#technically a song fic

[naminethewriter]

Our High School Musical Moment

Back on track with @roceit2023. This is the longest one yet, have fun! 💛💖

Here on Ao3

Masterpost | Roceit Week 2023 Masterpost

Summary: Roman auditions for a gay production of High School musical and is immediately smitten by his duet partner.

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

Roman lightly jumped up and down, trying to get his nervousness under control. This might just be the worst he’s felt before an audition, probably because it was a role he had wanted to play since childhood.

Troy Bolton.

He had fallen in love with High School Musical the first time he watched it and continued to see it again and again, never tiring of it. Having a crush on Zac Efron didn’t help. And now his college was doing a queer production of the musical with a gay romance at the center. Gabriella was now Gabriel – not the most creative choice but why chose something else if there was a clear answer in front of you.

Roman would take any role, really, but he had to try his luck at getting the lead.

“Roman Prince for Troy Bolton and Janus Drake as Gabriel Montez, please join us on stage!” The casting director called. Roman took a deep breath and made his way from the audience up on stage. The other person that had been called, Janus, came from the other side of the room with confident strides that Roman envied. He just hoped that his hands weren’t shaking as much as he feared.

“Thank you for coming, you two,” the director, who had introduced himself as Anton earlier, greeted them both when they made it over to him. “Do you know each other by chance?” Roman just shook his head while Janus replied with a simple: “No.”

“That’s fine. Take a moment to meet each other, harmonize if that’ll make it easier and then give us your best ‘Breaking Free’ performance. Just give a sign to Angela at the piano over there when you’re ready.” Anton motioned to a brown-haired girl sitting at a grand piano stage left who gave them a quick wave.

“Will do,” Roman nodded and Anton patted him on the shoulder.

“That’s what I like to hear. Just make it quick, there’s others still waiting.” He hopped off stage and Roman turned to Janus who was looking him up and down. Their eyes met and Roman was stunned by the beautiful green on the right and deep brown on the left.

“Hi,” he said breathlessly before catching himself and tagging on: “I’m Roman, I’m a theater major.”

“Janus. Law major on my parents’ insistence.” Janus held his hand out for Roman to shake. He did so and noticed Janus wearing gloves on both hands but kept his questions to himself. Right now was not the time.

“Right, so wanna do a quick voice warm-up?”

“Very well.”

They took a minute to vocalize together and Roman found that they complimented each other quite well, which Janus couldn’t refute.

“Are you ready?” Janus asked then.

“As I’ll ever be,” Roman answered after taking another deep breath. Janus watched him critically for a moment but motioned for Angela to begin anyway. The first chords filled the air and Roman’s nervousness finally flew out the window.

He knew this song by heart. He sung it a million times before. He got this.

We’re soarin’, flyin’

There’s not a star in heaven

That we can’t reach

Roman had to hold back from imitating Zac’s gesturing since he often did so when watching the movie but he was here to present his own version of Troy Bolton. He did stand close to Janus however and lightly touched his arm, to reassure Gabriel the way his Troy would do. Janus had given him permission to be a bit touchy, it was part of acting after all.

If we’re trying

So we’re breaking free

Janus’ voice was so soft, it almost startled Roman out of the moment. His acting was on point, his expression and posture truly looking like he had as bad a case of stage fright as Gabriel did, but Roman knew even from the few moments they talked before the song that Janus was definitely used to the stage. He quickly had to shake himself out of his thoughts to not miss his next lines.

You know the world can see us

In a way that’s different than who we are

Janus stepped away from during his next part and Roman felt compelled to follow him but resisted. He needed to focus!

Creating space between us

‘Til we’re separate hearts.

‘He looks so damn sad!’ Roman thought, a bit envious of Janus’ talent. But he was sure he could keep up with him if he could. Just. Concentrate!

But your faith it gives me strength

Strength to believe

Their voices melded together perfectly and finally, Roman couldn’t help but get wrapped up as the chorus began.

We’re breaking free!

The rest of the song passed like a blur for Roman. He let his body take full control, stopped thinking, and just enjoyed the performance. Dancing with Janus was effortless and soon the were on the last few lines.

You know the world can see us

Roman and Janus were facing each other, staring into each other’s eyes and Roman felt a very strong urge to pull him into a kiss.

In a way that’s different than who we are

The last chords echoed through the room. Roman and Janus were both breathing heavily. Roman leaned closer. Janus didn’t move away.

Applause.

Roman flinched away and Janus seemed to equally startle out of the moment.

“That was great, thank you!” Anton announced, suddenly back on stage. “Go back to your seats, please!”

In a bit of a daze, Roman let himself be shooed of the stage and returned to his seat in the audience. He tried to spot Janus but couldn’t make him out in the crowd. Maybe that was for the best, he needed a moment to collect himself.

The rest of the auditions passed by quickly and soon Anton announced that he would publish the chosen cast online the next week. Roman gathered his stuff and made his way out of the auditorium. He caught a glimpse of Janus and made the impulse decision to go after him.

“Hey, Janus!” he called as soon as he figured he was in ear shot. Janus turned around and raised an eyebrow.

“Roman. What gives me the pleasure of you running after me?”

“Um…” Roman hesitated for a moment. Was he really about to ask this guy out who was basically a stranger to him?

…

Fuck it. Yeah, he was.

“Would you like to grab a coffee with me sometime?” Janus’ other brow rose in surprise.

“You’re asking me out on a date?”

“Yes.”

“We just met. We barely talked.”

“I know. And I want to get to know you better. If you allow me, of course.”

Janus looked him up and down, hummed and then shrugged.

“Sure, why not. Give me your phone.” Roman did as he was asked, stunned that that had actually worked.

Janus handed him his phone back moments later.

“I look forward to hearing from you, Roman,” he said with a wink, turned around and walked away. Roman watched him and resisted the urge to jump up and down in excitement. He could do that when he was back in his dorm.

Roman made his way back with a smile. Maybe he was more like Troy Bolton than he thought.

#namiswriting #roceitweek2023 #day 5: duet #roman sanders #ts roman #janus sanders #ts janus #anton the critic #fluff #meet-cute #roman falls so fast #and janus is smitten #lot's of high school musical references #technically a song fic #sanders sides #fanfiction #reblogs are appreciated

[smoothshine]

𝘔𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘷𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐'𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶

#royai #roy mustang #riza hawkeye #fullmetal alchemist #fma #fmab #fullmetal alchimist brotherhood #fanart #fma fanart #smoothshine draws #the tattoo study gone south #aaand it's still going #okay okay i know this song is technically not really about royai but! the vibes!! #i guess it partially has to do with the newly formed strong connection between young royai and ivy that i gathered from East City Files #and i haven't even read the main fic dedicated to it yet! crazy! #anyway! if you reached this point - i really like the idea of their first kiss happening during the tattoo study :33 #with Riza taking the initiative of course because Roy is a very proper young man #(read as: wuss puss) #ps: i really want them to kiss but damn they are making this hard :))

[a-little-unsteddie]

abstract

ok we all listened to Hozier’s new album, right? so we all know what comes next.

tw: hurt/no comfort, post-break up

wc: 1.1k || AO3 Link

Eddie groaned as he rolled over to check his phone, unsure who would be messaging him so early in the morning. Chrissy. Of course. He smiled vacantly, and then immediately frowned when the phone unlocked and revealed the message.

Eddie!! Watch this right now!!

Eddie clicked the link that was attached to the message and flinched reflexively when he saw the title of the video.

Exclusive!: Steve Harrington Opens Up About Last Relationship!

He instantly closed out of the video before it had a chance to start playing and messaged Chrissy back furiously.

explain to me why i should watch an interview that steve did? what do I care if he talks about our relationship? he’s allowed to.

Eddie chewed on his thumb nail anxiously as he stared down at the three dots indicating that Chrissy was replying. He was glad that she was, because he wasn’t sure if he would have been able to handle it if she didn’t. He thought it was fair of him to not want to watch an interview of Steve talking shit about him and their relationship, because there was no doubt in his mind that the interview could be anything but that. The relationship hadn’t ended particularly well, and Eddie knew that he was partially at fault for it. They both had their own problems, which eventually culminated in a massive fight that they couldn’t get past. The only thing that Eddie could really remember from the fight was Steve leaving at the end and immediately regretting letting him leave. He couldn’t even remember the reason of their fight — not that they really needed a reason to argue, near the end.

Eddie often replayed the memory of the slamming door and the following weeks spent isolating himself from everyone, eventually Chrissy had come barging in to drag him out of bed and into the shower and forcing him to be a functional member of society. Which, to be fair, was quite important given the fact that Eddie had a band to write for. Chrissy was the only reason he was functioning now, even. She was his rock through the aftermath of Steve Harrington.

Eddie was startled out of his thoughts by his phone buzzing in his hand, and focused on it to read the message.

I love you so much, and you *need* to watch that interview. Trust me.

Eddie swallowed thickly and tapped the link again. Steve looked amazing, because of course he did, his hair perfectly styled, wearing a yellow sweater that Eddie remembered being one of his favorites to wear. Eddie almost backed out of the video again, but it began playing at the timestamp that Chrissy had linked him to.

“So,” the interviewer began, a curious look on her face, “any new relationships?”

Steve let out a huff that could have been considered a laugh to anyone who didn’t know him like Eddie did, and he watched with a heavy heart as he answered with a gentle shake of his head.

“No, and I’m not looking for a new relationship.” Steve smiled crookedly at the interviewer, and Eddie’s heart pounded in his chest as he turned up the volume on his phone, desperate to hear more of Steve’s voice. “Still recovering from the last one,” he said, as if it were a joke, but Eddie was surprised to hear how genuine it sounded.

The interviewer leaned forward, “Oh? Eddie Munson, right?”

Steve nodded, fidgeting with his sleeves. “Yeah.”

“What can you tell us about that?” The interviewer asked, and Eddie held his breath as he awaited Steve’s response.

Steve shifted in his spot, and despite how uncomfortable Eddie knew he must be, he looked completely at ease with the interviewer. He looked contemplative as he seemed to mull over his next words.

“I think we were just…both in a really rough point in our lives. You’ve heard that saying, ‘right person, wrong time’?” At the interviewers nod, Steve continued, “Like that.”

“Did you love him?” The interviewer asked, quiet and open to the answer. Eddie blinked rapidly, knuckles almost white from how tightly he was gripping his phone. Steve looked sad, staring down at his hands for a moment before he appeared to gather himself and return his attention to the interviewer.

“Yes.” Steve paused, smiling sadly, “Still do.” Eddie paused the video to take a deep, shaky breath. He sniffled, and only then did he realize that he had started crying. It felt as though his chest was on fire. He took another deep breath and forced himself to press play.

“Can you remember when you first realized you loved him?” The interviewer asked as a follow up, which Eddie thought was a touch insensitive, but nontheless thankful that the interviewer was pushing forward, for no reason other than he wanted to know. Before today, he may have thought Steve would have scoffed and said no, but now he wasn’t sure.

“It wasn’t really.. one specific moment,” Steve started, “but the moment that I realized I wasn’t going to be able to do anything except love him was a rainy day. We were walking through the city, and we heard tires squealing and then Eddie was off,” Eddie was surprised to find he couldn’t remember the day that Steve was talking about. He sniffled and tried to focus on what Steve was saying. “Someone had hit an opossum,” Steve laughed, eyes shining with unshed tears but they didn’t fall, “and Eddie was devastated, and held it so gently. I just remember thinking I had no choice but to love him. He almost caused another car accident, but luckily the person driving saw Eddie dash into the road and stopped…Eddie held the opossum until it died in his arms.”

And Eddie knew with sudden clarity exactly what day Steve was talking about now, because Steve had been so scared that he could have gotten hurt, but all Eddie had been concerned about was the creature he had been holding, because he couldn’t let it die alone and scared. Eddie hadn’t realized that there was another car coming and was lucky that it had stopped in time. He remembered Steve berating him until Eddie looked up at him, tears in his eyes. ‘I can’t let him die alone,’ he had said. Steve had sighed, but smiled as he sat down to join him until the opossum died.

“Do you regret it?” The interviewer asked, “Loving him, I mean.” Eddie waited with baited breath for Steve’s answer.

“I am still glad to have been able to love him. The memory hurts, but does me no harm.”

#i have such a vivid image of a fic that wohld go with this song #but i do not have the patience to write out a full fic #so enjoy this little ficlet instead #st #stranger things #eddie munson #steddie #steve x eddie #steve harrington x eddie munson #hurt/no comfort #open ending technically #inspired by abstract (psychopomp) #unsteddie writing

[laundrybiscuits]

(Continued from Part 1)

Steve’s first thought is that he’s died and this is the afterlife, which makes no sense. But it makes a hell of a lot more sense than Eddie Munson, frozen in the doorway of the bar, staring at him.

Another patron pushes past Eddie, because he’s kind of blocking the entrance, and Eddie stumbles a little. It seems to shake him out of whatever stasis he’d been in, and he turns back towards the door.

Steve fucking vaults over the bar. Even lunging full speed, he barely manages to grab Eddie’s jacket in his fist.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” he growls, dragging Eddie back inside. “I swear to god, Munson, I will track you down like it’s 1986 all over again.”

Eddie lets out a choked little laugh. “Okay, okay, Harrington. Cool your jets. I’m here, you got me.” 

His voice is a little different. Rougher, maybe. He still sounds like himself; he still looks like himself. 

Steve clamps a hand on the back of Eddie’s neck like he’s scruffing a cat, and hauls him stumbling along to the back room. “Taking my break, Laurie,” he calls on the way. It’s a slow night, and Laurie likes him. He’ll have as long as he needs to deal with the Eddie Munson Situation.

He lets go of Eddie once they’re in the back. He doesn’t want to. He can’t stop staring. The idea of Eddie has followed Steve around since he was 19. Having the flesh-and-blood guy in front of him is tripping him out. It’s like double vision, the way he sees Eddie and also all the Eddie-related thoughts he’s had over the years all at once, all crammed into one space. 

Eddie’s visibly uncomfortable, shifting his weight. His eyes are darting around like he’s scoping out exits. 

“I’m sorry,” he blurts out. 

“I don’t forgive you,” Steve says. It feels like the words are being scraped out of him with a butter knife.

“I…” Eddie hesitates. “Yeah, I get it. Okay, I’ll just. I’ll stay out of your way.”

Steve’s reaching out before he even realizes he’s moving, grasping tight at Eddie’s shirt like a child and crowding close. “No, no, I don’t want—you can’t do that again. You can’t leave again. You don’t get to fucking leave like that.” 

“Oh, Harrington,” says Eddie. He folds Steve into his arms, so carefully, and then Steve’s clinging to him, head tucked into his shoulder, shaking like a tornado. 

It’s fucked up, but this might actually be the first time they’ve ever touched in a deliberate kind of way, aside from the kind of shoulder-slaps and awkward jostling that teenage boys do when they don’t know how to be in each others’ space without it being some kind of fight. Steve doesn’t live like that anymore; he thinks nobody should have to live like that. Now, it’s so easy to curl into Eddie and soak up every little thing, the way his skin and hair smell a little bit like sweat and smoke, how all of him is here under Steve’s hands. 

Steve wants to crack open his own ribcage and stuff Eddie inside. 

The thought is so sudden and solid that it snaps him out of his little breakdown. He needs to stop thinking about Eddie as a defining moment of his youth and start thinking about him as someone who probably has plans for his life that don’t involve being clung to by Steve Harrington for all eternity. 

It’s just that he’s had his whole adult life to let the what-ifs and possibilities ferment in him, shaping who he is, and there’s just no way he can ever be even a little bit normal about Eddie.

He’s got to try, though. Steve pulls back and clears his throat. Eddie’s eyes flick down to where Steve can’t quite make himself let go of the grip he has on that stupid leather jacket, but Eddie doesn’t say a word. It might be a kindness, or Eddie might’ve just learned some tact in the last decade.

“So,” says Steve. “Explain.”

Eddie starts talking right away, no hesitation, like he’s been waiting to be asked.

“Okay, so, after everything went down, the feds took my body back and kept it for a couple years to run their creepy little tests on. Normal fucked-up government stuff. Got the shock of their lives when I started thrashing around all monster-y, very Night of the Living Dead. And then by the time they figured out I was, y’know, coming back, we figured it’d be kinder to just let you all get on with your lives. I wasn’t even talking like I was human for a few years, and by that time, the kids were practically done with high school, so. That was pretty much that.”

“How long,” says Steve. An awful image is starting to take shape behind his eyes.

“How long what?” Eddie tilts his head, looking confused.

“How long were you alone. How long were you locked up.”

“Oh. I dunno. Are we counting from, like, when my body first regained consciousness? Or when I first remembered who I was?”

“Either. Both.”

“A while, I guess. It really sucked, I’m not gonna lie. But…they didn’t even know I was me, so I can’t really blame them.” Eddie huffs out a croaky little laugh. “Harrington, you gotta understand. I didn’t know I was me. They basically had a wild animal of unknown demonic origin for their little menagerie, so they weren’t too psyched about me starting to be, like, a person who might possibly have rights again. I think I really messed up some of their research.” 

“I wish—they should’ve told us. They should’ve told—we would’ve helped. We would’ve done something.”

“It wasn’t so bad. Four walls and a roof, got my Fancy Feast twice a day.”

“Fucking hell, Eddie. How long have you been out? Wait, how long have you been in Chicago?”

“Not that long. They ran out of funding a few months ago, so now I’m kind of a tag-and-release deal. Wound up here a couple weeks ago, just trying to figure out what comes next.” 

So at least it's not like Eddie's been running around just existing in the world for years, and Steve missed it. He feels relieved, and then he fucking hates that he's relieved, because at least Eddie wouldn't have been a damn lab rat. 

He wants Eddie to be happy. he really does. He's just greedy, is all. He had all these scraps of Eddie that he hoarded jealously through the years, thinking there'd never be any more, and now it's overwhelming to be able to look and touch and breathe the same air. 

Steve just needs to keep remembering that Eddie's his own person. But maybe it's okay that he's going to be weird about Eddie, because Eddie is looking back, taking in whatever there is of Steve to take in. The glasses, maybe, or the earring. 

“What happened to you, Steve Harrington?” Eddie’s voice is quiet, like he’s talking to himself. Maybe he is.

“You did,” says Steve. 

Eddie looks up, almost cartoonishly surprised. His mouth actually drops open. 

“We weren’t friends or anything. You didn’t know me.” Even as he says it, Eddie’s wincing like he knows he’s wrong, or maybe just like he knows he's being cruel. He doesn’t take it back, though.

“Fuck you, Eddie. Christ. If you think it didn’t fucking kill me that you died, fuck you.” 

“You’re still kicking, ain’tcha?” But Eddie’s already jostling close. He’s like a cat, trying to comfort Steve by climbing all over him. 

It’s fucked up that Eddie is having to comfort Steve about his own death, when Steve’s had a whole life in the years when Eddie was lying alone on a government slab somewhere. He’s said yes and yes and yes to Robin, to chances, to the Eddie he’d carried around in his head like a song that won’t let you go. Steve went to London with Robin, and walked through Camden Market in the sunshine thinking Eddie would’ve loved this, all while Eddie was getting hooked up to monitors underground. Steve went dancing in Paris and kissed a beautiful man with dark, curly hair who spoke almost no English by the Seine, while Eddie was clawing his way back to humanity.

Steve’s had every good thing because of Eddie, because he wanted to live the kind of brave and colorful life that Eddie'd had stolen from him, and now Eddie’s rubbing his back gently and going, “Hey, it’s okay, it all worked out fine. You’re okay.”

“I grew my hair out for a while,” says Steve. 

Eddie audibly gasps, clutching at his heart and reeling dramatically. “Tell me there are photos, Harrington. You can’t just say that and not show me photos.”

“Yeah.” Steve finally lets go of Eddie’s jacket. “I can do that. Give me a second to talk to my boss and we’ll go see the photos.” 

He pauses before he opens the door. Eyes fixed firmly ahead, he says quietly: “Eddie. Um. You should know. If you pull another runner on me, I’m—I’m not gonna survive it, man. So just…promise you won’t leave without telling me first.”

“I won’t,” says Eddie. “Promise.”

(series tag)

#surprise! I've been noodling around with this one too #it is in fact going to get more of a continuation #tentative title is #fic: wait for the season to come back to me #I was like 'what if I named my future-vamp!eddie fic from a song I listened to in 2008 bc the band is called vampire weekend' #what if that. #I guess technically it's spoilers to say that eddie is a vamp but cmon. we all know the score here. #steddie

[crossbackpoke-check]

it’s all the rest of what i want with you

connor dewar/brandon duhaime :: 8k

Summary:

“Brandon,” Connor says with a sigh. “There’s no baby in there.”

“Not yet,” Brandon says. Connor feels his stomach twist, almost like what he would imagine a baby kicking to feel like.

in these trying times of dewvorce, may i offer you 8k of pwp inspired by @stillfertile’s wonderful art which i had. several breakdowns about 🫶 anyway please enjoy!!!

#OFFICIAL FIC ANNOUNCEMENT 🗣️🗣️🗣️‼️‼️‼️ i wish i had pretty fic graphics but alas i have No Skill and also. so much work i should be doing bu #HI SHE’S HERE i would love to say this is a complete surprise drop except i have Anxiety & i needed to ask you guys about it beforehand #in my defense i started writing this in like. january far before any tragedy occurred #because square asked about my tags on their dewey2 art and she spawned like. a million more thoughts about it #including the part where i got absolutely kicked in the face with the lightning vision of those two lines. #like those two lines are the first actual lines of the fic i wrote ajdhkwdiowdjiw ANYWAY please be nice to me i know i am always like #‘this is not the first real fic i ever thought i’d post’ and if i had a nickel i’d have three but this is the first pwp i’ve ever posted #and it’s 8k and it’s not a fic for an exchange (although technically i did very much write this for the dewey^2 hivemind so.) #i have SO many things to say i have so many comments on this doc also i couldn’t pick a title for the LONGEST time and i finally decided on #this one but the full quote was too long: #all the rest of what i want with you that scares me shitless #so. i was angling SO hard to make a yung gravy lyric as a title bc i saw the video of him at a wild game but i couldn’t find a good one #and instead y’all got a very sentimental title l m a o. #liv in the replies #shout out to the extended universe this lives in and also my unhinged comments in the docs. #if you liked fun fuck a baby in him friday i’ll be here all week i promise i am the exact same in the comments as i am in the tags 🫡 #the NUMBER of times i wrote something in this by pulling it out of my ass and then actually went back and did the research & was RIGHT is. #far too high. also the amount of coincidental things that dropped while i was writing this (yung gravy song about pregnancy AFTER i wheeze #laughed myself into a yung gravy title the athletic player poll confirming my restaurant & bar choices from googling ‘st. paul good bars’…) #also if anybody got advice on formatting for these little announcements. help. this is different from my miro/luka one &i’m still not happy

[bbb-bbbbbbb]

Am I real or someone else's dream? Flying eccentric circles 'till I scream.

Fanart for the fic Daisy, Daisy. Another version under the cut

#the lyrics are from the song 134340 pluto (linked) #spotify recommended that song and those two lines are soooo daisy daisy #i have another wip thanks to a song spotify showed me but 80 percent of it fit soooo well that the wip is 3 pages and i may never finish it #so i made a different one! (this) #the lines represent his progress throughout the fic- cutting ouwards is a death and inwards is a respawn #the alt version makes it easier to see: red to green to blue to black to white and repeat #half life vr but the ai is self aware #hlvrai #gordos freeman #hlvrai fanart #blood cw #amputation cw #technically #the hardest part abt drawing the hev suit is all the different renders like wtf #i tried to still to the same in game render but filled in the blanks in a bunch of places w a more detailed one #*stick to

[natasha-in-space]

High Enough

Unknown/gn!reader;

For day 1 of Mystictober: favorite character/dance. I will be doing only a handful of these this year around, depending on which promts get me inspired enough to write something! This one's very self-indulgent. I always thought of what would have happened if you got a chance to interact with Unknown in the game. What if he shows up at the party?

"I never would have expected to see someone as mysterious and broody as you in the middle of such a posh event, Mr. Unknown."

You only laughed as your dance partner tightened his hold on your hand in response to your little jab, his cold eyes narrowing at you in a silent warning. A warning that only encouraged you to get ever bolder with your relentless teasing.

It's common knowledge to avoid playing with fire, unless you want to get burned. Alas, you were never good at following this saying. After all, who in their right mind would listen to a complete stranger and go to some remote location with minimum fuss? You didn’t know whether you were really that stupid, naive, or you simply didn’t care about your own life anymore. Perhaps, the truth was somewhere in the middle, as it often was. Either way, your every choice lead you to this very moment: with you now swaying to the soft jazzy melody, a man you met face to face for the very first time as your partner.

And, despite all the glaring red flags, you felt oddly at peace with it.

It was hard to see any red when all your eyes could focus on was this beautifully harsh mint that pulled you in, like an enchanted lake would lure some poor traveler's soul in those old-timey tales you would read as a child.

You knew that you should probably try to notify Seven of the presence of the very same hacker that has been tormenting their organization for days now. You knew that what you were doing right now was stupid at best, and outright dangerous at worst. You knew that this wouldn't end in your favor, regardless of how much fun you were having in the present. But, you also knew that you wouldn't do the right thing here. You had every opportunity to contact Seven and relay all the important info to him, once Unknown contacted you again for the first time a few weeks ago.

Yet, you didn't. You never did. Not even once. Not a single slip of the tongue left your lips about your secret guardian angel who was watching over your every move and word. Or, was he a devil? His smirk was certainly devilish, in the best way possible.

Instead, you indulged in this mysterious man's attention, cryptic messages sent between you two leaving you reading in between the lines, hungry for answers you knew you wouldn't find. You were just a plaything to him. A tool. His eyes. And yet, something about that left your heart fluttering in your chest, much to your own bewilderment and curiosity. You were connected. What you saw, he saw. What you heard, he heard. Something was alluring about knowing that someone was watching over your every move with such precision.

Maybe, you just weren't right in the head.

You brought up the idea of him going to the party as a joke, really. In hindsight, you probably should have known Unknown doesn't do jokes. Despite everything, you were unsure if he would arrive up until the very last moment. That is until you got a message from him. In a classic Unknown fashion, it was something that would surely make chills run up your spine if you were someone of sound mind. Nothing but the short: 'I see you ^^', that left you looking around the ballroom, as if you forgot where you were for a second. He wouldn't reveal himself to you for another 20 minutes or so, pulling you along for a frustrating game of cat and mouse. And, despite you supposedly being in the role of a cat in this game, you never felt more exposed. Much to your disappointment, he didn't let you find him in the end. He came to you instead.

When it came to Unknown, the game was always rigged from the start. He was the one in control, holding all the cards, and he didn't try very hard to hide that from you. In fact, you were pretty sure he found your little games exciting in his own strange twisted way. He enjoyed toying with you, and you played right into his hands every time. Like a good little tool, you were.

His appearance definitely blended well with the party. No one would suspect that the young man the party coordinator chose as their dancing partner for the night was of any threat at all. Truth be told, the moment he finally revealed himself to you fully, you found your breath getting caught up in your throat as you took him in, no physical barriers or mind games stopping you this time around. Unknown wore a captivatingly dark tailcoat adorned with mint patterns, and, if you squinted very hard, you could make out an eye or two between the thin intertwined lines. It was somewhat funny. As if he just couldn't help but make a point of him keeping his eyes on you at all times. The captivating mint accents on his black tailcoat certainly brought out his eyes of the very same odd color, making it that much more easier for you to get lost in them. You wondered if he wore contacts. Such eye color didn't seem natural. Then again, Unknown was always unpredictable, full of mysteries you would never solve, unless he let you. The plain white button-up he wore underneath his tailcoat was unbuttoned at the collar just enough for you to see a slick black choker around his neck. You certainly didn't have any naughty thoughts of hooking your finger under it to pull him closer to you, until he was pressed flush against you. Not even once. His white hair with pinkish ends was messy, not at all styled to look neatly combed like the rest of the guests here, and you couldn't help but marvel at the way his slightly curly locks would sometimes fall over his eyes, making the desire to reach in and brush them aside almost unbearable. He was simply exquisite to look at. A lovely treat for your eyes. Or, was he more like poison? Luring you in with this irresistible facade, only to capture you in his claws once you were too close for comfort?

No matter what he was, you hoped he felt the same way about your party outfit as well. Maybe it was just your wishful thinking, but you swore you caught him occasionally looking you up and down, the intensity in his gaze increasing ever so slightly, as he would then swiftly pull you close in your dance, making your body brush up against his ever so slightly. Judging from the low chuckle that would rumble in his throat whenever he did that, he knew exactly what he was doing to you. So, is that really such a crime to pay him back a little?

"You sure have a lot of sass for someone who's supposed to be so seemingly perfect, party coordinator." Unknown hissed just loud enough for you to hear, suddenly dipping you as you gasped and stared up into his eyes, completely taken aback by this unexpected move. He didn't have to do much to leave you breathless. And you didn't really try to conceal that fact from him. Just as quickly, you were brought right back up, with him now twirling you around, your back pressing up against his chest. His hands playfully slid down your sides, until they gripped onto your hips, leaving you trembling in place, your face suddenly growing too hot for comfort. You barely managed to suppress a choked whimper as his breath ghosted the shell of your ear in such a delicious way. "You're in no position to tease me, Y/N. But, I admire your boldness. Makes it that much more tempting for me to tame you. Oh, but you probably would like that, wouldn't you? That's why you left those bastards in the dust without a second thought. You know your place."

Fuck, what are you even supposed to say to that? In fact, it was becoming difficult for you to even think straight, not with the heat of his body against your back making you feel all hot and bothered. You gulped. "...Is it too early to take you up on that offer of yours?"

Both of you were well aware of what you were referring to. It was the very first message he sent you after you foolishly stepped into Rika's apartment at his request, essentially sealing your fate.

'It'll be really fun from now on. Enjoy your time with everyone. I'll go get you soon.'

Your chin was tickled by a gruff chuckle as his thumb caressed your hip. God, this man was driving you wild. "Patience, dear party coordinator. The end will be the same either way. But, if you do a good job for me... I might consider giving you a reward once that time comes."

"A reward?"

As his chapped lips briefly brushed against your cheek, you could only gasp, trembling in his arms like the silly butterfly you were. Except, this butterfly landed into the spider's web willingly. You wondered what that meant for you.

"I'll personally welcome you to our eternal party. Consider this your personal invitation to paradise, prince/ss."

#mm_mystictober2023 #mystic messenger #mysmes #mysme #mm #unknown choi #mystic messenger unknown #saeran choi #unknown x reader #saeran x reader #this man makes me feel some sort of way #this is technically a song fic??? but also not??? #high enough by k.flay was playing in the background of me writing this

[mancer-in-the-abbey]

Listening to Steam Powered Giraffe as I am wont to do when I need a break from Ghost and Honeybee came on and now I can’t stop thinking about Dew and his relationship with the previous era.

Dew was alone for the majority of his life in the pit- not for any particularly tragic reasons, at least in his opinion. That’s just how his particular variant of water ghoul works: Young ghoul pups stay with their mothers till they’re old enough to hunt for themselves and eventually they just kind of… swim off on their own, likely never seeing their parent again unless by chance.

All this to say, Dew was never a particularly social person before coming topside. Being surrounded by so many people when he was first summoned was a hell of a culture shock to him, almost immediately putting him in fight or flight.

It helped that, in my mind, Dew wasn’t immediately summoned into the Ghost project and instead spent his first year as your run of the mill nameless ghoul. Being put on kitchen duty allowed him to watch how the human staff interacted and bonded. Over time, he was even accepted as one of their own, taught to do more than wash dishes and only speak when spoken to.

Yet, even with that, Dew found himself to be… missing something. His new life on the surface had awakened an ache like the pressure of the deep sea- this longing he hadn’t even known was there till he’d gotten the barest hint of fulfillment. It gnawed at him, day in and day out, but no matter what he did, what avenue he went down, he couldn’t find anything to quell the feeling.

And then, after the loss of almost all their instrumentalists, the Ghost project opened auditions.

It was a tense time in the abbey; no one was sure where the project was heading in the aftermath of the banishments and Terzo’s place in the ministry was coming under question. Dew, however, saw an opportunity for something better, something that just might give him the thing that soothed the ache quickly becoming unbearable to him.

And somehow, by a miracle of Satan himself if one were to ask Dew, he was picked to play bass.

And the ache was, indeed, quelled by his time with the band, but not by the fame or attention it brought like Dew thought it would.

No, the relief came in the form of his fellow musicians, both those summoned and those that passed the auditions with him.

The Meliora ghouls were, for all intents and purposes, Dew’s first real family: Aether opened him to a vulnerability he’d never thought possible, even with himself; Zephyr taught him everything there was to know about the abbey, its secrets, and how to make it home; Mountain was a solid figure in his life, a tree to take shelter under when things became uncertain; Mist, though she was no longer a part of the band, was Dew’s mentor in both bass playing and how to be a water ghoul on the surface; Omega, likewise, was as close to a father figure as he ever had.

And then there was Ifrit. Ifrit, the fiery hearth that warmed him in body and soul. Ifrit, his heat and passion natural foil to all of Dew’s cold and disinterest. Ifrit, who knew exactly when to push Dew out of his comfort zone and when to reel back.

The two were instrumental to each other’s growth, with Ifrit the one to go head first into everything and Dewdrop being the one to slow down and think. Separately, sure, they were their own people, but together they made one better whole, bolstering each other’s strengths and balancing each other’s flaws.

And then, one day, it was all taken away.

One day, Terzo was dragged off stage without warning. One day, Imperator decided he would be of more use as a fire ghoul than water. One day, he was walked into the ritual chamber as a water ghoul for the last time, his pack waiting outside the room- not allowed in for fear of interference.

One day he woke up in the medical wing, burning all over, boiling hot from the inside out, and only found Aether and Mountain at his bedside, the both of them wearing looks that told him all he needed to know of the fates of the others.

(Just before the ritual, Ifrit had pulled him in a hug tight enough to press carbon into diamonds, hiding his worry with a smile. “It’ll be alright,” he promised, “when it’s all over and you feel better, I’ll teach you everything I know about being a fire ghoul. It’ll be fun, you’ll see!”)

(What he wouldn’t give to hold him close, him and all his family together, one last time. What he wouldn’t give to be that little water ghoul again, surrounded by love and joy he’d never known before.)

Nowadays, Dew does alright for himself. He runs much hotter than he ever had before, is a bit quicker to temper than he used to be, but his new pack doesn’t seem to mind- and lords below, does he love his new pack with everything he has.

But still, every year on the anniversary of his first pack’s death, he distanced himself from the rest. He grabs a spare blanket and Ifrit’s old acoustic guitar, walks out to the woods outside the ministry, keeps walking till he finds a clearing he and Ifrit shared with one another, a private place for the both of them to get away when things ever got too much.

Dew stops in the middle of the small glade, spreads the blanket out on the wild grass, sits down, takes out the guitar, and plucks out a tune his wildfire used to play him.

“Hello, goodbye, Twas nice to know you, how I find myself without you, that I’ll never know.”

“I let myself go.”

#the band ghost #ghost the band #the ghost band #band ghost #ghost band #ghost bc #ghostbc #ghost #the nameless ghouls #nameless ghouls #nameless ghoul dewdrop #dewdrop ghoul #nameless ghoul Ifrit #Ifrit ghoul #I could easily tag everyone else but as is obviously I mainly had Ifrit in mind #steam powered giraffe #I’m gonna go ahead and hope I’m not gonna make anyone mad by putting this in the main tag #as this is technically a song fic #anyway this took me LITERAL MONTHS TO WRITE CAUSE I’VE HAD ZERO TIME #AAAAAAAAAAA #anyway #abbey lost and found #the band ghost ficlet #the band ghost headcanons #the nameless ghoul headcanons

[softgrungeprophet]

my kaine playlist is 2 and a half hours long...

okay well actually it's more like—

there's my primary Kaine playlist which is 2 and a half hours long and kind of doubles as a partial Janine playlist (still mostly Kaine but there's bound to be some overlap, all things considered):

and maybe it has some questionable song choices

—

There's my Spider-Man (well, really it's just Peter) playlist which is also 2 and a half hours long and has perhaps what some might call "too much" Blink-182 and pop punk on it:

—

There's a mixtape from Annabelle to Kaine which probably isn't done yet but is 40 minutes long:

—

There's a response from Kaine that he makes after leaving which is 44 minutes long and also probably technically not done yet:

—

There's also a playlist for the "worst year of peter's life" fic-in-progress which is 55 minutes long, probably complete, and which is sort of about Kaine but is also about Peter and in general about the entire situation that they've all been subjected to (including like, Flash's interactions with not-Peter (Ben)) and also a little bit about the past:

—

I don't have a playlist for Ben lol

#00/12 means 2000 / 2012 ftr which are partially related in terms of some of Peter's traumas in the AU #though 2012 specifically is more damaging as far as his long-term mental health goes (gee thanks professor warren) #of course it's not like it's the ONLY factor in his PTSD but it's arguably the most debilitating.... #anyway #nadia rambles #came in through the window last night #if it wouldn't be annoying and time consuming I would make youtube versions of these playlists but. that's a pain in my ass. #music #if i wanted to be truly extra I would restrict the last one to use only songs released prior to 2012 #but i don't feel like doing that #ALTHOUGH if i cut ''go ahead and cry'' ''real boy'' and ''dancing with a ghost'' it would be acceptable for 2012... #but i need the last one as a space filler to cut to ''unchained melody'' and the other two are like thematic #even if they are from 2023 #the mixtapes though—those are indeed only songs from earlier than 2015 (which is the year they are relevant to in the AU) #actually most of the songs on those are from between 1998 and 2007 LOL but i figure that works since annabelle is like... in her 20s #as far as the main big kaine and spider-man playlists i don't bother trying to restrict that by year #both because they're TECHNICALLY more than just AU playlists and also because they are more all encompassing conceptually #so like. they're not for a specific fic set in a specific year. so like sure yeah i'll slap whatever on there.

[dismalzelenka]

I updated the epilogue of It's Called Freefall by Rainbow Kitten Surprise to add my cover of its namesake song instead of the Paris Paloma version that's on the playlist. If you're an old reader who's already finished the fic but would like to hear the song, here it is! Love you guys, thanks for all the love you've sent my way, and I hope you're all having a wonderful day. 🥰

#song cover #it's called freefall #technically gale/tav if you squint and go by association i guess 😂 #rainbow kitten surprise #diz makes music for fics #audio #soundcloud embed #SoundCloud

[dani-the-goblin]

I wake up and it's October

The loss is ours

The Plaza in the brisk cold

And Centzon on his hip bone

The witching hours of Downtown

That you won't see

Daisies in the kitchen

A heartbreak in remission

The universe is shifting

And it's all for me.

Happy birthday, Val 💕

#yes i changed it to fit her better #this song and SN have become two little bows tying my fics together #and its been stuck in my head all day anyway #cyberpunk 2077 #cyberpunk #virtual photography #oc: vjf #river ward #river ward x v #judy alvarez #kerry eurodyne #panam palmer #technically Johnny is there too #otp: criminal kiss

[jacereaall]

The Song Sisters

From @jflashandclash 's spectacular Series: The Traitors of Olympus

#traitors of olympus #book one the whispers of a snake #Song JooYeon #Song Euna #too #my art #I'm so much happier with these character designs then the old art i posted of them #I was 13 so no judgement but man they didnt look anything like how they were described in the series #just finished rereading everything and finally got around to coloring these sketches from earlier this week #image described #Also while linking the fic i noticed ive clicked on TWOAS over a HUNDRED times #wow #technically 'times visited' doesnt mean times read just how many times you opened the link for the fic but i'm still surprised

[quietwingsinthesky]

Hmmm 10 michifer for spotify ask meme?

and listening to this, i could not get that one mary!lucifer/john!michael au from the discord out of my head. so :)

--

Mary Winchester remembers being the devil.

She also remembers being a girl, being scared, being desperate, the violation of a kiss and the clinging relief of her husband's body warm in her arms. She wasn't the devil when that happened. Maybe that's what made her.

John Winchester remembers being an angel.

He also remembers, paradoxically, an angel within him, the angel that is him. It burned with righteous determination when he let it in. He's not sure it ever left.

Those are once and future roles. Here, they're only husband and wife.

Mary remembers she loved him. John never forgot.

[send me an ask with a ship (or gen pairing) + a number from 1 through 100 and i will write a drabble based on the song at that ranking]

#how close is this to the song? eh. ehhhhh. whatever we're here for vibes <3 #ask #fanfiction #prompt fic #michifer #mary/john #(<- technically. also. it's complicated.) #michael spn #lucifer spn #mary winchester #john winchester #mary!lucifer #john!michael #spn

[weirdnerdygoat]

Oh look, a younger ford blushing picture...

I... may or may not be making something...

#stanford pines #gravity falls ford #gravity falls fanart #Uhh I've never once like interacted with the tumblr gravity falls fandom #Also i technically have a fandom blog but uhhhh there's too much notifications and now I'm avoiding it because it's scary- #TT^TT #But anyways yeah I'm tryyyying to make some sort of PMV/animatic or something:DD #Which I've attempted before but I've never gotten as far as now so yay! #And it's a very short song and i mightn't do the full one anyway so realistic goals B) #I expected to get this far with like a warrior cats thing seeing as that's been my most consistent obsession lately #Plus the thing I've drawn 90% of the time lately (admittedly 99% of my drawing is doodles in class) #But the billford obsession took over like yesterday and it's too strong #Like i read ONE fic and now this is happening TT^TT #Also it's a crime that there's only one billford animatic on youtube #A CRIME #Like come onnn y'all have seen the piano serenade + whatever simping in journal 3 #At least the animatic is really good though nice and toxic and fucked up :3 #Because like i don't get wholesome billford stuff because there's NO WAY their relationship could EVER be healthy without huge au stuff #But yeah I've been playing the animatic on loop and i think my brother hates the song from it by now #But yeah i think this is it for my 2 am ramble! #That's why i love tags #Don't have to worry about being annoying XD

[jalapenyochips]

tracks of my tears 🥲

#my art #big time rush #james diamond #hiii to my target audience of like 4 people i love u #big fan of overthinking song lyrics and making a big deal out of throwaway lines #i think perhaps the worse/more embarrassing my media of choice is the better my art is for it lol #or u know. the passage of time. whatever #anyways! bt audition episode of all time #was a good exercise in gradient maps and fabric folds and Arms and Hands #this is also technically: #fic related #and the fic in question is uhhh getting wildly out of hand

[eyeless-jeff666]

A Game Of Dice

Tsunagu meets a stranger at the train station and lets him persuade him to a game of dice Surreal, slight angst, death mentioned, short, based on a song Word count: 307

It was cold and dark already, just past 8 as Tsunagu entered the waiting hall of the train station. He checked his ticket; his train supposed to arrive at 9. Rubbing his freezing hands, he sat down, clearly attracting the attention of a strange man sitting not far from him.

His hair and mask covered almost all of his face. The way his revealed eye sparkled and changed in shape suggested a smile as he waved the blonde over:

“Can I interest you in a game of dice?”

The stranger asked, and Tsunagu felt strangely intrigued:

“I’ve never played.”

He said, his head turning at the sound of a train screeching; the snow was glistening outside, falling softly on the window sill. The other handed him the dice, regaining his attention by speaking again:

“We play for a lot in this game; we play for you.”

He didn’t understand what the man meant, but quickly found himself rolling the dice. Found himself losing, the other seeming to be impossibly lucky. If Tsunagu rolled a six with all three dice, the stranger rolled nineteen. Like in trance, he continued playing and rolling the dice, eventually losing track of time in the game. Noticing too late that he’d missed his train home.

“Nobody knows how the dice will fall. Nothing in this world happens by random chance.”

The stranger explained, his voice strangely calming and the blonde couldn’t help but agree with a nod.

Suddenly, alarms blared, red signals flashing as workers stormed past them, talking about a derailed train. Tsunagu’s train. Ten immediate casualties.

His eyes wandered back to the man, but he was gone; leaving nothing behind but a cold breeze and the dice game in the blonde’s hands. Goosebumps ran down his spine as he understood the stranger's words; and what the dice had fallen for.

#best jeanist #edgeshot #edgejeanist #technically #songfic #based on a song #fanfic #fanfiction #Tsunagu Hakamada #Shinya Kamihara #short fic