#i didn’t even write that sad gay song what are you talking about that was GEORGE

[strawberryspence]

Eddie,

Dear Eddie,

Eddie fucking Munson,

Yeah. Hello. It's me. Steve Harrington.

Jesus. This is so weird.

Max just got out of the hospital today. It's surreal to think that it's been six months since Spring Break and she's only getting out today. The doctors said there's gonna be a long road ahead of her but that's okay, right? What's important is that there's a road ahead of her.

Anyway, the day Max got Vekna-ed Vecna-ed (Dustin just corrected my spelling. I think Vekna sounds better.), she wrote us letters. Just in case she… bites the dust. When she woke up, she told us we could read it if we wanted. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I burned it the moment she woke up. She told me (Just me specifically) that I should try it. When I asked who I should write to, she smiled and started humming a Metallica song. Which is fucking wild that I even knew that she was humming Disposable Heroes.

Robin told me I wasn’t good at dealing with my grief. That instead of letting the wound heal, I just let it scab and hurt. Which— I hate the word grief. Because I hate grief, you know?

You don’t know this, but Barbara Holland died in my backyard and Nancy… Nancy still mourns her to this day. I don’t think she’ll ever stop mourning her. A few months back, we talked. Dude, I know what you’re going to say and No, we are not getting back together. I let her smash bottles of beer in my empty pool. We cried and screamed until we were both exhausted. I asked her this question that’s been running through my mind for months now.

What the hell is grief?

Nancy smiled at me. She told me that she had a hard time trying to learn what grief is, that at first she thought it was anger and disappointment and hatred. But she told me (after a few minutes because Nancy also loves dramatic pauses. I think you guys have that in common), that it’s actually just love. Just love. With no place else to go.

And you know what? Fuck that. She’s the smartest person I know but she was wrong. Fuck that.

This grief I have for you, it can’t be love right? How could I love someone I barely even knew? It’s nothing but disappointment that I couldn’t have done more. It’s nothing but pure fucking rage that you didn’t fucking listen to me when I told you to run. It’s nothing but hatred from the fact that you did this when you could’ve lived.

I don’t care if you felt like a coward. You should’ve been a coward because at least you would still be alive. I wouldn’t be writing this letter if you were alive.

I hate you. I goddamn fucking hate you for every decision you’ve made that night.

But Eddie…

Eddie, I need you to get up and tell me what to do. I am begging you to get up and tell me what to do. I don’t care how you do it, just do it. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do without you. Which is fucking ridiculous, because I didn’t know you. But I need you here. Right now.

We’re done with the Upside Down forever. We’re done with it. Everyone’s moving on, moving forward. And I… I still sleep with your vest. How could I be sad over something I never even had in the first place?

Robin’s giving me weird looks. She’s telling me that I could talk to her about anything. I know. I know I can. But I wanted you to be the first to know. Apparently, I am gay. Maybe half gay because I like both. Fucking Eddie Munson, you’re dead and you’re still giving me a sexuality crisis.

I think… I think I am mourning the fact that we could’ve been friends, and if I am being delusional, maybe even more. Dustin won’t stop talking about you these days. I think it’s his way of keeping you alive. If I’m being honest, I hate it. Because I am falling in love with a memory.

I… I miss you. I wish there was a way I could send this to wherever you are, so you could write back and tell me that it’s going to be okay. That someday I would forgive myself for everything I did and did not do, that someday it wouldn’t hurt this much anymore.

Max was right. I’ll write more in the future.

I wish you were here.

Sincerely,

Yours,

Fuck you,

Steve Harrington.

06/13/86

—

Steve laughs as he carefully closes the old letter— stained with tears and age, some crumpling and tearing on the edges— and slips it back to the envelope. The envelope is yellow at the edges, showing its true age.

“God, I was so mad.” Steve says, his hand finding the cold headstone. His fingers tracing the name inscribed on the marble. After a few years, after the town of Hawkins eventually forgot everything, the Party got Eddie a headstone in the cemetery. It’s a funeral ten years too late, but it brought closure to everyone that needed it. Wayne, included.

“You want me to read my newest letter?” Steve asks the empty space. Steve takes the newer envelope from the picnic basket he packed, opening it carefully and taking a deep breath.

“Dearest Eddie,” Steve smiles at the stone. He thinks of Eddie, the only image he always conjures when he misses him. He thinks of Eddie, hair wet and face grimy from having fought bats for a person he barely knew. He thinks back to that Eddie, big brown eyes and teasing smile.

He looks down at the letter and continues reading, “I am writing this letter before I go visit you. Spring has been good to us. I’ve been trying to plant more and I think it’s going great. Dustin’s been bugging me to get some exercise. Can you believe that? He said it’ll be good for my old bones. Or some shit like that. He’s still a disrespectful little shit. I do find joy over the fact that Edward is a jock. Dustin Henderson? Has a jock kid? It’s the best thing in my life. El loves joking about it. We’re just thankful the kid doesn't have powers.”

“The Byers-Wheelers are doing pretty good too. Will sent us this really funny picture of Mike in a tutu as the twins practice beside him. It feels like only yesterday Will came out to Robin and me. You remember that right? I think I wrote it in one of my letters. Will still tells me that you and him could’ve been really good friends, and I believe him.”

“The Sinclairs are planning to travel across the country this Summer. We did have a few laughs when the “Winnebago” dream came up. Elena’s going through a rebellious teenage phase, and I just think it’s funny that she stole their car to drive to me. She really is her mother’s daughter.”

“As for Argyle and Jon, last I heard they were in Montana. They’ll come back down for the holidays, but they live their lives on the down low. Aside from Jon’s very active instagram account, they do write through emails. Robin and Nance are in Europe right now. They wanted me to come, but you know I can’t leave Arwen. She could be forty and married, and I’d still stay by her side. She has this concert coming up, and I want to stay and make sure it goes well.”

“I still think it’s funny that I adopted her at a random adoption office, because it still feels like she chose me rather than I chose her. Sometimes, I still let myself be delusional. If I squint hard enough, I could see it. With the way she plays the guitar, or the way she talks nerdy with her uncles. It’s like you were right there when she was growing up, right there beside me, helping raise her. Now that Arwen’s older, she understands it now. Why I never got married.”

“It’s been 36 years since you left. It doesn’t feel that long ago. I know you know this already, but sometimes I still reach out for your vest at night. It doesn’t smell like you anymore, not at all. I still remember it though. Like cigarettes and weed and the damn forest. Sometimes I’ll get a random whiff of something similar in public, something remotely close, and I’ll smile. Because I just know that’s you, being a creep and checking in on us.”

“In the hundreds of letters I’ve written in the last few years, I don’t think I’ve ever said it.”

Steve chokes as he reads the next few lines, “I think I’ll be okay, Eddie. I am sorry it took me this long to say it, but I hope you’re resting well now. I think we’ll meet again in a few more years, maybe another 20? What’s another 20, right? I can wait. When we meet again, we can spend an eternity together if you’ll have me. We’ll do everything we want to do. Just… wait for me, okay, Eds?”

“I’ll be back soon. Love always, Steve.” Steve slowly closes the letter, slipping it back to the envelope.

Steve sits in silence. Just listening to the birds chirp, just basking in the sunlight.

“Dad!” Steve turns to see Arwen climbing the hills, waving her hands as she jogs over to him.

“Hi, peanut.” He greets her when she’s finally close enough.

“Hi. I am sorry to interrupt.” She looks at the headstone with pain before turning to him, “Are you almost done? We have to be back to Indianapolis by four.”

“Yeah, I think I am done. I can come back some other time.”

Arwen helps him up, his knees creaking with age, “Give us a few more minutes, hm? I’ll follow you.”

Arwen nods, smiling before turning to the grave, patting it gently like it’s an actual person, “I promise to visit some other time, Eddie. I’ll play you this new song I’m writing.” She kisses Steve’s cheeks before running back to the car.

“I wish I could stay longer. But she’s got that concert thing. There won’t be an actual concert if she’s not there.” Steve chuckles.

“See you later, Eds.” Steve lifts kisses his fingertips before pressing it on the headstone.

The trees shake with a gust of wind. He smiles, letting his eyes flutter shut as he feels the wind against his skin.

Steve opens his eyes, waving at the headstone one last time.

Edward Joseph Munson

1965 - 1986

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.

#tw mcd #tw major character death #also this got way too sad than what i planned #so i might delete it when i wake up and suddenly hate it #lol #steddie #steve harrington x eddie munson angst #steddie ficlet #steve harrington x eddie munson

[biscuitbakerbecca]

Zoe Murphy for the character ask

Favorite Thing About Them

I appreciate that she is a very resentful character. Zoe not wanting to view Connor as a good person because she was wronged feels so cool to me. She isn’t wrong, Connor likely abused her and she shouldn’t have to miss him because of societal expectations. Love her. Best girl.

Least Favorite Thing About Them

I think Zoe (especially in fannon) is played a bit too dumb. Given her reactions to Evan in early act one I don’t think she would ever actually fall for Evan. I really don’t like the you made my brother a good person now kiss me thing she has going on. I feel like she wouldn’t do that if she was a real person. I know she’s like 16 but…she clearly didn’t like Evan up until the end of YWBF. She rejected him after IICTH, she didn’t sing in Disappear, and I know she’s supposed to have her moment of acceptance that Connor “was a good person” in YWBF but it feels kind of forced. She’s smarter than to believe the lies imo and the fandom really ran with the idea of her being easily manipulated for quite a while

Favorite Line

Why did you want to meet here?

I wanted to be sure you saw this.

FUCKING RIP MY HEART OUT WHY DONT YOU?!?!

OR OR OR EVEN MORE SAD

But you told me that he…that you would talk about me and that he would… How could you do this? *runs away to cry*

BROTP

Zoe and Jared being friends is top tier, I love writing their dynamic!

A snippet of my own writing for explanation, excuse the horrid grammar it was 2020/2021:

Zoe apparently decided to copy her brother, as she's in a black dress and heels.

"Woah, who died?" Jared asked, trying to repress a smile as Evan locks their elbows.

Zoe sighed, "Our great uncle. We are leaving after second hour to go to his wake."

"Oh, so that's why Connor didn't dress like a complete dumpster fire," Jared hummed, watching said teen walk over. His tie doesn't match what he's wearing but whatever.

—I don’t know what I want, but I need you. Chapter 5

They call each other insults and they stay out late to gossip. Bad bitches supporting bad bitches. They fight like scorned lovers but they defend each other to the highest degree. Chaos gremlins.

OTP

Alana/Zoe— I know I know I’m basic but it’s the only sapphic pairing I can make in canon

If we extend the boarder to other musicals I’m a slut for Zoe Murphy/Brooke Lohst. They’re both betrayed by their love interest, they’re meant to be. In 2020 I started writing a comic where they would meet post BMC and DEH (Up to Words Fail) and become best friends and then fall in love. I wrote four pages and lost energy

NOTP

Obviously nothing gross, but logical pairings that give me the ick are Zoe/Jared. They are Friend Zoned so hard. (mostly because Jared is gay in all my writings of him) Also BandTrees can sometimes rub me the wrong way but as the show is I’m cool with them for the most part

Random Headcannon

Zoe has red hair is a common one but goddamn do I like the idea of her trying to separate from her rich parents by looking different.

Also bisexual with a preference for girls

Also drummer Murphy Kids

Also Murphy Twin Truther (Connor got bumped up a grade because he’s good at school when he is there)

Unpopular Opinion

They shouldn’t have written out Zoe’s best friend character that was in the original draft of the show. Yes this is because the best friend was named Becca. But also Zoe needed a teen to bounce off of that wasn’t Evan because she never interacts with Alana or Jared. She’s isolated for the most part and would have been a stronger character if she had a friend in her corner. Her only “friend” we see in the show is her mom

(Friendly reminder that Zoe has a friend named Bea in the book (I think that’s the name it’s been a hot minute since I read the book—either way she has an actual friend with a name) and I hc them as enby)

Song I Associate With Them

I haven’t actively thought about Zoe in a hot minute hang on…

Okay I know she can already drive in all forms of canon media but drivers license feels like something she would listen to on loop after breaking up with Evan

I would say traitor instead of drivers license but Zoe knows that Evan didn’t originally have ill intent nor did he ever cheat on her so just a sad song to cry along to because she used to drive him around feels right.

(Book moment where she cried while sitting on/near her car. Movie moment where she nearly kills herself while driving)

Favorite Picture Of Them

We have options for this one (yes one is a gif but it gets the point across)

#deh #asks answered #Zoe Murphy #dear evan hansen

[songsforthepierce]

Album Showcase: Boo Hoo - Aurelio Voltaire

When I was a kid I would watch The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy a lot. One episode that stood out to me was Little Rock of Horrors for the catchy song in it. When I was in middle school I decided to look up the song and found it was made by a musician named Voltaire. This then introduced me to the rest of his music.

The album cover is simple yet nice. Just Voltaire playing guitar while singing. In the background is a broken heart which paired with the title “Boo Hoo” I am going make a hunch that this album has some sad backstory.

The album was released on May 14th, 2002. Though before that Voltaire began writing this album after the break up with his then girlfriend. He decided to deal with this pain through a mix of satirical and impious songs with some introspective and sentimental songs. From that most of the album is going to be about heartbreak and trying to move on. With that all in mind I am wondering how the song Brains even fits in on this album. Though from the “most of the album” that means a few songs are not gonna fit the theme.

Before I get into the music I should at least somewhat talk about his name mainly because for years he was known as simply Voltaire and at some point changed it to Aurelio Voltaire. I didn’t notice the name change until last year. He stated on facebook,

"I got tired of there being other people releasing albums as Voltaire. There's an indie band in Germany and some American guy who makes instrumental hip hop. Like, do these people not do a fuckin' Google search before naming their bands? Anyway, it was just easier to distinguish myself from them by using my first name."

All right, I can kind of get why he changed it. This will be an interesting album to partially revisit because I only listened to a few tracks as a teen while the rest are new to me.

Track 1: Future Ex-Girlfriend

I listened to the whole album at work to get a general feel for the album and coming back to write I do remember this track being the most bitter all of them. I know this is about his break up but this feels like this was the first song he wrote for the album. Going on dates with women he is just not going to click with and that they are just gonna break up anyway. I had to remind myself that “this is coming from a personal place and he is just venting” as I was listening. Like the instrumentals do add to the bitterness of the song being a bit slower and sounding sad. That and-

And no one cares you love Keanu Oh, whats the difference anyway? Everybody knows that he's gay Okay, I really don’t know that But lets face it He's too hot to be straight!

As I was working that came and I had to do a double take. I was so confused by this but then I had to remember that this was 2002 and this was during that metrosexual era. For people who either don’t remember or were not around during the time, people would look at men who take the most basic care of themselves (shaved, bathed regularly, dressed nicely etc) and would assume they were gay because...straight men don’t do that I guess or some shit. I think as far as I can tell was doing that but the last like “He’s too hot to be straight”. Like I get that is a joke and I am not one to speculate on the sexuality of real people. However, that line sure does sound pretty gay to me. I know I know, I am joking. But I get this is meant to be petty and comedic song. Anyway, this song is all right I guess. Not my favorite track but eh, a decent start to the album.

Track 2: I’m Sorry

The instrumentals on this are great. I love how noticeable the fiddle is and how that really ties nicely to the sad tune. The theme of this being sorry for so many things from being selfish, to the bad weather, to even being in this person’s life. It brings into mind of how people after a break up or even during it feel like that have to apologize for every little thing. Whether or not it was their fault or not. I do really like this track. What helps is that it is genuine and I do give a lot for artists being vulnerable like this.

Track 3: #1 Fan

When getting into the track at first I thought this would be from the perspective of a fan towards Voltaire but instead how it reads is more like how Voltaire is seeing himself towards a person he likes. That he is this person’s number one fan. Instead of being like “oh they don’t notice me” he instead feels like he is not good enough for this person. Instruments on this song sounds nice I’ll give it that. The lyrics are also fine. It does a good job on getting out those emotions. Sorry I don’t have much more to say. Romance songs are hard for me to say much on but I am trying my best.

Track 4: Where’s The Girl?

Okay so this is the first non-romance oriented song on the album. Well, I think it isn’t about that anyway. Reading the title I at first thought it would be about him looking for the person he felt for. But from the lyrics this reads more like him looking for a woman he once cared for but she was taken by death or some other force. But that’s my view of the song. I the slower pace of the song adds to the more downer thematic of the song. Voltaire was one of the earliest musicians I can remember where I would hear using a fiddle like this and it really shows how versatile that instrument is. Since the fiddle in a lot of the songs I would here were for more energetic songs.

Track 5: See You in Hell

From the title alone I assumed it was gonna be about him telling his ex that he’ll see her in hell. Well, that is in there. But it is mostly about how she put him through misery and how hard he tried in the relationship. I know when I type that this would make people assume the song is super whiny which like I can get why. But it really isn’t. Oddly I do like this track. Sure, I prefer I’m Sorry but this is a close second to it.

Track 6: Bachelor(ette)

This is a cover of Bjork’s Bachelorette. At first I was confused why he chose to cover a song on an album like this but when reading the lyrics for the song it made more sense. The song does tie well with the themes of sorrow and heartbreak. Now how does this song compare to the original? Well the original was about Isobel returning to the city by train to confront the people she loved with love. The beats of the song are like a train which I do think is a cool detail. The original is beautiful. Voltaire’s cover is pretty good to me. While it sadly doesn’t do the whole train effect, it does match the original’s more sorrow tone. Also the ending on both are different. The original ends with...uh lyrics that I have a hard time understanding while Voltaire’s adds the lyrics,

And life is a necklace of tears You undo them with your fear And I am a fountain of fears You fill me with your tears Our love...is a big ball of string Devil collects it with a grin.Our love

Which I think is a nice touch and makes both of them distinct in their own way.

Track 7: Hello, Cruel World

Now this song could be fueled by his break up or it could just in general be about how shitty the world can be. Especially how it feels like the world is out to get him and make his life a hell. I know that is an emotion we all have felt at some point in our life. Complaining on and on. That sort of deal. Though I do like the ending taking a turn of him towards the world like “I ain’t gonna leave.” The spitefulness of having the world deal with him. The song overall is okay.

Track 8: Irresponsible

After seven tracks of sad sounding songs we get a song that instrumentally sounds bouncy and upbeat. But the subject stays in the negative. This time it is about him being a irresponsible person...or him making fun of those who are like that. Lines about “ Is it so wrong if I don't pay my rent?” to “ I don't have time to be politically aware”.

Don't talk to me about the dolphin in the tuna net I'm on the tuna's side. hey, dolphin tastes quite good I bet

Sorry to inform you Voltaire in 2002, dolphin has high levels of mercury and you would probably either get very ill or die from eating it. I personally don’t take this song seriously because it is more of a tongue in-cheek type of song. Especially with the ending. It is an all right song. Not one of my favorite tracks but I tend to be a sucker for songs with tonally clashing lyrics with upbeat sounding instrumentals. Especially ones done well which this song did a good job at.

Track 9: The Vampire Club

Now this track I am pretty familiar with since this along with BRAINS and Graveyard Picnic I had on my old ipod and to my current itunes since I was a teen. The instrumentals are strong on this track making it a fun romp of a song. The song is about these pirates sneaking into the vampire club and the leader of said pirates looking and I quote, “ He looked like a gay Captain Morgan”. Huh, another gay joke. Though more importantly, I genuinely want to know what a gay Captain Morgan looks like. There has to be some fanart somewhere of people drawing a flaming Captain Morgan. If there isn’t, then get to it. Anyway back to the song, this fellow calls out the leader of the vampire club saying his real name and that he is in the 8th grade. After that a whole fight breaks out with injuries from both sides. Though one of the tenants at the bar says this is a regular occurrence. Aftermath results in,

Missie lost her fang in the ladie's room We all laughed and called her Snagletooth Dede was mad because we broke his cane And he flushed his contacts down the drain There was so much angst after the fight Vlad and Akasha broke up that night

 It gets revealed that the vampires aren’t vampires but just some goth kids. Yeah, it is more of a light satire of goth culture though Voltaire is a goth himself so it is more in fun than being mean spirited.

While some rivetheads danced in a puddle of goo That used to be Father You-Know-Who!

Now I never really knew who this line was referring to until looking into the lyrics. The man, now a puddle of slop, is Father Sebastiaan. He is a notable in the goth to vampire subculture for making fake fangs.Which hey that is pretty cool of a reference. The rest of the song does reference other stuff in goth culture at the time such as Bela Lugosi’s Dead and the rivalry the goth and ravers had (even though cybergoth is a thing but some goths do get very gatekeepy about what is and isn’t goth). While this was a fun song to revisit I was surprised to learn that there was a different version that was made. Yeah, so Voltaire made a new version that references...the Twilight franchise. Well, lets see if this is gonna be dated or not.

Vampire Club (Twilight Version) is mostly the same except it is just about Twilight. I kind of knew going in it was gonna be about making fun of Twilight with the whole “Vampires sparkling silly” sort of deal. Those types of jokes were common during the height of the series. Though the line,

Number one rule in this Clan Slay the undead who invade your land

Makes me uh...how do I word this...it weirdly just reminds me of the fact that the series is pretty racist with it’s depictions of native Americans. Though more specifically of the Quileute tribe. How so much information about the tribe was wrong in both the books and movies that the tribe itself had to make corrections on all the misconceptions. Doesn’t help that no one consulted the tribe before the making of either the book or film. I could go on about the more of the racism (such as how Stephenie Myer would push back against hiring more non-white actors for the films), misogyny, the overt Mormonism within the series but then we would get off track. I will say I do prefer the original Vampire Club over this version.

Track 10: BRAINS!

This song still slaps to this day and this is my favorite track on the whole album. Which I know is super bias but I have to be honest. It is just a fun song about a brain eating monster. Voltaire on his youtube channel has made two videos about the song itself and how he made it which I highly recommend checking them out. Though I will say it is super funny and a bit jarring having this track on an album mostly about a break up and this song just pops up.

Track 11: Graveyard Picnic

This was the third track I would listen to from this album as a teen. Not as much as the two above but I remember it being a relaxing track to me. It is a simple song about going to a graveyard and having a nice read. The song has a lot of Edgar Allen Poe references in it which yeah fits with the theme.

Track 12: ...About a Girl

And we’re back to the whole troubled relationship songs. This is about this girl who is cheating on this guy with the narrator (Voltaire). That this girl isn’t worth it and that she is lying or something. This is a weak song for me. Not because it is bad or anything because like I do like the instrumentals on the track. But the subject matter I have heard before and here it is like...been there done that.

Track 13: Let it Go

So after all the songs about heartbreak and grief we are finally at the stage of acceptance and letting go. It’s time to move on and I agree. This song is a nice closure to the album about Voltaire’s feelings of his ex. Well, I would say this would be the closure but we have one more song left. Which I wonder what the last song is gonna be like if we are just done here?

Track 14: Caught a Lite Sneeze

This is a cover of Tori Amos’ Caught a Lite Sneeze. I was not actually expecting a cover of a Tori Amos song in general. Instrumentally this is very different from all the other tracks and makes it stand out a lot. At first I wondered why he chose to cover this song for this album but as I was listening I realized it fit perfectly in this album. The song is about trying to keep a relationship when it is already over. Similar to how Voltaire throughout this album wanted to try to keep his relationship going despite it being done. Now compared to the original while I think Voltaire did a good job I do slightly prefer the original. Though something about Voltaire’s cover caught my eye, he didn’t change the lyrics. At first you might be like “Why would that be weird?” well when you look at the original context of the song with the lyrics such as,

Boys on my left side, boys on my right side Boys in the middle and you're not here

Which in context is talking about how men play a big aspect in her life but her partner is not. That and the pre-chorus after singing,

I need a big loan From the girl zone

That could be read as her taking power within herself as a woman without taking from men. Usually songs that are very gendered like this when covered tend to have lyrics changed. So like when a woman makes a love song about a man for example will be changed to a man singing about a woman when a guy covers it. So it stays pretty heterosexual. However, there are times when the singer just doesn’t change the lyrics at all which can change the reading a lot in a less straight view. I find it interesting Voltaire didn’t change the lyrics at all but I also like that. It oddly makes it distinct from the original for giving a different interpretation as the listener. My only critique on this track is mainly about the placement. This should have been track 13 while Let it Go should have been track 14. Mainly because the cover is about trying to keep a relationship that is done alive while Let it Go is about finally moving on. I just think thematically the two tracks should have switched orders.

Overall I enjoyed this album. I wasn’t sure what the album was gonna be like when before listening and I am glad I got around to it. My favorite tracks are BRAINS!, I’m Sorry, Vampire Club, Graveyard Picnic, Caught a Lite Sneeze, and Bachelor(ette). Not saying the rest of the tracks are bad or anything, they just weren’t my super favorites. I do recommend the album if you are interested in listening to one of Voltaire’s early works.

#Aurelio Voltaire #Boo Hoo album #music review #album review #Dark Cabaret #long post #Voltaire musician #album showcase

[ikea-clock]

Hi! I kinda forgot i started rating books here. My need to explain my thoughts hadn’t gone away, i really just forget things easily.

Today I’m just going to talk about “The song of Achilles”

At first I wanted to say that I’m really picky about romances. The problem is not them being straight or gay or whatever, cause for me that doesn’t really matter. But I need to connect to the book and the character to enjoy it. Ig that is one of the perks of being aromantic but let’s just move on.

I terribly loved this book. I’m willing to say it. First of all: It’s historically accurate, we need to remember that Medaline Miller studied the classics, she’s a Latin and Greek teacher, and I’ve seen a bunch of people (classic history teachers, …) talk very well about the book… so yes, high standards from the beginning. This blessed woman also manages to write so damn beautifully that I don’t even know where those pretty words come from - especially those times in the book when Patroclus is talking about Achilles.

Ok now more about the book itself (contains spoilers):

I adore Patroclus, and the book only has more value because it was written from his perspective about everything and mostly about Achilles. We all know Achilles is not perfect, not only because we have that demi-god dinamic of him not exactly acting human-human like but not at all being like a god, but also because of all the mistakes he makes. But even though it's clear to us readers that he is like this, the adoration of Patroclus towards his lover brings us the idea that Achilles is better than he actually is, and I definitely find that perfect in the book. Just as Patroclus loves him so much that he describes him to us as more beautiful, more athletic, more GOOD just because love somehow blinds him.

Patroclus spends the entire book repeating that regardless of what Achilles possibly does, he will always and always forgive him, even if its the most horrendous and unforgiving thing, until… until Achilles does something that not even Patroclus can forgive. This is really heavy to process, when you see Patroclus needing to go through the most heartbreaking moments like they were just a bit unpleasant.

The book is so heartbreaking that you cannot even hate a character for something unforgivable they make, really because somehow deep down on your guts, you know that action is probably just a reflex of past horrendous scenes. (Like ok i will never forgive Thetis for lying to her son and making him lay with Deidamia but we need to remember the Gods made her lay with Achilles’ dad, you understand my point here? It’s just a big ass horrendous ball that just gets bigger and bigger).

Even when we stop to think about Achilles’s son and how cruel he was… I mean he did devious things but he was taken from his mom as a baby and his father never wanted anything to do with him, he was raised by a goddess, and even tho, by blood, he was less of a God compared to his dad, he was never human. And this is also a good side reflection - if we stop and think about it, Patroclus was the one and only thing that represented Achilles’ mortality. The vulnerability, the love, the imperfections… That’s all what his relationship with Patroclus represented - what is it like to be a human being - and that’s why Thetis always despited Patroclus, because he represented all the things he didn’t wanted her son to be.

I can also guarantee you that the most depressing parts of the book are not Patroclus’ death BUT all the moments that succeed. The entirety of chapter 33 (the final one) was me covered in tears and believe me when I tell you it's not that common to see me cry. Every single moment after his death is both heartbreaking and breathtaking… Achilles obsessively mourns Patroclus' body, and that whole final chapter where we have Patroclus and Thetis mourning over a boy who belonged to both.

I get sad all over again when i think how young they died and how they spent like 1/3 of their lives on a war they never came back from, just because Achilles was too proud.

An outstanding book, a hard book to put down, and probably one of the best romances I’ve ever read. (And I’m definitely going to read the Iliad, I’m a nerd, don’t mind me)

Rate: 9/10

#the song of achilles #song of achilles #tsoa achilles #achilles x patroclus #tsoa patroclus #tsoa spoilers #tsoa briseis #tsoa thetis #deidamia #madeline miller

[safic4-m]

🏳️‍🌈Characters in Pride month🌈

~Master list~

One-shot

Wattpad

So…I’m not really sure what this is about but that’s what came out, okay. That’s how I perceive the characters and if you don’t have the same point of view as me, I invite you to fuck your mother…, haha not true, but if you don’t like it please don’t leave hateful comments.

P.S. Orders are open for anyone who wants them.

-Lana winters

June is a very important month for Lana, for a long time she had conflicts with her sexuality, then her whole family stopped talking to her, but when she met you, she realized that she didn’t really need any of them, you were her family and that made Lana more than happy to have you in her life. Obviously there was a change in her show, the set being adorned with some flags. 

-Cordelia Goode

The academy dresses in the colours of the flag as soon as June starts, besides being one of the most LGBT+ places in New Orleans (I mean we are talking about a witch academy so obviously it must be gay), the supreme one takes time out of her busy schedule to be able to experience this month with you and her girls.

-Sally McKenna

This time puts Sally in a somewhat melancholic mood, mostly because of all the people who for years had to repress these feelings because of society and the fear of being judged for loving someone; but it’s not all sadness and pain, as this helps her to have inspiration to create songs, not to mention that the blonde always writes one about how amazing it was for her to have met you.

-Audrey Tindall

The Brit loves this, saying that every month should be like this and not just one a year. The world goes crazy when you two show up at the march wearing shirts that say things like, “Homosexuality is not a disease, but homophobia is” and “I didn’t ask for your opinion on whether loving a woman is OK”. As well as going out to parties and gay bars where everyone wants to take pictures with your girlfriend.

-Ally Mayfair-Richards

This woman transpires homosexuality…, rather it is the definition of homosexuality, Ally is one of the most excited people when the month is approaching and with the position she has, she manages to make the whole city full of flags. But it’s not all rosy, as that’s when she gets into the most trouble Oz, usually over arguing with her peers about Pride month or if someone makes a comment about one of her mothers. 

-Wilhemina Venable

Wilhemina is known for being a very reserved woman, so she’s not the person who celebrates Pride month the most, but that’s what you’re there for, your energy is more than enough for this month. Something not many people know is that the stoic Ms. Venable is a staunch protector of trans kids.

-TB Karen

For Karen it’s just another month, she doesn’t see any difference, yes the streets are full of colour and her paintings tend to be gayer, but for her it’s just another month. Although she doesn’t just say she enjoys this month a lot, she loves to see how the world turns from being so grey and gloomy and becomes colourful, but what she likes the most is the fact that you become so alive. 

-Alma Peregrine

This woman has a house full of children, so it’s very important to her that her children grow up without prejudice and you hang out with their headmistress, so they are familiar with this. The ymbryne loop is September 3rd 1940 and by this time, it was not a very visible thing to celebrate this month, but even though they live in this year they have a vague knowledge of how it has taken on visibility over the years.

-Alice Macray

GOD…this woman is the cutest thing ever, for her this is the most colourful month, she thinks it’s cute how people come together and go out and march. She may still be a little shy about coming out and expressing to the world that she loves a woman, but it’s nice how she lives this month proudly wearing a rainbow pin on her clothes.

-Diane Sherman

The redhead likes the idea of staying at home with you and watching movies more for the month, but if you asked her to go out with you she would never refuse. This month she’s prone to having the house blaring “Born this way”, which has gotten annoying, as she wakes up to the music blaring, but loves to see you so happy as she puts on a show of dancing to the choreography

#lana winters #cordelia goode #sally mckenna #audrey tindall #ally mayfair richards #wilhemina venable #tb karen #american horror story #alma peregrine #alma lefay peregrine #mphfpc #alice macray #mrs america #diane sherman #run #lgbt pride

[imstillafuckinglibra]

"Get to Know Me" Tag Meme

I’m just gonna copy, paste and pretend I know what I’m doing, story of my liiife. Also, we’re talking TMNT??? Have you…have you seen that one hentai comic about Leonardo & Raphael…it’s called Black & Blue…Mikey’s cool though 10/10 but Donny needs some loving poor dude. Annnnyway. (It’s available online for free go read it cough)

Three Ships: I mean I guess it’s pretty obvious I only reblog Adore Delano shit bc I’m lazy and they’re hot so anything Adore Delano. Mainly I write Adore Delano/Bianca Del Rio though. SWAN-FUCKING-QUEEN. Nough said, Emma Swan & Regina Mills. Always. Idk who my 3rd is tbh, rn I’m low key into anything with Raja or Courtney ? Idky. *looks at currently reading* Although I could write absolutely fucking ESSAYS about the throuple that is Wolverine, Jean Grey and Scott Summers. Honestly.

First Ever Ship: I honestly don’t know, probably Monica & Chandler. Super cliche I know. Yukari & Koizumi from Paradise Kiss also did a pretty fucking good number on me like I still weep. SQ was the first BIG, BIG ship though. Talho & Holland from Eureka Seven maybe even? I shipped myself with characters all the damn time though Trunks from DBZ, Tommy from Power Rangers…Mokuba from YuGiOh…I was like 7 okay.

Last Song: That I listened to? Summertime Sadness by Planleft

Can’t stand the original but this shit 😚👌🏻 chef’s kiss.

Currently Reading: Oof so. Undone by @veronicasanders & 4theloveofdrag. Just finished catching up with Single Gay Dad’s Club by Dartmouth420, which I didn’t think I’d enjoy bc ew kids but it was pretty cute I liked it a lot. Both Immortal X-Men & Night Club are my favorite ongoing comics right now but Dark Knights of Steel & Might Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 are CLOSE second.

Currently Watching: Yikes again. I’m currently through my 6th Golden Girls & Murder She Wrote rewatch, but I’m also flip flopping between the new & old episodes of the Simpsons bc it makes good background noise. Literally right this second though I’m watching Mrs Grant Takes Richmond bc I do in fact love Lucy.

Currently Consuming: My 6th cup of coffee for the day and a slice of cheese. I’m super health conscious. Closely watch my macros and whatnot obviously.

Currently Craving: Low key a day off and a beer, might try to finish my deadline a little sooner today and indulge a little.

Tag people you want to get to know better!

@glittertrail @saiphl @dakotagorgeousworld

That’s the only people I know so go for it lol.

#get to know me #tag game #idk what im doing

[oh-look-another]

hi guys do y’all wanna see my rant to my friend bc she posted smth on her status that talked abt hyperfixations and i couldn’t fight the urge to reply? no? welp too bad

(under the cut bc it’s damn long wish i cld write that much for my monday exam)

like wdym you don’t know that in the very very old myths about sirens they were described as having the lower half of a bird and the wings of said bird and they weren’t even found in water at all they could be found literally anywhere in the world and they sang about your deepest desires not just sex so asexuals (me) wouldn’t be exempted from their seduction but over time they got merged with mermaids and now all the depictions of sirens are just hot girls with tails ad singing about sex like they were seducing sailors do you think anyone who‘s stuck on a boat wouldn’t have sex and gay themselves also the odyssey was where the sirens were first mentioned and ody asked what was left of his crew to tie him up to the mast (also the reason one of the artists who draw ody/jesus (this isn’t a ship okay it’s just that wolfy draws them like not together separately of course) didn’t want to draw that one specific part in the odyssey was because we would ‘get horny in the tags’ so yeah) and the rest of the crew has earplugs in and ody wanted to know what the sirens were saying (if you think this is the plot of som it is bc each of the books in the pjo is based on a greek myth which is so cool but i kinda wish that there could be like a pjo x orpheus and eurydice book like the plot of the book based on that myth bc it’s so tragic he looked back too early he missed her she’s a hungry young girl no stranger to the world and he’s working on a song and when it’s done spring will come again) so that’s the reason of that and the sirens were actually singing about him reuniting with his wife and son back in ithica and the only reason why ody was in this mess in the first place was because he fucking revealed his name to polyphemus like buddy you had a good cover i get polites died i get that you’re grieving but this is no time to anger the cyclops reminder that it wouldn’t have happened if you just killed him like athena said so poseidon wouldn’t have left you with forty-six men from your six hundred men not including the twelve that the cyclops killed and i would say that ody deserves it but the butterfly effect is getting a little too big don’t you think like at least epic!ody doesn’t get seduced by circe but calypso is still there at least he tries to be loyal and you know when ody was killing the suitors it’s very dramatic but also he’s naked which is kinda weird like are you trying to turn the suitors gay before you kill them but okay and also circe i love her so much yes she’s done a lot of wrong things but she’s so hot like epic!circe’s voice is so good also hermes is amazing his voice is so good and all the ruthlessness animatics right yeah all of them show poseidon bullying ody which is sad but like that isn’t even the half of it ody i’m sorry also they named the moon rover yk after ody like why are y’all condemning the man to even more places that is very clearly not ithica like come on it’s been more than centuries let the poor man rest with his wife and son in peace also if you edit like i know you don’t but [name redacted for privacy] does i’ll recommend this to her later maybe but i know she was complaining about tiktok audios getting muted but maybe uh try scrounging in the depth of musicals because so many of them have so much potential to be edit audios like i know one from heathers which isn’t really an edit audio or anything but it’s just a bunch of teenagers going ‘holy shit’ like twenty times in the background you should check it out

hey guys look it starts with sirens and ends with heathers the musical!! they’re kinda similar tho bc both have themes of murder

#rants #not gonna tag anything else #bc most fandoms only show up for a fleeting moment

[thatskepticalbitchcara]

Cardigan to Question…? Pipeline: ((((((I’m clowning but also not?? Lmao).

Vintage tee, brand new phone, high heels on cobblestone:

They each wore each others album/ band shirts.

Good girl, sad boy/ Big city, wrong choices (question…?) // A big town, Synthetic apparitions of not being lonely (she’s American by 1975)

The New York and #squadgoals of it all…

Lost in situations, circumstances, Miscommunications and I:

His “dating Taylor Swift would be emasculating” that he later said was misinterpreted…

She was on your mind, With some dickhead guy, That you saw that night, But you were on something:

The BRITs where they hung out but she and Calvin were flirting, and as we know we had his struggles with being on something

The smell of smoke would hang around this long: cause he smokes/d? 🚬

Sensual politics// politics and gender roles:

He’s one of those wankers who talks politics and gay rights and feminism but then does homophobic and sexist shit but is like “but I’m a feminist you just don’t understand me!!!”(for real is he drama and attention seeking shock value for the sake of it or is he an “””artist”””” making statements that I just don’t get?)

❓❓❓❓

Idk I’m too tired to connect things or really look into anything and tbh I don’t actually care in terms of gossip and paternity testing songs, but I’m kind of obsessed with the idea of Taylor writing beautiful love songs apparently about Joe but also wondering about what could have been with other people she dated/ had situationships with and what that says about the human psyche and if there’s an argument to be made for “love/ feelings never fully die” or “the poet keeps all their feelings alive for the sake of the art - or because their ability to feel everything never dies, they can have multiple lives simultaneously and that is WHY they are poets”. You know, like, is her memory palace something she lives in at the same time as she’s in what we call “the present” or does she visit it for inspiration, or just get inspired when she visits it. When she sang “I forget their names now, I’m so very tame now”, was she just besotted like first assumed, or was she hoping this new love that she was enjoying would become “her present” and she wouldn’t have so many torches burning - even if she didn’t want those flames, was she trying to convince herself she could close that part of her away, or did she briefly do it? How sustainable is mental monogamy when you feel everything so deeply and permanently? Soz I’ve probably entered into my own wanker territory now, but it fascinates me…. And from a gossip perspective the idea that Cardigan and question (sampling ootw which further expands the idea of feelings never ending, compared to it just being a gossip nod to harry styles), is all very funny to me

ty for your thots & the write up jsfkdls this is indeed an entertaining era

[golden-----hour]

25

4/17/23

I wrote a really good song. It is called Open Spring. It is five minutes. I started it last Monday and I have completed it. I just shared it with Seojin and her friend, who I’ve seen on Grindr. They were impressed with me. I shared it with Charlie as well, who brought me to a poetry reading tonight in NYC. They were really moved by it and that means a lot to me, because they are a really intelligent and thoughtful individual. They are also extremely emotional, which I appreciate. Right now, I feel elated, and therefore good. This morning I was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, a prestigious honors society and I also went to the gym. I met Anne Wallen which was cool. I went to NYC and met a cool poet I guess who was a translator and liked that I was a polyglot. Charlie was showing me off. I felt important and real! I spoke French and German to a gay man. I walked on the high line with my eyes glued to Grindr. So what. 

I’m so tired. Yesterday I drank myself to sleep because I felt alone and pathetic and I do not feel like that right now! But, it still concerns me because I felt awful and I didn’t know what to do to make it better. I felt bad, bad, bad. I was talking to Amay on Grindr and I told him I know about the DL frat dude and his OnlyFans and how I saw him and Simon at the Yard together (future me, does this have context?) and he was like, “who are you?” and I said that “anonymity suits me tonight.” And yes, and whatever. I was a black hole of self. There was not one thing glorious about my suffering. I could not write or compose and even if I did, that would not have ameliorated the feeling. It is hard to be a person. Sometimes I live in a bad house (I am embodied.) I haven’t written a poem in a bit which is its own sort of forewarning. In my drunken state, I ordered AirPod pros. So what? I am about to literally graduate college. (In a way, I was never supposed to get here - when did I start living?)

Dear Murod, I still think of you most every day but more like you are the sun inside of my eyes and I close them and the whole landscape of my spirit erupts under your fire. More like if there is a sun inside of my eyes it is because I put the summer away like porn on my computer the colliding bodies inhibiting the inert electric wirings of my consciousness Like here is enough light to burn darkness into flesh and bone Like, Murod, you are the best collection of neurons I have ever grown. The amount of times I have slept in your smile. The soft pink feeling right at the center of my chest is what a prayer feels like answered. I have lived through enough epilogues. Or my ear, on top of your chest, I heard the ocean of your breathing and drowning seemed like a destination rather than a consequence. Like I look into mirrors and eyes blink awake to capture this looking. If the passage of time had a body it would be a good one, but maybe very sad, like a too big tree which has seen too many years of Earth. Dear Murod, I convinced myself I can speak to the seasons, you are the baby in the barn, summer is meaner than winter, whatever is behind the moon you are likely hiding from me, you are not dead either, and whatever eclipsed horrible worse feeling crouching behind this paragraph is beating like an about-to-be-dead thing. You do not know the depths of my perfect suffering. I am hiking a trail snuffing out your shadow. I am trying to taste the worlds you have endured with the memory of your tongue. Bright summer mornings where you woke up and the sky aglow a soft shade of blue like it would flake its magic into the next world I actually witnessed the fate of being a person and know more than I could ever release to you, my one true love, destiny is a poem I will never write and I am staring at it and only when I am not in that place can I really communicate to you with my most genuine sense of self that I am here.

[valenhell]

From the studio that brought you “I can’t find good Byler fics in the ao3 tag”, comes:

"The Definitive Byler fic rec list"

Literally no one asked for this but because I spent the majority of last year (...and 2019, and 2018...) reading byler fics and coping with life, I thought I’d make a list of some of my absolute favorites. 

The other day I was basically starving for some byler fics and the angel @magicalfairy provided me with some of her faves so I thought I’d do the same, because I love reading, and I love all of these fics and I appreciate their writers💗 And fic writers in general, come on!

- This is a mix of long works and one-shots/short stories. - Everything is mostly fluff with a tad of angst and a lot of internalized homophobia conflict.  - Every fic is completed, except for the ones I mention that they are not. - I try my best to lay out the stories in a way that I won’t spoil you the plot but also warning you of some stuff you might don’t like. Either way, all of these fics are correctly tagged by their respective authors/owners, so read at your own risk. For better understanding, in between brackets I denote Rating, Words and quantity of Chapters. - I feel like I should clarify, none of these are narrated in the singular first person. None of that “And I told him...”, no. 

Long fics

a dream always the same (T, 99k, 35 chapters) What happened in those few weeks between the Battle of Starcourt and the Byers leaving Hawkins. Literally a satisfying and very needed fill in of season three, with a good dose of Mike’s thoughts and conflict. Mike’s characterization is specially amazing in this one. The writing style is amazing and I know the author put everything into making it historically accurate, and it was really sweet. You probably read it, it’s by the amazing sevensided here on Tumblr🧡

Spring Break (T, 120k, 14/15 chapters) The slowburn of my dreams. Lots of internalized conflict and conflict with each other. Conflict within the Party (uhh kind of), conflict with Mike and Will. Byers family has moved and the kids are visiting! Chaos. Characterization is on point. Yeah, I know it’s unfinished, but the fourteenth chapter actually serves as a pretty nice ending. 

This is where it starts (M, 148.8k, 24 chapters) Aged up characters. The Party is in college and Will disappears again, but now it’s different. Mike knows he didn’t vanish from thin air, and the discovery he and the Party end up making is pretty insane. Mystery solving/fantasy/third dimension, throw in a bit of D&D and Mike realizing some shit, and you get this marvelous fic. It’s a breath of fresh air. The world building is definitely one of the elements that stands out the most, because it’s very nicely described, it sounds like a dream and it’s completely immersive. Absolute gem of a fic. 

there’s a Starman waiting in the sky (M, 30.6k, 8 chapters) Do I need to say anything? Will is out there living his best life and Mike realizes that wow, umm, maybe his best friend looks a bit too nice with that costume... and wait, is he getting horny? It’s actually really fun and sexy.

The Evening Speaks (T, 23k, 7 chapters) In where Mike is a late-night college radio host and Will is the art student that stays up till late to catch up with Wheeler on the Mic. They flirt through songs y’all, this one is really sweet. 

heads or tails? (E, 24k, 3 chapters) Aged up characters. I know most people don’t enjoy sex in fics and with specific characters but this one is insanely well written. It’s a slowburn that commits to the tension and with every word you are grasping and anticipating their next move. I think you can find the author here on Tumblr as yousaidyes🧡

The Man of Average (M, 56.7k, 5/? chapters) Aged up characters. No but you don’t understand, the writing here is absolute gourmet. The story is exciting as well, it’s super interesting. Weirdly enough, for being very aged up characters, they are well characterized but they don’t feel like teenagers. They are naturally Mike and Will. The author really captured Mike and Will’s essence. I know, it’s unfinished and it’s updated very rarely, but this is the typical fic you can’t believe someone just posted on the internet for free. I will say though, I think it’s definitely not for everyone. Read at your own risk.

Heartstrings (E, 82.8k, 24/? chapters) Aged up characters. By the same author of The Man of Average. A collection of memories, the road to Mike and Will’s happy ever after. And fucking hell!!!!! You’ll cry and get angry, you’ll cheer for them, then you’ll want to crash their faces together because god dammit you love each other!!! But yeah, same thing here. The writing and the way the story is laid out as a nonlinear narrative is brilliant. And I also think this is one of the best Will versions I’ve read. The author might as well be the og creator of this two characters tbh. You can find the author here as mylesimeblr🧡

Sinners behind the walls (T, 1.5k, 1/1) And because I can’t stop recommending this author, a little thing of Mike tormenting himself but also being too deeply committed to Will. 

The Red Envelope series (T/E, 167K, two completed works) Something happens that Will thought was impossible and from there, pure drama and romance. Anything by this author has the potential to become your absolute favorite fic, but this series in particular is amazing. I doubt that any of you haven’t read this, but it doesn’t hurt to put it in this list. I’m pretty sure the author is serendipitous-magic on Tumblr🧡

A New Fight series (T, 91k, two completed works, one WIP) And finally the Star Wars AU that we all needed. But this isn’t your typical “Mike is Han”, “Will is Leia” and “El is Luke”, it’s way more interesting than that, and the author has appropriated the Star Wars world like no other. I’ll admit I’m not a 100% fluent in SW lore but this is amazing to me either way. This author is also on Tumblr, tea-for-one-please🧡

- Yes, most of these are (if not all), in a way, canon compliant/canonverse/canon continuation into fanon. (In a way)

One-shots and short stories

Sundae for Two, Please (G, 4.8k) Steve being the supportive friend and older brother these kids collectively need. (not Jonathan erasure, we love him). Steve is very sweet himself, and this little cute thing through his POV is gorgeous. Yes, it’s byler.

Backstage (T, 10k, 2/2) Jonathan, you forgot to mention to Will how hot your new band’s guitarist is, dude. Now he’s hyperventilating and weirdly flirting with him in the corner. Background Stonathan because why not.

102 Peach Street (G, 3.8k) Established relationship, but not only that, they are married :’’))) PURE fluff. Extreme fluffiness. Diabetes. 

sweatshirts and bottled up feelings (T, 3.2k) Or, Mike thinks that the sweatshirt Will wears looks insanely good on him. And kitchens are for lovers. 

kiss it better (T, 16.3k) Basically one of the best character studies of a few precise moments of Mike and Will’s relationship and feelings. 

will wonders ever cease (T, 11.3k) #i ship will and happiness. Omfg what a beautiful piece of fanfic. Will centric, this kid really deserves all the good in the world.

The Calm After the Storm (T, 1.6k) Tooth rotting fluff, boyfriends in love. Boyfriends being lazy, cuddling, love words, kisses. Boys loving each other’s company... Basically, Mike and Will in their element. What more can you ask for?

neither of us ready to let go (T, 4.8k) That scene from season three, but a bit of a fix it. 

Still in love (G, 1k) Domestic, married life au fluff. Y’all, I’m a sucker for established Byler, even if I can’t find many fics with it. But this is very sweet. It takes place in 2020, but I don’t think there are any mentions of the COVID-19 crisis that I remember.

I Nver Find Out ‘Til I’m Head Over Heels (G, 12.5K) Classic 5+1 fic. If you haven’t read it, where have you been? This is your moment. In where Mike keeps inviting Will to the school dances and Will thinks it’s just a joke until he realizes it’s not. 

Before You’re Gone (T, 5.9k) Will is leaving Hawkins and Mike thinks this is a great moment for a confession. This one I discovered last friday, thank you friend @magicalfairy 💗

You’re weird Wheeler (M, 4.5k) Mike unintentionally starts a tradition of going to each other to talk about their sexual encounters just after they finish. Will keeps getting more explicit with the details he shares, and he makes his best friend interested. This one is really fun y’all.

Out-Of-Town Friends (N/R, 4.6K) It’s not rated. I haven’t re- read it but I’d say it would probably fall in a T rating. So cute!! Will has new friends and sneaks off every friday and the Party doesn’t know where he is going, so Mike decides to follow him and is surprised. 

Snowed Under (G, 1.3k) By the same author of The New Fight series. Mike is spending christmas by himself in college because a snowstorm hits Chicago and Nancy can’t drive to see him, but then he has a surprise visitor. Ahhh just a lil sweet holiday fic. Super cute. 

you love me anyway series (T, 7.1k, three completed works) Literally just the cutest thing ever. Established Byler. Will loves to take pictures and he loves taking pictures of Mike. It’s adorable. 

you wanna be friends forever (i can think of something better) (T, 9k) This one is so amazing. So. Amazing. From Will’s POV, my kid deserves the world and he gets it. 

okay not to be okay (T, 4.9k) Mike is a bit sad but then everything is okay. 

can’t hold out forever (G, 18.4k) Y’all!!!!! 5+1 sweetness. Mike has been falling in love since kindergarten. And it’s long af, you’ll enjoy it. 

even if it takes forever (G, 1.3k) College short AU, they miss each other, they love each other, they promise all to each other. It is sappy y’all.

clear as day (N/R, 18.4K, 4 chapters) It’s not rated, but I’d say it falls in the T category. Strangers to friends to lovers. And also, everyone is pretty gay; we have our dynamic trio Mike, Max and El as disaster lesbians (and gay). Will works at the library and he is also gay. Lucas and Dustin and Will are the best friends we needed. It’s very sweet and the Party is kind of formed here!

I went overboard with the one-shots, so you must have realized how much I love long one-shots and I favor them over long works lmao but they are all amazing!!! If it’s on this list, I probably read it at 2 am, sobbing in my bed. So. Hope you enjoy it☺️🧡

#these are my all time favorites that i think you should read #it’s a good start #i've been putting together this post since friday #and i just realize that #apparently all of these have angst in some degree #who would i be if I didn’t read angst ajsjsj #but funny thing is that i try not to —but then the best stories are basically made of it #anyway #most of these are what I consider fandom classics #everyone in the byler fandom is so talented at writing😫💗 #is stonathan the actual ship name? lmao #byler #stranger things #byeler #byler fic rec #fic rec #ao3 #st #st.txt #me.txt #long post #stranger things fic

[incorrect-ikevamp-quotes]

Hi! I love everything that you write and heh I am a fan! 😄 tbh this is my first time requesting something on Tumblr! If you don't mind and if I am not being a bother...can you write about how the guys would react If MC suddenly starts making meme references? I don't know how I got the idea but I am REALLY curious. And love you! :D

Hiya! Tyvm for the kind words, and apologies that this took a while! I hope you have the chance to enjoy it regardless ❤️❤️❤️ Love you too, sweet pea! I promise to get to the next request you’ve sent ASAP~

Aight but this would be hilarious because the range of the reactions is just ungodly. I will be putting this under a cut after Napoleon so I don’t clog up everyone’s dash, but all the suitors are included below otherwise! 

Comte is the one that recognizes a few, but didn’t really stay in modern times long enough to be as well-versed as a Gen Z kid might. Regardless he finds the wittiness and absolute chaotic fuckery to be delightful, and will 100% support the harmless nonsense. It never fails to get a laugh out of him

Mozart that first day be like: “Buzz off MC I hate you” MC, because she likes swinging bats at wasps’ nests: “Well that’s not very cash money of you” Mozart: ?????????? Comte, giggling in the bg like the secret fae he is This one’s just because I’m petty, but after the events of Comte rt I just imagine them encountering Vlad again and MC’s just “I lived bitch.” while Comte is flipping him off behind her lkjahgkjhdsg

Comte @ Leo when he finds the latter under his desk: Had it not been for the laws of this land, I would have slaughtered you.  MC: wheezing from the hallway as she’s about to give him his letters

MC: So how was your day, honey? Comte: Good, good--briefly had to go beastmode upon the punk that pilfered my lint roller MC, biting her lip to keep from laughing: So does Leo still have his kneecaps? Comte: for now.

Comte, @ literally anyone upsetting the MC: I won’t hesitate, bitch

Comte: Be careful with my emotional baggage, it’s designer

MC: What if I was evil and ran towards you at very fast speeds Comte: My arms are strong, I would catch and hug you

Leo and Dazai are the ones that don’t have a single reference point but are filled with so much dumbass chaos energy that they just. Understand immediately???? Nobody knows how or why, but they just catch on so fast--adapt the language in a matter of weeks. Never underestimate the power of combined boredom, depression, and humor

I swear to god I just see MC taking them their Blanc/Rouge and being like “here you go sir, one enslaved moisture” and they just go fucking hog wild from day one. MC starts impersonating Theo when he leaves the room around Dazai, like fake deep voice “you all only hate me because you do not like me and I am mean to you. grow up.” Or like the MC meets a baby on her travels with Leo around town and she holds them and says v seriously and sagely “So you are Baby? I have heard tales of your exploits.” and Leo about loses his shit right there. They both think MC is the funniest person alive--they’ve never been more eager to throw a ring at someone in their entire life.

Also a bonus for my beloved Dazai:  MC, facing even the slightest inconvenience (like dropping her fork) in the most dramtic voice possible: Life is not daijoubu. Dazai: wheezing

MC, after watching Theo turn down a woman at the bar in the meanest way possible: bro quit letting the darkness consume you u r scaring the hoes Dazai, literally rolling around on the ground, half-drunk and dying:

MC, walking alongside Dazai and stopping to stare at her reflection in the River Seine. Dazai’s expecting some sad or twisted shit, since people often feel comfortable talking about those things around him, but instead she just: “Oh, it’s you. The source of all my problems.” And he about falls into the river from shock HAHAHA

At this point don’t be surprised if his next book is about an absolute madlad woman similar to MC

Napoleon finds it to be a delightful quirk more than anything? He doesn’t really understand it, but he finds it funny when they change their voice for effect or speak in exaggerated tones. If it’s just comprehensible enough for an outsider to understand--or Sebas gives him context--chances are it’ll send him into a laughing fit

For this one I just imagine MC singing that Ratatouille meme song obnoxiously bad while cooking, and Napoleon and Comte are just so wildly amused by it bc it makes zero sense and it’s only vaguely French at this point

MC @ Napoleon while they’re cooking brunch: Can I offer you a nice egg in these trying times?

MC, conflicted because she’s tired and wanted to sleep in but also got to see Napo’s cute sleeping face for a few hours: For my next stunt, I’ll wake up at 5AM on the day I can sleep in. Sebas: Early to bed and early to rise makes a person healthy, wealthy, and wise MC: early to bed and early to rise makes me a massive bitch Napoleon: laughing in agreement

Isaac is the type to be bewildered and concerned at first (especially when he hears the more nihilistic ones hoOOOoooOO BOY) but eventually begins to understand it’s some bizarre attempt at humor (that hurts Zack baby). While some part of him laments that it reminds him of Dazai and he’s secretly jealous of how she and Dazai bond over it, he will sometimes join in the chaos when the mood strikes him and he’s feeling mischievous

Isaac: How are you feeling? MC: Oh, I’m not Isaac: seconds from dialing 911 Isaac: Are you okay? MC: Oh yeah dw I just suffer from that syndrome where your neutral expression makes you look like you’re an angry serial killer Isaac: say sike rn

Isaac, tutoring MC and correcting something:  MC, muttering while redoing it: The risk I took was calculated, but man am I bad at math. Isaac: unable to help a laugh

One time MC was avoiding Isaac for fear of hurting his feelings and he just confronts her like: Isaac: back by unpopular demand, me! What’s wrong, MC pls MC was so hecking proud of him

Isaac, telling MC about a recent discovery he learned at uni from another professor: bones typically heal stronger after they’ve been broken--so long as they’re set properly, of course MC, looking him dead in the eyes: So what you’re saying is that I should break every bone in my body until I become superhumanly powerful? Isaac: please do not, no

Mozart and Jeanne are just. Totally lost. Why are you talking like that??? Why are you making “crab hands”???? They don’t understand. Maybe never will. They reach a point where they just kind of laugh and shake their heads, endeared by the oddity after they’re used to it and have determined it isn’t a threat/insult. 

MC: It’s a cold and it’s a brooooken, Waluigi. Waaaaluigiiiii...waaaahluigi..... Mozart: surprised, then starts snickering and playing along on the piano

Arthur, asking MC very personal questions out loud because he is an idiot sometimes: Soooo MC, are you a top or a bottom? MC: I’m a threat. (If he asks a second time, the response will be “Wouldn’t you like to know, weatherboy.”) Jeanne, fighting a smile:

MC, about to punch an asshole: Your free trial of being alive has ended Jeanne, seconds from laughing for the first time in 100 years:

Also, because I genuinely can’t help myself. You know that knight meme like “Parry this you fucking casual.” I cannot stress enough that it is literally the personification of Jeanne’s entire character. I’m not even joking.

Arthur and Shakespeare are utterly fascinated by the rapid evolution of wordplay and the sheer hilarity. They will ask all about these so-called “memes” and ask for examples of them if MC can show them (either somehow accessing her phone or drawing them). MC draws Arthur the knife cat meme and he about a s c e n d s at the hilarity of it all, points and yells THEO IS HOLDING THE KNIFE. He is correct. They will be delighted and follow along eagerly, and--god forbid--will make their own based on late 19th century struggles.

Is this where Shakespeare got the idea for “What, you egg? stabs him” and “You are a saucy boy.”? I’m too scared to ask. Don’t even get me started on “The Fool jingled miserably across the floor.” That one is just too on the nose...

I can’t even imagine what would happen to Shakespeare if MC like translated vines and memes into Ye Olde English around him. Imagine she’s at one of those noble balls and hears rumors of these two guys living together and they’re so obviously gay and he says “And those gents w’re roommates.” And in the most false surprised tone ever MC just replies “oh mine own god, those gents w’re roommates.” Imagine having a wife that’s just as hilarious as you are and hits you with all the force of a bag of wet mice every time you speak in retaliation, he’s going into palpitations.

Every time Arthur does smth stupid MC just: “I Pretend I Do Not See It.”

Vincent is tickled pink by MC’s penchant for finding joy and/or amusement in nearly everything they do, and he smiles gently when he sees them muttering and laughing to themselves. He wants to be able to join them in what they love, but he has a harder time following along and understanding the darker humor sometimes. Mostly gets confused??? Please give him the easier ones to mimic and laugh when he tries--or just include him in your jokes MC. He’s babie your honor...

But he also. Will not. Stand any kind of self-deprecation or borderline verbal self-harm. He’s usually very easygoing and calm, but for whatever reason that stuff makes him go deathly quiet and upset.

MC, after something goes horribly wrong, hugging Vincent: Oh Vince, we really in it now Vincent: giggling a little despite his worries, relaxing

MC: Theo stop simping for Vincent that’s my job

MC, when Theo leaves the room and she gets Vincent all to herself: The evil is defeated.

MC: And this is where I would put my will to live...if I h a d one! Vincent: ;-; MC: oh shit, oh fuck, I was only kidding Vincent wait (MC was subsequently lectured and loved on for many hours)

Theo is conflicted because on the one hand, he loves to see you smiling and having fun. On the other, you’re clowning as hard as Dazai and Arthur and he can only handle so many monkeys in his circus. Most of the time he will roll his eyes and be the straight man of this comedy, but you might find him cracking a smile--or accidentally letting a chuckle slip past his lips now and again.

MC, after meeting Theo: I’m a nice person, but I’m about to start throwing rocks at people.

Theo, those first days: Oh? You’re approaching me? Instead of running away, you’re coming right to me? MC: I can’t beat the shit out of you without getting closer.

Theo: Every time I ask MC to explain “vibe check” to me she hits me with some kind of improvised weapon

MC, after the “incident” (you know the one): This year, I lost my dear lover Theo Theo, in the distance: QUIT TELLING EVERYONE I’M DEAD! MC: ;-; sometimes I can still hear his voice...

Sebastian is last because oh boy. OH BOYYYYY I LOVE HIM. Okay so the way I see this happening with Sebastian is just. So wild. Because at first he’s t r y i n g so hard to be the proper butler man. He does not meme. But then he starts to drift closer to what Niles from The Nanny was, where he’ll quip and joke in private or when the situation is just beyond the amount of absurdity he can handle without making a snarky comment. Everyone in the house can’t fathom how Sebas and MC got so close so fast, but there are points where they’re just “Are they even speaking English anymore???” It’s 11 times funnier than normal because Sebas almost never smiles or laughs when memeing, the deadpan quality of his playing along sends MC every time

Has ABSOLUTELY said “HEY. PANINI HEAD. ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME???” jokingly when MC made a mistake in the kitchen. They laugh about it for y e a r s

MC: I can’t date someone who keeps a lamb as a pet, that’s so weird Sebas, brushing Lotte in front of MC: MC: MC: Okay, I will make an exception because she looks very polite

MC and Sebas, fully aware of the fame some of the men will reach in modern times: We will watch your career with great interest.  (I s2g that’s like half of Sebas’ rt right there I’m crying)

Sebas rt with Lotte be like that 500 dollar Mareep meme: “sometimes a family can be just a boy, his gf, and their 500 dollar two foot tall Lotte”

#ikevamp #ikemen vampire #ikevamp meme #ikevamp headcanons #ikevamp hcs #ikevamp napoleon #ikevamp mozart #ikevamp leo #ikevamp leonardo #ikevamp arthur #ikevamp vincent #ikevamp isaac #ikevamp theo #ikevamp jean #ikevamp jeanne #ikevamp dazai #ikevamp shakespeare #ikevamp comte #ikevamp saint germain #ikevamp sebastian #can you tell I had way too much fun with this aksjhfkhsj #i am a degenerate memer I saw this ask and straight up went It's My T i m e. #though i hope this was a fun response for you love! i did my very best <333 #tyty for the ask~ #rambles #not incorrect quotes #mild profanity

[lee-scribbles-and-doodles]

S3 ep5

Current emotional status: FEAR

Cthulu Max has been on the rampage for a whole week!?

Ew, the narrator

Oh man, are they sending the airforce after him?

I really like Cthulu Max's design

Momma Bosco 💗

Oh hey, Norrington and Papierwaite are alive.

Superball are you saying you tried to send the Maimtrons up Max's--

Also he's acting president while Max is... deposed of.

Superball is only giving Sam until 6am :(

Featherly!

"Wandering around the moleman tunnels is no fun without Max."

"You got it all wrong, we're trying to help Max." "We will help him... to a generous serving of ass whooping."

"That is one rabbit who will be multiplied... into 2,000 smoldering pieces."

Carol ran off with Blustet

"I only want her to be happy, is all." Aw, Curt

Superball just admitted to having separation anxiety from Max

Ok Momma can't come but Papierwaite and Norringron can.

I like Norrington :)

GASP

Is it?

It is!

SYBIL!!!!

RETURN OF THE QUEEN

Oh, she is very pregnant

She was a wizard at one point?

She's gonna help!

Superball there's no such thing as acceptable losses

Abe has his body back

"Four score and seven tons of raw power"

HE CAN FLY NOW!?

Sybil, I love you, but why did you mod someone else's car???

Grandpa Stinky I love you

Oh, he just handed us the recipe for once.

Asdfff the spore maxes swarming Grandpa

They stole Grandpa's hotdogs

"We must feed the host! Piglets and sphinkters make us stronger!" "We regret nothing!"

Grandpa hasn't slept in three years

Sam just casually taking the last of Grandpa's corndogs

The spores are trying to get it

Lol Sam slapped them

Sal's alive!

He's hiding from Sam :(

Lol we can control Cthulu Max with Corndogs

Ew, the cornstarch got mixed in with the giant puddle 🤢 Looks gross

Love how Sybil completely ignores the Flaming Max head

Also the look of disappointment on the spore's face made me laugh

Fifth trimester???

The way the one Max spore by Grandpa's truck is bobbing in circles with his mouth open is making me laugh.

Sam showing concern for Sybil because she’s preggers 🥺

Her being pregnant with Abe's child implies that statues have working genital in this universe

She put a weiner scented airfreshener in the desoto

At least Sam and a Max spore seem to like that (of course they do)

"Sybil you're the best!" Hell yeah she is!

Sam's mind went to the color bar codes to prevent being traumatized by Sybil's oversharing

We drowned the desoto

Asdfgh Sam just botched slapped one of the spores for trying to say "that's none of your damn buisness."

Ew, Max's spine is pointing out

Oh hey, Satan and Jurgen

Why is Jurgen wearing his old fashioned clothes instead of his emo clothes?

Lol Sam snuck into frame to shout "Go Mets! New York rules!"

"--besides it's just a good and noble thing to do." "You're not familiar with my previous work, are you?"

"Sam, what happened to you to make you so cynical?" Gee, Jurgen, I wonder what could have possibly happened.

Oh so the water tower counts as vegetable oil because Momma did something to it

Pfft we can replace Satan's microphone with a corndog

Omg they jumped off the building to avoid Max

Oh, they're fine, and the oil is in the giant puddle.

I'm thankful to Featherly for giving us an egg but I'd have preferred not to watch him lay it. Granted it was just in a cartoon way but he still made weird noises

Also TRANS FEATHERLY 2021

"I desperately wanted to see that, sir. Ask him if he'll lay another one."

Oh hey, the Flaming Max heads helped heat up the giant desoto corndog

Since I'm playing this in 2021 the Maimtron's song references are super dated, which defeats Superball's efforts

Oooh! A unique opening sequence???

Oh this music is jazzy af

Sam really doesn't like the Max spores

Sam how do you already know what Max's insides look like???

"Even when he's not a collasal monster Max's food comas can last for weeks."

Ok we wake Max up with the coffee beans, right?

Yup!

The gi Max spore is so sad he doesn't get to come 😢

"But I'm a horrible monster!"

"I suppose Max's brain always looks like a living room?" "Well, Max is host to all kinds of weird parasites, and he likes to he a good host!" WHAT

No really, this brings up so many questions about lagomorphs. Are they some kind of Symbiote or something?

And a previous episode confirmed Max is amphibious

Max has tumors!!!

It shocked Sam!

"Eugh! Get away fake Max!" "Do you find my warmth... alarming, Sam?"

"What do nightmares taste like, anyway?" "Pepsi"

Max wants to be author 💗

He also writes fanfiction about Flint 🤣

I'd unironically read his books.

Tina Belcher voice: Friend fiction

Max has an experimental fusion jazz band???

"He just killed a great white shark--"

Max being completely unable to describe a woman is very gay of him. Good for him.

Max's brain teleported everyone to different parts of the body.

Found Sybil in the gym/legs

The brain is broadcasting Sam's thoughts???

Sam couldn't think of a joke for the medicine balls :(

"Wow Max is looking pretty buff. Would it be too weird if I asked him to turn around?"

Sam! Stop thinking bad things about Sybil's pregnancy she can hear you you putz!

She's upset with him now

"Can you believe this guy?" "I find the entire situation to be very contrived and misogynistic." Same spore Max, same.

Sam stop being so mean omg!

"I changed Sybil, I totally get the whole parenthood thing now." "Really now?" "Tax deductions."

In Max's inventory now

Y'know, I never really thought about it as a storage house

Hit The Road reference :3

Baby roach hatched in

"Pa..papa?" "Now I am little champion, now I am!"

Max has a Maximus shrine

Sam turned into a roomba!

Aw, he named it Sam Jr 🥺

We won Sybil back through his love of Sam Jr

Found the conjoined twins

Huh, Max lost as eye. Does that mean he has a glass one, or do lagomorphs have regenerative abilities?

Pfft we have to play twister to control his arma

The brain is messing with things again

Oh, we need a roach to operate the game because of radiation

Well, let's kidnap Sal

Oh, poor Girl Stinky. She's really going through it

Aw, Sal feels bad

Sal?

Honey, are alright?

He's dying???

He's not immune to irradiation!?

Oh no, he's gone

I'm so sad 😞

Gotta pick up Sam Jr. Before I control Max

They mad Max do a magical girl pose

Ugh the narrator is back

Wait, what?

He's Max's brain??? SUPEREGO???

WHAT

"I was always ignored" Yo if my super ego was as pretentious as you I 'd ignore it too 😤

He wants to kill himself and Max???

I know Max had a self loathing complex but holy shit

The super ego is perfectly fine with destroying half the east coast what a jerk

Just noticed Sam's tie is red. Had no idea about this while drawing PI!Sam lol

We have to help Max get his memories back to use the ASTRO projector

Skunkapes has three Sam clones imprisoned

Sam had canon ocd?

Gasp Gordon???

No, it's Sammun Mak

I love him, little child tyrant

Just make him a mobile brain in a jar and let Sam and Max adopt him

Why is Grandpa here?

He isn't talking like Stinky

Too polite

Sam sees it too

He's a space gorilla

They switched brains?

Found the cloning g chamber

Let's go to Momma's first

CONE OF SHAME CONE OF SHAME CONE OF SHAME

Superball is "wracked with guilt"

"Keep it together Superball. Sam will be able to save the day. He always does."

Ok, let's go to the cloning facility

I'm still thinking about poor Sal yo

FLIIIIIINT!

He's punching space apes!

Girl Stinky really playing up the evil Mistress role

The doggleganger has a bomb on him!!!

Wait so Girl really is a mermaid??? I thought that was just her aestetic

God I love Flint

Haha we tricked Skunkape with scooby doo villain tactics

Got the robot

Her water broke... and it was pennies

Max wants to save Sybil! 😭🥺💕

Super Ego is here

Oh now he wants to save Max

The only thing here are those records

Super Ego waved goodbye

Cthulu Max is cute when he cries

Wait What?

His head is on fire!

The maimtron hit him!

He waved goodbye... and teleported away.

He exploaded!!!!

He promised he'd take Sam with him and he didn't!!!!

AAAAAAH

I thought the dead Max thing was popular angst fanon fic thingy!

We're cloning Max?

It didn't work 😭😭😭😭😭

Superball ran off crying

Oh God the credits are just Sam walking sadly what the hell

He's not even stopping to fight any crime 😢

💔💔💔

God the way he's clinging to himself

What?

The elevator???

MAAAAX

he's back???

Past Max???

He blew his Sam up???

Wait hold on I'm glad they're together again but this doesn't fix anything

There's so much trauma from this season

All the horrible things that happened during 301-304 happened in like 3 days tops, then Sam had to deal with Max being a monster for a week before watching him die!

And the new (?) Max had BLOW HIS SAM UP!!!

And they left the franchise like that for a decade????

What the hell?

I want to be happy but this shit is going to consume my brain for the next week at least what the hell

Aaaaaaah!

Like maybe they really do just brush it off but it feels unlikely

I know Max has a connection with his other selves so it'll be easier for him to adjust but certainly Sam is going to notice the discrepancies since he doesn't get the same deal

Someone told me there were multiple endings hold on

Aw, they walked off into the sunrise together

But still

AAAAAAAAH

#sam and max #freelance husbands #sam and max freelance police #sam & max #sam & max freelance police #freelance police #lee plays sam and max #305 #what the hell #flint paper #agent superball #momma bosco #sybil pandemik #sal s&m #general skun ka'pe #girl stinky #sammun mak #don't @ me I'm crying

[helliontherapscallion]

Whistle While You Work (Adrenaline Junkie Blurb)

(A/N): I don’t know how to whistle lmao

Anyways, this is indeed canon and takes place sometime between Chapters 13 and 14. Sorry this isn’t an actual update/chapter. Also, this is unedited

Warnings: none, all fluff : )

“How do you do that?” 

You paused and put down your wrench, sliding out from under the contraption you and Arthur were currently building. You sat up and wiped at the sweat that formed on your brow and gave the boy a confused look. 

“Do what, fledgling?” He furrowed his brows together, “that sound you were making!” 

…What? 

At your blank stare, he crossed his arms and looked at you impatiently, “you know! Like… like…” he sighed in frustration before he crossed his arms and looked off to the side, “nevermind.” 

You stared at him for a moment before you shrugged to yourself and laid back down on the creeper seat, looking at him in reassurance, “if you figure out what it is, just let me know buddy! You’ll get it eventually.” 

Giving him one last smile, you slid back under the metal frame and got back to work. A few moments passed with you asking Arthur to hand you different tools and answering any questions he had while he worked on the exterior. When a few minutes passed without any questions or conversations, you absentmindedly began whistling a tune you had heard a while back. 

“THAT!” 

You jumped in shock only to yelp when your forehead directly hit one of the metal parts you were installing. Falling back onto the creeper seat, you rolled yourself out and clutched your head in pain. A soft gasp sounded next to you before you heard Arthur hurry over to your side. 

“Shoot, (y/n) I’m so sorry I didn’t...” He stumbled over his words before he stopped talking all together.

“It’s okay,” you took a breath in and removed your hands. Nothing besides coal and redstone residue stained your gloves, that was good. Your goggles didn’t have any cracks in them either. “Just make sure we keep the loud noises at a minimum.” 

“Are you hurt?” You could hear his voice shaking slightly, so you looked over to see him looking at you in slight horror. You shook your head, “no, it just surprised me is all. I’m not mad at you, you know. I could never be mad at you.” You pulled him into a quick hug before it dawned on you; he was talking about your whistling earlier. “Arthur?” He pulled away slightly and looked at you in question, a small shred of guilt still swimming in his irises. “Was this the sound you were talking about?” 

You whistled and watched as he perked up and nodded his head vigorously, a small smile replacing the slight grimace and the guilt being replaced with intrigue. “Yes!” 

You chuckled and pulled your goggles off from your head. Wiping at the sweat that had formed on your brow, you stretched your wing out. Satisfying pops sounded from your joints making you smile at the relief it brought you. You looked back at Arthur with a smile, “that’s called whistling. I can teach you how, if you want.” 

His eyes and his smile lit up like the stars in the night sky. If he could blind you with his smile, you would’ve been completely blind within seconds of first meeting him. His smile was contagious, never failing to brighten your mood. You found yourself smiling widely at his enthusiasm. 

You led him inside and got the both of you cleaned up. On the couch, you sat facing him with your feet folded one over the other. Arthur copied your actions, sitting up straight as he looked at you expectantly. 

“Well for starters I’ve never really taught anybody how to whistle, it just comes naturally to me because I’m a… well, I’m some sort of bird hybrid,” when you saw him deflate slightly, you were quick to reassure him. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t teach you though! You’re a fast learner, I’m sure you’ll catch onto it quickly. To start, you’re gonna want to put your lips into an ‘o’ shape, like this.” You pucker your lips into an ‘o’ and watched as he did the same, albeit a bit too large. “Er, a tad smaller.” 

His eyebrows furrowed and, without moving his lips, he asked, “‘ike dis?” He tightened his lips slightly. You nodded, a bit unsure of yourself, “...yeah? We’ll adjust as we go. Gently press your tongue on the back of your teeth.” 

You both sat there adjusting his mouth for a while and you could see that he was getting dejected at the lack of progress. “I don’t know, (y/n),” he sighed, “what if I just can’t whistle?” 

“You just gotta keep trying! You’ll get it eventually. Here, maybe try relaxing a bit more and blowing softer?” He pursed his lips before he tried that, a high pitched whistle coming from him. He immediately stopped and touched his lips with his fingertips in awe. “I did it,” he whispered to himself, shocked. 

You grinned widely at him and pulled him into a tight hug, “you did it! I knew you could, you’re my son after all. I’m proud of you.” 

“I’m gonna be just as good as you are one day!” 

He practiced non stop after that, always whistling as he did small things around the house. Philza, noticing this, jokingly told you that you were raising a clone of yourself.

Eventually, he got to the point where it was second nature to him and he could whistle different notes with a good tone. While you both were working, you would whistle a small rhythm and he would follow. This spiraled into the both of you making up songs and whistling together in simple harmonies. 

If Philza didn’t know where either of you were, he quickly learned that wherever there was whistling, there was (y/n) and Arthur. If separated from each other in public, all the other had to do was whistle a part of a song and the other would have no trouble finding them. Whenever you two were working together, whistling became a way for you both to further bond over; even the smallest of medlies was enough to lift the mood. 

Arthur was your little songbird.

General taglist (comment if you want to be added):

@crybabyjabby  @izzybobizzy13  @goldenstarofthunderclan  @bunnyz-pxstel  @averytiredfanfictionwriter  @dcml04  @sparkling-gayyyy  @bbigbbrainn  @thaticecreambish  @kiinokochii  @satansphatass  @bxkubitch  @bxmentchildxx  @roxy3457  @montygator17  @feverish-dove  @the-fictionwriters-hairdo  @jichuuchaeng  @404rynnotfound  @luluwinchester  @laura--444  @the-cult-classic-bitch  @youngstarfishdinosaur  @nottheotheruser  @ohworm-writes  @localwolfanon  @realitycanbeajerk  @v10dw4lk3r  @esylwen  @seraphsema  @boiled-onionrings  @smolgreenybeany  @louistommosnesquickmilk  @galaxios

Series taglist (comment if you want to be added):

@acecarddraws @ravennightingaleandavatempus  @dirtydiavolo  @yeiras-world  @immadatmostthings  @hee-hee-haw  @jackalopedoodles  @m1lkmandan  @vanhakirja  @im-a-depressed-gay  @coolleviauchihadreamerlove  @questioning-sanity  @camisascam  @bongwaterflavoredgatorade  @kakamiissad  @jayistrash4  @lifestylesleep  @speedymaximoff  @sun-shark-tooth  @appetiteofapeoplepleaser  @lestrangenymph  @kinismanditory  @dragons-lurk-here  @rinzyx05  @the-wandering-pan-ace  @angelic-scent  @shinipii  @dont-hug-me-im-a-fander  @izzydimensional  @used-avocado  @wing-non  @lovely-echoo  @i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual  @mysteryartisticwriter  @momo-has-a-gun  @misfortunatem00n  @w-0-r-n-n  @v-kouya  @kusuinko  @cheybaee  @dulcedippers  @jaciahbabes  @prlan  @hummingbird-lightningstrike  @pog-sad-muffin  @prickypearpropaganda  @thegeekisheere  @self-righteous-dumbass  @solar-idiot  @yummychicknnugget

#adrenaline junkie #adrenaline junkie blurb #uhhhh this is a tag #blurb #pure fluff #no angst this time #promise #there will however be angst in the future #<3 #| |I || |_ #idk what to tag here lmao

[hopefulobjectmiracle]

A quick analysis of the puppy scene in 3x15, because my OTP is perfect.

This is honestly just a whole lot of gushing and flailing, tbh. Because Kurt and Blaine and their relationship are wonderful and I love them so, so much. So much so that I can write paragraphs on a scene that is barely one minute long. 

This somehow ended up being much longer than I intended, oops. Hope you enjoy it :)

We start off this scene with Blaine alone at his locker, presumably putting away his belongings from his last class, and you can still see Kurt’s ‘Gay-diddy-gay-gay-gay’ class council election poster on the inside of Blaine’s locker, even months after Kurt lost the election. But Blaine still keeps it up, because he loves Kurt, and if he had it his way, Kurt would win everything. Awww. He appears to be deep in thought, and when Kurt hides behind Blaine’s locker, speaking in the world’s most adorably terrible British accent, it startles Blaine for a second.

And man, does that make me sad. This is a kid that has been bullied, undoubtedly shoved into lockers and pushed here and there just like Kurt was. He hears an unfamiliar voice and immediately flinches back in fear, expecting the worst. 

But it isn’t the worst - it’s the best. Because it’s Kurt, the person Blaine loves more than anything, hiding behind the locker, and it’s Kurt speaking in that cute-ass accent holding a stuffed puppy in front of his face. 

(Side note - I once read that Chris Colfer improvised the dialogue and accent of this scene, as well as coming up with the name for the puppy, which totally checks out since Chris is a huge Anglophile.)

And as soon as Blaine recognizes his boyfriend, his face breaks out into the sunniest smile, and he does his signature “Kurt-made-me-laugh” move, the blushy head-duck (see here for reference). 

Kurt also looks similarly delighted to see Blaine, because Blaine is lovely and Kurt loves him so, so much, and because he’s also excited to show Blaine the gift he got him and help Blaine out with his problems. Kurt really loves Blaine, y’all. He looks so damn proud of the stuffed animal he got for him and equally proud of his own ability to make Blaine laugh with his clever puns. 

Kurt goes on to explain that Finn won the stuffed puppy while out at the amusement park for Senior Skip Day, along with thirteen others for Rachel, and as soon as he says this, Blaine nods along as if to say - oh, of course, that Rachel - because Blaine is considerate as hell and knows his friends very well. And in honest-to-god Kurt fashion, bb stole the puppy from his brother, because Kurt is the definition of Be Gay, Do Crime, and he also recognizes that Rachel does not need 14 different stuffed animals. 

He pouts a little right then, telling Blaine that he wanted to give it to him so that Blaine would have something, since Kurt wasn’t able to convince Blaine to go with them on the field trip. I wonder how that conversation went. 

Also, pouty Kurt is fucking adorable. Protect him at all costs.

Blaine is melancholy again, telling Kurt that he would have just brought the mood down for the group. And when Blaine says this? Kurt stops beating around the bush and gets straight to the point. 

Sweetly stroking the stuffed puppy, Kurt tells Blaine that he understands him. That he gets that family problems are hard, because they’re hard for him too. He uses himself as an example to try and get his point across to Blaine more effectively, and mentions that he and Finn disagree on nearly everything, but at the end of the day, they love one another and are always there for one another despite their differences. 

I’m also getting so many brotherly Furt feelings from Kurt referring to Finn as “the big lug” and talking about how much he loves him. Ugh. I also cry at the line where Kurt tells Blaine that he only has one brother and shouldn’t give up on that, given what happens to Finn. I wish we’d gotten more of that relationship in canon before Cory’s untimely passing, because they clearly had so much love for one another, both on-screen and off.

Anyway, Kurt sees the love he has with his brother and wants Blaine to be able to experience the same thing, because he loves Blaine so, so much and he thinks that Blaine deserves everything great in this world. He also brings back the cute-ass accent, and upon seeing Blaine look upset, bumps Margaret Thatcher Dog against Blaine’s cheek to get him to smile again - which Blaine absolutely does; his face is bright and sunny again because of Kurt’s silliness. Awww. 

Kurt tells Blaine never to give up, and Blaine indignantly responds that Cooper is the one who is leaving for a big audition. Kurt pauses, and tells Blaine that Cooper hasn’t actually left him yet. He says that Cooper is waiting in the auditorium, hoping that Blaine will come and talk to him and make things right. This line very strongly implies that Kurt and Cooper coordinated this, and that Kurt made an effort of talking to Cooper to try and arrange a meeting with Blaine - because in a matter of mere days, Kurt was able to glean how important their relationship was to Blaine and wanted to do everything he could to fix it. Give him all the boyfriend awards, folks.

I’m kidding. Please don’t start the Better Boyfriend Olympics again, lol.

Blaine huffs out that talking doesn’t actually work with Cooper, and that he’s tried it to no avail. And Kurt just nods knowingly, as if he was aware that Blaine would say that. And though it isn’t explicitly mentioned, I bet he did know. He then goes on to say that perhaps talking isn’t the best answer for Blaine. Maybe there’s something else, a better method of communicating his feelings that would work more for Blaine. 

Okay. You know what this reminds me of? Flash back a year, to Silly Love Songs. This is (perhaps unintentionally) a direct callback to 2x12. Back when Blaine was still crushing on someone who is not Kurt, he said this to the Warblers about his idea to serenade Jeremiah. 

Blaine (2011): I'm not really good at talking about my feelings. I'm much better at singing them.

And here are Kurt’s words, from more than a year later. 

Kurt (2012): Maybe talking is not the answer. Maybe you need to show him how you really feel in the best, most honest way you know how. 

Can I just stop right here and squeal a little bit? Because Kurt knows his boyfriend so, so well. He remembers the things that Blaine tells him, even things from over a year ago. He holds onto this key piece of information about Blaine, because Blaine is important to him and the things he tells Kurt are worth remembering. And here, in this scene, he puts his memory to good use to try and remind Blaine of his most effective and heartfelt form of communication so that he can help Blaine mend fences with his brother. 

GIVE HIM THE BOYFRIEND AWARDS, FOLKS!

Kurt is so, supportive of Blaine and just wants the best for him, and it just boggles my mind when people claim that Kurt didn’t love Blaine as much as Blaine loved him, because from even short simple scenes like this one, anyone can tell that it isn’t true. 

After listening to Kurt, Blaine stops, and for the first time, genuinely considers it. Prior to this, all of Cooper’s attempts at talking couldn’t get through to him. Blaine still felt the jealousy and resentment from all those years growing up. But after hearing Kurt’s advice, he puts that aside and realizes that some things, like family, are more important, and so he makes that decision to go see his brother and try and express his feelings in a different way. 

Blaine turns to go meet Cooper, and Kurt watches him go, looking so damn proud of his boyfriend and so, so hopeful...

Y’all know what happens next. Blaine and Cooper, a pair of brothers, sing a breakup song. Yet somehow, it works. Singing manages to communicate all of those emotions that were suppressed before, and opens the doors for real conversation between the two of them. They do successfully patch things up, with Cooper finally recognizing Blaine’s talent and Blaine trying to support Cooper in future endeavors. They are on a path to a close relationship, which is all both of them had ever really wanted in the first place. 

And if not for Kurt’s advice, this may not have happened. Y’all heard that right - Kurt Hummel helped Blaine patch things up with a member of his family because he knew how important it was to Blaine, and he knew how badly Blaine wanted this even if Blaine didn’t let it show. From all the bits and pieces of information we’ve gathered over the years about Blaine’s family, they don’t appear to be all that close, which is why it’s even more important for Blaine that he is able to reconcile with his brother.

(For more of my thoughts on Blaine’s family, feel free to check out this analysis of mine. Yeah, this is a shameless self promo. Deal with it.)

So...what was the point of this analysis? I’m not quite sure. I suppose I just had a lot of feelings about Blaine, Klaine, family, and the way that Kurt shows love. Like I’ve said millions of times, just because Kurt is more subtle in the way that he shows love to Blaine, doesn’t mean that it’s any less powerful. Scenes like this, in which he handpicks Blaine’s own words and uses them to push Blaine towards something he was too afraid to admit he really wanted? Kurt helping reconcile Blaine with his family? This is Klaine at its best, and scenes like this are why I will always, always ship this couple. 

Kurt and Blaine are incredible, y’all. 

Peace. 

#idiots think blaine loved kurt more than kurt loved him #klaine #klaine meta #glee 3.15 #blaine anderson #kurt hummel #cooper anderson

[what-is-love-babey-dont-hurt-me]

The Haunting of Thomas Sanders 

> Part 1 < Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Summary: Nico was beginning to think his new boyfriend was haunted by ghosts. He never planned to bring it up until the ghosts themselves came to him asking for help.

[AO3]

CW: food mention, alcohol mention, past breakup

Notes: Based off this text post I made. 

.

Nico had come to the mall for inspiration.

Anything to get out of his office would help him at this point, really. The meetings he had to go to were stifling any new ideas and the nosey, pompous co-workers were worse. The writer did not know what he was looking for, but what else brought people to malls? Maybe a new outfit would uncover confidence , maybe indulging in greasy food would be that final click he seemed to lack, maybe people-watching would offer the right story. Nico's bets were not on the last one.

The mall was not as busy as it once had been. When he was still a teen it was a lively place bustling with a constant traffic of people. Walking through shops offered hours of new stimulation and the hallways were towering, intricate skylights the crowning jewel. As time went on Nico got older and things changed. Online shopping is easier than anything and a fair few of the shops were closed down for good.

Nevertheless it was his favorite place to write if he had to choose. The buzz of energy helped him focus on work. Nico found peculiar security in being an irrelevant face in a crowd of hundreds, and knowing that each person had a life he could never even imagine opened floodgates of inspiration. The 'What if's?' and 'Why's?" he asked himself when people-watching could get the ball rolling.

Now there were less faces, less stories. Nico did not appreciate the way this shift reflected in his work. The difference was noticeable, and he struggled more with deadlines, but he worked with what he had.

He learned to pay attention to individuals more. However, currently what he had was waiting for his food, because at this point he might have more luck finding inspiration in eating then in others. There had only been a toddler throwing a tantrum, a teen scrolling on their phone, and a man who sat down across from him at the food court-

Oh hello, inspiration.

If Nico was staring, the only reason he got away with it was his laptop blocking his line of sight. He saw all he needed out of the corner of his eye. The floral shirt was extremely flattering, and if he wasn't mistaken he could see the outline of muscles. That brown hair looked fluffy, and what he would give to run his fingers through it while- Okay, Nico, you might be gay but that thought isn't for a stranger .

He could not even see his eye color. And the man in the floral shirt was eating, interrupting his meal would be rude. Maybe there was a way to make this still work? As his waitress got to his table and dropped off his food, he subtly turned his pinned-covered backpack in the direction of the stranger. If Mr. Handsome did not answer his silent plea then he would move on.

He tossed a fry into his mouth instead of letting himself think.

Maybe he had got his hopes up when the guy came in his direction, only to walk up to a Karrot King line. When the writer saw the man in the floral shirt inspect the plant, he wondered if he liked botany. Finally the same useless hope happened again when they made admittedly awkward eye contact for a few seconds. So he has brown eyes. The guy turned away rather fast so Nico dropped it. Maybe showing a pride pin made the guy uncomfortable and it was to good to be true.

Only when he heard a CRASH and saw somebody fall into a garbage can, did he finally get an idea about what to write. That was a metaphor he could spin into a story. Certainly it was not at all because he felt trashy for a missed opportunity. Nor was it due to that cute guy having disappeared, leaving his food uneaten.

Wait . You can still make this work, Flores.

He scarfed down the rest of his food and discarded the trash. Nico's fast pace to get to the table with the food turned a few heads, but he ignored it. Greasy bag in hand, he browsed the crowd for that familiar pattern. Every person wearing a floral shirt was either an older lady or a child. Nico swayed on the balls of his feet as he contemplated what to do next, but then he saw him coming out of the restroom.

Bingo!

None of what happened after went as planned. Serves him right for letting his overactive imagination create unrealistic expectations.

He should have known trying to do small talk with strangers would only backfire. After Nico had called out after him to return the food, he had tried to ask what made him leave in a rush to forget his food. Then the guy asked what was wrong with him and Nico dropped it. He gave the stranger his well-wishers and left afterwards. He would honestly rather head back to work then be here right now.  

No matter if he was admittedly cute, Nico Flores probably would have been mad at the man if he did not look like he was on the verge of a public anxiety attack. He was probably starving, too, if he had forgotten his lunch.

The man in the floral shirt hesitated behind him, running after Nico.

When they actually sat down to talk together, the man in the floral shirt - Mr. Sanders, Thomas - was quite charming. And funny. And intelligent. Oh, when he had called Thomas an inspiration earlier he had meant it. He just met a singer and an actor, is there a more perfect match to a writer and poet?

Leave it to his imagination to think of a man he just met reciting the poems and lovingly singing songs he writes.

The two had talked for over two hours without noticing. They had bounced ideas off of each other and Nico made an impressive amount of progress. He felt so giddy with just this one interaction! Nico was sad that they had to leave; Thomas seemed just as reluctant to part.

"Well you didn't get to eat much today at lunch right?"

Thomas fiddled with his fingers, "Yeah…"

Nico did not let himself second guess himself , he offered, "Then let me buy you dinner tonight!"

As a breath caught in Thomas' throat, Nico was self conscious that he might have said something wrong, but the heavy blush across the other man's face was not of offence or horror at all. Thomas was smiling at him again.

Finding ways to make Thomas go speechless was going to be his new favorite pastime… if Thomas would give him a chance, he decided. Just that alone lit a fire inside him, and later when he finished with writing for work, he would write some more. All he would be writing about would be this, a collection of poems to free these butterflies in his stomach. Thomas seemed to look around for approval from anybody else and nodded quickly

"I'd love to go with you, Nico! Maybe we can uh- get to know each other better?" Oh man, it was flattering to have somebody so cute get so nervous at him of all people.  

"Only if I could get to know the digits on your phone number better," he confirmed with a playful grin. It might have been cheesy, certainly. But he was also the person who told Thomas that they would not waste this opportunity. Pretending he was not corny now would be a lie.

Thomas taking his cliché advances in stride only made him more hopeful.

.

.

They both later met at a local bar and grill close to the beach. A salty sea breeze tousled his hair and the palm leaves. The hour was close to sunset, too hot for the mosquitoes to bug them but not too hot for the two of them to eat outside.

"I'm looking for a table for two? RSVP'd under the name 'Flores'?" He asked. The waitress nodded, sat him down with a menu. Thomas was not there, and a part of him wonders if he is getting stood up. Nico, not particularly interested in looking at food yet, fiddled with his laptop. He sighed because even If that was the case, Nico would try to make the most of the night.

The waitress brought Thomas to the table a few minutes later. The writer's heart soared before worry took root. Thomas was wearing that same expression from earlier that day on his face. He anxiously explained. "I'm so, so sorry for being late. And i totally get if you don't want me here and would prefer to just call this all off. I didn't mean to show up late, but then as I was about to leave my apartment I- my keys just-"

Nico grabbed one of Thomas' hands and smiled reassuringly. "Hey, I'm not angry you got here late."

Thomas really did look cute flustered, but he did not let go of the hand. Instead he ran his thumbs along his knuckles. "I'm happy you're here with me. Wanna order a drink and maybe share an appetizer with me?"

They both chatted about foods they disliked while waiting. Thomas hated carrots with a passion as it turned out, and he made a mental note to tease him about going to a Karrot King. Nico in turn talked about his dislike for most seafood and mushrooms because of the slimy texture. The waitress came and both agreed on a sampler platter to share.

"Mimosas at sunset?" He inquired.

Thomas smiled nervously. "I usually save them for brunches, with friends. All the other options I like are too much if I want to drive home tonight."

Nico nodded, understanding.

Just like in the food court, Talking with Thomas made time go past without him even noticing. They tried out food together, talked about music, and that led Nico into telling a story about a Highschool band. Thomas was red in the face and giggling uncontrollably by the time they paid for the check and had to leave.

They left the building together when Thomas stopped him. "There's a park around the corner. We can feed the ducks some leftovers."

If Nico noticed that Thomas was not ready to say bye just yet, he did not say it. The last of the sun was behind the horizon by the time they went through a breadstick. Watching Thomas interact with the ducks gave him the idea that this man loved animals. They were cute, he would admit, but nature found other ways to ruin his mood.

Nico laughed at himself, pulling his arms closer into his body. "I almost wish I dressed up a bit more. I didn't expect the mosquitoes to be this bad."

"I know it's warm out, but I can lend you a jacket?"

Nico did a double take at what Thomas was holding up. It was black with plaid sleeves, already oversized so it wouldn't have a problem fitting Nico. It honestly looked very comfortable, and it would keep him from being bit, but comfort wasn't what he was caught up on.

"Being warm beats being eaten alive."

When the fuck did Thomas have an extra jacket on him? Did he really not notice it?

He hesitated, and then asked a whole entirety different question. "Are you sure I can take this? I won't be able to return it to you tonight."

Thomas insisted, "Please, I don't mind- I don't need it. And you can keep it for tonight, or until we see each other again?"

Nico put the jacket on and it was soft. And it smelled like the cologne Thomas was wearing. Oh this was nice. "When will that be, Thomas?"

Thomas let his eyes linger on Nico in his jacket. "Saturday I'm free, I think. We could have brunch together, even."

He smiled. "Saturday sounds wonderful."

.

.

When they first had met, being infatuated was easy. It came to the pair more natural than breathing.

Nico originally did not know if his relationship with Thomas Sanders would go anywhere. But the first meeting had been so promising. And then they had a brunch date at Thomas' place, then a second and a third. Maybe… maybe Nico was moving too fast. Things kept going well nonetheless.

Four, five, six, seven. They kept on hanging out. Going out. They wanted to see more and more of each other. Quickly they were amassing a horde of good memories together. During nights away, they loved to text and call each other. They never put a label on what they did, which was starting to bother him. It felt more intimate than friendship. Were these dates?

According to his family, yes. They had noticed his change in mood and lack of free time quickly and demanded explanation. He kept it vague, but got advice anyways. Mama Flores said it was ridiculous that he had not brought Thomas by to meet the famila. Hid Papa was more doubtful. Even though it has been years since Nico's last major failed relationship, his father was still worried.

Papa Flores was a proud man, so it left a bad taste in his mouth when he requested Nico to take more time before giving his heart away. He had to oblige. Nico was over it, he healed, but some of his family was not. Nico's ex was like a second son to Papa, and everybody was hurt by him.

Call him cliché, but Thomas was different.

Even when Nico was past the stage of infatuation, Thomas took his breath away.

Could you be infatuated by somebody you have not actually kissed yet? It felt like it. Sure, when they had met at that food court, he had his breath taken away, and that feeling intensified when they saw each other more. He knew infatuation could feel like love, but these feelings passed the test of time and matured into something deeper. With more meaning. He did not like just the idea of Thomas and what their future might look like, he liked Thomas for his presence and as a person.

Suddenly his worries that they were moving too fast turned into frustrations they were moving too slow. They were more intimate than regular friends, but they never got far enough to be considered partners. It was frustrating to figure out. Nico was ready for a relationship, he was certain. The three months he spent getting to know Thomas were blissful, and calling their dates only "hangouts" had begun to feel forced.

So they talked about it.

Thomas said he was also ready but his actions seemed more… hesitant. He mentioned somebody from his past, who he moved on from but never could forget. Nico wanted to ask, to find out what happened to his heart for him to be so afraid. He knew what it felt like to have scars that still hurt, he wanted to be there for Thomas as he healed.

But that was not the time for the conversation. Not when Nico was nearly on Thomas' lap and his arms hung around his neck. Not when Thomas met his eyes and Nico stared at them for too long. It could have been him trying to figure out what emotions they held, maybe Thomas' eyes were that beautiful. His friend -- boyfriend? -- got so anxious and trapped in his head easily, but Thomas seemed in control of his more scary thoughts in that moment. It brought a smile to his face, unnoticed between the way they were slowly moving closer.

Still, cautious and vulnerable, eager and loving, Thomas had let Nico kiss him. Finally getting to show Thomas just how much he wanted to cherish him was amazing. And receiving that same passion in return was intoxicating.

Getting an answer never felt so good.

Nico's more-than-friendly feelings were not the only thing that was starting to add up in regards to Thomas either. There were strange happenings, though were so minuscule he had nothing tangible to go off of.

Thomas might be really good at sneaking things past Nico's eyes, common sense would say. Intuition told himself not to doubt what he saw. Thomas did not have that spare jacket on their first date originally. It literally had to of appeared from thin air. And when Thomas invited him for brunch, he noticed that two of the mimosas Thomas had prepared with brunch had vanished. Sometimes he experiences ghost touches when staying the night. The hands were gentle and comforting, calluses on the fingertips just like Thomas, but when he opened his eyes nobody was there.

That was the most noticeable of things. Though he could list off a dozen smaller happenings. He had no proof for them, as they could be explained, but Nico listened to his gut here.

And Nico has no idea what he would want to do with this information anyways. Thomas seemed to have some supernatural force that followed him around. What a fantastic conclusion to jump to! It would be weird to bring up, especially after Thomas had denied anything when Nico subtly brought it up. And the ghosts - for lack of better term - did nothing to harm Thomas.

The information that Thomas was haunted by ghosts was, for all intents and purposes, useless.

(Except it was not. It was fantastic material to write from. When he first called Thomas inspiration, his first impression never proved to be wrong.)

(And if Nico had started a personal project dedicated to a story based on it, nobody needed to know,)

The difference between Nico's feelings for Thomas and his feelings about his ghosts is that one actually got addressed.

He would be content to let Thomas have that secret to himself.

NEXT PART >>

#sanders sides #flirting with social anxiety #sanders sides fic #nico flores #thomas sanders #nico x thomas #karrot kings #pintroverts #nicomas #ts virigl #virgil sanders #the haunting of thomas sanders #snappy writes

[hermannsthumb]

"different young (rebound) hunk on his arm every week…newton geiszler who?" CAN YOU WRITE THIS FIC PLEASE? Hermann as the new heartthrob of the science world, cheekbones that can cut glass, baby gay scientists everywhere using appalling math-related pick-up lines in an attempt to be the booty call of the week. Newton catches a glimpse of him at a fundraiser and the Precursors have to stop him from crying with lust.

so tragically I plotted a whole fic for this and then came back and realized this prompt involves PRU but I liked my idea too much so unfortunately I won’t be filling the PRU part 😔 but I DO love heartthrob hermann sooooooooo. this can be pre-PRU if you want to make it sad actually CW for drinking and mild allusion to not sfw stuff. when will these boys talk about their feelings?

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

Hermann doesn’t like going out to bars at the best of times, least of all after he’s had the sort of exceptionally long day he’s had today (fighting his way through airports and hotel lobbies, fielding interview questions, having not even a minute’s break from Newton), but even he will admit that the one Newton has dragged him along to tonight could be far worse. The sorts of bars Newton fancied throughout their stint at the Hong Kong Shatterdome tended to be far hipper, far more becoming for a man of his (and, admittedly, Hermann’s) age, and likely aimed at tourists: pounding music, dark rooms, neon lighting, overpriced drinks, an inability to navigate through throngs of dancing bodies without bumping into at least half a dozen people. For that reason Hermann’s blood practically ran cold earlier that evening when, fresh out of their latest television interview, Newton insisted that Hermann needed to unwind a little. That Newton would help him unwind a little.

Hermann was pleasantly surprised to find that though the music (a live band) is still loud, and drink prices are still inflated, at least he can see Newton, and at least the few people dancing are dancing far away from them. And, well, perhaps it’s made him more amenable to (mostly) matching Newton drink-for-drink, and to indulging him in knocking back not one, but two rounds of the most disgusting-looking pink shots of all time, and— “Look, dude,” Newton declares, tossing an arm around Hermann’s shoulder. He’s shouting and leaning in too-close to Hermann, not because he’s intoxicated, but rather to be heard over the band, which has launched into a rather enthusiastic cover of some song Hermann’s sure he’s heard blaring from Newton’s iTunes before. His stubble tickles the shell of Hermann’s ear. “Just say it with me. It’s that easy. R-e-t-i-r-e-m—”

“We are thirty-five,” Hermann says. “We can’t just—”

“We absolutely can,” Newton says. He nudges his cocktail glass into Hermann’s chest, sloshing a bit of hot pink Watermelon Crush on his neat button-up. Hermann stifles a sigh; the shirt is brand new, bought just that morning for the interview, and will already be needing a wash. And smelling like liquified hard candy for the rest of the evening. “You and me, lying on a beach somewhere, sleeping in until noon every day, learning how to—to fish, or paint, or whatever the hell we want—”

“Not a beach,” Hermann says immediately. “I’m bloody well sick of beaches. Oceans, lakes, bays—no more."

Indulging Newton’s ridiculous little fantasy, even for a moment, is a mistake: Newton’s face lights up in a grin, and he tucks his arm around Hermann’s shoulder to pull Hermann flush against him. Hermann’s barstool wobbles dangerously. “Okay, no beaches. Far away from any coastline. The mountains, then.” It’d be just their luck, Hermann thinks, if the next Breach reopened far away from the ocean, too. Like it followed them somehow. “Let’s move to Switzerland or something and buy a log cabin or a cave and become weird recluses. I’ll learn how to ski, and you can grow a beard, and we can buy all our furniture at Ikea—” He frowns. “Is Ikea from Switzerland? Sweden? I haven’t been since college.”

“I don’t recall ever agreeing to move anywhere with you in the first place,” Hermann says, “let alone retire to do so. What on earth makes you think I’d follow you to Switzerland? I’ve no interest whatsoever in Switzerland.”

“Uh, because we’re best friends?” Newton says. “Anyway, what else would you do?”

“Anything,” Hermann says. He begins to tick off all the possibilities on his fingers while Newton watches him, unimpressed. “I could stay in Hong Kong—I’m sure they’d appreciate help monitoring what remains of the Breach. Or I could move back to England and resume my old teaching post, if they’d have me.” Hermann knows they’d have him; they’ve already sent him at least a dozen emails practically begging him to accept tenure. “Or back to Germany, with my parents.”

“I could totally do all that, too,” Newton says. “Well—not the Germany thing. No offense, dude, but your parents kinda suck. I don’t think I want them as my roommates.”

Hermann decides not to mention that the odds are very high they would not want Newton as a roommate, either. He’s tempted to ask Newton if he meant what he said about them being best friends—for Hermann can’t recall the last time someone called him their best friend, if ever—but Newton’s arm is slipping from his shoulders, and Newton is pulling out his mobile phone and tapping away frantically at it. Hermann feels strangely bereft without his touch. “Okay,” Newton says, his eyes scanning the screen, “Ikea was founded in Sweden, but they moved headquarters in—”

“Excuse me?”

Hermann and Newton both startle, Newton nearly dropping his phone, and the bartender who’d interrupted them smiles apologetically. He’s holding a pint of what appears to be beer. “Sorry to bother you guys,” he says to them, “but this is from the young man over there in the pink shirt.”

At the sight of the drink Newton brightens and puffs out his chest visibly. Bloody perfect, Hermann thinks. Just want Newton needs—another boost to his ego. “No sweat,” Newton says. He tosses his mobile to the bar counter casually and reaches to accept the glass. “Please tell him I’m super flattered, but—”

“Actually, sir,” the bartender interrupts, and—to Hermann’s surprise—slides the glass away from Newton’s grasp and over to Hermann. Hermann takes it without a word, not quite daring to believe it. Down the bar, out of the corner of his eye, he can see the flash of a bright pink shirt, but he can’t quite make himself turn to acknowledge the mystery admirer. Is that rude of him? No one has ever sent him a drink before. He’s not quite sure of the etiquette. “It’s, um, not for you.”

Newton deflates like a popped balloon. A blush spreads across his cheeks, barely visible beneath his freckles, which have come out again in the spring sunlight now that they’re not spending all their time in the Shatterdome basement. Hermann likes the look of them; he thinks they’re sweet, and that if he traced his fingertip across them they’d make a pattern of some sort, like a constellation. Not that he ever would, of course. Newton would surely ridicule him. "Right, duh,” Newton says.

He waits until the bartender is gone to round on Hermann. “Dude!” he says, almost accusatory, “Fourth time this week!”

“It is not,” Hermann protests. It’s weak to his own ears: even he isn’t thick enough to miss the sudden influx of attention he’s gotten since their first television interview last month. Hermann was never exactly popular, never exactly the sort the drive people wild with lust or romantic longing, yet it seems as if he can’t go anywhere these days without turning a few heads (including mid-twentysomething heads, mortifyingly enough) and getting a few cellular numbers slipped into his hand. Yesterday, a young man on the metro asked Hermann if he might like to see a movie some time. The day before that, another man wearing a jean jacket full of enamel pins stepped up to Hermann in a Starbucks and asked him if he could ­call-cu-later. Last week, a starry-eyed college student stopped Hermann outside a hotel to ask him to sign his Calculus 3 textbook, excitedly telling Hermann he switched degrees to astrophysics not a few days prior after reading an interview with Hermann in a rather obscure pop science magazine, and had blushed when Hermann thanked him. Newton had laughed at that one, and advised the young man to give biology a shot instead. (Newton had gotten very cross when he was promptly ignored, and in referencing the incident later, rather bitterly called the student an annoying little punk.)

This is to say nothing, of course, of the multiple news articles (listicles, as Newton calls them) Newton has forced him to read about himself on something called Buzzfeed, which have apparently helped to cement Hermann’s fifteen minutes of fame. One was called Twelve Times Dr. Hermann Gottlieb Was A Fashion Icon and was accompanied with a rather embarrassing array of candid photos of Hermann. Newton has been particularly incensed over that one.

“It is,” Newton says. “At least third. You know, I think the worst part is that you’re not even getting laid. Dudes are throwing themselves at you left and right—”

“Am I meant to go home with any random stranger who shows me the briefest bit of attention?” Hermann snaps. “I like to think I have somewhat higher standards than that.” I’m not like you, he nearly adds, but decides that it might perhaps be too cruel, especially considering that Newton has not gotten a fraction of the attention Hermann has over the past month. He remembers what it used to be like in the Shatterdome, is all; Newton seemed to like anyone who would give him the time of day. Most of his romances didn’t fare well for that reason.

“I’m just saying you could, and you’re not,” Newton says.

Hermann taps his finger against the pint glass, watching bubbles release from the side and rise to the top. When he finally takes a sip, it makes him wrinkle his nose. He’s not usually much for drinking. “I don’t like IPAs,” he says.

“I’ll take it,” Newton says, and the corner of his mouth hitches up in a grin, “as long as your boyfriend won’t get offended.”

Considering that Newton has only just finished following up his two shots with a cocktail, Hermann questions the decision, but slides him the glass anyway. Newton starts on it at once. Hermann wonders if he’ll need to call them a rideshare back to their hotel tonight; he’s not sure he can manage guiding a intoxicated Newton through the streets of the city on foot, especially not after a day that’s been rather unkind on his hip. “Only I suppose I have trouble believing it,” Hermann admits.

“Believing what?” Newton says.

“That they’re genuinely interested,” Hermann says.

To Hermann’s surprise, Newton snorts. “Nah, dude. You’ve got—” He taps Hermann’s chest, and leaves his hand there. “—sex appeal. You’ve got the, like, soulful eyes, and the movie star eyelashes, and the cheekbones and—” He drags his fingertip along Hermann’s jaw, and Hermann masks his sharp flinch in a cough, hoping Newton can’t feel his face heating up. He doesn’t remember if Newton has ever touched his face before. It feels shockingly intimate. “People think it’s super hot.” He takes another sip of Hermann’s drink. "Plus, you’re so—like—uptight. It makes people wonder what you’re bottling up.”

Hermann arches an eyebrow. “Bottling up?”

“In a sexy way,” Newton clarifies.

He settles his hand back on Hermann’s chest. Hermann licks his lips. Has Newton wondered those sorts of things about him, too? “You’ve had—too much to drink,” he says.

“A little bit,” Newton agrees. “I’m right, though. I like this shirt, by the way, it’s a nice cut on you.” He toys with one of the shirt’s buttons, and when he speaks again it’s in a low voice that makes Hermann’s mouth feel strangely dry. Hermann has never heard it from him before. “Wanna go back to the hotel and rent a movie or something?”

He’s peering at Hermann through his eyelashes, smiling in an odd little way. How terribly close they are to each other, Hermann realizes. He can count every tiny scratch in Newton’s eyeglasses, every fleck of gold in his eyes, every freckle on his cheeks. He wonders if Newton really wants to rent a movie; he wonders what Newton would do if Hermann closed the inch between them, and... “I,” Hermann stammers, gaze fixed on Newton’s mouth (stained pinker from his drink), “er, yes, only—only I feel as if I ought to thank the gentleman who sent me—”

At once, Newton drops away from him. His face hardens. His smile hardens, too. “Oh, right. I forgot,” he says. He inclines his head down the bar. “Pink shirt, right?”

Hermann casts his eyes about, searching for the pink-shirted stranger. When he doesn’t immediately spot him, a small bubble of relief swells within him. Perhaps he left, perhaps he decided he’s not interested in Hermann after all, perhaps Hermann is free to go back to the hotel with Newton and watch a film and argue about retirement and… “Oh, there,” Newton says. A man catches Hermann’s eye and waves timidly. He’s wearing a pink button-up.

“Bugger,” Hermann mutters. His admirer is not unattractive—in fact, he’s the opposite, with curly hair and glasses even thicker than Newton’s—which Newton seems to notice, too. He claps Hermann on the shoulder, hard enough that Hermann sways with it.

“He’s totally cute,” Newton says, “and he’s totally into you. You gotta at least get his number.” He takes another large sip of Hermann’s drink. “Better yet, get yourself laid. You could use it.”

Hermann feels the oddest sense of whiplash. Just a minute prior, he was about to kiss Newton (and he was pretty sure Newton was going to kiss him back), and now Newton is practically throwing him at another man. Hermann does not want to get anyone’s phone number—he wants to fall asleep in his stiff hotel bed to some absolutely awful science-fiction movie Newton picks out. “Newton,” he says, “weren’t we going to—?”

“No biggie, we can do movie night tomorrow instead,” Newton says. He nudges Hermann’s calf with the toe of his boot, and holds out his cane to him. Hermann feels his heart begin to sink. “I won’t wait up for you. Just give me a heads up if he wants to go back to our place, and I’ll make sure to stay out longer.”

“I’m sure it’ll only take a moment,” Hermann says. He’ll make sure it only takes a moment.

“No biggie,” Newton repeats. He raises his glass to Hermann in a mock toast. “Good luck!”

When Hermann looks back over his shoulder, halfway to the man in the pink shirt, it’s to see Newton’s stool vacant, and the back of Newton’s leather jacket swishing out the bar doors.

#newmann #maria's fanfiction tag #Anonymous