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#i mean ill pick one eventually and maybe just make a post about all the scenes that didnt make it into the fic
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Porcelain Steve - Part 5
Part One🦇Part Two🦇Part Three🦇Part Four🦇Part Five🦇Part Six🦇Part Seven🦇Part Eight🦇Part Nine
"Get a grip," Eddie mutters to himself as he places the phone back onto its cradle for the fourth time that day without having made a phone call. He paces back and forth in front of the phone, one, two, three full lines across the room and back before he picks up the phone, dials the Henderson's number, lets it ring one and a half times, then slams the phone down again before someone can answer.
He thinks he's losing it a little. All this time he thought he was the level-headed one but now that it's been two full days of not seeing Porcelain Steve, he thinks he's going to climb the walls and start ripping up the carpets. Logically he knows that nothing has happened. If something had, he would have heard from Dustin already, either by phone or over the walkie (which may or may not be on him at all times, volume as loud as it goes). They wouldn't leave him in the dark.
Right?
Right. Right.
He picks up the phone again, dialing the Buckley house instead.
Robin's dad answers, which is great. Robin's mom likes to play 20 Questions before handing the phone off. He keeps meaning to ask Robin if her mom does that for everyone that calls, or if he's just the lucky one. Robin's dad is a straightforward guy. He wants to know who is calling, and who they want to talk to.
"Robin is out, but I can give her a message, Eddie," Mr. Buckley says.
"Yes, please. Sir. Just let her know I called."
"Will do. Goodbye."
He listens to the dial tone for a few seconds before setting the phone down for the sixth time in less than 15 minutes. He has got to do something to keep busy or the carpets are toast.
Usually when he's this restless he bothers his friends, but Jeff is out of town on a family vacation, no one answered the phone at Gareth's house (first person he called this morning), and Brian has a summer job taking up his time, so now he's left to figure out distractions on his own.
His room is filled with distractions, but nothing that can claim his attention for too long. He puts a cassette in the player but doesn't turn it up to the volume that usually calms him because he doesn't want to miss hearing the phone ring. He'd been trying to distract himself with campaign planning and keeps getting off track with the fantasy that this would be the campaign he could convince Steve to at least hang out and observe, if not play in one or two sessions as an over-powered NPC.
Even Return of the King can't hold his attention for more than two pages, even if he flips through to read just his favorite parts because his mind immediately plays word association games which leads to thinking of Steve.
It hits Eddie then that he misses Steve. He misses climbing into Steve's car and bitching about whatever station Steve's set the radio on playing the Top 40. He misses late night smoke sessions where Steve seems to soften under his high and the night sky as they lay atop the trailer close enough to touch and talk about nothing. He misses being able to steal glances at Steve when he throws his head back to laugh hysterically at something he or Robin had said.
He misses Steve so intensely and fiercely that it sits like a rock in his stomach. He would give anything to hear Steve's voice again.
Oh. Oh no. He needs distraction from his thoughts now.
He successfully managed to hem and haw about his room for almost an hour before he marches back out to the living room and the phone set on the end table next to Wayne's recliner. Picks it up then sets it down again, turning on heel to the kitchen. Maybe breakfast (a glance to the clock on the wall tells him the time is 12:50, so maybe it's actually lunch) will be a sufficient time sink.
He pulls out all the fixings of a PB&J and is in the process of searching for a clean(ish) butter knife when three rapid knocks startle him, freezing him in place for a moment.
The knocking happens again, five quick raps this time, but Eddie was already making his way to the door by the third this time. There is a thought in the back of his mind that rises, unbidden, oh God, something's happened and it makes him wrench the door open with more force than necessary.
Robin stands on his porch, but not for long. She's got a backpack on and a grocery bag hanging off of one arm and when Eddie just blinks at her in a moment of confusion, she huffs and bullies her way inside. He full body turns, closing the door as he does so, to watch her deposit the bag, then backpack, onto the couch.
"Uh, hi?" Eddie manages as he watches her begin to unload the things she brought. A box of microwave popcorn, an obscene amount of candy bars, an assortment of nail polishes, and more but his attention is dragged up to the side of Robin's face when she starts talking, pulling out VHS tapes, clearly rented from Family Video.
"So, I brought a few options for us. Halloween because it was your most rented film back when Steve and I still worked there, so I thought it was a safe bet. Also go The Black Cauldron because you strike me as a Black Cauldron kind of guy, The Hidden Fortress because it's one of my favorites and you might enjoy it, too, and Top Gun, because, well, it might serve as a good distraction for a bit," Robin holds up each tape as she lists them off, setting them on the coffee table next to the assorted stuff she brought with. "Also got, like, a manicure set and some scrunchies and bobby pins. Not really sure how occupied you need to be right now."
"Uh.... what?"
Robin rolls her eyes like Eddie's slow on the uptake, "Distraction. I'm here to provide it. Though, maybe I should have called and asked what you do when you want to kill time. I just... defaulted to what Steve and I do. Movies and makeovers, but, like, if that doesn't work that's fine. It's just, you've joined us before on movie makeover nights, so I assumed..."
Eddie swallows pushing down the knot threatening to form in his throat. It's not a shock (anymore) that he's truly friends with Robin, but sometimes it's not at the forefront of his mind. When he thinks of friends, Jeff, Gareth, and Brian come to mind first. They've years of history together, after all. What he's got with Robin, and everyone else, is deeper than just friendship, the shared secret of Spring Break '86 that's made them all ride or die. So, now, with Robin showing up, instinctively wanting to help because they're friends even without Steve as a buffer, it just kinda rocks Eddie emotionally.
"No, it's great. I just- how did you know?"
Robin cocks her head at him, "You didn't leave a message."
He's not sure what facial expression he makes but everything about Robin softens just a bit. It's so reminiscent of how she is with Steve in the soft, quiet moments when she thinks no one else is paying attention to her and Steve. (Eddie's always paying attention.)
"Oh, dingbat," She says it softly and with a shake of her head before grabbing the popcorn box and ripping it open. She fishes out a packet and tosses it to him. "Get that going. I'm putting in Top Gun."
Wordlessly, Eddie obeys. He wants to ask more questions. What's the look for? Since when does she call him dingbat? What is happening? He throws the bag into the microwave, then remembers the PB&J he was attempting to make earlier. He makes two sandwiches, pausing only to dump the popcorn into a bowl once the microwave beeps. He puts the sandwiches on a plate to make carrying everything easier and joins Robin on the couch.
She accepts the offered sandwich with glee and they watch the first half hour of Top Gun in silence before Eddie gets his words gathered.
"How did you know?" He asks again.
"My dad," she says like a confession, not even needing Eddie to elaborate what he means, "it's, like, the highlight of his day when I miss a call from you. He's so overdramatic about delivering it, all bowing at me and repeating whatever lame thing you said like the esteemed Mister Munson has called to inquire if the lovely Lady Robin would like to partake on an outing the afternoon overmorrow or whatever shit you decide to sprout. Who says 'overmorrow' anyway? So, when I got back from helping mom grocery shop, he just... he pulled the grocery bags from my hands and told me 'I think Eddie needs you'."
He's only met the Buckley's face to face a few times. They don't hang out at Robin's house much so he's a bit shocked that Mr. Buckley even picked up Eddie's dramatics enough to notice something was off.
"My parents are a bit overprotective and overbearing sometimes but they care and listen," Robin says, "so when you called and seemed to different to what my dad is used to hearing- well, I asked to borrow his car, and made a quick pitstop. I was just kind of banking on the fact you need a distraction the same way I do."
He understands what Robin isn't actually saying. "From thinking about Steve."
She nods, "yeah. I know Dustin would never let anything happen to him, but it still leaves me jittery when I don't see him. Especially since the last time I went two days without seeing Steve he- well, he turned into a porcelain doll."
"I thought I was doing okay with all this, you know?" Eddie finds himself saying. "But I'm not. And it's so fucking stupid. It's not like I'm the only one who cares about Steve, or is worried, but- And it's not that I don't trust Dustin to keep him safe. I just- it's..."
"It's different. How you feel about Steve, how Dustin feels about Steve, and how I do. It's all different."
Eddie freezes. He's never- they don't talk about it. He's only said it out loud to three people. Wayne, Jeff, and his father. The last one landed him in the hospital and Wayne's custody so it's not a secret he lets out lightly.
"Dustin's his brother," Robin continues, either unaware of how Eddie's basically quit breathing or choosing to ignore it, "but he's also a dumb teenage boy. He'd never let anything happen to Steve, but that's not a guarantee that nothing will happen. I worry, too. I want to just take Steve and wrap him in bubble wrap, put him in a box, wrap that in bubble wrap, then put that in a bigger box and set him in the middle of an empty room where nothing could accidentally fall over onto the box."
He huffs out a laugh at the mental image that conjures up. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Robin says before sucking her lips between her teeth, then pushing them out with a pop! sound, seeming to think over something. He watches as she mentally braces herself, the physical tales of her shifting to face him more, shoulders tensing, leg bouncing slightly. "So anyway, it's different, how we feel about Steve. Dustin loves him. I love him. And you... You're in love with him."
Even though they're inside his own home, Eddie still jerks back and looks around, for anyone who might hear what Robin is accusing him of. "Listen, Buckley, you can't believe every rumor you hear ab-"
"Eddie," she says, holding one hand out, palm up, "stop. Give me your hand and make terrible, awkward eye contact with me for, like, five seconds, please. It's important."
Eddie, very slowly, slips his hand onto hers, and she covers it with her free hand and, as promised, they make awkward eye contact.
"I'm a lesbian," she blurts out and immediately looks away from Eddie's face, letting out a deep sigh of relief.
And Eddie? Well, he laughs. It starts as just a snort but then it grows. And Jesus, it's such an awful response to Robin coming out to him, but he can't stop. He knows that Robin has gifted him with this trust, with knowledge that could get her murdered, and he should not be laughing.
Robin, for her part, takes it well. There's a few seconds of startled silence from her before she barks out her own laugh. Eddie laughs so hard and for so long he thinks he's going to puke, and Robin almost falls off the couch.
"Jesus Christ," is what he can manage to say once he's caught his breath.
"Jesus Christ," she echoes in a quieter voice.
Top Gun plays on in the background.
Eddie still can't say it out loud, so instead he says, "am I that obvious?"
"No. But I can recognize the signs of trying to hide a massive crush on someone of the same gender. You know, with all the experience I have at it."
"You are far better at hiding that then me I guess. I had no clue about you."
She shrugs, "yeah, well, it's not like we hang around a lot of girls for me to crush on. It's you, me, and Steve. Occasionally a kid or five. No offense, but I'd rather die than look at any of you lustfully."
Eddie fakes gagging at the thought.
Robin swats his arm playfully. "Anyway, what I'm saying is, I get that it makes you feel a little crazy not being around Steve. Especially when he's, like, literally unable to protect himself currently. I feel like that, too. He's my soulmate and no one knows me as well as he does. It's... lonely without him."
"So... Steve knows...?"
"Oh yeah. Me telling him it what I think kicked off our real friendship."
"I thought all the shit that happened at Star Court did that."
"That's when I told him. After barfing into a toilet."
"Gross."
"It really was. Steve took it so well. Then he mocked me for my crush."
"Which was...?"
"Absolutely not telling you. Anyway. That's enough mushy talky time. Paint my nails," she says, leaning over to grab a yellow nail polish off the coffee table.
Eddie holds out his hand to take it. He's not even going to pretend he doesn't want to.
Silence falls over them, a comfortable one. Eddie doesn't feel like climbing the walls much anymore, so Robin's distraction is working. Maybe it's just the not being alone in the trailer anymore. Maybe it's the knowing he's not alone anymore.
Maybe it's also knowing that Steve knows about Robin and still loves her.
(Funny that Steve just happened to find and befriend the probably only two queer people in all of Hawkins.)
They put in The Hidden Fortress next and Robin talks through almost the whole thing, telling him facts and that this next part is actually her favorite part.
By the time Robin leaves, well after nightfall, Eddie is feeling more settled.
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livlaughloveluke · 6 months
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𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫- 𝐞.𝐥
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𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: your usually bright and bubbly self snaps when you hear people talking bad about your boyfriend
𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: cursing, one slap LMAO 😥, people are very mean in this :(
(loosely) based off this request: Just dorky shy ethan x sweet bubbly (maybe popular??) reader from @wonderstruck4llthew4yhome
𝐚/𝐧: two posts within the same day?!? also i only kinda followed the request but i think its similar! hope you guys like this one! 💘
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you had just finished drawing a nose and whiskers with bright eyeshadow, when your phone lit up. you picked your it up, to see that ethan had texted you. you smiled and unlocked your phone to open the message.
ethan 💗
hey im omw
ill be there in 10 
                                                                         you
                                                          okay!! ily! 💘
ethan 💗
love you too ❤️
you and ethan were walking together to some frat party for halloween. a couple of your friends begged you to go, however you knew ethan wasn’t the most comfortable at parties. 
you asked him one afternoon if he was up to it, making sure to emphasize that it was okay if he didn’t want to go, and that you would be happy to stay home and watch movies all night if thats what he wanted.
ethan wanted to be supportive, so he said he didn’t mind going, which was a complete lie. but seeing the smile on your face when he agreed was totally worth it. 
you and ethan decided to be characters from ratatouille. you were the remi, and he was chef linguini. you took a more sexy approach, with a grey corset and mini skirt, while he dressed a little more modest, with jeans and an apron. 
you carefully put on the headband with little mouse ears attached to it, and your costume was complete. shortly after, you heard knocking. you left your room and headed to let ethan in. 
you giggled at the sight of his costume, and went to plant a kiss on his lips. he kissed you back, his face now a shade of red. 
“you looks so cute!” you say, grinning widely. ethan compliments your outfit, and you head off the party.
you interlock hands with him on the short walk, your arms swinging with every step. you heard the house from down the street, the typical frat party music blaring loudly. 
you enter the rowdy estate, and immediately see some of your friends. you rush over to them, dragging ethan along with you. you let go of his hand to hug your friends, which left him standing their awkwardly. 
you decide to go find some drinks, and invite ethan to follow you. however, on your way to the kitchen, the crowd separates you and him. 
when you find the drinks, you realize ethan wasn’t with you anymore. you reach the keg and fill up a red solo cup, trying to be quick so you could find him again. you search for a soda in the alcohol filled kitchen, knowing ethan wasn’t a big drinker.
while opening all of the cabinets, looking for anything that wasn’t spiked, a man around your age walked up to you.
“what are you? a mouse?” he asks, trying to start a conversation.
“remi the rat actually, im matching with my boyfriend.” you say, trying to politely express your disinterest while still searching for a damn soda. 
“whatcha looking for?” he continues to pester you, despite your previous comment.
“a soda, for my boyfriend.” you make sure to accentuate the boyfriend part, hoping he would take the hint. 
he opens a cabinet and hands you a sprite. 
“uhm thanks i guess.” you reply, and turned to walk away. the strange man grabbed you by the wrist, turned you around, and pulled you closer to him.
“he doesn’t have to know.” he whispers maliciously. 
you yank your arm away from him, and take off the other way. you tried your best not to make a scene, hoping that you could leave that all behind you and have a good time. 
he seemed to leave you alone after that whole ordeal, and you searched around the house for ethan. you eventually spotted him in the corner alone, scrolling through his phone. 
a wave of guilt washed over you. you should have been able to tell that he was lying when he said he wanted to come. 
you rush over, and apologize for leaving him. 
“im so sorry eth, we can go home if you want.” 
ethan saw the look of disappointment in your eyes, and he couldn’t bear to make you leave.
“it’s fine, really. I don’t mind. can you stay with me, please?” ethan asked. 
“of course, baby.” you replied, handing him the soda. “i know you don’t like drinking, so i found a soda for you!! all i could find was sprite, although i know your favorite is coke.” you say.
ethan smiled at your caring personality. how did he pull you? you were drop dead gorgeous and extremely popular, and he was well, just ethan. 
a loser, friendless, and a nobody were all words people used to describe him. you however, made him feel the opposite.
with you, he was someone. he could be himself around you, and make the stupid dad jokes that he was scared to say around other people in fear of being judged. 
just then, someone shouted your name from across the room. you grabbed ethans hand and interlocked your fingers once again, making sure he stayed by your side this time.
you pulled him over to a group of people, all of which he was unfamiliar with. you greeted all of them with a smile, and started catching up with them.
“your costume is so cute!” said one of the girls you were having a conversation with. 
“thanks!! ethan helped pick out most of it!” you reply back, leaning your head on his shoulder and smiling.
what you seemed to miss was the nasty glares they gave ethan. 
“is he uhm.. your boyfriend?” another girl from the group asked. what you didn’t miss was the tone she used. it was like she was ridiculing him, and for what? 
“yeah. got a problem with that?” you ask in a sarcastic tone, although you weren’t in the mood for being funny. 
“its just.. he’s kinda… nevermind.” the girl says back, her voice lowering at the end.
“no, say it. he’s kinda what?” you respond back, not as cheerful this time. ethan stood next to you, looking down at the ground. 
“fine. he’s a fucking weirdo.” the girl blurted out, and you were livid. in the heat of the moment, you slapped her straight across the face, hoping to knock some sense into her. 
the group gasped, and ethan looked at you with wide eyes. 
“what the fuck?!?” she shouted, getting everyones attention.
“how the hell are you gonna make fun of my boyfriend when you’re to much of a slut to even keep one?!?!” you yell at her. all you heard was “ooohs” from the crowd at your statement. 
ethan dragged you outside before anyone could say anything else. 
“are you okay??” ethan asks, worried. you look at him confused. 
“i should be asking you if you’re okay! those bitches had no right to say anything about you. you’re the best boyfriend, and if they can’t see that, than it’s their loss.” you reply.
ethan just hugs you upon hearing your words. 
he wanted to spend forever in your arms. you were his savior, protecting him from every asshole out there. 
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runningfrom2am · 2 months
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cold nights // part twenty-four
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summary: you were back in the capitol, and you would be damned if you didn't try your hardest to make it worthwhile.
pairing: coriolanus snow x fem!reader
wc: 3.5k
masterlists / nav / requests
tags/warnings: tribute!reader and mentor!coriolanus, r is very sweet (too kind for this world. literally.), sunshine x grumpy trope kinda, he falls first, violence typical for the source material, depictions of mental illness, also she's is very smart (as she should), district twelve!reader.
a/n: yayyyy omg i didn't mean to wait so long to post this sorry y'all. also i think i have a coryo oneshot on the way soon maybe. unrelated to BOTH of these series, which is unheard of from me lol. oh, and i'm planning a few for this series for once it's done. (which is creeping up on us, somehow)
my asks are also open to talk about this series! (i do have emoji anons open now too!)
send me any and all of your thoughts! here!
series masterlist // playlist
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"Coryo." Tigris says as he comes back from walking their grandmother back to her room. With the "horrible" news that a District girl would be living with them, she insisted she had to lie down or she may just die.
"She's fine." He waves his cousin off, brushing past her to grab your bag for you. "Just her typical theatrics, she'll love Y/N when she gets to know her. Don't worry."
"It's not grandma'am I'm worried about." She whispers, grabbing his arm to stop him.
"Y/N?" He frowns, pausing and looking at her. "Is she okay? God- I was scared of grandma'am saying something like that to her..."
"She's fine, but you called her 'love', Coryo. In the elevator. Is she your girlfriend now, or something like that?" Tigris asks, looking back down the hall to make sure neither you nor their grandmother were overhearing.
"I mean, kind of? Not really, I don't know." He stammers, avoiding her eyes. "We never talked about it."
"Coryo!" She hisses. "If grandma'am finds out she'll have a heart attack!"
"Okay, then she doesn't have to know yet. As I said, one, we haven't talked about it and two, grandma'am will get used to her eventually and it will be fine."
"I know that." Tigris sighs, taking a step back and rubbing her head. "I'm making up the guest room for her. Just... don't let grandma'am find out."
"Obviously not." He mutters, picking up your bag to carry into the guest room.
"But Coryo-" She stops him in his tracks and he turns, looking at her expectantly. "Don't think I'm not happy for you, okay? She's incredibly sweet. Just... keep it between you guys for now. Be gentle with her."
He nods, giving her a small smile before carrying on down the hall.
When Coryo opens the door to his bedroom, you're sitting in the middle of the floor, leaning over your crossed legs as you write against the floor. "Y/N/N." He laughs slightly, closing the door behind himself. "What are you doing?"
You look up, and can't help but smile when you see him. "Hi." You grin, straightening up and standing, unfinished letter and pencil still in hand. "I was writing a letter to Lennox."
"On the floor?"
"Yes."
"There's a perfectly functional desk right behind you, love." He points as he closes the gap between the two of you.
"Yes, well, I did not want to overstep or seem nosey." You explain, looking at the desk and then back up at him.
He smiles, placing his hands on your waist. "This is my room."
"Exactly."
"What I meant," He chuckles, thumbs running over the sides of your stomach on your top. "Is that you can do whatever you want."
"Oh, well, thank you." You nod, looking down at the bed. "I'm glad to hear that because Tybs has already taken over your bed."
When he follows your eyes to the cat sprawled out on top of his sheets, he laughs. "See? He's already made himself at home."
"I am so sorry, I tried to keep him off. His hair gets on everything." You quickly say, already reaching to pick up your stubborn cat again.
"I have a lint roller." He shrugs, grabbing your wrist to stop you and leaning down to kiss your cheek.
"A lint roller?"
"Oh, love..." He chuckles, crouching down slightly to be able to pull you closer as he lifts you and spins you in a circle.
You laugh, trying not to crush your letter as you hold onto him.
"I can't wait to show you everything. You're going to love it here." He grins, letting you back down onto your feet. "I know you will."
You bite your lip over a fading smile, nodding up at him.
"I know it's scary, I know that." He assures you, once again running his hands up and down the side of your waist. "But you'll get used to it, and you'll be happy here. I promise."
"How are you finding things so far?" Tigris asks, curious as you make eye contact with her while making an extremely conscious effort to not spill the tea from the cup in your hand. It felt so delicate in your hands, and you have never felt filthier- as if just sitting on their couch or touching their things would ruin them. "Not that you've seen much, yet."
"It's..." You start, deciding just to put the steaming tea down so you don't spill it on your lap. "It really is like I've never been here before. Which is nice, because I was scared to come back, if I am being totally honest."
"I can imagine." She nods in understanding.
"When, um, when I was last here," You clear your throat. "We didn't see much of anything. We were always moved in vehicles with no windows except for the funeral, so..."
We.
"You could see some of the city from the zoo, though." Coryo adds.
"I could." You nod, swallowing over the dryness suddenly overbearing in your mouth. "Tigris, Coryo says you're a designer?" Changing the subject was the only thing you could do to help it.
"Yes, well, I'm trying." She laughs.
"My Ma is a seamstress." You tell her. "She's made everythin' I've ever worn." The way your District accent seems to reappear makes Coryo smile to himself- that's who you were at home. He can hear the tension and nerves leaving your tone.
"Really?" She smiles. "That's amazing. I've made much of our clothes, too, but it's just so hard to find the time."
"It is extremely time-consuming." You agree, looking over at Coryo next to you as he pats your shoulder. He points to the tray of snacks Tigris had brought out, and you reach out to take a cookie. You hadn't eaten all day, which was likely contributing to your shakiness. Though, you also hadn't felt hungry at all since you left home.
"Your mother is very talented." Tigris says, taking a sip of her tea and gesturing to the skirt and top you were currently wearing. "Does she embroider too?"
You look down, taking note of the detailing on the trim of your sweater. "Yes. All by hand."
"I've never tried it, I wouldn't know where to start." Tigris laughs.
"Oh, me neither." You laugh slightly, shaking your head. You did know, you weren't as good at it as your ma, but she still put in the effort of teaching you the basics.
"Don't talk too much about this- Tigris will turn you into a human pin cushion." Coryo teases, looking back to the hall to make sure grandma'am hadn't somehow made an early recovery and come out of her room before he can place his arm over your shoulders.
"Oh, hush." She laughs, pretending to throw a cookie at him as you chew slowly on yours, smiling. They remind you of you and Lennox, almost. The way they talk to each other, and how much it's obvious they love each other. Anywhere in Panem, kids are just kids.
The wave of a sick, gut-wrenching feeling hits you so fast that you stand up before you can even think about it. "Would you excuse me?" You mumble, turning and retreating down the hall to look for the bathroom Tigris pointed out earlier without even hearing either of their responses.
By the time you gently close the door and slide the lock shut, you're near hyperventilating. You hadn't even said goodbye to your own brother. You wrote him a note promising to write him every week and call once they had the phone that Coryo left them money for, but it wasn't enough. The idea of him waking to find you just gone, again, was all it took to have you sliding down the wall and curling up with your knees to your chest.
You were alone, and you missed your brother. Your family, the Covey. You should have said a longer goodbye to Lucy Gray, you should have woken Lennox and faced his anger about you leaving because that would mean you could have at least given him a hug. You felt like an awful sister, and an awful friend.
Even as you screw your eyes shut to try and pretend you're in your own bathroom, it doesn't do a thing to hold back the tears that have begun to stream freely down your face.
You have to be quiet.
What helped last time? Last time, you ran over lines. Coryo asked you to talk to him. Coryo was there.
Oh, she tore the letter into a thousand half-pence; railed at herself, that she should be so immodest to write to one that she knew would flout her. 'I measure him,' says she, 'by my own spirit; for I should flout him, if he writ to me; yea, though I love him, I should.
Thinking about it does very little as well, so you continue. With your forehead pressed to your knees, random lines and quotes flow through your head and are endlessly whispered from your lips. You don't have time to think of anything else.
You were getting better at managing your own panic attacks before Coryo came to Twelve, but since then you had been set back to square one. The games ended over two months ago now, and it still feels like it was only a week ago; the shock had worn off and you felt like you were losing your mind. Other times, other days, you were completely fine. As if none of it had ever happened, but would this move be the beginning of round three? Was this what your life was now? A never-ending cycle of feeling normal followed suddenly by the need to pull yourself up and out of rock bottom?
You didn't know if you could take it.
The nightmares came back day in and day out in that first week. You hadn't slept well, and you only left the apartment a small handful of times and even that was only for the sake of sending letters, getting things for Tybalt, and taking him to the vet.
Coryo really wanted you to get out with him for something you wanted to do or see, but at the same time, he understood why you wouldn't want to leave. When you finally agreed to leave with him, to go to the university campus with him to pick up an application and so he could give you a tour, he felt like a kid on Christmas morning.
"So, we live in The Corso. That main street we were just on, obviously. That's where all the Capitols Elites live, for the most part." Coryo explains, but you're having trouble paying attention. There were just so many people. You'd seen large groups of people before in Twelve, at the market or The Hob or the reaping, but never when everyone looked so different. At the same time, this also made it easier for you to blend in. Hardly anyone had stopped you, and you hoped it would be less and less from here on out. "Hey- you still with me?"
You look up at him, nodding. "Yes, that's lovely."
"You have no idea what I just said, do you?" He laughs, reaching out to gently fix the orange scarf you had draped around your neck and over your head that had begun to slide back over your hair. It was another effort to hide- it made you feel safe. You intended to return the scarf to him, but he insisted you keep it. Suddenly, you went nowhere without it.
"Sorry, it's just... quite loud. There's a lot of people." You explain, and he has to lean down slightly to hear you.
"Yeah, well, it is a Monday morning." He says, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Lots of people going to work."
You just nod, subconsciously drifting closer to his side as you walk.
"I was just saying that this is the route we'll take to get to school." Coryo grins, gently nudging your side.
"If I get accepted."
"You will." He assures you. "I don't doubt it for a minute."
Walking onto what must be the university campus, you already see fewer people. Classes for the fall semester didn't begin for a couple of weeks, Coryo said, so that allowed you to tour the buildings and property peacefully after you picked up your application.
It was another ornate building- outside and in, you realized as Coryo opened the double doors for you. You look around, eyes wide.
"Nice, hey?" He smiles, taking your hand. "Come on, the registrar's office is this way."
You follow him blindly down a few hallways, looking up at the tall ceilings and the paintings and out the windows and even at the architecture of the building itself. It was a lot to take in, but you were pleased it was so quiet. It wouldn't always be like this, and given that you do get accepted the way he promised, you wouldn't have time to process the beauty of it later.
Entering the office behind Coryo, you decide to keep your position mostly behind him as he walks up to the desk. There's not an ounce of hesitation in his gait- or in the smile on his face. He's all confidence. This is him in his natural state- it was nice to see him truly happy.
"Good morning, Mister Snow, what can we do for you? Did you want a paper copy of your schedule?" The woman behind the counter asks him, neatly stacking some papers and placing them down next to some books on her desk.
"Hello," He grins. "I actually was hoping I could get another copy of the application forms."
"Oh? Registration and acceptance closed weeks ago."
"I know that, but..." He steps to the side, nodding for you to join him. Nervously, you do, grabbing his hand under the counter. "This is Y/N, she'd like to apply. I know it's late but she just moved to the city so I was hoping we could work around it."
The woman's eyes widen. "I- Uh, yes, okay. Yes. We can certainly try." She nods quickly. "What program will you be applying for, Miss Y/L/N?" Of course she knew who you were, and maybe now it would benefit you.
You look up at Coryo, but he just nods at you to answer. "Oh, um, English Literature, please." You answer quietly.
"Arts." Coryo corrects you kindly, squeezing your hand and nodding to her.
"Alright, let me just grab those for you." She smiles, heels clicking on the floor as she walks toward a back room.
"And I would like my schedule, if that's possible!" Coryo calls after her and she turns to give him a quick nod before disappearing behind a polished dark-wood door. "English Lit will be your major, love, but you don't need to decide on that yet." He whispers to you.
"Gosh, I'm already embarrassing myself." You laugh slightly.
"No, no you're not. It's a little confusing. I should have told you."
"I didn't know registration was already closed, Coryo." You frown. "If it's inconvenient for them we should just go. I'll just find a job instead."
"Nonsense." He shakes his head. "Like I said, they want you here. They will make it happen, trust me."
"That's not fair though, is it?"
"It's more fair because you couldn't have handed it in on time if you wanted to." He says, dropping your hand in favour of sliding his onto your lower back.
"I suppose..."
"Okay! I've got it here..." The woman reappears and you paint on your smile, reaching out for the small folder as she walks up. "There's the application and some testing questions. If you could get it to us by tomorrow night that would be amazing."
"Yes, of course, I-"
"Tomorrow night?" Coryo asks, eyebrows raised at her. "Miss, respectfully, I worked on my application for weeks, and my tests were conducted by the school."
"You'll do just fine. Just try your best." She winks at you and he purses his lips, displeased that they hardly were even giving you a chance to submit an adequate application that would accurately reflect the extent of your intelligence.
"Thank you." You tell her honestly, clutching the stack of papers to your chest. "I shall have it done tomorrow."
Coryo assumes it must be different- shorter or lacking one (or several) of the essay portions. He grabs his schedule from her with a small smile, nodding before guiding you out of the room.
"Are you hungry or anything, love?" He asks you, sliding his hand up your back to rest between your shoulder blades as you move down the same empty hall. "I could show you around and then we could stop on our way back."
You chew your lip, papers clutched against your chest. "Perhaps you can give me the tour tomorrow when we come back to drop this off?" You ask, looking up at him. "I think it is more important I go home and get this finished, there is no time to waste."
He smiles, leaning over to kiss the crown of your head while you walk. "Yes, of course. Whatever you want."
'The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?'
Staring at the essay question on the page didn't make it any easier to answer. You almost wish you had started with this so you had more time, rather than filling out all the personal information on the first and second pages and the financial information Coryo helped you with.
The answer was painfully obvious. You didn't want to write about the games, how they challenged you both mentally and physically, and what you learned from them. A lot about yourself, very little about the city you now found yourself living in.
Tapping your pen against the desk, you roll over in your mind how you want to word this. It was a delicate line to walk- it had to be honest, but also favourable to the people who lived here.
"Coryo?" You call out, turning in your chair and standing up to head across down the hall to his room.
He had left the door open, laying overtop of his ironed bedsheets and reading one of the many books you brought for him. "Can you come help me, please?"
He smiles, dropping the book immediately. "What do you need?"
"The essay... I don't know what to write." Mostly a lie, you just needed clarification on the best possible route to take the paper.
"What was the question again?" He asks as he gets up.
"What is a challenge I faced, how did it affect me, and what did I learn from it."
"What about the games?" He suggests as he brushes past you, heading into your room as you trail behind.
"Well, yes, but I don't know how to best approach it. I feel like that is a very delicate subject from my perspective." You explain. "I want to be honest but I also want them to like it."
Coryo hums, leaning over your desk to look at what has been completed on the application so far. "That's... yeah that's tough." He agrees. "If you were to answer it fully honestly, no watering it down for them, what would you want to say?"
"That..." You pause, thinking about it for a moment. "That it ruined my life. I'll never be the same person again- and neither will my loved ones, and I learned that my morals crumbled quickly under pressure." And that it's better to die in the games than live to tell the tale.
"Okay, so... it gave you a new outlook on life and a more profound appreciation for the life you had before, and you learned that people can change quickly to adapt and overcome their circumstances," Coryo says, and you frown. "Not that it is necessarily true, but that's what they'd like to hear and you wouldn't be completely lying."
He was good at twisting words and telling people what they wanted to hear in order to get what he needed from them; after all, he'd been doing it his whole life just to stay alive. His future depended on it, but you had never noticed that before. Maybe that came with a Capitol education, 'people pleasing' could be a course they taught at his academy, you wouldn't know. Power is everything here, apparently.
"And... I suppose if I had to think of an honestly good thing, I did make some friends out of it." You say, smiling up at him hopefully.
"And I am so glad," He nods, patting your shoulder. You always tried to look at the bright side- he remembered getting that impression from you even just watching the reaping. "But you can't include that."
"Why not?" You tilt your head at him.
"They won't like it, love. I mean, I would, but unfortunately, it's not for me to read."
"I see. Okay." You nod, biting your tongue. Your priorities had to shift if you wanted to get into the university, and that is a condition you could accept with a bit of practice.
"Want me to stay in here?" Coryo offers. "In case you have more questions?"
"I would like you to stay regardless." You giggle, sliding your arms around his waist to hug him.
"Good." He chuckles. "I didn't want to leave."
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taglist: @soulessjourney , @that-veela-girl ,  @dreamyysouls, @rockstarbfs, @maysileeewrites , @baybieruth , @kitscutie,  @fratboyharrysgf0201 , @totallynotkaibiased , @stelleduarte , @secretsicanthideanymore , @bejeweledreverie , @drewsandsebastianswife , @niicole-87 , @queenofshinigamis , @innercreationflower , @nallasstuff , @iovemoonyy , @thatmarvelchick19 , @wearemadeofstardust0 , @regulusblackcore , @puredreamagination , @fantasticchaosthing , @becauseseaotters , @secretsicanthideanymore , @strawberryflavouredkisses
okay suddenly tumblr isn't letting me tag more people than this so i just made some cuts unfortunately :') i just left the max amount of people i could whose users i recognized and see in my notifs all the time :) if you're not on here and you should be i'm so sorry!
also this taglist is closed now!! if you’d like to get a notification when i update, turn on my post notifications!! i promise i won’t spam y'all :,)
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aduckwithears · 7 months
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Let's Talk Laudanum - a GO meta
Hey all - I'm gonna preface this one with a tw/cw for opioids, death, suicide, and substance abuse ok? It shouldn't be too heavy (just canon typical), but I don't want anyone surprised.
Ok! I've been watching some of the Good Omens s2 behind the scenes specials, and in the "Grave Danger" clip it mentions that Laudanum is "...a very intense kind of alcohol, or like ethanol, that would kill somebody…" which is not actually true. In the show itself we see the bottle:
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Which confirms that laudanum is a combo of Opium (45 and 1/2 grains per ounce) and Alcohol (40%).
It also says Poison and CMOT Dibbler... The poison angle (is it poison? well yes... if you take enough) has been covered in another post by @queerfables who talked about the make up of laudanum as well. CMOT Dibbler is a great nod to Sir Terry of course :)
What do I want to add? That yes, laudanum is in fact an opioid, and was actually an incredibly popular and over-used drug in the 18th and 19th centuries, both in real life and maybe more importantly in novels of the time. Proceed under the cut!
In my non-duck life I work in a field with some familiarity with opioids, so I also want to add that while yes, opioids can make you loopy, they are ultimately a soporific (meaning a sleep aid, a downer, a relaxant), a pain reducer, cough suppressant, and a respiratory depressant. That last bit is why they can be deadly in the case of an overdose.
So let's get back to laudanum. Yes, it was used post-surgically, but quite often would also be prescribed to (predominantly) women with various aches or pains that their doctors couldn't (or wouldn't bother) investigating. Subsequently women would become addicted to the opioid, needing more and more to achieve the desired effect, leading to eventual death or any of the other mental, emotional, or socioeconomic ills of addition.
Given the above and the era's fascination with the "sexiness" of wasting diseases such as consumption (hmmm, cough plus pain, perfect for treatment with laudanum!) laudanum was also a little bit of a romantic drug. It was also popular in novels of the era such as those in the Gothic Romance genre. (A quick peek at Wikipedia turns up lots of examples... though I'm sure a literature expert of the era would have lots more to add.)
All of which to say! The Resurrectionists as a minisode is channeling some pure Gothic Romance (think Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - pub 1818, etc) so laudanum is the PERFECT poison for Elspeth to pick. It dulls pain and at sufficient doses suppresses the respiratory system to the point of death. Without the modern miracle of Narcan or naloxone, death is all but assured. Of course, then, enter Crowley.
You know what laudanum doesn't do? Give you an Alice in Wonderland experience and make you specifically shouty about people not killing themselves. Now, this could be how opioids affect demons (it's possible), or the more entertaining option is that Crowley has no clue what laudanum is or isn't supposed to do, saw the poison and alcohol label, and decided to have a bit of fun while doing some deniable (the laudanum made me do it! honest!) good. It's also handy that he doesn't need to do mundane human things like breathing. So he gets to sing about Scotland, save the human, and get hugged by Aziraphale - pretty good day... until he gets Lightning Sanded to Hell.
I'll just add here that the laudanum plot line works well if we are taking the minisodes at face value... OR if we are reading them as Aziraphale's version of events of the past, especially with the literary aspect.
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Bonus: If you've made it this far, maybe you'll come along with me on a little cross-fandom jaunt.
I'm also a massive fan of the Aubrey/Maturin series - Patrick O'Brian's books set in the early 1800s and starring Captain Jack Aubrey and Doctor Stephen Maturin. If you've read the series or even watched the Master and Commander movie you may know... those two characters have their own odd couple thing going on and quite a collection on AO3 :) . Anyhow. In the books Stephen is hooked on laudanum for a good while, mostly to dull the pain of a love that cannot be acted on. That's actually what got me started thinking about this post since there are certainly some parallels there.
Thanks for sticking with me on this ramble!
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moochalove · 4 months
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Last Nights Mistakes and New Beginnings (Part 4-5)(Final)
(yandere!kazuha x pregnant!reader x scaramouche)
Did you know they call me the yappinator? Anyways i’ve been meaning to finish it but i’ve been busy w school but now i have the time so i will be yapping away more (posting a little more)🗣️ Get cozy bcs this is long asf!
Reader is bi-icon! (+ trauma) If imma be fr, the beginning is a little off bcs i wrote it weeks ago (im lazy and i will not fix it🥶) ANYWAYS ILL STOP YAPPING! TY FOR READING 🤭 (if u do😡)
word count: Pretty fucking long ❤️
proofread: HELL NO! 😋 fill in the gaps/mistakes for me pls🫶
TW: Stockholm syndrome
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Arriving at the mall you think about making a break for it but these heels prevent you from doing so. With enough for the heel would surely snap though… Noted. Reaching for the door handle you’re stopped and pulled into a kiss. It’s a little uncomfortable but you play it off with a smile, “Don’t worry Kazu, I’m not gonna run off~” “I know darling, but this is the start of our new life so allow me to take the lead. Don’t worry your pretty mind about anything.” With that, he places one last peck onto your face. Once again, he is opening the door for you and you guiding you to the some shops. Immediately you notice his firm grip on your waist, and it’s uncomfortable. He said you would be buying clothes but you now realize he meant he was picking clothes FOR you. You’re in the dressing room and he has you trying on all these cute coquette clothing. It feels a little uncomfortable but you try to get used to the feeling of the outfits. Some are loose, and some are tighter. In your mind, you already knew which ones you liked based on the texture, design, etc..
Whenever you came out to show off an outfit you felt like a real couple. Showing off your outfit and making comments, no matter what you wore he seemed to agree it looked good on you, even if you didn’t think so. Something feels wrong about this but you can’t help but smile when he looks at you so adoringly.
You guys go to about three more shops, all of them having a different theme. By the time you were done, it was mid-afternoon. Both of your feet were killing you… not to mention you were hungry… You both agree to stop and get something to eat.
You arrive at a very familiar restaurant… Weren’t you just here? When was that though? If it was important surely you’d remember!
Scaramouche was frantic, to say the least. You weren’t answering his messages… Has something happened? He needs to get to you asap, but how? What if you’ve been removed from your home? If it came to it he could ask his mother to track you down, since she had that kind of power.
Knocking on the door he’s anxious, and hoping he would be met with a bright smile and worried hushing telling him that you were okay. After about a minute he knocks on your room window… No reply. Should he wait around? No, that’ll take too long. After some contemplation, he decides to reach out to his mom.
They have a long talk before she eventually caves. It feels like it’s been forever since she’s seen her child and when he comes back he’s on an adventure trying to get his girlfriend back. She didn’t think situations like that existed but he’s shown her the possibilities are endless. The way he talked about you so dearly gave her the impression you were a thing. Since she’s such a good and caring mother, it’s the least she can do for her future daughter!
Maybe he should’ve emphasized that you were just friends even though he wished for more
From what some super normal and not shady people told him, you were last seen at that restaurant you both had visited yesterday. Why were you there? That didn’t matter right now! Furrowing his eyebrows he sat there and thought long and hard. How was he going to get to you? Kazuha would most likely be glued to your side so directly approaching was out of the question. Could he signal you to him from afar? No, that probably won’t work… Pounding his forehead slightly he couldn’t form a good plan.
“You seem troubled, Doll.” A sly finger guided itself through his short purple locks.
“What do you want, Miko? I’m busy and-“
“You know it’s nice to run away then come running back when you need help. Your mother was on edge for weeks. Spending whatever free time she had looking for her poor child. Always looking for you despite her own needs.”
“Did you come to ask me what’s wrong only to turn around and try to guilt trip me? You don’t change, do you?”
Without saying anything she placed a bag next to him and then made her way to the door. Peeking through the bad he looked back to her fleeting figure before shouting out, “Wait! What is this for? You really expect me to forgive you with this bag full of clothes?! Plus, this has girl stuff in it anyways-“ “Silly Kuni! This is to help you get your girl back!” “Excuse me?!” Miko sighed while shrugging, “And you say your moms are no help! C'mon, you have to think outside the box, silly!” Taking the bag back she pulled out the cutest dress you’ve ever seen along with tights and heels. “It’d be stupid to approach her directly. You have no idea what kind of mental state she’s in, she may not trust any other man or claim she’s fine with her captor.” Digging deeper into the bag she pulled out a long wig that happened to be the same shade as his own hair, “So you have to coax her out as someone willing to understand and help her out of the situation!” Before he knew it he was all dolled up, shifting uncomfortably in the dress and trying to adjust his posture and his footing, constantly brushing his much longer locks back while puckering and rolling his lips that had a gloss applied to them. Would this really work?
“Miko, I don’t think this is gonna work… I don’t make a very convincing girl….” he awkwardly fussed with his bangs before glancing over at her. Miko held her phone up and with a click and a flash the very image of… whatever this was… saved onto her phone and probably being backed up to her cloud. “Oh, you look just like your sister!” Placing her phone back in her bag she shooed him out of the car before, then rolled down the window offering a few words, courtesy of her never-ending-kindness! “Just be kind to her, her heart will surely realize who you are... Or don’t! Maybe she’ll see through all of this!” Scaramouche could only grit his teeth as she motioned her hand at him. “I’ll be waiting here so once she comes to her senses I won’t be far. Plus! Wouldn’t want you to try and be all hero-like only to trip and fall in those cuttteee heels of yours!”
Spoonful after spoonful you swallowed whatever food had been shoved into your face. Were you even hungry? Not that it matters. At this point, you’ve come to treat this as if it were a real date! Yet your heart doesn’t skip a beat when he cups your face. A couple of people do glance over at you both awkwardly but that smile of yours tells them you’re just a young couple in love. It goes on like this for a few more minutes before beautiful swaying locks catch your eye, it’s true you’ve been ignoring the faces of those who’ve been passing by, but this face is stunning. Your heart skips a beat when your eyes meet each other. Now something about all this feels familiar but you can’t quite pin it down just yet. Kazuha notices how your attention is drawn away from him and he immediately pulls your chin towards him, “Is something the matter my love? You seem distracted.” He bluntly states as his eyebrows furrow slightly in frustration. “A-ah, no, I just…” Perhaps you were scared or maybe still stunned by that girls beauty but you can’t seem to form a coherent thought. He shifts around in his seat a little, ever so slightly moving his chair to block your view of the girl. With a short ‘ahem’ you brush it off as just seeing someone you thought you recognized.
If you look past his intense gaze you can still kinda see her fussing with her long hair. A waiter shows her to her table that so happens to be next to yours. You bite your tongue to hide a giggle when you see her awkwardly try to walk in heels, maybe she’s not used to them? Once she sits down it’s obvious she’s not used to wearing such feminine clothes, the way she keeps lifting her feet off the ground and sliding them farther out, or how she pulls the hem of her dress down even though it’s past her knees. The way she covered her mouth and spoke in a quiet meek voice told you maybe she was shy. Kazuha glanced at you both, almost trying to understand the connection you guys had but signed in defeat, “I’m gonna use the restroom then pay for our food. Don’t go anywhere.” And with that, he was gone but surely it wouldn’t take him long to be back.
Scaramouche had to be quick about this. The least he could do is get you outside.
Trying to keep his ladylike demeanor he tried starting the conversation with something normal. Of course, this meant he would have to speak a little louder in order for you to hear in the louder environment. He would be lying to himself if he said he hadn’t “practiced” his female voice.
“Isn’t the food here the best?”
Taken aback by how cute she sounded you cover your mouth slightly. “She even has a cute voice!”, you thought to yourself. Once again stunned you take a moment to respond.
“Y-yeah!” your response is a little fast-paced but she just smiles in response. “Haha, you seem a little nervous, what, too stunned by my looks?” Even though he was supposed to be portraying a meek, innocent girl, he couldn’t help but still be cocky. It’s as if you were on autopilot with the way your response was the same yeah…
Part of you felt like that’s something he would say. Who was he again?
“It’s a little stuffy in here, don’t you agree? How about we get some fresh air?” The girl suggested so innocently that you’d completely “forgotten” what Kazuha told you NOT to do. As if you’d been under a spell you followed a girl you didn’t even know the name of out of the restaurant. Her name! You need her name! This can’t be the last time you see each other you need her contact info! You reach to where you would normally keep your phone only for your attention to be stolen away by her.
She handed you her phone that had a picture of a very certain cat. Your heart fastens as you start to recall some things, you couldn’t submit to someone who only half-loved you. No, you had to get home to your first baby. Tears threaten to spill as everything comes back faster than you can comprehend.
He didn’t love you, no, he never did. If he did he would’ve stayed the first night. He was just looking for something to sedate his own woes. You come to the realization that your delusions you made up to protect yourself were false. You haven’t been in love for years like your mind had told you, you don’t know what he really feels, you just filled in the blanks with lies your mind fed you. In reality, you’ve probably only really known each other for a couple of days, during those 4 months you spent pregnant and alone your brain spun a story as if you were real lovers. Hating yourself could come later but for now, you need to get a grip and get out of here. Suddenly you’re caught up to speed and all it feels like you’re gonna vomit, your clothes feel tighter and you can feel your own skin, every pore feels open and you hate every second of it. What feels like hours is only a matter of seconds.
A hand is gently wipes your tears away,
“It’s time to go, Y/n.”
“I cant.. I’m sacred. I-“
“Don’t be. I'm here now, and I’m not letting you go.” He looked so serious, although a little funny since he was still in his getup.
Reaching for your wrist he gently and slowly led you farther away from the establishment and closer to your getaway car.
Both of your steps got faster and faster. You didn’t want to look back, no, you shouldn’t.
A voice you’ve come to hate shouts out to you. Ears pound loudly and your heart skips several beats when you hear fastened footsteps approaching. A wave of pain crashes onto you when your lower back aches in pain. You stop even though you don’t want to and clutch your stomach in retaliation.
You have to move right now otherwise he’ll catch up. Scaramouche turns back around for you and effortlessly picks you up and carries you to the car. When he turned to place you in the car he’s sure Kazuha has seen his face. Crap… Not like it mattered right now. He rushes to the other side of the car but is pulled back by a hand that is placed on his back, it’s cold and uncomfortable. Almost as if it triggered something in him he shouts and pushes him back into the ground.
Once Scaramouche is in the car Miko doesn’t hesitate to slam on the gas pedal and get you both somewhere safe.
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Final Part:
When you wake up you’re in a very comfy bed. Moving your legs a little you wince uncontrollably. Memories come flooding back and your eyes dart to where Scaramouche is sitting. A smile makes itself known on your face and you reach out to him. He melts into your touch but avoids looking at you. You know you messed up big time by not running away from Kazuha like you should have… But you were in a deranged state! Surely he won’t blame you completely. Breaking the silence you ask him what’s wrong.
“I know we kinda just met but I hope you know I love you…” he trailed off, still avoiding eye contact. “I always have… It’s a shame you don’t remember me. If you did then I guess you could technically say we didn't just meet.”
Huh? You two knew each other? Maybe he’s got the wrong person. Innocently you ask, “Have we met somewhere before? I’m sorry but I don’t seem to ever recall-“ “Just take a good look at me and try to recall. We used to be playmates when we were little. Your parents were busy like mine so they would drop us off at that one daycare.” Your eyes squint as you take a good look at him, “And we went to school together for a little while- I tried stealing your pen-“ Eyes widening you can’t help but burst out laughing.
Now you remember him!
“It’s you! I- How could I forget? Oh my gosh, it seems work has made me forget my younger days!” Covering your mouth to hide a smile you can’t help but laugh a little louder. His face seems upset but eventually melts into a smiling one along with you. For a couple of moments you both laugh and exchange playful banter. Everything in the world is right at that moment.
But once again, your mistakes will catch up with you.
After the laughing dies down he squeezes your hand and places a handle on your stomach. This causes you to shift uncomfortably but you try to play it off as a cramp.
“When the Doctor came to relay your status he told me one bit of information that… you probably didn’t want me to know.”
Oh shit. Oh shit- Your heart fastens and you try to muster out a response but it hitches in your throat. “I-I canexplain p-please let me-“You fumble your words and tears pool up in your eyes.
With an affirmative squeeze to your hand he smiles softly, “It’s okay.”
“But it’s not- I messed up and now-“ You covered face with your hand, attempting to hide yourself away from him.
“And now- we can work this out, together. I promise I will do my best to be a good parent. If you’d just give me a chance- A chance to take care of you and your child. I would do anything to be with you once and for all. Please, Y/n, don’t leave me again.” His hand came up to yours pressed against your face, and slowly removed it from you.
A part of you feels raw, and exposed, yet, this time it’s different. Part of your brain tells you to run from his affection but the other part feels so defeated that you just want to cry into his chest and beg him to stay with you. Lucky for you he was willing to stay with you. Even if you were going to have your kidnapper's baby. Leaning into him you cried out all your sorrows that had been bottled up for the past couple of months. All he could do was rub your back and listen to you cry your heart out.
It felt good to finally tell someone how you truly felt. How much has been troubling you? Although you’re sure if you were to tell this to a professional you’d been locked up….
After you’re done crying you wipe your tears and take a deep breath. Your chest and shoulders feel lighter. The whiplash of everything could hit you later, you couldn’t care less right now. All you wanted to do was eat, stretch, and take a nap.
Scaramouche looked at you dead in the eye and you feared the worst. Was he joking? Did he actually hate you and never want to see you again? Did-
“Goddamit- I dropped my wig…”
You stare at each other for a second before you burst out laughing. “That’s a shame! You didn’t look half bad in it~” you joked. “Oh please- You were head over heels for me and you know it!” “Ah, you got me there! Who knew you’d make such a fine girl! If only you could say the same about you know-Ow!” he punched your shoulder gently, but considering your current state it hurt more than he intended. “I’m sorry, Y/n- I-“ He checked the area to see if it was bruised or anything but was immediately met with a flick to the forehead. “Ow-!” “Haha, got you!” “You little-“
Both of your bickering would soon die down as soon as his parents would enter the room. It was obvious how you both turned stiff as boards. Acting as if you weren’t pulling each other’s hair like you once had.
Ei placed some flowers on the bed stand and Miko would sit down on the bed with some sweets in hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Y/n.” Ei bowed politely, “I’m not sure if my son had mentioned us to you. If not it’s alright- But we are his parents.” Miko started feeding some cake with a fork as she nodded along. “I’m very happy to see you make my son happy. It used to worry me that my son would die alone-“she feigned a tear falling from her eye. “MOM.” Blush spread across Scaramouche’s face as he crossed his arms. “Ah, excuse me, that’s beside the point! What I mean to say is that you shouldn’t worry about the wedding founding- Your new moms will buy you everything you will need-“ “THATS NOT ANY BETTER!” He exclaimed even redder. She smiled so innocently all while still looking a little confused. Miko finally chimed in, “What she means to say is that she supports you both no matter what. Even if you don’t think she agrees with you,” she turned her head towards him, “she believes you both will make the right choice. We hope you both can treat this as a new beginning. As I like to say, carpe diem!” “You never say that.” Ei tilted her head with a soft smile. “Well, I do now!”
All four of you burst out laughing. You guys talk a little more before they leave for their business dinner. Once again you and Scara are alone.
“Are you really sure you’re okay with marrying a pregnant woman?” “Of course I’m fine with it, since it being you and all.” Rubbing the back of his head he laid his head down on the bed, “Are YOU sure you wanna get married right away? Just because my mom mistook us for dating already doesn’t mean we should skip that part… Plus, what if you don’t like who I am…” You pet his soft purple hair with a smile, “Well, as long as you promise not to be a complete asshole, then I suppose we’ll be just fine!” “You think I’m an asshole?” “Haha, anyways…. What kind of wedding cake should we have? I was thinking of a [favorite flavor] cake! Ooohh and we can look at the different types of venues! Ah, I guess after that we need to plan a baby shower!”
He’d completely tuned you out and just stared at you, lovingly. Your skin glowed perfectly from the artificial light, and that smile of yours was perfect. You no longer looked tired and stressed; instead, you looked happy and not so tired. He couldn’t blame his ex-friend for falling for you. Although he feels a little jealous that he’s seen parts of you that now belong to his eyes only now.
Fingers tap up and down on the bed as if he’s contemplating something. You take notice and tap his shoulder, you ask if he’s listening. Suddenly he gets up- His soft lips are placed against your slightly chapped ones. It’s warm. Your eyes widen in surprise as you slowly melt into the kiss.
Once he pulls away you’re both gasping for air. Out of embarrassment, he hides his face in your neck. He’s embarrassed- you are too. “A-a little warning would’ve been nice. I was talking yknow?” “Shut up before I kiss you again..” You knew he was too embarrassed to do it again so you teased, “Yeah, I think you’d like that-“ Instead of another passionate kiss he instead peppered kisses all over your face. “I hate you.” “I love you, Scara.”
The wedding went amazing since his parents had done most of the planning (of course you both directed them) And your baby shower went just as well! Initially, you were both worried a certain someone would catch wind of it- and you’re sure he did. Thankfully the place was heavily guarded (, courtesy of Miko) and was also in a secluded area, along with there being a very strict guest list. You both already knew the gender so the part just consisted of fun baby shower games and many gifts from your friends and families.
You had been getting intensive therapy for the rest of your pregnancy. Those couple of months left you with deeper wounds than you had thought. Of course, you still have trouble with going out on your own and you’ve completely dropped going out (since you’re a mother now ofc) When you do have to go out alone you wear your hair differently each time along with a mask and sunglasses. Whenever someone gets a little too close they happen to get stopped by someone. Your bad dreams usually consist of you trying to run away but your legs move slowly or trying to scream but nothing comes out, and other things you’d rather not discuss...
Your delivery went well and luckily you gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Ei and Miko informed you that you had a week to name him. On the fifth day, you and Scara decided on [name], since you both liked the name and agreed on it. When both of the families came to see him you got the chance to meet Scara’s aunt and sister (who both happened to be named Makoto, although Scara called his sister Raiden since she was “scary”) The boy was blessed with your hair color (he has a red streak through it) but had his fathers eyes. At first, it scared you but with some affirming words from both sides of the family and your lover, you’ve grown to love them.
Some of your friends and family didn’t approve that Scara wasn’t the father, some even berating you and calling you names. The name-calling mostly came from Scara’s side of the family. Area
On your son's first birthday, he spoke his first words. “Mama!” You nearly cried tears of joy when he said that. Scaramouche frowned and pinched the boy's cheeks gently with a huff. Much to his surprise the boy spoke again, “Daddy!” Now both of you were crying tears of joy. You swaddled your boy in the softest blankets before you both cuddled him off to sleep. Both not believing you had been blessed with such a joy.
Once your son has gotten a little older he learned how to say the cat’s name, always gesturing his hands and babbling, “Meowmeow!” The now healthier cat would come to the boy and rub its head against your son accompanied by a purr.
Once he turned two years old you noticed how he started taking after his father, often mimicking him by making an angry face and huffing. All you could do was smile and kiss him while his father pouted behind you both. One time you had joked around with your young son by asking him, “What face does daddy make when he’s angry” and your son crossed his arms with a scowl on his face. You burst out laughing while your husband messed with his hair pretending to be upset.
You went back to work while Scara was a stay-at-home husband. On stressful days you would come home, sore and tired, but the moment your eyes laid on Scara’a resting figure along with your sons. Well, your heart simply melted into mush as you took about 30 pictures of them from all angles. You were convinced that all of the time you spent alone and suffering was worth it for this moment.
It felt like that person was a bad dream- but now, you’re wide awake and ready to face the future with your loving husband, and adorable son.
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Gawdamn I don’t stop yapping🙏 If you read all of this ty pookie!! there will be a $10 mil block of gold under your pillow when you wake up 😍😋 I will be writing some hcs (maybe) and a scenario where u encounter kazuha w your kid soon!!! (i promise) Anyways i’m knocking tf out… BAI><!!
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♡ taglist: @swivy123
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thegreatyin · 4 days
Note
Your posts about Fallen London are slowly tempting me into playing it- do you have any tips to start or is it best to play it completely blind?
i have a few tips and tricks! mind you im far from a veteran and i basically got my hand held by tumblr for most of the game so take everything with a grain of salt. you can and should do whatever you want always. i don't personally play it blind, but you may get more enjoyment out of it if you do, and that's awesome and im super happy for you. this is what i can say from experience:
take your time with it. this is like. the numero uno fallen london tip. it's not a game where you rush to the end in a week. it's a game where you do 10-minute-intervals of a marathon to the end in maybe a few months if you know what you're doing. spending money on action refills usually isn't worth it when you can just mosey on through neathly life one storylet at a time. a vast majority of the game's content is completely free to everyone, and while the monthly subscription options are pretty neat and let you play some exclusive story stuff (that can be pretty fire- cricket anyone basically defined the scoundrel's entire character) none of it is required and 99% of the time you aren't missing out on anything by just taking your time and exploring the neath at your own pace.
you need to raise all of your skills eventually! this is, uh. something im horribly guilty of not following myself. you can (and probably should) pick at least two stats to focus on for your character (most of the time these will be your main ambition stats, aka the closest thing FL has to a main story questline) but eventually you Will be expected to have them all at around the 100 range, minimum. for certain Super Late-game Story Content, watchful 200 is mandatory to start it, so if you have trouble choosing i'd recommend leveling that bad boy first. don't neglect your other stats though!!! don't be like me. don't be like my poor poor neglected shadowy and dangerous. it's too late for me. save yourself.
friends are fun and free and you are legally mandated to exploit them for fun and profit. okay you really aren't mandated to exploit your FL friends list but you totally should anyway just for goofy sillies. to be less jokey about it, while fallen london is primarily a single-player gaming experience, the playerbase is super friendly and super open to helping each other out (especially new players!). go on reddit, ask around on tumblr, get yourself a few buddies and use them as resources to gain items and stats and menace reduction i mean. valued companions that im sure you will treasure forever and definitely not backstab to publish that inflammatory newspaper article you've been cooking up.
on a very loosely similar note, the fallen london wiki is your best friend. yes, we're following stardew rules with this one. this is the kind of game best optimally played with a wiki article or three open in the neighboring tabs so you can follow along and know what is what. there's tons of guides on basically every part of FL, and it's no shame at all to reach out to either it or the wider community if you get stuck or feel lost at something.
if an in-game storylet has bold text, it will never lie to you! except for when it does. but that's very very very rare. you can always trust the bold text. it is always your friend. i prommy. which brings us neatly into our next bulletpoint,
seeking the name is ill-advised because it's the only storyline that can permanently brick your account at its conclusion. don't worry, the ease at which you can avoid this is practically comical, and the game will Always give you multiple chances to opt-out if you somehow accidentally start it anyway. most people make a dedicated alt character entirely for the purpose of sacrificing them to the well of doom. unless you're playing with your eyes closed for multiple months straight, you'll never run into SMEN without deliberately chasing it, and if you somehow get to that point honestly man just ignore this entire bulletpoint and see how far the rabbithole goes. go on. it's friendly :)
batfucking is always the right answer to any problem ever
echoes/the game's standard currency should always be thought of as a method of gaining items rather than a strict hoard of video game dollars. money-making can be super difficult in the earlygame, but it gets exponentially easier as you go further on. you shouldn't be afraid to sell anything you don't need, though personally i'd recommend keeping an "insurance stock" of the most basic items just in case. this includes rostygold, moon-pearls, honey droplets, etc. by-and-large, these are the easiest items to get in a pinch, and it usually isn't worth buying them from the bazaar when you can otherwise get them naturally through other methods around london. once you've got a good lodgings setup and feel decently familiar with the earlygame zones and their options, you should aim to have at minimum 1,000 of these bad boys on hand at any given time, then feel free to sell any excess you make for some quick cash in a pinch.
menaces aren't as bad as you may think, but be wary of specifically suspicion! the four main menace qualities you'll encounter in the earlygame are nightmares, wounds, scandal, and suspicion. when one of these menace stacks reach 8, you'll automatically be trapped in a unique location corresponding to whatever menace you raised too high and will have to spend time working your way out. some (nightmares and wounds) tend to fly-by rather quickly, while others (scandal and suspicion) tend to take a bit longer to get out of. none of these mean the end of your playthrough or your character, and some quests even require you to visit certain menace-exclusive locations! there are tons of items and ways to reduce menaces and keep yourself out of Situations such as these, but suspicion in particular is probably the only menace you should avoid maxing At All Costs. when your suspicion gets too high and you get sent to its special menace zone too often, you build up a criminal record that makes it harder to reduce suspicion in the future. fortunately, suspicion is the only menace with this gimmick, and before this record gets too high it's just as easy to keep row as the rest of the lot. TLDR, death from wounds is easy to escape from, but avoiding the strongarm of the law is substantially more annoying and inconvenient.
or you could be like tumblr user @with-bells-upon, who's apparently avoided death at all costs and apparently hasn't died once in the entire several months they've been playing. i don't even know how they've gotten this far without doing that. it's kind of impressive, kind of funny. especially since their ambition is one the few requiring you to die to proceed. this isn't a piece of advice i just wanted to affectionately call them out because what the heck
speaking of ambitions, pick the ambition that's right for you! ambitions are the biggest overarching questline in the game, and their requirements and rewards span the entire neath and occasionally even beyond. all four ambitions are meant to be started early and last well into the mid and late game. outside of a certain special situation regarding the light fingers ambition (the only ambition that explicitly lies to you in-game when describing its premise) you can't change your ambition without spending money, so choose carefully and choose well. they're all (mostly) equally rewarding and equally fulfilling adventures that will define your player character and your journey through the neath. there's tons of advice and spoiler-free summaries of each ambition online, so i won't cover it all here. just do your research (or don't, if you prefer) and follow your heart. maybe playing the world's most high-stake poker game ever speaks to you. maybe you want to commit a murder. maybe you want to commit a murder in the name of justice and/or revenge. maybe you just want a really really big really really shiny rock. all can be found in the neath, and all shall (eventually) be well.
if you buy 400 lucky weasels you get a special achievement. i don't need to say more.
make up a guy. this is another legal mandate if you're a fallen london player. you have to make up your own little sicko victorian london guy and roleplay them while you play. trust me. it's fun. it's free. they're going to haunt you forever. the scoundrel got a nickname like 4 months ago and ever since my mind has never known peace.
and probably most important of all, fallen london might not be the game for you, and that's okay. it includes a lot of reading. and grinding. and i do mean a lot of reading and grinding. particularly the latter, which tends to throw people off the most out of anything. it's a very niche game for a very niche audience and getting into it can be an acquired taste at the best of times. but when you do get into it, it's some Really good writing and Really in-depth worldbuilding and the most fun you'll ever have imagining sicko victorian guys running around building train stations and railway tracks directly to hell. take your time, have fun, and most important of all, always look to love.
anyway yeah that's my fallen london tips and tricks list isn't it really short and comprehendible
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aperiodtm · 11 months
Text
'Let me know you' | Choi Yeonjun
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PAIRING: Choi Yeonjun x gn!reader
SUMMARY: you and yeonjun get some alone time to hang out..
GENRE: fluff, slight crack
WC: 508!
A/N: second fic! this was recommended to me by a friend inspired by a little conversation we had with someone else! might not post till august 25, ill try to post something else before june 5, bc i have exams :/
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''this is boring'' you bluntly remarked, just staring at a river while standing on a bridge. you didn't know why your best friend even liked doing this, you already felt unentertained at your first time accompanying him.
''you're just stupid, that's all'' yeonjun didn't even look at you while saying that, too busy admiring the water.
you and yeonjun have been friends for almost 2 years now. you first met him when you first came to school, you made a friend, yunjin, and she wanted you to meet him and his friend, choi beomgyu. the four of you got along well (most of the time...).
at first yeonjun was pretty...cold, he wouldn't talk much. most you ever heard him speaking was arguing with beomgyu about their looks.. soon enough, he warmed up, but still remained so mysterious to you, and you liked it. you eventually realized you may have caught feelings, and you still dont get it. i mean, he just stands and stares at a river, how do i like someone i dont even share interest with?
thats what you were thinking about right now, about how to dive in more into this boy's soul, while hanging out alone with him. both of you quite frequently did this, and it was fun. you talked about random things, trying to understand each other.
''you know, if you tried enough, you'd see that the water has all the peace to offer'' you were confused at his response ''it's just water, like the type at home'' yeonjun rolled his eyes and sighed, looking at you ''try a little harder'' he stared back down, smiling ''if you focus, you can feel the peace in your heart. its relaxing, not having to worry about anything, and just looking at something so calming'' he smiled widely watching the little waves flowing down the river. you kept quiet for a few minutes before speaking ''i still dont get it. it's water.''
he laughed silently ''maybe you have a different way of calming yourself'' you raised an eyebrow ''what makes you need comfort?''
yeonjun chuckled, ''you don't know me'' you replied back ''that part's obvious, but you don't know me either''
''then let me know you'' he spoke as he stepped closer, leaning towards you, just enough to make you feel flustered, he knew what you had in your heart, he just wanted you to say it.
you, on the other hand, were too shocked to respond, until you heard a voice
''i wanna know you too, y/n!!!'' ''beomgyu! shut up! they heard us!''
and out came beomgyu and yunjin, bickering along the way before sheepishly smiling. yeonjun stepped back in annoyance and rolled his eyes ''what are you two doing here!''
''hey, relax, we had reasons. it was beomgyu's fault. but, i guess you two can continue, just pretend we're not here, and we'll pretend we didn't see you, easy'' yunjin replied.
yeonjun looked back at you, slightly smirking and leaning forward again ''what do you say we pick up where we left off?''
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thank you for the likes on the first fic!
leave a like if u liked this one too! please comment to leave feedback! follow for more if you liked this one! and don't hesitate to ask/request!
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omnidemidisaster · 1 year
Note
Do you have any more spooky month Kevin x Reader headcanons? Sfw boyfriend headcanons or nsfw?
Him hees
( NSFW at end )
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Kevin dating HCS
SFW
He is quite panicky in the relationship
Like he always believes something might go wrong
He tries not to think so much, but he just wants the best outcome and ends up thinking the worst possibilities
He isn't the most romantic by definition, but he does his own romantic gestures to show his love
Like leaving some candy he bought for you at your door or kitchen counter, coming over whenever you're bored, hell he'll even let you hang out in the backroom of the store as long as you don't get caught if you really wanted to
He never 100% give or receives. He will always give and take. He doesn't want to come across as lazy or overbearing, so he will let you take control in the relationship every once in a while
That goes for cuddling too. He loves to hold you whenever you're sleeping. He adores that feeling of protecting you. But he will never say no to bring cuddled. He also adores the feeling of you holding him close and allowing him to be vulnerable
Now this isn't a hc, but something that the VA stated, but Kevin will always protect you whenever you're afraid or anxious. It doesn't matter how scared Kevin is, you are his priority, so you will come first
He is a bit of a hopeless romantic. Like before he started dating you, his mind will absolutely wander about a possible relationship with someone.
I suppose you made that dream come true!
He loves to kiss your cheek and forehead ( Especially if your shorter than him )
Now you bet that whenever the two of you are either on a date or just hanging out that he's just taken photos of you
Not in a creepy way, but in a way that captures the moments you both had together
He even posts them on his snapchat, going on and on about how much he loves you
Though an all time favorite photo of his is one where you both had a first Christmas together. You were in front of a very cheap dollar store tree with some gifts beside it. You both sat on the floor and started to open up gifts together.
Eventually your hands picked up a certain box. He quickly grabbed his phone and got ready to take a picture. He knew that that gift was particularly special ( What it had inside could be up to you ).
Once you opened it and realized what was in it, you began to cry from joy. He did take a few photos of how happy you were. And 2 of those photos are on his lock screen and home screen.
He doesn't like Christmas that much, but your smile and happiness is far more important to him :]
NSFW 🔞
Very fidgeting and anxious when you both had your first time together
Like boy gave himself a pep talk in the mirror...and was still freaking out
Though that freaking out didn't last too long
He just needed some buttons pushed ;]
I said this and ill say it again: He loves somnophilia
Though he is on the receiving end on it. Even if the two of you agreed with consent, he doesn't want to do anything to you while your asleep. Kissing? Sure. Maybe dry humping? Hes not opposed. But he's scared to actually hurt you or make you feel violated despite the explicit consent
Expect some rough stuff, especially after a long and horrible shift. He already likes to go fast and hard as is, so if he has a particularly bad day and your in the mood, just prepare yourself
Don't worry, boy will absolutely pamper and shower you with affection so you don't feel hurt or unsafe in any way
Home boy has praise and degrading kinks simultaneously. Like he'll praise you and degrade you in a single breath
And of course at the end he reassures you he doesn't mean anything he said...besides all the praising
He doesn't really like bondage. He hates the feeling of being restricted. Though if you want some light stuff like handcuffs or your hands tied up, he doesn't mind
The two of you came up with a safeword and he will always ask you what it is before doing anything
Not because he thinks your dumb, just wanting to make sure he doesn't hurt you and make you feel overwhelmed/overstimulated
If your a girl or have female parts, expect him to every once in a while ask you to peg him
He absolutely adores it and loves feeling submissive to you
Aftercare with this man...
He is so damn affectionate. He will make sure you're okay and feeling good, then help you clean up and clean up whatever surface the two of you did it on. By the end, he's cuddling you and kissing you while muttering praises
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cocolacola · 1 year
Text
hellsing pokemon au !!
as promised, im going back to my usual hellsing shenanigans with some pokemon stuff. ive had this in my brain for months but have never gotten around to doing anything with it! my autistic ass has absorbed information about pokemon before i could have normal thought patterns, so hopefully my takes are at least a little satisfying. feel free to interact with ur own thoughts and suggestions!
i provided long explanations of each, but if you dont want to read all that just look at the pictures :P
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long post ahead!
note: these aren't definitive teams, just me throwing around ideas. don't take this as the holy grail of headcanons or anything.
seras victoria
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boltund would be her first pokemon i think, her main partner from before her work with the organization. togetic is here because idk im a togetic 4lifer and im a kinnie ? it just really made sense to me, just vibes, plus i think she really needed a flying type. may become a togekiss later, that would be cute. umbreon is pip's eevee that she evolved, and blastoise is a gift from walter. i think she needs more red pokemon to match her color palette and vampire vibes so ill probably add to this!
alucard
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alucard needs a legendary of course, so darkrai. i think they would be good friends, they give the same "misunderstood tortured soul" vibes. houndoom to represent baskerville, noivern to fit the vampire/bat aesthetic.
and an important distinction:
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i think girlycard should have a hisuian sneasel. they're the same critter. two ancient beings.
sir integra
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im surprised with how much i struggled with this one. i feel like a fake fan. smh, anyways. sirfetch'd is perfect to me-even the unevolved farfetch'd is super fitting too-but i included the final form for this post. i wanted to stick with galar pokemon, but aegislash is literally a sword. cmon. stoutland is a recommendation from a friend that i 100% agree with. ive always associated her with the serperior line, so snivy was probably her starter. i think that'd be cute. im really open to suggestions on this one because i think she deserves more steel or normal types.
pip bernadotte
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this is a big one! there were so many good options with pip... and i didnt even mean to color code it 😅 i wanted him to have an electric type to match seras (to add to the whole rivals-to-lovers aesthetic), so his main partner is raichu! it was between that or mudsdale, who i also really like (and is the only one on this team who cant be found in kalos, haha). i wanted him to have a bird (for the geese) so there's dodrio. scrafty and tauros just fit the vibe perfectly to me-they're sorta like honorable mentions. eevee is originally his but he eventually gives it to seras, who evolves it into umbreon. if pip would have kept it, i think it would have evolved into sylveon (the whole kalos thing).
walter c dornez
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some interesting picks for walter. corvisquire is his main guy, his "angel of death", he's raised it from a rookidee since he was a kid. maybe it would evolve into corviknight when he becomes Dark Walter. not sure how that would work. i choose not to think about dark walter. bisharp is there for the steel typing vibes as well as the chess symbolism: it really hits right for me, with walter's arc being about how he's played as a "pawn", in a sort of way. also a nod to a very dear friend of mine who loves walter and the pawniard line respectively. :) now, why leavanny, you ask? it learns string shot, of course! also because id like to think he would raise a sewaddle in his old age to help him with things around the estate.
..aaand im out of room for images in the post! i'll make a part 2 with some bonus thoughts + the iscariot organization if i feel like it. bye for now!
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kingprinceleo · 2 months
Note
BET YOU DIDN'T EXPECT ME SO SOON
I did the dessert vampires playlist first since it was the shortest!
Stampede- very good interplay with the characters. Gives the vibe of I respect you but we fundamentally disagree on some big issues. Would be fun to play in the background of like a joint operation scheme? like they've gone undercover at a fancy party and this is them working together during it
Vulture- this is such a Shadow backstory song like- i don't know exactly what happens with GUN and Maria in this au but THIS is the song you play to express his feelings. The first verse at least low-key also sounds like Knuckles during or immediately post transformation to Rouge. He's very angy
Welcome to the Circus- a jaunty little tune. bar/saloon coded, probably plays wherever Amy works i think?
Recommend songs for this playlist: Desperado by Rhianna and maybe the entire Anti album based on vibes alone.
Blood Like Lemonade- strong vibes
Trouble Valerie Broussard- more Rouge centric i think
For other playlists:
Like a Vampire Catrien Maxwell, for vamp au Sonic
A Little Wicked - im thinking of Rouge for it but if it fits a different character i wouldn't be surprised
Little Girl Gone Chinchilla - very vamp au Shadow coded imo
Eve Precious Pepala- Shadow coded
All up in your mind- feels like Shadow thinking about Sonic's effect on him in vamp au
Hope these are good and have a nice timezone 🫶🏽. I go to sleep now
~🩸🎵
welcome back fhbghbjfdfdg !!
This playlist is a little more tough to explain bc i havent shared the major plotpoint that changes the whole title of the au fjgfjghf, but ill get there eventually !! Stampede- idrk know how to explain this one beyond its just Them, their conflicts their compromises, how the two are trying to work together in the situation theyre in, big time agree on the respect with huge disagreements tho, thats one of their major sticking points Vulture- RAHHHHHHH THIS IS IS KNUCKLES @ SHADOW !!!!! the entire time its knuckles rage and defiance !!! and im slamming my head into a wall so fucking hard i prommy it makes so much sense when i share the plot Welcome to the circus- its a rouge @ knuckles song ! like i said the subject itself is kinda weak but it hits on some of their core dynamic pieces --- Desperado- this one i could see being very rouge @ shadow but its a bit too forward and honest ! rouge would defo more take the angle of "im following you bc ur hopeless without me <3" Blood Like Lemonade- strong vibes on its own but doesnt particularly fit with anyone at least right now, i might come back to it after fleshing more people out (also i am sadly biased against songs that are kinda slow sob. i need that constant stimulation music {i almost didnt include vulture in the playlist bc of its speed but it was just too accurate and picks up with some heavy hitting stuff near the end}) Trouble- very correct w the rouge part !! defo eying this one up in consideration
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Like a Vampire- defo not vampire au sonic , it actually lines up more with desert vampires rouge (i adore the singers voice btw omg) idk if its going in any of the au playlists but it sure is going in mine ! dfhhdfhg A little wicked- shrug tbh ! i see it for rouge but it feels like its missing something, her spunk, her 4kids saxaphone (im assuming if you dont specify an au you just mean for the canon gamers !) Little Girl Gone- THIS IS SO VAMPIRE AU SHADOWCORE LITTLE UNHINGED BASTARD !!! the blood on my teeth line caught my attention....and then the screaming part sold me HDSHDHF hes sooo silly <333
Eve- im so sorry im really biased against love songs so i dont see it personally !! esp not for shadow </3 All up in your mind- eeh there are a few lines there that work, but overall just misses slightly. big fan of the idea that shadows just making up all those lines tho and sonics never said any of it, thats funny fdgjfjdgfg i feel bad for not enjoying all of them wahh, but i am just really picky tbh,,, its gotta bounce the braincell right... but i appreciate the suggestions sm!!!! tyyy!! have a good sleep !!!
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great-axepectations · 11 months
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ooh bird info post for avian hybrids? also, what kind of bird? parrot, canary, chicken, domestic pigeon, something else?
I am the proud owner of two small parrots: a cockatiel and a black-capped conure. Birb tax!
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I might as well do the avian hybrid post here! I think there are certain insights a bird owner could offer that would be useful to people writing avian hybrid characters. My expertise is small parrots but I'll try to be as general as possible. It's all fiction so none of this is law, but maybe there are some facts here that will help writers with fun details.
One thing is that birds have very high metabolisms! An avian character might be munching on snacks constantly to keep up (they also poop constantly but you don’t have to mention that in writing). This also means that they have very high internal temperatures--around 106 degrees to a human's ~98. Avian hybrids would be very warm to hug! A dangerous side of this is that birds also have very high blood pressure. It's likely a bird will bleed out before their blood can clot, unless you apply corn starch or styptic powder. Remember that if your avian hybrid is injured.
Birds are SO LOUD. Vocalization is how they communicate over long distances in the wild so they need to be heard! If my 90-gram conure is sitting on my shoulder and peeps at full volume, my ear will be ringing for a while afterwards. Some larger parrots can hit decibel levels comparable to a jet engine. If a bird hypothetically had human-sized lungs, they could probably cause permanent hearing damage. It's plausible for an avian hybrid to have a sonic screech attack!
Molting occurs about twice a year, when a bird gradually drops their ragged old feathers and grows them back. If a bird has clipped wings, it will eventually molt the cut feathers and grow new ones, making them capable of flight again. A new feather forms in a sheath or 'pin' that crumbles away when the feather is fully grown. These have blood in them as the feather growns, so it is painful if the sheath is broken too early. Pin feathers are itchy and uncomfortable, but mutual preening with a trusted partner to get those hard-to-reach spots is a wonderful bonding exercise for any bird or avian hybrid. The removed sheaths can make a mess, though--depending on the type of bird, it's either an oily dust or a very fine, chalky powder. An avian hybrid's home will probably need excellent ventilation, frequent dusting, and a powerful air filter. Some birds also maintain their feathers with dust baths--god help you if your avian hybrid does that indoors.
Most birds are prey animals, so they are constantly vigilant for predators (if your avian hybrid is a raptor then I can't help you). This means they have very good hearing and sight. They are also jumpy, and if something spooks them they will go "NO THINK, FLY NOW" and smack right into a window. A sick bird will be picked out of the flock by a predator, so birds will hide any symptoms of illness until they are nearly dead. An avian hybrid might be more capable of expressing their illness, but I can imagine this trait being used as the basis of an angsty sickfic.
Your avian hybrid might be more resilient than an average bird, but birds are incredibly fragile. The hollow bones thing is true, and they break easily. Their powerful little lungs are very sensitive to fumes (canary in a coal mine, anyone?), and even something like a cleaning spray or scented candle can be deadly. Common household substances can be poisonous, like chocolate, coffee, and avocado. (If this post is making you consider getting a pet bird, do A LOT more research. Bird ownership isn't just having a pet, it's a lifestyle choice.)
But to end on a happier note: birds are as varied as humans in showing affection. A happy and relaxed bird will have fluffed-up feathers, one foot tucked up, eyes closed, and slowly grinding their beak (maybe your hybrid could instinctually grind their teeth to imitate that?) Most birds are not cuddly, but my conure is never happier than when she's snuggled in my hand or sleeping in my shirt. She doesn't mind being picked up like an ice cream cone--my cockatiel would throw a screeching fit if I tried that with her. But she will still spend all day napping on my lap while I work, and will tuck her little head up under my nose so I can give her kisses.
This post is already WAY too long but please do send more questions if you want help writing more realistic avian hybrids!
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rogueddie · 1 year
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I posted 4,524 times in 2022
That's 4,524 more posts than 2021!
1,636 posts created (36%)
2,888 posts reblogged (64%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
@himbohohoharringtxn
@aringofsalt
@steveshairychest
@phantypurple
@girlwhoknewtheoriginoflove
I tagged 2,274 of my posts in 2022
Only 50% of my posts had no tags
#stranger things - 936 posts
#ask - 679 posts
#steve harrington - 642 posts
#eddie munson - 561 posts
#steddie - 465 posts
#stranger queues - 306 posts
#steve x eddie - 241 posts
#robin buckley - 114 posts
#joseph quinn - 55 posts
#ficlet - 52 posts
Longest Tag: 140 characters
#if this hasnt posted right again then i don't care i'm just going to die about it adfgfdsa sorry for possibly destroying your notifs baby 🥺
I sent 2 gifts in 2022
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
The best part about former mean girl Steve is the fact that Eddie seems to have just been waiting for someone to complain about Dustin, like he didn't be the one to start it because he's just a kid, but as soon as he's given the opportunity? It's his tone, right?
8,170 notes - Posted October 4, 2022
#4
"Something is really wrong with Steve," Robin says.
The party look up, startled. They wait for her to continue, but she starts pacing nervously. It immediately sets the kids on edge, glancing at each other uneasy.
"What do you mean?" Dustin eventually speaks up. "Is he... ill?"
"No, no, it's... his parents came home, right?"
"Yeah, we know," Max snorts. "Dustins mom had to ban him from the house because he wouldn't leave."
"He can't avoid them forever," Dustin points out. "I get that it's hard to talk to them when you have to lie all the time but they're, like, paying for all his shit."
"No they aren't!" Robins voice cracks. "They cut him off years ago! Dude, he hates them and now he's writing up a resignation letter so he can go work for his dad."
"Why is that a bad thing?" El asks, eyes a little wide.
"He'd have to train for a few months in New York for one."
"New York?!" All of them burst out. They all try to speak at once, loud and panicked. They're so loud that Hopper bursts out, confused and tired and panicked.
"What the hell is going on?" He snaps.
The kids all look a little guilty. El stands up so he looks at her. "We are worried about Steve."
"What? Jeez, that's what you're yelling about?"
"He's moving away!" Mike snaps. "To New York! For months!"
Hopper frowns at him like he's not making sense. "New York?"
"To work with his dad," Robin adds. "I didn't know if I should talk him out-"
"They're back?" Hopper asks. He's gone still, voice devoid of emotion and dangerously calm. "How long?"
"A month? Maybe more, it-"
"And they're home now? Do you know if Steve is there with them? It's not one of his shifts, is it? That'd make it easier."
"What? No, he's home. Make what easier?"
Hopper ignores the question, grabbing his coat and shoes. "Stay here, I won't be long."
He ignores the questions that grow frantic and panicked when he picks up his gun, stomping out the door at a fast pace. Robin is yelling from the door as he climbs into his car. She's too taken aback to even begin to think of how to answer to avalanche of questions the kids throw at her.
Hopper gets to the Harrington house in record time, having sped just a little to get there. Mrs Harrington is the one who opens the door and looks a little guilty when she sees him.
"Where is he?" Hopper asks.
She steps back, letting him in. "In his room."
Hopper pushes past her, taking the stairs two at a time. Steve is sat at his desk when he enters the room without knocking, head snapping up and looking startled. He looks a little ashamed when he realizes that it's Hopper.
"Hop," Steves voice is strained. He frowns when Hopper ignores him, pulling his closet open. "Uh, Hopper? What are you doing?"
"Taking you home," Hopper mutters. He pulls out the three bags he knows Steve has been keeping hidden, just in case. "Come on, pack up."
"I can't just-"
"Yes you can. Pack. Up."
See the full post
10,020 notes - Posted October 27, 2022
#3
Steve and Robin are very physically affectionate. It's part of their friendship, Eddie supposes, for them to be all over each other. He knows it's not romantic. He and Robin have already come out to each other, there's nothing to worry about there...
But Eddie has started to wonder if that physical affection is restricted to Robin. He's started to wonder if he'd be allowed to be like that with Steve. He's started to wonder if it would mean the same thing.
He decides there's only one way to find out. He decides to just... go for it. Slowly. He hopes it leads to good things.
When they next sit down to watch a movie in Eddies trailer, he doesn't go for the single chair, tells Robin and Steve to shift. It's a squeeze, but they all fit. Steve is squished between him and Robin but, if anything, he looks very happy.
He starts sitting closer after that, pressing fully against him. He never looks bothered, doesn't even acknowledge it happening outside of the occasional smile sent his way.
So Eddie ups the ante. He starts touching his back, as casually as he can- the first time, he puts a hand on his lower back, gently pushing him forward so Eddie can squeeze past. Sometimes he'll pat him on the back. Usually, he'd let his hand rest on Steves back when he's leaning close.
But, again, Steve doesn't react much. Sometimes Eddie will catch him smiling to himself, sometimes will feel him leaning back into the contact. So it's more than ok. But Eddie kind of wants to see Steve react...
He puts a hand on Steves thigh one day. The opportunity was perfect- Robin is on the other side of the room and Steve, sitting next to him, blocks his view. So he shifts, leaning forward, using Steves thigh as leverage.
Steve goes a little pink, but still... no real reaction.
Eddie keeps getting more touchy. To the point where no one bats an eye at Eddie being just as all over Steve as Robin is. Yet, aside from blushing a little more, Steve doesn't react.
Eddie isn't sure why he wants Steve to react, isn't sure how he wants him to react. He just knows that something will happen if he starts pushing and he's too curious to see what it is to stop now.
In the end, it's the smallest thing that finally makes him crack.
Eddie had come into the kitchen, finding Steve in the middle of doing the dishes. He'd snorted when he noticed a loose strand of hair hanging loose, Steve struggling to push it back without using his wet, soapy hands.
So Eddie stepped forward without thinking, gently brushing the hair back, taking a moment to brush through his hair and making sure it's sat right, how he usually styles.
"Oh, you fucking..." Steve muttered. He narrowed his eyes, almost glaring. "I don't know if you're just trying to be friends, but if that's all you want then you need to tell me, right now, because otherwise I'm going to kiss you."
Eddie blinks, stunned. "Your gonna what?"
But Steve takes that as an answer. Which then gives Eddie his; that type of physical affection is restricted to Robin. It means something very different with Eddie.
Later, curled up in bed with him, Eddie knows he's definitely found a good thing. He decides that he's not going to let go, not unless Steve wants him to.
11,324 notes - Posted September 17, 2022
#2
I am beginning to feel concerned about how much more attractive I find Steve Harrington while he's distressed or injured. That's not a good sign right?
13,019 notes - Posted October 20, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
Duffer Brothers : We're going to make a character that is so bland-
Joe Quinn : Funky little queer boy. Does a little jig. Weirdo. Joe Keery looks great with his top off. D&D. Nerd. Good with kids. Rings.
Duffer Brothers : Wait, no, he's supposed to have a rivalry with Steve like Billy did and-
Joe Quinn : No. They're in a gay relationship now. That's his boyfriend. Big boy.
37,421 notes - Posted August 22, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
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narwhaltortellini · 10 months
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Apologies to all the other things I was reading and watching and listening to, for suddenly and mysteriously putting you on hold to have an absolute freak out about Good Omens season 2 coming out in a couple weeks.
Apologies to anyone looking at this, because I just have to, like, dump my feelings somewhere.
Before the freak out, did I know Good Omens season 2 was coming out soon? Yeah, sure, I was kinda cautiously looking forward to it a little. Had I already seen the trailer? Yeah, I thought it looked good. Are David Tennant and Michael Sheen like probably literally the human embodiment of these characters? I mean, yes, how dare you even question that. (Esp. Michael Sheen omg so, so so…aaaah)
I’m not entirely sure what is going on with me. Good Omens has always held like a weird mixed but precious place in my little fannish heart. I read it back when I was a little BABY high schooler getting real obsessive about Terry Pratchett but who didn’t even know what ‘shipping’ or m/m was. I loved some things about it and didn’t love others but one thing was absolutely sure: I was just so terribly charmed by the demon and angel characters. They really were good buddies, such good friends, yes indeed. Probably be ROOMMATES or something some day, huh? <3
I had both mixed feelings but was also really obsessive over it, trying to get others to read it and posting something real agro on LiveJournal when I fell for a joke someone (was it Terry Gilliam or one of the authors?) made about how they were approaching the then-planned-but-eventually-ill-fated movie adaptation. (Gosh I wish I remember what it was but it was so over the top clearly terrible and a joke and it’s been over 20 years and I still feel embarrassed about falling for and publicly ranting about it to this day but also makes me feel kinda nostalgic like lol what a dumbass kid, aww.)
And then years later when I’d managed to get a whole lot less naive about my fondness for reading/watching male friendships, I pick up the book for a reread and was like ‘um…wait a second….’ and go look up the fanfic and yep there it is, the book of my late childhood in a totally different light XD
When the tv show came out, I once again had mixed feelings. It was fun to revisit the story and fantastic to see it reach more people, but there’s some humor that just doesn’t work for me quite as well spoken/acted vs written down, and Pterry’s humor is definitely that way for me. I felt like Crowley and Aziraphale were a little extra flirty and intense about each other in the show, something part of me enjoyed and part of me wasn’t sure I loved. Partially I just prefer a slightly more understated romance and partially…well, in these days where it feels like queerbaiting is kinda all the rage, it can make one feel a little uneasy…
And then I hear there’s going to be a second season and I’m like…that….MIGHT be fun? I mean…Pterry is gone, and that’s super shitty, but we’ve still got Neil and there are other good writers and I HAVE been curious where they were planning to take it…
And then less than a week ago I hear murmurings that this second season is maybe even supposed to be more romantic-ish? Or…I don’t know maybe I heard things maybe I didn’t (did I hear something? DID I???? Something people were upset got revealed but I totally didn’t click the link so I don’t know only maybe I did click the link for just a second and then I saw a four letter word that jumped out at me and I left because nope nope nope don’t want to know don’t want to know and I don’t know the context of that word so what do I know I KNOW NOTHING I KNOW NOTHING). Anyway I hear things (about the first and this season both) with words like ‘romance’ and  ‘a love story’ being thrown around, but what is that really? It doesn’t always mean a lot to me when someone says a story is about that, because that can mean a lot of different things, especially when your characters aren’t exactly human.
And, like, I shouldn’t be so curious about this because this isn’t even a direction I was overly interested (nor opposed) in seeing this go. IF it even really was going that way at all. Except now when I watch the trailer and hear that quirky rendition of Everyday I like faint from excitement (I swear if they released a full version I’d just listen to it on repeat till July 28), and I always did like the addition of Gabriel in the show and now we get more of him in such a fun looking way omg and that new Muriel character just instantly looks SO. FREAKING. CUTE. and hey now we get to see something that was truly written for the screen which could be super cool and where are they going to take our angel and demon now and aaaaaaaaah.
And now I’m just like Good Omens on the brain at an intensity level where it makes it hard to function like a normal person. Like I’m supposed to go see a movie and have dinner with non-fannish friends tomorrow and how am I going to survive that long without saying something weird HOW???? I do a kind of tuneless whisper of the lyrics to Everyday under my breath all the time. It sounds kind of threatening, and I don’t think they will appreciate it. You just know at some point during the conversation they are going to be like:
‘Hey. HEY. Are you even paying attention?’
And I will be like:
‘Y-Yes. Yes I am paying attention and not thinking about angel and demon sex.’
And they will be like:
‘....’
And I will avert my gaze and be like:
‘...’
And then after a while of that I will be like:
‘Everyday…it’s a-getting closer…’
I don’t know what to do. But, I mean, I’m also really, REALLY enjoying it. Like this is going to blow your mind but DID YOU KNOW that there is significantly more fanfiction in the Good Omens section now that it is an amazing popular tv show vs when it was just some book written in the 90’s? CRAZY RIGHT?!?! So much. Omg, new friends, you have been so busy, so generous with your time and writerly efforts, I LOVE ALL OF YOU THANK YOU. If I pretend to take a long dump in the restaurant bathroom tomorrow so I can sit on the toilet and read fanfiction, know you helped me do that, each and every one of you. Bless.
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eneiryu · 1 year
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This might not be much of a permanent injury but that ask made me think of how Theo might deal with actually developing a heart problem. Maybe it starts with a classic vs. hunter or vs. supernatural of the week and something goes through/tears up his heart and it heals but not correctly (So then it starts as more of an injury rather than a heart condition because the symptoms are from his heart trying to heal but it can't?).
I think there's a good amount to explore character wise with how he would react to abnormal heartbeats or how he might ignore it thinking maybe he was just mentally rattled from the attack.  Things like palpitations can make you feel like you're having an anxiety attack until you sort of actually have one about it. Other abnormalities can feel like someone is squeezing your heart or your heart just actually stops for a bit. Since Theo is someone who has a lot of control over his heartbeat and went through a series of events where his heart was literally grabbed and taken from his chest, that might lead him to try to address the problem alone first.  It's also something he can't really hide so there's room to talk about how the people around him would pick up on it and maybe see it as a physical problem that needs addressed probably well before he does. 
Additionally, the person I know who has a pacemaker jokes about being part machine and that could be another aspect that's interesting to explore with Theo if there needs to be a more permanent fix for his heart. There are a lot of in-universe things that sort of make this rough, like I'm sure getting electrocuted by hunters at a high voltage isn't exactly pacemaker friendly, but maybe it's a catch all dread doctor tech version that's more robust?
As sort of an additional thing since I'm thinking about this now, It might be interesting if what happened was Theo jumping in to save Scott (as opposed to Liam being the one he's always saving). But its still early on in the post war scene so Theos not around the pack as much/the older pack leave for college so he really just doesn't consider going to anyone about it and its Liam who gradually catches onto it.  I think that might be a pretty good setup for the classic Scott and Theo conversations you write where Scott eventually comes back and realizes he might consider Theo as pack without question but Theo hasn't caught on.  Also a good setup for the internal struggle Theo has about self worth that you capture really well.
I didn't mean to go on for this long but maybe that's an idea that combines the sort of hurt/healing aspect of the cabin fic with some elements from your longer Theo POV works so there's more background to it?
Yes, all of this yes (also thanks for the compliments on my writing sprinkled in there 😊). The idea of Theo not only having to deal with a permanent (or at least long-term) illness/injury, but with a heart injury? There is a lot there. I am absolutely going to write this at some point, so thank you for the inspiration!
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Guess what! I'm back!
(zero people cheered)
Anyways. I completely forgot I made the earlier post and thank gods I don't have to write it all down again. I don't know how I slid back here, I guess I just got overwhelmed by everything I wanted to do. I started playing Minecraft again during the summer, I still have so many sewing projects queued that I don't go thrifting because there's no space in my wardrobe for any more pieces and it would be just lying around, I haven't written anything and I got several books for school at the library on Tuesday and barely opened the first one. For the past few days I've been having terrible headaches, sensory overload to the point I was either putting earplugs in my ears or cursing myself for forgetting them at home and have already forgotten to take my meds twice. I'm just glad I have Ernie, pretty much my emotional support bunny now since she learned to trust me.
Yesterday I was at another shift at the café and my coworker asked if I was okay, that I seemed scattered. So I told her about being overwhelmed by sound and that also I wanted to get tested for ASD (because I was hoping it would explain to her my confusion at some social interactions and genuinely not knowing why and how to ask customers if they want anything else because her colleague never asked me to do that...) and, as kind of expected, which is why I hadn't told her before that, she said that she thinks autism looks different. I was prepared for that, telling her that she only sees me twice a week for less than three hours and hasn't seen me on the really bad days, plus she used to meet me only before school started (when I wasn't so scattered).
Which kind of made me think of something I'd like to talk about today.
I've known about my autism for half a year now and during the summer I sometimes wondered if it was true, because the social anxiety got better, sensory issues got better, I kind of learned to balance routine with chaos for the ADHD part of my brain... And now it's getting worse again. You know why? Because living in the modern society is fucking exhausting even for neurotypicals.
I spent two months without having to worry about studying, grades, getting ready to come to school on time, could put my headphones on almost all the time (and I did), and I spent almost a month total with really chill people, touching a lot of grass and not having to worry about my appearance or criticism for my behaviour. Of course I got a lot better, I wasn't stressed out all day every day, but those issues still were there.
So I'd like to put some signs I wrote down in a notebook a few months ago, for myself and maybe others to see, that remind me I'm not making it up and actually am struggling with some stuff. And I'd like to note that anyone can have symptoms of anything, they don't inherently mean a disorder or illness on their own, it points to something when one is showing a combination of them. Plus, I thought of a specific thing distinguishing us from neurotypical people the other day - my sister just began high school and has started having lunch in the same cafeteria as me and mum at another school, and even though she's a very social person, the first day she asked if I could pick up her lunch and when I asked why, she just gave this little laugh, wriggled a bit and said "I'm shyyyyyy." Eventually, mum went with her and showed her the place, but I couldn't stop thinking about the difference - there were times when I didn't want to go somewhere, but I wasn't shy, I was anxious about it, I didn't know what to do, what to say, how would people respond but most of all, I was afraid of them seeing me as weird. You know, your regular old rejection sensitivity disorder. I don't think most neurotypical people get stressed about a shift at work just because they don't know if it will be a calm or a hectic one and can't get mentally ready for it. It's completely socially acceptable to be shyyyyyy, but it's weird and not normal to be panicking about taking your clothing to the dry-cleaning because people behind counter.
Anyways, I'm ending my essay and going on to the bullet points.
Special interests ("obsessions") throughout my childhood. There's a difference between a hobby and fucking brainrot from Pirates of the Caribbean to the point you're memorizing facts about pirates from an encyclopedia from the library to dump on anyone who would pretend to listen.
Physical contact is weird. I don't mind it in general but I do if people don't ask, I have no idea how hugs work and sitting next to people on public transport and any pieces of your clothing brushing with theirs is a nightmare.
I need precise and detailed instructions or I'm lost. People get annoyed of course.
Simultaneously, sometimes I'm eleven steps ahead of other people in conclusions or work. (my classmates in english don't say anything anymore when I finish a whole page in the book before they get the first exercise done because it's just patterns.)
Sensitivity to light and noise (my ADHD and ASD keep arguing about the light/dark mode on my laptop all the time so I switch it literally every five minutes), it might be the cause of all the headaches I get.
Problems with switching tasks because lmao hyperfocus.
Recognizing some patterns very easily which I think makes learning languages a lot easier for me and also helped me to learn to mask really well (my whole childhood I was just doing Ctrl + C - Ctrl + V of dialogue patterns from films and books).
Thick white edible substances tend to make me sick just looking at them and when something gets burned, I need to get out immediately or I'll start panicking.
Authorities are so complicated? I rarely communicate with people in a position of power like I'm expected to, I just don't give a shit and go with the truth, and even when I try to be very, very respectful, I sometimes cross some line and offend someone without realizing, get confused when they get mad and then feel like I'm an awful person and will end up abandoned by everyone because of it. Simultaneously, there were several times when I noticed a teacher that I respected, getting annoyed by classmates who just went on and on because apparently nobody was getting the vibes and I guess crowd effect, and was the only one trying to make them stop because it didn't work on me.
Sometimes I physically can't move on from some things because they don't make sense to me, I need to find a solution or I can't focus on anything else.
Sometimes I panic and start throwing a passive-aggressive tantrum when I get confused and frustrated that I don't understand something, nothing makes sense and I don't know what to do about it.
When I was a kid, I'd sometimes kind of throw tantrums over things like clothing not being exactly in the place where it was supposed to on my body or I started crying at a GoT-themed summer camp when they put me in a different house than the one I was emotionally attached to from the previous year (no, I still haven't seen the show or read the books, I have no idea why they made it a theme at a summer camp for kids.)
Stimming and repetitive behaviours like spitting in the sink until it feels right in my mouth, blinking with one eye and then the other, getting the other hand wet when one already is, rocking back and forth while I'm waiting at the cash register for a long time, picking on my skin...
A lot of the time I just have no idea how I feel. Though mostly when I get stressed and overloaded.
Stuff like when I put a clean cup in the sink, it gets "contaminated" and I need to wash it or I touch the hole between bricks on the sidewalk with my shoe and get "contaminated" and need to get it off or go back and take the step again to be able to continue.)
If you make a sarcastic joke and make it sound and look serious, don't expect me to get it, alright? I'll just start dissecting it.
Organizing literally anything sparks so much joy
Dependence on routines and plans way in advance and getting completely lost when they change.
Infodumping because I don't know how to pick out important information and everything is interesting.
Memorising whole scenes and films by heart (there was a time when I could quote the entirety of MLP Equestria Girls word by word.)
I literally went to my friend's drinking and weed birthday party with a toothbrush and toothpaste. The only reason I didn't bring pyjamas is that I forgot to take it.
I'm half-asleep now so just bye and I hope this is useful for someone. :)
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troquantary · 3 years
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Edward Cullen: That Boy Ain’t Right
So I was doing a reread of @therealvinelle 's collection of Twilight metas, as one does, and in "Edward, Denial, and a Human Girlfriend" she mentions that she doesn't believe Edward is sane. I thought, "ha, yeah, he's definitely not," and also, "but wait, what does that mean exactly, please say more about that." But since she's already inundated with asks, I've decided to use my own head-muscle and explore this idea. (TL;DR: I start out more or less organized, synthesize some points Vinelle has made across several posts (and have hopefully linked to them all where relevant but please tell me if not), touch a little on narcissism, then take a hard left into the negative effects of being a telepath.)
Just a couple things to note at the outset, though. Theses have been written already (probably) about Edward as an abuser. Edward being insane doesn't negate that at all; he's definitely an asshole and just...a disaster of a human being. (I find it more funny than anything, but YMMV.) I'm also going to try to avoid talking specifically about mental illness and how it relates (or doesn't relate) to abusive behavior -- that's territory I'm not really equipped to discuss, like at all. My starting point is "Edward has a deeply warped perception of reality," not "Edward has X disorder."
So: deeply warped perception of reality. The evidence? Goes behind a cut, because my one character trait is Verbose.
Vinelle provides a great example of it in the post linked above, which I'll just quote because she does words good: "[Edward] keeps acting like his romance with Bella is a romantic tragedy, and all the cast of Twilight are actors on a stage making it as sublime as possible." Edward's the one to pursue Bella, but he does so with the full belief, from the very beginning, that it will never last; Bella will "outgrow" him, go on her human way, and he can spend the rest of eternity brooding magnificently over his too-short romantic bliss. [Insert premature ejaculation joke.] Turning her is never an option, even though Alice, Noted Psychic, says that romancing Bella will either end with her dead (exsanguinated) or dead (vampire).
This framing, where he's a dark anti-hero in love with -- but never tainting! -- the pure maiden and eventually leaving her in a grand, tragic sacrifice to preserve her soul? It's fucking bonkers. Bella isn't a person to him in this scenario. As Vinelle points out, Bella's never really a person to him at all; he falls in love with his own mental construct, cherry-picking from what he observes of her behavior and her responses to his 20 (thousand) Questions to convince himself that she is the ideal woman.
Bella's not the only one who gets the projection/cardboard-cutout treatment. Edward sees everything and everyone through a highly particular, personalized lens. He filters his entire reality, which we all do to an extent, but the thing with Edward is that he starts with his conclusions and then only pays attention to the evidence that supports those conclusions. Often that evidence consists of what he admits in New Moon are only "surface" thoughts -- but recognizing that limitation doesn't keep him from taking those thoughts as representative of what people are. Edward then becomes absolutely convinced by his own "reasoning" and won't be swayed from what he has decided is Objectively True. It's obvious with Bella; it's also painfully obvious with Rosalie. (Vinelle explains this and brings up Edward's raging Madonna/Whore complex in the same post, so refer to that again -- she's right.)
He also catastrophizes. Everything. Bella's just vibing in her room, rereading Wuthering Heights for the 87th time? She's gonna be hit by a meteor, better sneak into her room while she sleeps. Bella's going to the beach with the filthy mundanes their human classmates? She's gonna fall in the ocean. Jasper's cannibal pals are stopping by for a visit, but know not to hunt in the area? DISASTER, DEFCON 1, ALSO FUCK YOU JASPER FOR EVEN EXISTING IN MY AND BELLA'S SPHERE YOU UNSPEAKABLE BURDEN. Edward must believe that Bella is vulnerable and in near-constant peril, to support the reality he has created in which he is the villain turned protector and maybe?? hero??? (!!!) for his beloved. So when the actual, James-shaped danger arrives, he goes berserk, snarling and flipping his shit and generally not helping the situation. His fantasy demands that Bella remain human, so instead of doing the very thing Alice, Noted Psychic, assures him will neutralize the threat (and not just a threat to Bella, either, but to Bella's family and any other human James might decide to include in the "game"), he vetoes it immediately, no discussion. Bella Must Not Turn, and he sticks to those guns despite James nearly reducing her to ground beef, despite leaving Bella catatonic with depression (but human! success!) in New Moon, despite Aro's order and his family's vote and, let's not forget, Bella's clearly and repeatedly stated desire to be a vampire. It's going to happen. But he doesn't accept it until Renesmee busts out of Bella like the Kool-Aid man and the poor girl's heart finally, unequivocally stops.
Sane people don't behave this way. I don't want to slap labels on Edward, but I can't help but note that he comes across as highly narcissistic. He's the only real person in his universe, the lone player among us NPCs. That probably has a lot to do with him being frozen in the mindset and maturity of a seventeen-year-old boy, but I think it's also just...him, on some fundamental level. His failure to connect with others and recognize them as full, independent beings with their own wants and priorities isn't like Bella's failure -- she's badly depressed. Edward is...something else, and I get the sense that his sanity has been steadily deteriorating over time. And a cursory google of narcissistic traits turns up some familiar-looking stuff. He's self-loathing, yes, but also grandiose; he hates himself for the monster he is (and hates most vampires besides Esme and Carlisle for their monstrosity, too) but still feels superior to humans, to the extent that he felt entitled to human blood and resented Carlisle for depriving him of his "proper" diet. He eventually returns to Carlisle, but he's far from content -- the beginning of Midnight Sun finds him in a state of ennui, bored and dismissive of (if not outright disgusted by) everyone around him, that has apparently persisted for years and years. He doesn't play the piano, he doesn't compose, he doesn't enjoy anything...at least until Bella comes along and then he becomes obsessed to a disturbing degree with her and his new, romantic tragedy spin on reality.
[Next-day edit: I’m not sure where else to fit this in, but the way Edward casually contemplates violence against people who have, at best, mildly annoyed him is...chilling. I have a hard time writing off his strategizing how to murder the entire Biology class as a result of bloodlust -- it’s so calculated, nothing like the blackout state of thirst Emmett describes when he encountered his own “singer,” and that is probably the default for when a vampire is extremely thirsty. But even ignoring the Biology class incident, Edward still does things like consider, with disturbing frequency, how he might grievously injure or kill Mike Newton, all because...Edward considers him his romantic rival (despite Bella barely giving the kid the time of day). He thinks about slapping Mike through a wall, which might be an amusing slapstick image, except as a vampire Edward’s actually capable of turning this boy’s skeleton to a fine powder. So it’s, y’know, kind of sick when you think about it.
But even worse than that, when Bella tells Edward about how she flirted with Jacob to get at that sweet, sweet vampire lore, Edward chuckles and then, after dropping Bella home, flippantly observes that now that the treaty’s broken, why not genocide? I’m not even kidding, it’s right there in Midnight Sun; he seriously thinks about the fact that he’d be technically justified now in wiping out the entire tribe because a teenager tried to impress a girl with a spooky story. That is fucked. Remember, Edward was there with Carlisle when the treaty was first established. He knows how remarkable it is that they even came to a truce in the first place, that it was only ever possible because Carlisle is...well, Carlisle, and that it marks a pretty significant moment in supernatural history. He doesn’t care; he doesn’t respect it, or he’d never think something like “Ha ha, if I went and killed them all, I wouldn’t even be wrong. I mean, I won’t do it, but I’m just saying, I wouldn’t be wrong.”
Again: not the thought process or behavior of a sane person. (Or a person that respects life in general -- sorry Carlisle, big L.)]
Finally, whether he's a narcissist or not, I think the fact that Edward has constant, unavoidable access to everyone's thoughts is a powerful contributing factor to his instability. He can tune out the mental noise to an extent, but he can't stop it -- so he comes to rely on it like another sense. This causes issues with disconnect and lack of empathy, of course, but there's another facet to this shit diamond: he's basically experiencing a ceaseless flow of intrusive thoughts. His narration in Midnight Sun suggests that he "hears" the words people think, can "see" what they visualize in their mind's eye, and can sense the emotional "tone" and intensity of their thoughts. Therefore, perceiving Jasper's thirst through his thoughts makes Edward more aware of his own, "doubling" the discomfort. This would be a lot to deal with even from just his immediate coven members, but Edward gets all of this pouring into his head like a firehose on a day-to-day basis because the Cullens live right alongside humans. I know Meyerpires have galaxy brains or whatever, but that's a ton to process.
Besides the compounding effect on his own thirst when he "feels" the thirst of others, Meyer never suggests that Edward has difficulty separating his own thoughts from other people's; even when he was newly turned, he recognized Carlisle's "voice" in his head as Carlisle's. That would create a whole different host of issues around identity, but it looks like Edward's escaped that particular torment. However, I can easily imagine that what he does experience is just shy of unbearable nonetheless, with an eroding effect on his sanity over decades. He can't sleep to escape it; he's on a dishwater diet and probably (like the rest of his family) experiencing a perpetual, low-grade physical discomfort due to his thirst never being fully satisfied; and he's around far more people than is the norm for vampires -- even discounting all the humans, his own coven is unusually large -- meaning more noise.
Honestly, it would be weirder if he were all there, considering.
And even though I feel like I lost a sense of structure around where I started ranting about telepathy, I've written like 1.5k words about Edward fucking Cullen and I think that's enough for one post.
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