art club, and even got encouraged to apply for an elite art program. As you all are aware, his mother barely makes enough money to pay the necessary bills, and an art program like the one Will deserves to be a part of requires a lot of funding just to apply. He came to me as a trusted person to ask for help, which is something we encourage all students to do without fear of punishment. Instead of that happening, he was punished. I was punished as well, and trust me, it’s been difficult, but this entire time, I’ve been worried more about the impact this will have on Will.”

Steve looked over at Will, who was wiping tears from his face.

“My boyfriend Eddie was the one offering financial assistance. If you remember, he knew the Byers before we were even together. He knows what Will is capable of and didn’t want him to lose out on a big opportunity for his future because of a couple hundred dollars. I supported them because Will deserves it. If our job is to care for these kids, and make sure they have bright futures, then that’s what we did. Punishing any of us for it seems like the opposite of what our mission is. It’s been a privilege to be able to provide Will, and many other students, a safe place to be themselves, and I hope to continue to do that in this school.”

Steve sat down before anyone responded, his mom squeezing his shoulder and Eddie taking his hand.

“Thank you, Mr. Harrington. If you would give us all a few minutes to deliberate in the other room, we will be back shortly,” Mr. Hammond said seriously.

As they filed out, Steve’s nerves grew exponentially.

His legs were bouncing up and down until Eddie’s hands were on his knees, putting pressure on them to keep them still.

“Look at me, Stevie. That’s it, good boy,” Eddie whispered to him. Anne was busy speaking with Joyce and Will, so they were practically alone. “You did amazing. They’d be idiots not to reinstate you. If you’re not back in your office tomorrow, I’ll move us to another school district so you can find a new job. Will can come, too.”

Steve let out a small giggle at the thought of moving their entire lives just so he could have another chance to be a counselor somewhere.

“Everyone here knows you did the right thing. That’s what matters most. We’re all proud of you.”

Steve nodded.

He looked behind him at Robin and Chrissy, who both waved when he looked back, their hands still clasped between them.

He sat silently for a few minutes, looking down at his lap, trying to believe Eddie’s words, but not get his hopes up too much in case things went badly.

The door opened.

The group walked in.

No one’s face gave anything away.

Steve’s nerves grew, but Eddie’s hand in his kept him here.

“Thank you for your patience,” Mr. Hammond stated. “At this time, will Mr. Harrington please stand?”

Steve stood, his legs wobbling slightly as he let go of Eddie’s hand.

He felt every eye on him.

“Mr. Harrington, you understand that this has all been following a very strict policy in regards to confidentiality and personal relationships with students?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You understand it was our responsibility to fully investigate all claims made to ensure the safety of the student in question?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You understand that reinstatement of your position will still show this investigation on your record?”

Steve heard Will cheering before he truly registered what was being said.

“I’m sorry?”

Mr. Hammond smirked. The rest of the group was smiling at him.

“You’ve been reinstated as of today. You may resume your position as guidance counselor as early as tomorrow. Please keep in mind any future claims will require an immediate suspension of duties. Please stay here while the paperwork is drawn up for signatures. Thank you all for your cooperation.” Mr. Hammond turned to Will. “And good luck to you, Will. Your art is quite spectacular and deserves a place in that art program.”

“Thank you!” Will said, maybe a bit too loudly for the location and occasion, but it just made everyone let out laughs at his excitement.

Eddie was suddenly pulling him into his arms, kissing the top of his head and saying so many lovely things that Steve could barely hear.

“You’re incredible, oh my God, I’m so happy for you,” he whispered into his ear before Anne got in between them.

“Let me hug my son!” She said half-jokingly. Eddie let him go so he could be enveloped in his mom’s arms. “I’m so proud of you, honey. I knew you’d be fine.”

“Probably not without you,” Steve admitted.

“Maybe, maybe not. Important thing is you get to go back to work and make a difference for these kids, right?”

He nodded and then got wrapped up in Robin’s arms.

“You did it dingus! You get to be back with the rugrats!” She was bouncing up and down, making the hug a bit awkward, but Steve was used to her energy.

“Congrats, Steve. I’m so happy for you,” Chrissy added from behind her.

Steve felt loved.

So many people came to support him, to show him that no matter what decision was made, they were on his side. That he mattered.

But he didn’t really start crying until Will was hugging him again, thanking him over and over again for being the best and for not giving up and for caring so much.

He let Will sit next to him while he signed all the paperwork, his mom reviewing everything before he did so.

Will was telling him all about the piece he started working on in art club, and how he thought it was good enough for his portfolio, but kind of wanted to get his opinion first. Steve listened, unable to stop smiling at his excitement.

It was contagious, the excitement.

Everyone in the room seemed to feel it, all of them practically bouncing in place as they waited for Steve to finish.

When he did, Anne took everyone out to a celebratory brunch, bribed Joyce to keep Will out of school for the whole day with the promise of the best mimosas she’s ever had.

As Steve rode home after in the passenger seat of Eddie’s car, he looked down at his sun tattoo.

Somehow, despite every cloud in the way, he was still shining.

“You okay, sunshine?” Eddie was looking over at him out of the corner of his eye, a smile pretty much permanently plastered on his face since the decision was made.

“I’m perfect,” he replied.

He’d never been perfect before. He’d never thought perfect was attainable.

But perfect to him wasn’t the lack of problems or imperfections, it was knowing that even with them, he was happy.

He felt bright. He felt warm. And with Eddie next to him, he felt like the sun.

epilogue

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[ryuichirou]

Replies

Also shorter ones today… mostly related to our previous replies and posts!

Anonymous asked:

After seeing Eel Floyd with Riddle

AND THOSE BITE MARKS 👀👀👀👀

I gotta know -

Did Floyd slip and slide in Riddle?

Or

Also

Did Riddle magically goldfish form and the two had merman sex???

Honestly I wasn’t thinking about Riddle also becoming a merman, but they absolutely have to have merman sex at some point, otherwise it just isn’t fair (to me) lol

And to answer your first question, yes, there might have been some slipping and sliding in Riddle involved~

Anonymous asked:

re: the gaslighting Jade ask. I randomly stumbled on your blog from other ones, and I literally blocked you because shroudcest triggers me. Ultimately, we are responsible for our own safety. As long as it’s properly marked for (which yours clearly is since I blocked you the second I made a tumblr), really all we can do is filter the things that hurt us out.

(im agreeing with you btw. draw what you want i cant stop you. just feel like i in particular make a point worth mentioning from seeing that. you can answer this or not bc obviously i probably wont see it anyway)

Anon! Whether you see this reply or not, thank you very much for writing this despite having us blocked lol

You really are making a good point, and I am glad that you are taking care of yourself and avoiding uncomfortable stuff. I really encourage it. Thank you for understanding and for approaching this issue with respect.

Have a good day.

Anonymous asked:

Gaslighting IS Jade’s love language. Also mushrooms.

Facts, Anon <3 He doesn’t waste his gaslighting and mushrooms on those he doesn’t find entertaining love!

Anonymous asked:

Honestly I can totally see Cater as the kind of guy that now and then buys a random manga just because the cover looks aesthetically pleasing, although if they are BL they are probably more oriented towards shonen-ai than explicit content. But also he wouldn't really read them because he finds the stories and characters a bit ridiculous (is he a bitter anti-romantic? or maybe his sisters used to collect shojo manga and he associates the love story genre with them?). I bet when he had roommates he had fun leaving one of his manga lying around, just to see people's reaction and go "aw, shoot, you saw it? that's sooo embarassing..." or something like that

To be honest, I can see that too. Cater seems like someone who isn’t all that into anime and manga, but is aware of it enough to recognise that the cover is pretty and that there is something gay inside (he might figure out the latter thing later as he looks inside the book lol). His sisters really could be into it though, so I can see him having certain associations.

lol Cater’s roommates “finding” his manga though… Don’t act so coy, Cater 😭

Anonymous asked:

Goddammit! Idia, you cannot escape me for long, one way or another, your chest will be licked! *shakes fist at the sky*

I love how this is turning into a Looney Tunes cartoon…

Anonymous asked:

Idia doesn’t have nipples. He accidentally shaved them off. Tragic 😔 L in the chat for his nipples.

Damn. I’m afraid I have bad news for the previous Anon.

Anonymous asked:

Do you have any HCs for Neige and/or Chenya?

We do have HCs about Neige/Vil and Chenya/Riddle (1,2)!

Anonymous asked:

It is I, 🐩 anon,

So I got a friend into twst and tell me why her favorite character is goddamn Crowley? I'm currently trying to convert her to Divus supremacy. Enough about this. Let me ask my silly little question.

Is there anything about TWST's story plot that you dislike or wished it was worked on more? Or character you wish were more fleshed out? 

Your friend has quite the taste… She is probably a genius of sorts 😔🙏

I feel like I was pretty vocal about it, so I am sorry for talking about it again, but I really didn’t enjoy how Ch2 was handled and Leona in general, to be honest. I wrote a post about my grievances a whole year ago, but my stance didn’t really change. We’ve rewatched the majority of the main story since then, and I thought that maybe with fresh minds and fresh eyes we would enjoy Leona at least to some degree, but unfortunately it didn’t really help. The events don’t really help either…

There might be some other things, but this is the one I think about every time when we talk about the flaws of TWST writing.

Anonymous asked:

what is your notp?

A bunch of Leona ships come to mind, i.e. Leona/Malleus, Leona/Vil, Leona/Idia 🤔 But also a bunch of Trey ships, like Trey/Jade or Rook/Trey…

Anonymous asked:

if you had to go on a date with one of the twst boys who are you picking? i'm picking idia

Idia is a great option, Anon; he would be so uncomfortable and awkward, getting nervous about the smallest inconveniences and whispering “thank god” every time you don’t force him to do something… I would pick him to, but my second option would be Jamil. I think he’s pretty chill.

Katsu would've picked Jade because of course, this is the best pick.

Anonymous asked:

any old fandoms that you feel out of love with?

Can’t think of any, Anon… I feel like we never fall completely out of love with anything, just move on, but there is always an opportunity that we’ll come back at some point. Things like Homestuck are still on our minds constantly lol

There are some titles that we kind of started watching, but then stopped because it wasn’t fully out yet, and since then we kind of lost interest for this thing. And with some of these titles it’s very unlikely that we’ll ever go back, but it’s never 1000% impossible. But then again, it’s not like we loved these titles…

Anonymous asked:

Funfact: The crowley that crowley is named after used to perform sex based magic with men

Damn I hope this is what our Crowley also does. This is his dark secret that is very poorly hidden

Anonymous asked:

I think Riddle would be a really good teacher's pet

Oh he would <3 He is a teacher’s pet.

Ironically, I feel like this makes him a bit boring for Crewel…although it depends…🤔

Anonymous asked:

What is a ship you rarely draw but you love

I don’t draw any of them enough, I love them all! Waaaaah :(

I feel like I don’t draw Sebek/Silver nearly enough for how much we love them, Rook/Epel is also a rare one but we love it, Sebek/Idia could use more love, anything with Jamil too…

Anonymous asked:

Please share with us a full list of the preference of the TWST boys? Top or bottom? I typed up a list for you to use!

Anon, we have a list in our pinned post! But since you’ve typed up a list, I’ll go through the list again :) We also have a post in which we explain our reasoning for each choice, so you can read it too if you’re interested.

Oh! And if you meant some other types of preferences, please let me know. In that case though, we have a list of the boys’ kinks, which isn’t the same thing, but pretty close; so you can read this one too if you want <3

Riddle – bottom

Ace – top

Deuce – bottom

Trey – top

Cater – top

Leona – bottom

Ruggie – top

Jack  - top

Azul – top

Floyd – top

Jade – top

Kalim – top

Jamil – bottom

Vil – bottom

Rook – top

Epel – bottom

Idia – bottom

Ortho  – top

Malleus– bottom

Sebek  – top

Lilia  – top

Silver– bottom

[khalixvitae]

sorry to hear your shift was shit!! arghghg we all toil under the goochie grip of capitalism. i had an idea about rook and vil but it's in the book 6 settings and though it's not really relevant to the plot nor is it spoiler heavy, the initiation of the scenario does involve some context from the book and i dont know if you'd mind mild spoilers!! not to mention the og thought leans into nitty gritty smutty territory lmfao lols.... all rook stans are vil stans by proxy and both these blonds whisper terrible thoughts into my head every nite... other thoughts vil and rook using you as a lipstick sample tester with their new array of colours; can't have their colour looking less than flattering on you when they kiss you, right? vil will gracefully leave a peck on your lips, on your cheek, on your forehead, on your jaw, on your neck. if he isn't satisfied, he huffs and wipes it off with gentle ease. if he is, he smiles to himself with prideful satisfaction-- leaves the mark on, and reaches for another. rook thinks all the colours are absolutely magnificent on you! he's a little less dignified than vil in having his turn, but it's also very crucial to see how the swatch looks smudged against your lips ok. at the end of it you'll be looking like that "came home drunk last night and got way too excited to see my cat" picture except your whole face is marked with kiss stains. or vil having you substitute in as an actor and him slowly growing enamored with your innate beauty, both on the silver screen and just right infront of him. maybe he has rook as the photographer and he, too, falls madly in love with you. now you're the muse of two people who are very adamant on helping you to be the most radiant version of yourself and showing you just how brilliant you are now...

- the same balls 2 tha walls anon

This is literally so perfect, thank you for the food anon 😭😭😭. I just woke up and what a wonderful thing to see. Also, I’m about 2/3 of the way done with Book 6 for reference !

Oh to be a living lipstick swatch for Vil and Rook <3 also you’re so right about becoming a Stan of one by association with the other. I actually started out the other way around as a Vil Stan™️ out the gate in book 5, and by book 6 Rook fully sank his claws into my brain. Their insane levels of loyalty and responsibility, as well as their loves for their respective crafts made them so interesting to me. There’s actually a post somewhere on here that I made right when I started book 6 about how I didn’t give a fuck what Idia had going on, I just heard I got a kiss from Vil and I was gonna bulldoze my way thru for him haha. Andddd then I ended up REALLY caring what Idia had going on (I still wanted my kiss though hehe hoo). Whatever the Shrouds have going on should be studied by our nations brightest minds bc girl what the FUCK. Book 6 has been my fav part so far though- the mini game segments were so cool??? Like I loved that addition sm.

Anywho, yes in my mind palace I am romantically involved with both Rook and Vil, they are my strange and wonderful companions <3 also swatching lipsticks so he knows what color looks best when he kisses you is SO Vil, and thinking that every color looks beautiful in its own way is SO ROOK like oh my god 😭😭 the only thing that they can manage to agree on, their respective eccentricities aside, is that you look lovely covered in kisses.

Another thing: anon, what should I call you? Because reading your signature as soon as I woke up had disastrous results- I did read it as “the same balls anon”. Which you could be, if you so wish- if you don’t want to have a moniker at All ofc that’s fine too! Have a great day <3

[hekate1308]

What If We're Wrong

Prompt: What if we’re wrong

Fandom: Lewis

Pairing: Gen

James had never liked Peterson, just like most colleagues who knew Lewis for what he was – clever, hardworking, friendly – as opposed to what people like said Peterson assumed he was – stuck in his ways, old-fashioned and not particularly bright. They all saw the slight derogatory manner with which he treated Lewis (who, for his part, couldn’t have cared less – “One of those career men who form their little clubs and see that they get as high up as possible seen it all before well I won’t stand in his way”) and flet that it was impolite as unfair, and so had their problems with the pet of the higher-ups.

But even so, he would never have predicted this.

Tempering with evidence to help one of his pals cover up a screw up.

Everyone knew what that meant. If this came out, then his career would be ruined – he’d be lucky if he were not put in front of a judge together with his friend.

And come out it must, naturally. They could not allow a few bad apples to spoil the barrel, he knew that even as he and Lewis stared down at the evidence.

Apart from the fact that this was Robbie Lewis, and that naturally, he would do whatever he could to make this right, no matter what.

But even so –

“What if we’re wrong?” he couldn’t help but ask. Yes, the possibility was rather small, but it could always be that someone was trying to frame Peterson; but by the time that could be proven, Peterson would already have been under official suspicion and have had to deal with everything that meant, which in turn would probably have very unpleasant consequences for Lewis and James himself.

Lewis, it seemed, had already come to the same conclusion, for he simply replied “In that case our careers would be ruined, which is why you are going to sit this one out. I’m old and won’t be promoted anymore, but you’ve got it all in front of you.”

James blinked. Did he really expect him –

“So you’ve never seen this” Lewis said firmly, gathering the file and locking it up in his desk. “I’ll go to Innocent and see what happens.”

“That’s not going to happen”. He hadn’t really thought about what he was going to say before he opened his mouth, but even if he had, it would have been something very similar.

It was Lewis’ turn to blink. “What?”

“I said, that’s not going to happen. I am coming with you.”

“Lad –“

“Sir, I am not letting you put everything you have in jeopardy because –“

“I told you, I’m old and as good as done anyway – Lyn’s been after me to retire for a while now –“

That was news to James, who immediately felt as panicked as back when Lewis had first learned he was going to be a grandfather. He had been aware that Lyn and Lewis had been talking on the phone quite a lot in the past few months – had even been glad for it, since Lewis had been somewhat apprehensive that he was losing out on his grandson’s milestones – but he hadn’t thought that…”

“And really, better to go out with a bang than with a whimper” Lewis added, and there was something in his expression that James had come to associate with him remembering the still-famous DCI Morse.

He didn’t ask, knowing from experience that if Lewis wanted to explain, he would. Today he didn’t.

“So? And why am I not allowed to go down in a blaze of glory, then?”

“I said, you’re –“

“Yes, I’ve heard you both times, but I also meant what I said that other time, sir – if you go, I go. There’s no point of me staying if they force you out.”

Lewis looked like he was more than ready for the old argument to repeat itself once more (he occasionally tried to logic James into agreeing to staying, not that it had been successful so far, nor ever would) but he didn’t allow him to do so, this time around, instead adding, “And I just can’t stay behind and watch from the sidelines, not in a case like this. You know I can’t.”

He studied him, then sighed as his shoulders slumped and James knew he had won. “No, I know you can’t, and what’s worse – I also know if I don’t take you with, you’ll find ways to strike out on your own. I’d rather be able to keep an eye on you while we try to wreck our higher-up’s favourite’s career.”

He nodded because it was enough that he had carried his point.

Lewis looked at him once more and raised an eyebrow. “So, when do you want to ruin Innocent’s entire week?”

[star-trekkin-across-theuniverse]

Worthy, pt 15

part 1 & 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14

__________

tags: @bolontiku, @rampant-salamander, @darkdragonpheonix , @440mxs-wife,  @castiels-sunflowers, @peekingsunshine, @alexakeyloveloki, @feelmyroarrrr​

word count: 2632

__________

“Does anyone get how creepy that sounds?” It gave me a full-body shudder every time someone said my mother was remarkable. Not because I didn’t agree, but because the word was dripping in innuendo. My mom was incredible, amazing, and a woman ahead of her time. She was absolutely remarkable. But the way it was being said made me want to scream. And I know innuendo is subjective but every time I heard the word I got a mental image of something significantly less remarkable than my mother.

“Her mother is a healer of some renown, Leif,” Thor interjected. “She has forged paths where other women have found it difficult.”

“A healer?” Leif’s face darkened. “So after all this time, he still tries to replace her?”

Thor turned to face me. “Leif’s mother was Loki’s first wife –“

“Sigyn?” I interrupted.

“No. Sigyn came after Mother,” Leif corrected. “Your Midgardian tales do not tell of my mother’s marriage to Loki. I ensured that any record of their union was destroyed in this realm so that his taint would not be on her. The people of Midgard, in a different time, revered her as a god.”

“But Loki was revered as a god as well. Why would it be so terrible to have them associated with one another?” I asked.

“The god of lies with the goddess of healing?” Leif scoffed. There was a puzzle piece in my head that suddenly clicked into place.

“Wait, what?” I gaped. “Your mother is Eir? That goddess of healing?”

“You know Asgard well for a Midgardian,” Leif quirked an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I grew up on this shit. Some people grow up hearing fairy tales. I heard Norse myths,” I shrugged. Leif tilted his head.

“Oh?”

I got up and crossed the living room, careful to avoid the broken glass. I grabbed the mythology book I’d brought back from Seattle and returned to the living room, handing it to Leif. He looked at it and smiled, handing it back right away.

“I know this book,” he chuckled.

“I do too. Inside out and backward,” I admitted. Leif took it again and looked it over, opening and closing it. He sat down on my coffee table so he was facing me, subconsciously rubbing his hands across the smooth cover of the book. I was astonished that the table didn’t collapse under his weight. He was massive and fully armoured. His eyes narrowed and a slow smile spread across his face.

“I know your mother. I signed this for her when she bought it. She was great with child at the time. You, I would imagine.” He flipped to the front page. His eyes flicked across the inscription and his smile grew wider. “Yes. Althea. She was lovely, kind. Wise eyes. You must have been born soon after; she was in that uncomfortable late stage of pregnancy. Stunning though, even as heavy with babe as she was.” He was lost in the memory of my mother, his eyes closed. “I never would have guessed that was my kin within her belly.”

“You mean to tell me you’ve been crawling around Earth for thirty years, writing books and generally being creepy?” I blurted. Thor laughed. He didn’t even try to look chastised when Leif glared at him.

“I spent most of my writing time in Asgard. Or in other realms, while looking for Loki,” he explained.

“Yeah, what’s with that vendetta?” I understood not liking Loki, simply based on the attacking the earth thing. But Leif was probably a million years old and he was still pissed about something that had obviously happened when he was little.

“Loki betrayed my mother, abandoned us both, took up with a monster and was more concerned with his children by her than what damage he had done in my mother’s life. She lost everything. Except me.” His eyes flashed and I knew I wasn’t really getting the whole story. “It was by the grace of Frigga that we continued to be welcome in court.”

“I didn’t realize,” I apologized. Leif shook his head.

“And how could you? I eliminated any record that tied Mother to him.” Leif’s tone was kind but dismissive.

“Which brings me to this question. If you don’t recognize Loki as your father, why would you recognize me as your sister?” It felt hollow, knowing how much he hated our mutual parent. Leif leaned back on the chair and considered the question.

“You have her eyes. Everyone tells you that, don’t they? But you have his intelligence. Does that frighten you, now that you’ve met him?” Leif ignored my question.

“No. I am more than the genes in my body,” I retorted. Leif nodded.

“As am I. We have more than a father in common. We have our mothers in common too. Raised by healers, the children of the god of lies. I would guess we have a lifetime of common experiences. And we alone of Loki’s progeny have retained that spark that you would call humanity. We are alone, together.” He had obviously felt alone for a long time, and maybe he saw me as company in a tenuous existence. For whatever reason, he was determined to count me as his sibling. “Suppose I buy into this. What does it mean?” I demanded.

“I know not what you ask,” Leif was confused.

“Well, okay, we’re half-siblings. But what does that mean? Are we suddenly going to be having family gatherings? Going to Disneyland? Camping? Weiner roasts in the backyard in June?” I was trying to see the significance of what this new relationship was going to mean, aside from more weirdness. I guess I was asking if it was going to be cool, or if it was going to be awkward like I felt every time Mjolnir flew into my hand. Leif looked stumped.

“I taught my brothers how to fight, keep their armour in repair, charm ladies. I am not sure those are skills you would need,” he began. I laughed.

“Yeah, not a lot of call for me to charm ladies,” I admitted. “Do you have any of Loki’s powers?”

“I did not train any of my magics other than those for healing. And those were a gift from my mother.” He shook his head.

“I can manipulate emotions,” I admitted. “Like, of the people around me.” Leif raised an eyebrow and glanced at Thor.

“It is weak, but it is there. I would imagine it is much more powerfully felt by the Midgardians,” he confirmed. Leif scratched his chin, the stubble making a scratchy sound. I waited for him to say something, although I was not sure what I was hoping for. I think I wanted him to tell me he could teach me better control.

“I cannot help you there, Ella. The only person who could,” he paused and glanced at Thor, “would have been my grandmother. But she was lost when the dark elves attacked Asgard.”

“But now we know that Loki is alive, Leif –“ Thor began. Leif rose and stepped toward him, his face changing from calm to raging in seconds.

“I told you he was not dead! I told you that you should not believe he was gone! I warned you! You thought me mad!” Leif’s interruption was explosive, and Thor sprang to his feet, Mjolnir low at his side.

“That does not change that he nearly died to save me. You are my nephew because he is my brother, do not forget yourself, boy.” Thor’s tone was a cold, dangerous calm. “You are not the only one who had been hurt by him; you do not hold exclusive right to claim damage. Loki is alive. He is the only one who can teach your sister to control the magic she owns. If you are so intent on helping her find her place in the world, finding your father would be a good start.” His fingers curled around Mjolnir and I found myself wanting to melt into the couch, while at the same time, feeling the crackle of energy coming from the hammer.

“Or maybe he could teach me to fight. It’s not something anyone learns here anymore. But if your stupid hammer is going to keep shooting into my hand every time I’m in trouble, maybe I should know how to use it?” I pointed the question at Thor. He shook his head.

“Leif is not worthy, so he cannot teach you to use Mjolnir.” He looked thoughtful. “But perhaps I should spend time giving you lessons.”

“Yeah. Awesome.” I didn’t actually want to learn to use the damn thing. What I really wanted was to go back to the way I was before I’d found that stupid hammer. Just another lucky kid who’d scored an internship at Stark Industries. It was never intended to be a boring or ordinary life, but it was certainly more boring and ordinary than anything that had happened since that moment I’d wrapped my hand around Mjolnir. I was already exhausted. Adding in ‘Norse god training’ was just going to make things worse.

XXX

“So, the screaming, sword-waving psycho is your brother? Not surprising,” Angela commented over her giant, disgusting waffle. I wasn’t even hungry for my eggs, I was so overwhelmed by everything.

“How is that not surprising?”

“Well, your father is a psycho. So it stands to reason the massive Ginger beast is also a psycho,” she shrugged and took a sip of her coffee.

“Massive Ginger beast?” I laughed. I rocked back in my chair. “Yeah, I guess that’s a somewhat accurate description.” The last Angela had seen of him, he’d been charging, sword and shield ready, toward me, screaming in what I’d later learned was the Alltongue, the language of Asgard. I’d understood it in the moment because I was holding Mjolnir. It was all very confusing. Angela looked over my shoulder and dropped her fork.

“Who is that?” She breathed. I’d become accustomed to the way she was always checking out guys. It was actually kind of fun. She had great taste in men, so always was able to find something easy on the eyes to look at, regardless of whether we were in the commissary, shopping, or out for an afternoon in the park. I followed her gaze to the guy she was swooning over and choked on my coffee.

“That would be the massive, psycho, Ginger beast, Ang,” I laughed.

“He cleans up good. Wow.” She took a deep breath and shook her head. “Too bad about his dad.”

“That’s my genetics you’re slighting too, Angela!” I protested.

“Yeah, but you’re half-human so it’s okay. I know you’ll be fine. He’s half-god. Or is he all god? He looks all god. How does that work? Are they even gods? Holy shit, you’re half-god!” And Angela’s squirrel-like train of thought derailed.

“Not at all god. Just alien. He’s half two types of alien. I’m half one type. Thor guesses I’ll probably live about a thousand years. Won’t that be fucking awesome?” I was feeling snarky.

“If you get to be around guys that look like that, a thousand years will not be long enough,” she waggled her eyebrows.

“Just to remind you. That’s my brother, so grosso. More gross than Thor, thank you very much.” I made a gagging gesture.

“Yeah, but you were considering Thor last night,” Angela teased. I shook my head.

“No, not really.” I finished my coffee and pushed my plate away. “I need to get back to the lab. Just promise me I can be the maid of honour when you pin Leif down.” I winked and picked up my tray, stopping to drop it off at the garbages. Leif saw me and waved me over. I sighed and headed toward him.

“Ella!” He was entirely too cheery for the morning. “I have spoken with Thor and was hoping we could meet again this afternoon.”

I cringed. I needed a little time to adjust to all these crazy changes. Time away from brothers and uncles and hammers and myth and legend, and time just hanging out with components and screws and tools. I needed to build something to get my brain away from the chaos that was taking over my personal life.

“I –“ I stalled, “uh –“

“She’s busy. There’s an issue with the miniaturization of the quantum beam accelerator I’m working on, and as Ella is an expert in the area, I’m going to be taking up most of her time,” Bruce interrupted, holding two cups of coffee from the Starbucks in the lobby. He handed one to me and nodded with his head for me to follow. I smiled in apology to Leif and trailed behind Bruce out of the lab.

“I’m not an expert in Quantum beam accelerators,” I protested.

“You are becoming an expert in miniaturization though,” he countered. I shrugged.

“That’s arguable. I don’t know if you can even miniaturize a quantum beam accelerator anyhow,” I argued as we stepped onto the elevator, “I would be really difficult to –“ Bruce interrupted me with a kiss.

“I lied. To get you to myself. There’s no issue with anything. I just booked a day off and decided you are playing hooky with me,” he explained. He leaned in to kiss me again and I dodged away.

“Excuse me? You don’t get to swoop in all Captain Kissypants after ignoring me for two weeks!” I protested. “You got all hot and bothered and then ran away. And carefully avoided everything about me for two weeks. Not a word for two weeks, Bruce. You don’t get to all of a sudden reappear, book days off for me and kiss me in the elevator!”

Bruce looked down at his feet, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. “I’m sorry. I panicked.”

“I don’t blame you. But you can’t just vanish like that. I mean, you can. It’s your life. But I’m left wondering what the deal is. If you like me, and you want to spend time with me, you have to treat me with more respect than that,” I explained. He sighed and kept looking at his feet.

“Ella, please. I’m sorry. I,” he paused and finally looked at me. “I haven’t felt like this in a long time. I haven’t let myself. Your work is intriguing, and your background is impressive and I saw your CV and thought you would be interesting to work with. And then you arrived and you’re this passionate, brilliant engineer. Your brain is this beautiful puzzle, so you’re interesting. And then you have some sort of magic power that prevents the Other Guy from taking over? You’re too good to be true.”

I laughed despite myself. “I think you’ve met my father? That’s a pretty big minus in my books.”

“And maybe that’s why I panicked. I don’t know. But I’ve been miserable for two weeks. And my work is suffering. And I guess maybe it doesn’t matter. I feel calmer with you. Even when you aren’t deliberately doing it.” He leaned back against the elevator wall. “I figured, book us off for the day, take you out, show you the parts of the city I didn’t break. As an apology for being a jackass.”

“Does that work with other women?” I asked. He looked confused. “Saying their brains are beautiful puzzles?”

“I’ve never tried it on anyone before, but my guess would be no.” One side of his mouth quirked up in a smirk. I sighed and let the resentment go.

“You’re a lucky man, Dr. Banner. I kinda liked it.” I leaned back against the elevator wall beside him. “If you play your cards right, I might even let you kiss me again.”

[pink-koi-lovejoy]

Late Thing (was on hiatus when this one was poster)

Character Name: Koi Lovejoy

Age: 16

What they usually smell like: „Hm…Well, Piper says I have a constant faint smell of rain?”

A smell they associate with their childhood: „That one’s easy! My ‘pa always made us these little fancy pastries. The smell of baking bread and strawberry jam imported from camp Halfblood’s farms brings me back.”

Their go-to drink:

„Shirley Temple. Or half sprite, half lemonade, flavored lemonade optional!”

Do they alter their clothes (Cutting/sewing/anything): „Heh… I embroider. I’m not that good, but my friend over in Athena Cabin taught me! I like to make little cats and mushrooms in the pockets of things.”

How they sleep:

„Um… I prefer it cold, and I sleep decently? I have to be clinging to something. Usually it’s a body pillow (WITHOUT A COVER), but I’ve had a few sleep overs where I’ll cling platonically to friends or siblings. Leo, Nico, and Will get it the most.”

The weirdest dream they've had: *shiver* „One time, I had a dream where me, Piper, Meg, and Percy were on a mission to save an anime boy from being boiled alive by the coconut guys from Moana in a yacht…” (Ooc- this actually happened. Said anime character is Mitsuba from TBHK. It was a really weird dream.)

Do they wear designer brands (which ones?): „Not usually! I wear whatever. My style changes often, so I have a bit of everything. I wouldn’t be surprised if I have one or two designer items in my closet handed down from my half (fourth?) siblings in Aphrodite Cabin, though!”

How often do they shower: „Every night? With a few exceptions? Isn’t that… normal?”

How many steps are in their skincare routine: *muttering under breath*„Seven, eight, nine…ten…” *cough* „Too many.”

What they are afraid of: „I hate heights. Roller coasters are okay, but like climbing and stuff… ugh. I also am utterly terrified of being forgotten. Like, alone time is great. But I want to be able to scream and someone will hear me. I would just die if I was the last one alive in the apocalypse.”

Are they a germophobe: „Nah. I catch bugs in my free time.”

Which parent are they closest to and why: „I’m close to both of my dads equally! But on the godly side, I’m closer to Apollo than I am to Aphrodite. Probably because he visits as Lester, and makes sure to give me equal attention to his other kids, even though he’s technically my grandpa. Wait…does that mean Will and the others are my step aunts and uncles- never mind.”

Their favorite food and why they like it: „While my ‘pa’s baked goods can’t be beat in my mind, my favorite ‘actual’ food would be hotdogs. Simple, tasty, and microwaveable.”

Any accessories they wear with special meanings: „Yes. I have matching things with everyone I’m close with! I have woven bracelets I made, one that matches with each of the following: Will, Lester, Several campers from Athena, Iris, and Hermes cabin, and Grover! I have matching anklets with Nico (he didn’t want anyone to see him wear anything sappy and friendly like that, so we made it something easily hidden) (I also made them), and I have decorative rings from my dads! A snake one and one with a small star.”

Something they would never tell anyone:

„…I still bring a small stuffed animal with me everywhere.”

Something they wish everyone knew about them: „I love to talk! To anyone! Sure, it may look like I’m scared to talk to anyone other than my friend group, but I really want people to talk to me first. I’m just bad at starting conversations.”

If deified (made a god), what would their domain be: „My domain? I dunno, god of Autistic Traits That People Who Aren’t Autistic Have? I’m just kidding, I’d probably be a patreon god of homosexuality, my main domain being small, still bodies of water (like small, natural ponds at the end of the creeks you find in those Pinterest looking woods.)”

Are they sure of their sexuality or questioning: „I’m 100% sure! I know it may change, but for now I am confident that I’m Pan! And I’m not 100% sure on polyamory…I’m not opposed to it, but I’ve never tried it.”

Their favorite genre for movies: „I’m a sucker for comedy like Monty Python and the Holy Grail, along with cheesy rom-coms.”

A unique and somewhat unusual power or ability they have: „I can change the color of the light I manipulate. Not drastically, but like, I can make it orangey or pinkish like the beams you’d get from a sunset.”

Short answer questions:

If there is a spider in the house, what do they do? „Pick it up. With my bare hands if it’s something like a carpenter spider (daddy long legs), with a cup and paper if it can bite (even if it isn’t poisonous).”

When they like someone, how do they show it (romantic or platonic)? „Once someone gets me comfortable being their friend, I am VERY affectionate! PDA all the time (unless they say they’re uncomfortable!), even if it’s just a small touch or something. I’ll sit with my leg up against theirs, I’d give them a kiss on the forehead if they aren’t feeling well, etc. Romantically, I don’t know, I haven’t been in a serious relationship in a while. I do the same stuff, but more… directly? Kisses, increased separation anxiety (not in a pressuring way).”

If they woke up as the opposite gender, what would they do first? „Go back. I already did this once, gods above. I’m. Not. A. Girl. DEAL WITH IT WORLD.” Me talking to Koi: „Wait. When they say gender, I think they’re referring to sex.” Koi: „Like, what’s in your pants? Oh… I’d be happy! Gender isn’t something you can really be. I’d be happy to have a free transition!”

Uuuuuuuusers!!!! IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER WEDNESDAY ACTIVITY!!!

Today's post is not an ask meme!! It is a small project for every user!!! Copy and paste this list and fill it out to tell us more about your characters!!! Be as broad or specific as you like!!

credits to @boy-of-the-flowers, @likeapriceless-wine, @cerberusfavorite and @sweetxloverxx for helping make the list.

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲-𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞

Character Name:

Age:

What they usually smell like:

A smell they associate with their childhood:

Their go-to drink:

Do they alter their clothes (Cutting/sewing/anything):

How they sleep:

The weirdest dream they've had:

Do they wear designer brands (which ones?):

How often do they shower:

How many steps are in their skincare routine:

What they are afraid of:

Are they a germophobe:

Which parent are they closest to and why:

Their favorite food and why they like it:

Any accessories they wear with special meanings:

Something they would never tell anyone:

Something they wish everyone knew about them:

If deified (made a god), what would their domain be:

Are they sure of their sexuality or questioning:

Their favorite genre for movies:

A unique and somewhat unusual power or ability they have:

Short answer questions:

If there is a spider in the house, what do they do?

When they like someone, how do they show it (romantic or platonic)?

If they woke up as the opposite gender, what would they do first?

Let us know if we should make a part 2!!!

[vgperson]

What Did I Do In 2022?

Game Translations That Aren't YTTD: 1. Okay, maybe 1.5.

----

First of all, while I didn't add it until later in the year (not entirely unmotivated by the Stability of Platforms), my site now has an RSS feed for notable updates of any kind! I mention this upfront because I'm mostly just going over the things that are already listed there. It currently retroactively covers everything back to 2020, but I might add more past stuff over time so it can better serve as a general "everything I've ever done" page.

In February, I translated Kenshi Yonezu's POP SONG (and an interview). Noel The Mortal Fate Seasons 1-7 also got a revamped version on consoles (Switch, PS4); the console versions include a new Season 3.5 translated entirely by me, and the rest of the seasons have a revised script which is more thoroughly edited by me than even the redone Steam translation was.

In March, the update adding Kai to Your Time To Shine came out. Yes, he is Kai.

In April, I finally finished up my unofficial Japanese translation patch for Petal Crash. たのしいね、クラッシュ！ It actually just got some extra attention after the Petal Crash run for RTA In Japan about two days ago, which is kind of wild. Is this what it's like to be famous...? (clueless)

In May, I translated Kenshi Yonezu's Shin Ultraman theme song M87 (interview, interview), and the coupling song from the single, ETA. And there was an article about the 10th anniversary of his debut!

Also in May, the Ib remake came out on Steam in English! Told you they'd contact me. It was later announced to be coming to Switch, scheduled for March 2023.

In August, Your Turn To Die was announced to be coming to Steam. It's planned for early 2023, but to be clear, it'll release first in Early Access still with no final part, though with some exclusive mini-episodes and character profile sheets. Apparently once that's out, the actual completion is estimated for 6 to 12 months later... but, you know. Estimates are hard.

In September, I put together a guide for and officially "released" my Custom Translation Engine plugin for RPG Maker MV, the one I made for the Ib remake, and back-implemented into Your Turn To Die shortly after I was contacted about it coming to Steam. It's fancy (in-game language switching!), convenient (minimal direct editing of code!), and you can use it for your own translation projects if you want!

In October... well, I didn't do anything new for it, but I'll take credit for The Witch's House MV coming to consoles. (Switch, PS4, Xbox) I also translated everyone's favorite Chainsaw Man opening KICK BACK, associated interviews, and the single's coupling song Y'all Should Be Ashamed.

Finally, in December, after lots of spending my time elsewhere and indecision about how I should go about returning to doing some dang free game translations, I concluded that what I'd really wanted to do all year was translate Uri's PEDESTAL.

I think some people latched onto specific parts of Uri's original explanation for why it wasn't being translated, such as the cultural aspects (I honestly winced at her blunt remark that the story was "no good at all"), but while Uri indeed had those doubts at the time of release, the only real reason it wasn't translated at the time is that I did a less-than-ideal rushed playthrough that slightly hurt my overall impression of its quality, and I felt too busy at the time to work on something with lots of text that was likely to be divisive. So similarly, me finally feeling up to it was the reason it did get translated. I probably should've come back to it quite a bit sooner (after I was made to give up a certain other translation, say), but as I alluded to in last year's post, I was self-conscious about "my big return to free game translations" being something that might not have wide appeal. Uh, glad to be past that, hopefully.

Oh, and ever since finishing PEDESTAL, I've been working on all sorts of overhauls to my site, but like... not the kind that actually majorly changes any part of the visible design and annoys people (and if something did change in an annoying way, it's probably accidental). Some of it's just better consideration of mobile browsing (stuff like images or tables sticking out of bounds at mobile resolutions), or making things more convenient for myself behind the scenes (did you know I made a program to add "br"s to every line of all lyrics content before considering I could just have the page code do that, and also better?).

Some more major observable changes include general renovations to the lyrics page (bigger font size, buttons that hide individual languages to aid in side-by-side comparison), and more convenient navigation of OSTER's tweets, such that I could actually imagine someone reading through them all the way from the start without it being too much of a hassle.

----

While I'm glad to be over the PEDESTAL hump, I don't... necessarily have any definite plans for upcoming free game translations. I mostly just have some stuff on a list that I may have to make myself check out soon enough. Also, Game Atsumaru (which you may know as The Site That Hosts YTTD's Japanese Version) is ending in June??? So uh, might have to accelerate checking out stuff on there, though I guess it depends on how many creators are able to migrate. (Nankidai does plan to put YTTD's Japanese browser version up somewhere else.)

As I mentioned, Your Turn To Die's Early Access release on Steam should be coming up early next year with those mini-episodes and character profiles, and the game might be completed within the year. No promises. I mean, I don't have anything to promise, it's not my game.

Speaking of my game... also no promises. But I'd really like to release one. We'll see what happens. There's also a different kind of original project I recently returned to trying to make real, which could come early in the year, but who knows. As should be apparent, I'm working on a lot of different fronts here, so I frequently feel bad about neglecting such-and-such type of creative work, which sometimes means nothing actually gets done and released. Ultimately, though, it's probably better to follow what I most feel like doing, rather than force focus on one thing and end up not actually getting much done.

Which is to say: hoping to finish something in the new year!

[fangirleaconmigo]

Sorry if you've already discussed about this but I'd love to read your thoughts about Jaskier's song burn.

Hi Nonny! I have not. But y’all are gonna have me out here being honest on tumblr dot com today. 😅

I have very strong and very complicated feelings about Burn Butcher Burn. (Not surprisingly)

So do not read below that line if you think critique (not hate, but critique) will bum you out or inhibit your ability to enjoy something you enjoy. I'm beggin you, I'm Boys II Men I'm I'm down on bended knee. Just don't do it. I don't want the pissy anons.

Ok, now that we're all here, I am going to tell you something funny. I first heard of Burn Butcher Burn via the Hot Topic t-shirt that was released ahead of S2. I thought Burn Butcher Burn was a Hot Topic invention. I didn’t know it actually appeared in the show. lmao

I’m sure the song list must have been released by then, but I hadn’t read it. (Spoiler alert: Sometimes I’m dumb) Now, I am a fan of The Witcher as a story and I’m a fan of the fandom. I am not a fan of massive corporation Hot Topic. (Of any corporation really) So I had no problem being critical and loud on Twitter.

I was like WHAT THE FUCK? JASKIER WOULD NEVER DO THAT!! (I know, I know.) HOT TOPIC IS CATERING TO SHIPPERS BUT DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE CHARACTER OR THE RELATIONSHIP. I’m laughing at that now. Because in retrospect, it obviously came from the show. But anyway.

That day on Twitter, there were many very reasonable people who disagreed with me. They felt that of course Jaskier would do that. They felt that I was overlooking Jaskier’s petty and dramatic side. (He wished for Valdo’s death when he had a djinn! Etc etc) That I was reducing him to sunshine and rainbows. And that I was forgetting that sometimes people say mean things when they are very very hurt.

That was not the case. I am fully aware that Jaskier has a petty vindictive side. I also know that people say things in anger. But I stuck by that opinion (and still do) that Jaskier would not do that.

And now with some thought, I believe it comes down to our differing associations with the name Butcher.

I associate the word “Butcher” with bigotry. Yes, butcher refers to Geralt killing people. Hence butcher. So maybe it is not literally in the word.

But the episode in Blaviken, all the talk about him being a monster, and the way the crowd turns on him for fucking defending himself, for me, it has everything to do with his otherness. It is inseparable in my mind from bigotry against witchers. It goes hand in hand with the dehumanization of Geralt.

I think that is the difference. I don't see it as an unfair characterization of Geralt's ethics. I see it as bigotry against him. That's what it feels like to me. I can't separate that word from it at all. And that is where I get stopped up.

Because Jaskier never. Ever. Not once. Has seen Geralt as an “other.” He isn’t capable. It wouldn’t even occur to him. The thought is totally absurd and laughable. Geralt is just his buddy. His fave. As far as the books (of which there are eight long books that cover years and years) they have arguments and bicker plenty, but not during their worst arguments does he ever. Ever. Throw Geralt’s otherness in his face. (Meanwhile many other people do)

It is truly my favorite characteristic of Jaskier. In fact, when they are in a fight, he says the opposite to Geralt! He’s like (paraphrased) “and you think you’re an other when you aren’t, ya big dumbass. I’ve got news for you, you aren’t special. You’re just some guy.”

Wait ok, I'm grabbing the quote, because it is literally my favorite thing that Dandelion ever says to Geralt. (well top three things). This is in Sword of Destiny in the short story A Little Sacrifice. Dandelion is irritated at Geralt for being kind of a cad with Essi. Essi gives him attention and he assumes she is just morbidly curious and he tries to kiss her but it seems like he's trying to put her off or prove something to her. Basically, he's rude.

Do you know what your problem is, Geralt? You think you're different. You flaunt your otherness, what you consider abnormal. You aggressively impose that abnormality on others, not understanding that for people who think clear-headedly you're the most normal man under the sun, and they all wish that everybody was so normal.

What of it that you have quicker reflexes than most and vertical pupils in the sunlight? That you can see in the dark like a cat?

Big deal. I, my dear, once knew an innkeeper who could fart for ten minutes without stopping, playing the tune to the psalm Greet us, greet us, O, Morning Star. Heedless of his---let's face it--unusual talent, that innkeeper was the most normal among the normal; heh ad a wife, children, and a grandmother afflicted by the palsy..."

Ok, so I love that it's canon that Dandelion calls Geralt my dear. And I laugh my fuckin ass off at the implication that his witcher attributes are correlated with a man who can fart a tune. Amazing. Also, this passage speaks to my absolute favorite things about Jaskier. It is the entire reason I fell in love with him. In in a fictional world saturated in bigotry and racism (much like the real world) he just doesn't have that in him. He just doesn't.

He sees someone different and he just goes YES! FUCKING AMAZING PERFECT NO NOTES!

It has to do with his empathy but also his natural curiosity and wonder.

That is 100% why I fell in love with him in TWN in the first place. He sees the pissed off looking mutant who everyone else mistrusts, and he just walks up to him like YOU! YES, YOU! YOU ARE FRIEND SHAPED.

That is it! The core of why I love him.

So, back to Burn Butcher Burn. I know lots of people see it differently. They say, but Geralt was terrible to him and left him! He’s just hurt! But that isn’t my point at all. My point is, I believe that no matter WHAT Geralt did to him, it just would never occur to him to be bigoted towards Geralt because it simply is not in him.

Would he call Geralt an Asshole? Yes. Motherfucker? Sure. Clod. Clown. Petulant moaning whoreson? Absolutely. Butcher? I’m sorry. No. Not for me. And for me it sabotages the entire reason I love that character.

And it made me fear what the show would bring.

And then the season came out.

And. Well? Not only did they not make him a bigot, but they have him actively helping elves escape. He is actively anti-racist. So they clearly understand that about him.

So idk man all I can think is that, just like the other fans who disagree with me on Burn Butcher Burn, the writers just do not associate Butcher with Geralt’s otherness or with bigotry the way I do.

So, having Jaskier be The Sandpiper took some of the sting out of my disappointment, by actively saying…we know Jaskier has compassion for elves and other non humans, and we are explicitly showing that.

The second thing that took some of the sting out of it was Joey’s performance. He is so grief stricken he kind of collapses while he’s singing. He looks like he’s dissociating! My god. Joey really put his all into his performance. Just wow. I was completely blown away by his vulnerability and authenticity. You could not watch his performance and say the song was a result of anything but a shattered heart. It didn't come across as someone being mean.

All that calmed me down a lot.

The song gave us an absolutely fantastic performance from Joey. It showed how incredibly important Geralt is to him. How deeply he feels. The honesty and vulnerability of it also created a bonding point with Yen, and their scenes were my favorites. My beloveds. If I could frame that entire goodbye good luck and good riddance scene I would. I am currently clutching it to my chest.

So, it’s complicated. Burn Butcher Burn giveth and it taketh away. They used it to such good effect. And they clearly know that Jaskier isn’t a bigot.

But. I still wish they would have used almost any other word. And I don’t acknowledge its existence in any of my fanwork because it still doesn’t line up with how I feel about that character or that relationship. I just can’t. My association with that word is my association with it. I feel how I feel. If others feel differently, I respect it. But I can't. In my little dream land of headcanons it never happened.

Ok, those are my feels. Thanks for the ask! <3

[thecountoflondonfansite]

Henry felt a bit bad for making Hyde upset. Despite their arguments and opposing values, Henry did care about Hyde like a sibling. An annoying, obnoxious, nuisance of a sibling, but still family to him nonetheless. “Just be careful Hyde.” Henry repeated. Hyde rolled his eyes but he had a soft smile on his mouth that lasted a brief moment as he sensed Henry’s genuine concern for him.

Dr. Two Brains felt like he wanted to bang his head against a wall. “For the last, final, and concluding time Whammer Mr. Big, you can’t mind control the owners of sandwich shops to make you sandwiches in the shape of bunnies. All sandwich crimes are reserved to Chuck.” Lady Redundant Woman reiterated to the villainous businessman in an exasperated tone. Despite this, Mr. Big looked very reluctant to drop his plans. “But there are no fancy caterers around here who would touch a sandwich unless the ingredients are expensive. I just want a regular PB&J sandwich in the shape of a bunny. Is that too much to ask?” The man complained. “Yes it is.” Chuck The Evil Sandwich Making Guy argued back. This caused more bickering between the two villains and a few other villains who joined in on the argument as they gave their own two cents. Two Brains face palmed and groaned into his gloved hand. He was in no mood to let this petty argument drag on. He had to go back home and check on his daughter. Just as Lady Redundant Woman tried intervening to cease the arguing, the doors to the villain convention room slammed open. This caused everyone to turn their heads towards the sudden and loud sound. “Good Evening ladies and gents! I’m finally e’re to join the fun!” A man with a British/Scottish accent called out. All eyes were looking at a blond haired individual wearing a unique style of clothing strutting down the aisle towards the center of the room as if he owned the place. “Who are you supposed to be?” Miss Question asked the stranger. The man gave the villains a manic grin followed by a dramatic bow as he introduced himself. “The name’s Edward Hyde and I am The Spirit of London Night.” All the villains except for Dr. Two Brains stared at him with confusion. “But this is Fair City, not London.” The Butcher commented. Hyde looked annoyed. “Yeah I know I’m from London anyway so that’s what ah call me self.” Hyde retorted. Dr. Two Brains was shocked to see the guy Becky was talking about waltz in here so suddenly and in a loud dramatic fashion. He had no idea how to feel about the man now that he finally saw him. As a parent he was a bit peeved at the guy because his daughter stayed up so late to stop him which nearly blew her cover with Henry. On the other hand there was nothing wrong with new people coming here to sign up for the EVA which the mad scientist suspected was the reason Mr. Hyde was here. Yet a part of him was cautious as he still didn’t know much about the guy nor what he was capable of. Hyde’s gaze soon turned towards Two Brains’ direction. The blonde noticed the mad scientist staring at him. Hyde responded with a quick flirty grin and wink before turning away. This stunned the mad scientist. ‘What in the world was that about?’ Two Brains wondered.

“So Mr. Hyde,” Lady Redundant Woman asked in a suspicious tone. “What is the reason, nature, purpose of you barging into the Evil Villains Association’s Headquarters?” Hyde looked a bit puzzled by this woman’s multiple use of a single word but he shrugged it off. “Well miss, I am here to join your club. I’m a new criminal in town and ah decided to step up in the world and become a villain just like the rest of you lot.” Hyde explained to the EVA’s president.

@unhingedexperimenter

(You can tag me on my tgs side blog. I also apologize but I know a few Scottish words. So to anyone reading this I apologize for the inaccuracy.) Becky Boxleitner noticed a change in the atmosphere as she and her pet monkey Bob walked into the sixth grade classroom. All of the students were excitedly chatting with one another. Becky and Bob exchanged confused looks at the scene. 'What is going on?' They both thought. Becky walked to where her friends Violet Heaslip, Rose Franklin, and Todd Scoops Ming were sitting, also joining in the excited yet low volume chattering. "Hey guys what's going on?" Becky asked her friends. They each turned their heads to greet their friend. "Hey Becky guess what, we're getting a new teacher for our class!" Scoops exclaimed. Becky looked surprised at the announcement. Bob also mimicked her facial expression. "Wait really? What happened to Miss Davis?" Becky asked, wondering what happened to their old teacher. It was just a week only into the new school year so a sudden teacher exchange was a complete shock to Becky especially since there were no announcements about it beforehand. "Miss Davis had to move back home because of a family emergency." Rose Franklin answered. "The principal had to scramble to find a new teacher to fill in for our class. It was all last minute stuff." Becky nodded in understanding of her friends' answers. It was a nice perk to be friends who were upcoming reporters. Soon the final bell rang which indicated for every student to take their seats. Becky took her place beside her best friend Violet and Bob plopped down next to her. Soon a man who looked to be in his mid 30s walked in and towards the desk. He had curly brown air, an arched nose, and reddish brown eyes. He wore a tan button-down shirt with a red vest as well as brown slacks and dark suede shoes. The man gave a pleasant and warm smile to all the students there. "Hello my name is Dr. Henry Jekyll and I will be your teacher for the school year." Becky and the other kids ears perked up as they took note of the man's accent. Even Tobey became slightly interested in his new teacher. None of them were sure where their new teacher was from. Dr. Jekyll gave a light chuckle as if he could sense their growing curiosity about him. He lightly clapped his hands together to gain their undivided attention and focus. "Well since this is my first time teaching here, why don't we all play a little game so we can all get better acquainted with each other. Here's what to do. One at a time, say your name and share a wee bit about yourself. Likes, family, interests and all that. I'll go first to show ya what ah mean. Again. My name is Dr. Henry Jekyll. I was born in Glasgow but ah moved to London where I attended university. I have a five year old wee lassie or daughter named Amber. I enjoy chemistry and reading on occasions. Now who would like to go next?" @unhingedexperimenter

Of course Tobey had taken the opportunity to place attention on himself and to have a reason to boast about himself. “My name is Tobey McCallister the third and I will be the most intelligent student you'll meet here.” The others had rolled their eyes, used to this kind of behavior from their peers. Becky seemed to be the most annoyed by it. Having been forced to put up with his destructive tantrums in the past. Henry smiled just as warmly as before. Unbothered by the obnoxious behavior that the boy had been displaying. Tobey had been going on about himself for a good few minutes before the teacher finally spoke up. “Ahem, yes. Thank you for that Mr. McCallister. Would anyone else like to tell me a bit about themselves as well?” No one could tell that behind the facade, Dr. Henry Jekyll was becoming more irritated by the moment. Not by the child but by the pest that refused to leave him be. Scoffing within his head at what they just heard. He didn't share the disembodied voice's opinion but wanted to give the other children a chance to introduce themselves as well. To the others' shock, Tobey seemed to have taken this well. Quickly going back to his desk with no issues. Becky was relieved at that. Soon the other children had started to introduce themselves to their new teacher with little to no issues. He seemed genuinely nice enough to her. This new teacher didn't seem like most of the adults within this city. Some she had to define words repeatedly for. Dr. Jekyll knew what he was teaching and knew his vocabulary. It was Violet who had brought Becky out from her own thoughts, calling her name. Waving a hand in front of her face. “Becky?” The girl smiled in an embarrassed manner. “Huh? Yes?” Violet smiled, patient with her best friend. “Why don't you introduce yourself now? Nearly everybody else already did.” She had given a surprised expression. Becky hadn't realized that she was so lost within her thoughts until then. She stood up and began speaking. “My name is Becky Boxleitner and I also like libraries,reading and Pretty Princess.” The presence that was grating at the teacher's nerves had deemed this too dull to enjoy. Leaving Dr. Jekyll be to his teaching. Well, getting to know his students. He was happy to see that they were engaged in these activities that were meant to break the ice. Though one student in particular had caught his attention the most. Becky. While she did seem rather bright, there was something strange about her behavior at times. Pausing whatever she was doing at the time to listen in on something. Thinking it went unnoticed. Even once looking alarmed and she made an excuse to go to the bathroom. He had allowed it. Feeling that it would've been better to have let her. It seemed…oddly familiar. As if he had seen that behavior somewhere before but couldn't figure out exactly where from. When the school day was finally over, Becky had gone to go home like the others. Dr. Jekyll had of course stayed behind to set more things up within his new classroom. Making a plan on exactly what he'll actually start teaching the next day. Though, the grating voice had returned to be a thorn in his side. “Come on. Leave this boring stuff alone. Leave it until tomorrow. I've been pent up for far too long. Let's have some fun.” This had earned an eye roll and a loud huff from the teacher. “No, I've got to get this done now. You will have enough time tonight. Just be patient until then.” A shadowy figure formed in front of Dr. Jekyll. A frown on its face. “But this is so extremely dull. I want to stretch my legs. I want to make myself known already.” Dr. Jekyll glared. “And that is precisely why I'm so hesitant to let you out so soon. At least let us get acclimated to our surroundings first.” The figure let out an annoyed groan. “You know you want this as much as I do. Otherwise you'd never have any actual fun in the sad and pathetic life you call yours.”

@thecountoflondonfansite

[meowjf]

The intended symbolism behind my Hangman Tarot card

I wanted to do a write-up of my thought process behind each major part of this picture. Please note I’m writing this on an iPad while I have covid, so there are bound to be mistakes and weird autocorrects I didn’t catch. If any part is incoherent or weird, let me know and I’ll try and fix it.

Here’s a link to the full hangman piece for anyone who hasn’t seen it/wants to look at it for reference.

So, I wanted to start out by discussing this piece a little bit. Yes, this had a ton of thought put into the symbolism and a lot of the picture had direct meanings I was trying to get across. I think I made it a bit ham fisted at times, but I did make me super happy to see how much people appreciated and noticed the thought put into it. Often times, I would include things because I needed to solve a compositional problem, or I wanted to include something I thought was pretty. So I would try to find a way to solve those problems/include those elements while tying it back to the main picture. I also had some things I didn’t mean to include, but were pointed out in various tags/comments, so I included them at the end because I think they’re super interesting! Overall, this picture took me about 7 1/2 hours from start to finish.

The Hanged Man

My major reason for choosing this card was simply for it’s name. However, I did do some research into it, as I wanted to ensure the card would actually fit him. There’s lots of different meanings depending on where you look, but a common thread was letting go and metamorphosis. I personally really liked these meanings, and decided to make this illustration about that- his change and growth as a character. I started drawing this in the middle of his reconciliation with the Young Bucks. I think as a whole this picture is about him letting go of the trauma associated with the Elite: both he guilt over the hurt he caused them, and the anger over the hurt they caused him.

TL;DR: It’s about letting go of guilt/anger and growing as a person

Broken Mirror Halo

This has a direct 1:1 moment it’s meant to reflect, which I think everyone could guess

This is arguably his lowest moment, but also a major turning point. I wanted to explicitly make this mirror light halos from religious art. Part of this was for aesthetic- anyone who knows me knows I love light halos. But, often the worst points in our life can lead to major changes of the self (like a metamorphosis, winkwink) and turning a moment of despair into something “holy” was imagery I was really interested in playing with.

TL;DR: Sometimes the worst moments of our lives are also where change begins. And what is more divine than the human act of transformation?

Tangled in his Own Noose

This is the biggest example of solving an issue with imagery. In the original sketch, his legs were just sort of cut off at the frame, which looked really weird once I started to clean it up. Originally, the noose was hanging loose around his neck (an homage to his old gear), but while cleaning up the sketch I couldn’t find a way to make the hanging noose look good.

This was meant to represent him being tangled and tied down by his mistakes and strained relationships. The two major elements of this are him being tied tightly to the frame covered with images of alcohol, and to the belt. The belt became a way for him to “redeem” himself, but reality is rarely ever that simple and getting the belt wouldn’t solve everything. I also liked the idea of mixing something representing his mistakes with something representing Kenny’s corruption (the belt). While the ropes may be plentiful, they’re sloppily tied and can still be undone.

TL;DR: the ropes are his mistakes

The Frame

The frame is a little obvious- we all know our favorite cowboy has had his share of problems with alcohol. I did consciously choose to have the alcohol spilling out of the cups and bottles, as if they’re being disposed of. Something I couldn’t quite execute to it’s full potential was the fact that one of the whiskey glasses is directly below where his hand is. I wanted it to mimic him pouring out the drink. Lowering the opacity shows this a bit better.

TL;DR: Hangman likes alcohol too much but he’s better about it now.

The Monarch Butterfly

I was in the middle of working on this when he came out to save the bucks in his monarch butterfly pants. I immediately knew I had to include the butterflies in this pic, and I’m so happy I did. They were mostly there to connect to the recent episode, but I did do a little reading into meanings associated with Monarchs. They’re often associated with transformation. Considering this piece is directly about him growing and changing as a character, I was very happy they fit so well with the theme. Most of their placement was based off of aesthetics- I simply chose what I think looked best. The one conscious decision was to put a butterfly on the noose- a symbol of his new growth on top of the symbol of his previous mistakes.

TL;DR: Butterfly pants, but also transformation.

Unintentional Symbolism

Upside down horseshoes look like an Omega symbol- this was entirely a happy coincidence! I drew him in the in-ring gear he wore during Full Gear 2021. Maybe that was something they intentionally thought about when designing his gear? I’m always a sucker for wrestlers including other wrestler’s motifs in their gear, so having this pointed out was a delight! But since it’s not something I actively meant to include, I don’t have a lot to say about it.

Moonsault Pose- I think this one is really interesting. Him actively being in motion rather than being stuck hanging has really interesting implications. Like before, it’s not what I actively meant to include so I don’t have anything in depth to say about it. But it did make me stop and think about the piece in that context, so I thought it would be interesting to include here as well!

Some things I didn’t get to include/don’t have much meaning.

Dark Order- I didn’t really find a good way to include the dark order in this picture. I wish I did, but I couldn’t find a good way to include it without feeling busy. Unfortunately the purple + eye aesthetic didn’t look very good in this picture.

Bullet Club- I really wanted to find a way to include the bullet club into the noose that’s tying him to the frame, but couldn’t really find a way to that without it being distracting. There just wasn’t a good place to put any bullets or skulls. I did find a better way to do it in the Young Bucks + Flowers pics I did a whole ago.

The background pattern- the simple flower pattern was chosen because that’s what I thought looked the best. It was meant to mirror the flowers on his pants, but no additional meaning was put into that.

The Suns in each corner- the yellow circle in each corner of the frame is the sun. There’s no extra meaning to it, they just looked good with the color palette and matches the “riding off into the sunset” imagery he likes to use.

The End

That’s all for now, folks! This was surprisingly fun to write us. As a thank you for everyone who stuck around and read to the end, here’s the janky rough sketch, along with the final sketch that I ended up lining: