#we have a really awesome group of people and would love for you to join our family

[ghost-proofbaby]

twenty four hours (modern!eddie munson x fem!reader)

→ tropes: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, slow burn

→ warnings: strong language, smut (oral, f receiving), overload of cheesiness, upside down does not exist, minors dni

→ wc: 11.8k+

→ a/n: this might be the cheesiest, fluffiest thing i've ever written, and i can't even be bothered to care. it might be unrealistic. it might be too much. i do not care. this has been a long time coming and i think we all deserve all the cheese after this story.

i don't even know what to say besides thank you. thank you to everyone who followed along from the beginning, to those of you joined the journey along the way, to those of you who are reading as we finish it up. thank you for all the support and love you guys have shown this fic. i will always, always, appreciate it more than i know how to say. i love these idiots, and i love you all.

if you would like to see this story continued through small blurbs, my ask box is officially open to requests from this universe. i will also probably be posting some "beyond the hours" content over the next few weeks.

thank you. i love you.

without further ado...

masterlist.

spotify playlist.

EPILOGUE: A BET

TWO MONTHS LATER

“Why are there so many fuckin’ options?” 

Eddie stares at the line up of smartphones before him, all different models and different physical sizes, different colors and different memory amounts. 

“There’s not that many,” you murmur, wrapping your arms around him from behind as you rest your chin on his shoulder. It’s a bit of a stretch, making you lean up onto your tippy toes, “Besides, isn’t having options a good thing?” 

He scoffs as he brings a hand up subconsciously to where your arms overlap on his torso, grip gentle as he runs a thumb over your skin and gives a squeeze, “Sure, options are great. But there’s at least twenty different iPhones on display here, sweetheart.” 

The last few months had been interesting, to say the least. A new and exciting journey initially, but also a fairly stressful ordeal given all the hoops you two had been jumping through. You’re both busy people, having to suddenly figure out how to carve out a specific space for each other amongst bustling lives. It wasn’t the same as making time for friends or a weekly night out; it was figuring out times for dates, times for lazy afternoons, times for just you and just Eddie.

And, occasionally, time to take Eddie shopping for a new phone. Finally.

“Well, better pick one fast,” your fingers dig into his side playful, and he blows out an annoyed breath as he side-eyes you. You only retaliate in a fast peck to his cheek before whispering in his ear, “We’re gonna be late if you keep taking all day.” 

It was Argyle’s birthday party tonight. His actual birthday wasn’t for another week, but he’d be venturing back home to California for that. And so the group elected to throw him a preemptive party at one of the group’s favorite bars. 

Which — fine. Awesome. You were excited, you really were: you loved Argyle, you loved your friends, you even found yourself warming back up to parties.

But your friends didn’t know. 

Two whole months, and neither you nor Eddie had told a single soul of what had become between you two. Not even Steve. Not even Nancy. 

At first the excuse was to give this time to grow, to find your footing before you brought your lovable yet rambunctious group of friends into the equation. But then you two had found your footing, and you’d worried what they would say. Eddie had nearly made himself sick with anxiety over Nancy finding out he’d kept this relationship from her. They’d support you two — that wasn’t a worry. They’d proven that since the first time the entire group had hung out after the bet.

“So,” Robin started, narrowing her eyes at you and Eddie sitting on opposite ends of her and Steve’s couch. Neither of you had said a word to each other yet (Plenty had already been said that morning as you’d snuck him out of your dorm), “You two really aren’t together?” 

“Why is everyone so adamant that the bet has to end with us getting together?” you jeered.

Eddie didn’t help the cause when he was quick to take your side, “Exactly! The bet’s over. We lasted twenty four hours. We’re friends now — isn’t that what you guys wanted?” 

“I actually wanted to help you dudes plan a winter wedding,” Argyle chimed from the kitchen where he was retrieving a coke, “So I’m gonna side with Birdie on this one.” 

“Of course you are,” you muttered beneath your breath. 

Everything in you ached to be sitting next to Eddie rather than so far. You ached for his arm around you, his lips pressed to your temple. Just to share body heat, even — innocent thighs brushing with layers of denim between would have been enough.  

“It’ll happen eventually,” Nancy mused from her seat on the kitchen counter, Jonathan beside her and matching her confident energy with a sly grin, “Just give them time.” 

What they hadn’t realized is that it already did happen. The moment Eddie showed up to your dorm and the two of you said to Hell with space, it was inevitable. 

Now, it was just the challenge of letting your friends in on the secret.

“What about the red one?” Eddie asks you as you finally unravel from him.

“Of course you’re choosing the red one.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he scowls, no malice behind it as you step up to occupy the space next to him, brushing shoulders for only a moment before his hand is grabbing yours, intertwining fingers like second nature. 

You recall that moment on his balcony, where he had once been so nervous and hesitant to hold your hand. 

“Nothing,” you shake your head, smiling to yourself as you look at the specific model he was talking about, “You’re just getting a little bit predictable, Munson.” 

He opens his mouth to argue, to nip back at what you always offer him, when one of the salesmen approach you two.

“Hi folks! Can I help you with anything today?”

Eddie squeezes your hand, no doubt in an effort to withhold his laughter at the man’s overly chirpy tone. You squeeze back, if for nothing more than to let him know you felt him.

Despite Eddie’s previous claim to a decision, he still chooses to entertain the man. Asking questions about different models, inquiring for recommendations as if they’d change his mind. They go back and forth, both polite enough, but the conversation easily bores you. In five seconds flat, your mind has officially wandered off.

You two hadn’t really discussed the specific details of the night to come. Whether you’d ride with Eddie there, how you’d navigate Eddie’s natural born clinginess once he got a few drinks in him, if tonight might be the night to finally tell your friends. 

The last one felt a bit obvious. It was Argyle’s night — you didn’t want to snatch the attention from him for even a second. 

But there were layers to your anxiety. Because it was more than just how to navigate how you two would display yourselves to your friends on nights out. 

It had been two months, and you still hadn’t said those three little words back to Eddie.

He didn’t pressure you. He never once brought it back up, never once pressured you. But just because he wasn’t constantly reminding you vocally that he loved you didn’t mean you didn’t feel it. You’d felt it, impossible to miss, when all those lazy morning fantasies became reality. You felt it during movie marathons and you felt it every time he’d worship your body. It was there — in the late nights, in the early mornings, in the dull afternoons. A wild thing unleashed in your gardens, all those vines you’d worked so hard to see flourish threatened to be torn up by impatient claws at the feeling growing rapidly in your chest every time you looked at him.

And slowly, surely, you knew that there was only so much longer that like could suffice in describing your feelings for Eddie. 

You were falling, whether he was aware or not. You just needed to figure out the right moment for those three little words to unstick, to go from hot honey on your tongue to easy breaths between you two. He’s given you time, he’d filled the months you’d awarded him with making up for every previously bitter exchange, and yet you still couldn’t give him this. And you’re starting to believe maybe that’s why you couldn’t imagine telling your friends yet. 

You sort of hated yourself for it.

You’re pulled back to reality once the salesman departs, no doubt into the back to grab Eddie’s choice of phone. You don’t even have to ask; you know he got the red one.

“Hey,” Eddie fully turns to you, bringing your knuckles to his lips in chaste kisses. Your stomach still kicks with flutters, your heart still warms at the gesture. Eddie’s affection has yet to lose novelty, “Where’d you go?”

“What do you mean?” you twist your face, “I was here the entire tim-“

“Not where’d you physically go,” he clarifies, letting your conjoined hands drop back to the sliver of space between your bodies, “Mentally. Where’d your mind just go?”

 You hadn’t thought he’d notice your drifting.

“Nowhere,” you shrug off.

“Nowhere? So you’re really just that interested in the newest iPhone model?” 

He pointedly looks up at the widescreen display you don’t doubt you’d been blankly staring at the entirety of his conversation with the man who had yet to return.

“Oh, absolutely. You know me so well.” 

All bark, no bite. These days, all the previous venom that had infected exchanges with Eddie prior to the bet had finally been sucked clean from the wound, long gone to make room for all the genuine affection to seep into its place. You still argued — or perhaps bantered was a better word for it — but you didn’t fight. You both still grated on one another’s nerves and managed to slither beneath the other’s skin, but not in an unwelcome way. 

It was a nice change.

It made you hate yourself even more for not saying those three little words. 

Eddie seemingly reads your mind, “Are you nervous for tonight?”

“I-“ you consider lying to him and saying it hadn’t even crossed your mind, but the look he gives you warns against it, “We just haven’t… discussed it.” 

“What’s there to discuss?” 

You hold up your interlocked hands for emphasis, raising your eyebrows at Eddie.

His mouth falls open softly, eyes widening, “Oh. Are you- Are you wanting to tell them tonight?” 

No, your gut screams, absolutely not tonight.

“Is Argyle’s birthday party really the best time to explode their minds?” 

You try to keep your tone teasing as you sense Eddie’s own nerves creeping up. Sometimes it was fun, standing in a room with everyone and pretending to be more akin to strangers than lovers. But sometimes, it was just plain painful. Sometimes, the entire group would be laughing at something, and you craved nothing more than to be pressed into Eddie’s side and feel the vibrations of his shared joy rather than just having to listen to it from across the room. 

It’s not that you wanted to tell your friends and cause a scene — you just didn’t want to have to hide anymore. And maybe you wouldn’t have to, if you’d just tell him how you felt.

“Probably not,” Eddie murmurs, “I mean, it’s his night. We can always tell them the next time we all get together.”

The issue is that’s what the two of you always say. You always brush it off for the next time. 

You can only sigh in defeat as you see the salesman finally bounding back out from the back room, a small box holding Eddie’s purchase in his grip, “Yeah. Next time.” 

You can’t even be mad at next time. It’s the same thing you tell yourself every time you felt those words on the tip of your tongue, so close yet so far from revealing the most terrifying truth you’d discovered yet to Eddie.

You let go of his hand long enough for him to check out, hardly overhearing when he questions how they can transfer all the data from his current flip phone. When he seems particularly worried about pictures transferring, you don’t think anything of it.

—

STEVE-O: do i need to pick you up tonight? 

You don’t see the text. You’re a bit busy with something when it comes through.

Something is currently still between your legs, curls threaded between your fingers as your back arches off his mattress and his name starts to come out as a desperate whimper rather than a chant. 

STEVE-O: ???

The initial buzz of your phone on his nightstand doesn’t phase either of you. Eddie’s tongue still works you eagerly, circling your clit as you tug particularly harshly at his roots. Each flick sends white hot pleasure through your bones, nearly making you see stars.

“Fuck,” you gasp out when he brings his fingers into the mix. You can feel his smile against you as he curls his fingers inside of you, mimicking a come hither motion and relishing in your little pants as your thighs tighten around his shoulders, “Oh, fuck. Right there, Eddie. I- Eddie.” 

The way you’re moaning his name only encourages him as he slips in a second finger, stretching you further. You feel cool metal bumping your entrance, sending shocks up your spine as his lips suction against you and he sucks hard.

He hadn’t even taken the time to remove his rings when the two of you had gotten home. He had been too eager, dragging you to his bedroom with his lips attached to your neck from the moment he’d shut the front door behind the two of you until he’d thrown you down on his bed.

“That’s right, baby,” his voice vibrates against your clit, “Say my name. Tell everyone who’s making you feel this goo-“

STEVE-O: helllooooo????

“Okay, who the fuck keeps texting you?” Eddie finally pulls back when he realizes you’re slipping out of that bubble he’d created, your head having turned towards the nightstand in curiosity, “Let me guess, it’s your other boyfriend?” 

Your head is still spinning and your chest continues to heave from that lingering pleasure he’d been offering so generously to you. He sounds annoyed, but you can guarantee you’re even more irked. 

“I don’t have another boyfriend,” you blandly reply, not taking his bait.

It only makes him wrap his hands around your thighs on his shoulder, giving a playful squeeze as you reach out for your phone. 

“You sure?” 

You squint at the notifications, but don’t properly read them, only rolling your eyes at both the fact that Steve’s the one interrupting this precious moment and at Eddie’s valiant teasing.

You slam the phone back down, eyes trailing down to his, “I am, but I can certainly find another boyfriend if you don’t get your mouth back on me in the next three seconds-“ 

He doesn’t need a second warning. In an instant, the warmth of his tongue is back on you, lapping at all the spots he’s come to memorize as of recently. That pleasure comes back into reach, edging your vision with feathery black as your eyes flutter shut and the coil in your stomach tightens.

You throw your head back into one of his pillows, one that has started to smell like your shampoo now rather than his, and let a drawn out whine escape your lips.

“You were saying?” he teases, grinning wickedly. He takes that brief moment to come up for air, turning and sinking his teeth into the soft flesh of your thigh beside his cheek. Not hard enough to draw blood, and probably not hard enough to leave indents. But it is enough to have you preening once more as your heels dig into his bare back and you try to lift your hips, desperate for his mouth again.

He was edging you. Without even meaning to, he was repeatedly bringing you to the edge only to leave you teetering. 

With your focus back on him, you can admire how pretty he looks. Mouth slick with you, pupils blown out, hair an absolute mess. You like him best this way, you think, when he looks so absolutely devoted to you. When he’s looking at you with a hunger you almost can’t place. It makes you want to scream from the rooftops about how you’ve fallen for him. How you feel so much more than like for your boy. 

STEVE-O: seriously. if you don’t respond, you can just walk. you have five minutes.

At the buzz of the phone, your hands leave Eddie’s hair to form fists, pounding them into the mattress at your side in a brief tantrum. He ceases all actions, pulling his lips away from you again, and it only makes you pout more. 

“Baby,” he coos, fingers trailing up the sides of your thighs before he reaches out to hold your fists down, “Maybe you should answer him. Tell him to fuck off-“

Eddie’s interrupted as your phone fully bursts to life with your ringtone.

You were going to kill Steve Harrington. 

“On second thought, let me answer it,” Eddie groans as you reach out and grab it once more, “Give the fucker a piece of my mind.”

“Shut up,” you hiss as you realize it’s Robin calling. You turn the screen so he can see, and his eyebrows lift in surprise.

He makes no move to remove himself from between your legs, though. He stays face to face with your aching core.

“Hello?” you snap after swiping to answer.

“Finally! My God, Steve’s been texting you-“

“I didn’t see the texts.”

“Do you need a ride?”

“Nope.” 

You’ve never been so short with your friends. 

But that pleasure is slipping from you, the flames of your impending orgasm dying down to nothing more than embers. It’s enough to piss anyone off. 

“Are you sure?” Robin asks, sounding genuinely concerned, “It’s kind of a far walk-“

“I’m running late,” you sigh, realizing that you were going to have to come up with a lie to get off the hook. Another thing you hated about the hiding — it led to your friendships being littered with dishonesty. Always a new excuse as to why you weren’t available, always feigning reasons as to why you didn’t reply to texts as timely as you used to. “With getting ready. I could- I don’t know, do you think Eddie might pick me up? Isn’t my dorm along the way to the bar from his place?” 

At the mention of his name, he perks up. His cheek settles against the exact spot he had bit just moments before, nearly nuzzling into you as your free hand comes down to gently push back his bangs. On instinct, you find yourself soothingly pressing your fingertips in slow circles against his scalp. You’re nearly melting beneath his soft gaze, those big and wide eyes locked on you with bated breath.

“You want Eddie to pick you up?” you suddenly hear Steve exclaim in the background.

Your face scrunches up, a wrinkle forming across the bridge of your nose and between your brows. It’s so damn cute to Eddie that he can’t help but press a quick kiss to the skin he continues to lay into, beginning to smile as your absent-minded head massage continues. 

So much more than like.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know I was on speaker.” 

“Why do you want Munson to pick you up?” Steve ignores your sarcasm, voice sounding closer to the phone now, “He drives a motorcycle, you know. That’s dangerous.” 

Eddie must be able to catch some of Steve’s shrill exclamation, his eyebrows raising ever so slightly. You feel his curious hum against your skin and you don’t hesitate putting your own pesky friends on speaker. 

“Motorcycles are not that dangerous,” you retort, and it makes Eddie have to hide a slight scoff into your thigh in an effort to stay silent. It was ironic that they cared about how safe it would be for you to ride with Eddie on his bike now, after that allegedly dangerous vehicle had been your main source of transportation for nearly two months now, “He has a helmet, right?” 

“Isn’t your dorm the opposite direction of the bar from his place?” Robin questions, “I mean, I’m all for you asking lover boy if he’ll give you a ride but-”

Steve interrupts her flatly, “It’s making him go out of his way. Besides, he might have already left for the bar by now.” 

You don’t know what to silently laugh at first. The assumption they were making that couldn’t be further from the truth, or Robin’s new nickname for Eddie. 

Lover boy is fitting for him in this current position. He’s still latching onto your leg, cuddling you in every way he could from where he laid, staring at you and hanging onto your every last word. The poster boy for pathetically in love, he gives your leg another kiss, starting a fiery trail with his lips until he reaches your knee. It pangs in your chest, wondering if he can see your feelings also painted so obviously across your face. 

“Steve,” you murmur, breath catching in your throat as Eddie’s lips linger in the ditch of your knee. It takes a second to remember you’re on the phone, “No offense, but Eddie hasn’t been on time to a single get together the entire time I’ve known him.” 

Eddie reacts in real time to your insult, forcing an over-exaggerated offended look before he bites you again. This time, his teeth do leave an imprint from his nip, and it makes you slap a hand over your mouth to avoid yelping. 

Don’t bite me, you mouth at him. 

Don’t be mean, he answers right back, silent as ever. 

“Technically we’re all already late,” Steve points out. It makes you sit up quickly, startling Eddie in the process. You squint at the clock across the room and- fuck. Steve was right, “Nancy just texted me that she and Jon are there, Argyle’s on his way. She said she tried texting Eddie but didn’t get any response,” there’s a long pause as you motion wildly for Eddie to get up with you, the boy watching as you fling yourself off his mattress and carry the phone with you to his dresser, “Have… you heard from him recently?” 

“Why are you saying it like that?” you jab, throwing open one of the drawers Eddie had cleared out for you to keep some clothes here in his apartment. At this point, a good chunk of the tuition you paid was going to waste considering the fact you rarely spent the night at your dorm. You were already half moved into Eddie’s space. 

You try not to think too hard about it, because just last week, you’d had a panic attack at the revelation. 

You were afraid of smothering him, even if he was the one always insisting you could leave more of your things here. He was always the one conning you into spending another night, promising soft murmurs of giving you a ride to class the next morning if you did. You rarely ever had much of the choice in the matter; once he’d wrap his arms around your waist, curl his body flush against yours, it was always game over.

Practically living together, and you still hadn’t said those words back to him. 

“I’m not saying it like anything!” Steve defends himself, “I’m just asking an innocent question!” Eddie’s snort this time is audible, and you freeze as Steve clearly mistakes it for your laughter, “Shut up. It’s a reasonable question. You guys are friends now, remember?” 

Friends. Of course, because all your friends jumped at the chance to bury their mouths against your cunt and make you cum repeatedly until you had tears streaming down your cheeks. Because you let all your friends sleep in the same bed as you, and wake you up by burying deep within you as they bite your shoulder with a moan. You and Eddie were friends. 

“Trust me,” you glance over your shoulder in your haste, looking at Eddie as he stretches out on his side and props himself up on his elbow, “I remember.” 

He gives you a knowing smile, squinting his eyes at you in entertainment. 

“Babe, it really would just be easier for you to ride with us,” Robin’s voice sounds again as you tug a shirt out of the drawer, something casual and comfortable that you could style for the night, “Unless you’re just hellbent on having alone time with Eddie for some reason-”

“I’m not hellbent on being alone with him, Robs.” 

Another lie. I definitely am. But not in the context you think. 

“You just sound like you are.”

“Well, I’m not,” you yank a pair of black jeans free from the drawer and slam it shut, standing and turning to Eddie. 

He hardly has time to react before you’re tossing your phone down on the mattress in front of him, the small device bouncing and hitting his chest. He winces and throws himself back dramatically, letting out a small oof that you pray neither Robin or Steve pick up on. 

As you dress, throwing on the random t-shirt and shimmying on your jeans, Robins laughs, “Denial isn’t a good look on you.” 

Eddie watches you, never moving to get ready himself. All he does is stare as you button up the pants. 

When you give him an expectant look, he merely mouths, bra? 

You shake your head. You don’t know where Eddie had flung your undergarment, and you’re not in the mood to frantically search for it. You’ve gone without a bra before – you can survive one night out without one. 

Eddie’s entire face and chest immediately flushes pink. Cute.  

“Now you guys are just being assholes,” you scowl despite the fact that only Eddie can see it, waving your hands to motion for him to get up and also get dressed, “I’m texting Eddie. If he has already left, I’ll just walk. Fuck you guys.” 

“Tell lover boy I said hi,” Robin teases. 

“Even if he’s already parked at the fucking bar at this point, we both know he’d jump right back on his bike and come pick you up,” Steve’s voice grumbles over the line. 

It almost makes you smile.  “Someone sounds jealous.” 

“Not jealous, just annoyed,” Steve corrects as Eddie finally stands from the bed, “When are you two going to get your shit together?”

“What do you mean?” you play dumb.

You’ve had this conversation with your friends multiple times. They were truly going to have your head once they realized what you’d been keeping from them for months now. 

“Don’t you have a 4.0 GPA?” Robin inserts herself back into the conversation, “You can’t possibly be this stupid.” 

Eddie pauses in his fumbling with pulling his jeans from the pile he’d left his clothes in at the end of the beg, face scrunching in silent laughter. You almost walk over and smack his bare back angled towards you. 

“First of all, no. I don’t have a 4.0 GPA. Thanks for the reminder,” you grab your phone back off of the bed and decide to leave Eddie behind in the room, heading into the bathroom to finish getting ready. You hate to admit it, but if you have to keep watching him giggle so cutely to himself, you’ll also probably break. And you aren’t in the mood for any further interrogation from Robin and Steve, “Second of all, I’m hanging up now. I’m going to call Eddie. At least he won’t be such a dick to me.” 

“Oh, you must see the irony there-” 

You cut Steve off, “Bye! See you in… like, ten minutes.” 

Once you’ve hung up, you put your phone down on the bathroom counter and look up into the mirror. Your hair is a mess, wild and tangled from all the writhing you had been doing before being so rudely interrupted. You give it your best effort, trying to tame it a little bit to look more presentable, but it’s a lost cause at this point. Fuck it. 

Eddie appears in the doorway behind you, fully dressed and his hair pulled back into a bun, leaning into the door frame with his arms crossed and an impish grin on display, “Oh, you’re going to call me now, sweetheart?” 

You glare at him in a jocosely manner through the reflection, “Don’t look so proud of yourself.” 

He pushes off the frame and comes up behind you, still locking his eyes only through the reflection as he leans his chin over your shoulder, “And what if I don’t want to give you a ride? You have been awfully mean – insulting my punctuality, throwing your phone at me, teasing me by going without a bra. The list goes on and on.” 

Something deep within you stirs, those embers that still ache to burst into a forest fire. You hate that you could easily spend the entire night here with him, letting him take you every which way between his sheets. And even without sinful actions involved, you would be plenty content with just his presence tonight. As a matter of fact, you might be more content with that outcome rather than heading out to see your friends.

Sorry Argyle, you think guiltily. 

“I’m teasing you?” you question just as his hands land on your hips, moving so that he was pressed firmly against the curve of your ass. Making sure you could feel how hard he was against the seam of his jeans’ zipper, “You didn’t even make me cum.” 

“Seems like we’ll both be spending the night frustrated, then,” he smiles, almost gleefully, almost devilishly, “Besides, that was technically Harrington’s fault, not mine. We both know I usually have no problems making you cum on my tongue – without interruptions, of course.”

He rolls his hips ever so slightly into you, and your mouth falls open, eyes going glossy as you continue to stare him down through the mirror.  The stirring in your abdomen is persistent now as your heart hammers against your ribs, mind melting and completely forgetting the obligation at hand. 

And Eddie knows this. He’s well aware of the effect he’s having on you, and it’s deliberate. 

Suddenly, his body completely pulls away from yours, “I’ll meet you downstairs. Don’t want to keep them waiting any longer, do we, sweetheart?” 

Damn him. Damn him, and damn his dimples, and damn how good his legs look in those jeans as he’s walking away from me right now.

You linger in the apartment, alone, for a few extra minutes to compose yourself. Trying to quelch the heat between your hips that had slowly spread across your entire body, threatening to consume you. You even go as far as to splash cool water across your cheeks, giving yourself a few smacks for good measure as you try to prepare yourself to go into public and put on the usual act. And beneath it all, you also hush the animal in your chest, the one that claws at you to tell him. The one that wails everytime you simply tell him you like him, the one that roars when you let another moment slip you by. It has to quiet, just as your flames need to settle, all for the sake of the act.

You deserve a goddamn Oscar at this point. 

After deciding that touching up your makeup would take up far too many precious seconds, you’re darting out of Eddie’s apartment, locking up behind yourself before you head down to where he’s waiting. He’s already straddling his parked bike, the engine roaring to life like the animal inside you as you exit the main doors of the building and his hands extend his only helmet. You don’t fight him on who’s going to wear it – that’s a battle, you’ve learned, you will always lose. 

We really need to just buy a second helmet. 

The thought makes you smile as you hold the clunky thing. Buying a second helmet. Something Eddie had never done before, because he had never had a regular passenger before. He had never had someone glued to his side as you had become, not even Nancy. It sounds terribly domestic; perusing aisles with him, debating which helmet fits your style best. He’d probably make a joke about your head being big. He’d probably tease you for looking at the ridiculously expensive ones and tell you to opt for a cheaper one. You’d probably end up with a pricier one in the cart regardless, and Eddie would probably refuse to let you pay for it. 

Domesticity. The image of it doesn’t ache like it had that night all those months ago. This isn’t something you yearn for hopelessly, smoke and mirrors that dissipate when you dare to reach out for it. It’s something finally in your grasp. Something tangible and something bound to happen, all you’d have to do is say the word and Eddie would comply eagerly. 

Anything to keep my girl safe, as he would tell you any time you pointed out how dangerous it was for him to go without a helmet. He’d gotten creative in saying his own version of those three little words. 

“M’lady,” he hums, nodding for you to put the helmet on before sweeping a hand over the empty space in the seat behind him, “Your chariot awaits.” 

You don’t have a snarky quip to throw back at him, only grinning at the ground as you flip the helmet around a few times to prepare to put it on. All those embers aren’t just desire for him – there’s a warmth there that always exists. A candle on the windowsill of the home you had finally found. 

You raise the clunky thing and tilt your head when Eddie suddenly says, “Oh, and babe?” 

Immediately, you lower it, eyes wide in curiosity, “What?” 

“That’s my shirt.” 

“What?” 

He motions to the t-shirt tucked carefully into your jeans, “That fine shirt you are currently wearing is mine.” 

You look down, and he’s right. It’s too late to go back inside to change, and you know he’s aware of this when you catch his amused smirk. He probably noticed the moment you had put it on, and had deliberately waited until it was too late for you to do anything about it to inform you. 

Bastard. 

“I-” you pinch the fabric between your fingers, looking between it and Eddie wildly for a second before your shoulders slumped in defeat, “It’s fine. I doubt they’ll even notice.” 

—

You were wrong. They do notice. 

Everyone is already waiting inside for the two of you, nestled around a table in the bar in a similar arrangement to the very first night you’d been introduced to the group. There’s only two empty seats left conveniently, right next to each other. You don’t miss that mischievous look of success on Robin’s face as she looks overly proud of herself.

They’d set it up so we’d sit next to each other. 

You’re grateful for your friends’ antics until you go to take the empty seat next to Steve.

“Is that Eddie’s shirt?” 

Robin is leaning around Steve eagerly as she says it, ridiculing the shirt intensely. 

“What?” you laugh nervously, looking down and tugging at the fabric. 

Lie. Make up a lie. Make it good. 

“That is Eddie’s shirt,” Nancy looks surprised across the table, looking up at the two of you questioningly. 

“What?” you repeat yourself. Eddie has already taken his seat, and is avoiding the stares of everyone, “No, it’s not.” 

“He has one just like it,” Jonathan adds fuel to the fire, “He literally wore it - what? Two days ago?” 

In a pathetic attempt of an excuse, you plop down in your seat and force an offended look, “People can own the same shirt. He’s not the gatekeeper of-” you look down, and nearly erupt in embarrassment when you see what the shirt is. “Deftones.” 

Ah, fuck. 

It’s not just the embarrassment of being on the verge of getting caught in your lie – it’s the memories that flood back. You, on Eddie’s lap. Your mouth and his becoming one. Steve calling, and you sucking so innocently on Eddie’s neck. 

Fuck. 

You really wish Steve and Robin hadn’t interrupted earlier. 

“It’s not like I got it at a show,” Eddie shrugs, and you wonder for a moment if he’s lying, “They’ve gotten more popular lately. I’ve seen their shit in Target.” 

“Exactly!” you exclaim a little too loudly, a little too quick to defend yourself, “Exactly. I just thought it looked cool at Target. Besides, tonight is about Argyle.”

You smile at the birthday boy, and he returns the joy as he waves a little at you. The reminder is all it takes for everyone’s attention to return to the focus of the night – everyone’s attention but Nancy’s. 

You can feel her eyes on you as conversation sparks up and debates of ordering shots begin. Everyone is busy asking Argyle what his plans for next weekend are – which are mostly composed of normal family gatherings, probably a homemade cake, etc. – but Nancy is watching you and Eddie like a hawk. In the peripheral of your eye, you watch the way she leans back so casually into Jonathan's around her shoulder, looking like she knows. You’re probably just being paranoid. You’re definitely just being paranoid. 

You try to ignore it, and instead let yourself just enjoy the moment. All your friends gathered, a group in which you finally feel like you belong to, jokes being made and laughter being exchanged that has you feeling a bit giddy. It’s nice. Even between the smoke of the room and the flickering lights overhead, murmuring chatter of nearby patrons mingling right in with your group’s noise, it’s homely. The smell of drunken cigars and fruity cocktails should be overwhelming, but you just let it wrap you up instead. 

And when you turn your head, inhaling deeply the smell of cinnamon and musk rather than all those other foreign anomalies, you find Eddie already looking at you. Soft eyes, bitten grin, a few loose curls framing his cheeks as his bangs curl up into his forehead. Even in the shoddy lighting, he takes your breath away. 

He’s looking at you. Just like that first night. Dozens of other people in this room at this moment, and he only has eyes for one – he only has eyes for you.

“So!” Argyle announces, “I think, my dudes, instead of doing what Birdie had so… excitedly suggested,” and oh, he was being generous and calling Robin suggesting he took twenty three shots for his twenty third birthday just her being excited rather than foolish, “We should just take the twenty three shots and split them up amongst the group.” 

Steve and Jonathan immediately groan, protesting how they’re driving, and Eddie only shakes his head with a chuckle. So far, he’d only ordered and been nursing on a plain coke, no whiskey. 

Somehow, sitting beside him with the group is worse than keeping distance. 

When he’d taken off his jacket, you’d silently begged for him to rest an arm across the back of your chair just as Jonathan was doing to Nancy. And he had, almost too naturally before he’d caught himself. It would have been easier to play off cooly, probably would have gone unnoticed, but your boy had practically jumped out of his bones as he’d flinched and tucked his arm back into himself suddenly. He’d even bumped his elbow against his own seat in his haste.

And Nancy had noticed. 

“That’s only three shots per person!” Argyle defends, “Four for me, since you know – birthday boy.” 

While Eddie may be avoiding alcohol tonight, you aren’t. Not unusual, but it had been odd when Eddie had told the waitress your order of an amaretto sour rather than you telling her yourself. 

Another strike. Another thing Nancy had noticed with her watchful eye.

“I’m down,” you shrug, “Hell, I’ll even take an extra shot if those two dumbasses won’t.” 

“Is that a good idea?” 

You wish Eddie had been drinking to excuse his idiocracy. Because all it takes is him saying that, not with malice but with concern, and the look on Nancy’s face told you she was officially catching on.

He hadn’t said it with the concern of a friend prepared to warn against drinking yourself sick. He’d said it with the concern of someone who would be taking care of you by the end of the night, of someone who would be dealing with the aftermath of that many shots. 

You two were bombing this whole secrecy, to put it lightly. 

You try to save the moment but laughing it off, turning to him slightly and teasing, “What, are you my keeper now?” 

Despite your best efforts, the statement doesn’t come across as friendly banter. It’s not quite fighting either. It’s a dare, you dangling something in Eddie’s face that no one else at this table quite sees. A stupid, idiotic continuation of your flirtatious game of cat and mouse from earlier in the apartment, when he’d deliberately gotten you hot and bothered. When he’d deliberately let you leave in his shirt. His palm is warm when he shifts ever so slightly, placing it on your thigh beneath the table. Out of sight from everyone else. Fueling and fanning all your growing flames. 

You two were toeing a very dangerous line tonight. 

His eyes darken a bit, and you pray no one else notices in the dim bar lighting, “I don’t know, am I?” 

Everyone is distracted enough with your idea. Steve and Jonathan were agreeing, saying they could take one shot and then others in the group could shoulder the extras. Robin was quick to also say she’ll take an extra one. But Nancy is silent, watching your quiet exchange with Eddie. 

“I don’t think you are, Munson.”

Except he is. Without a single doubt in your bones, you know that he is. 

Your playful smile betrays you. It tugs up the corners of your mouth and it’s clear to any outsider this wasn’t a brewing argument. The game was obvious if anyone was watching close enough. And Nancy, ever the smart one, was watching close enough. 

She’s playing her cards right, you realize, when she waits until the group has ordered the round of shots to say anything. 

“So, Eddie,” she begins, drawing the entire group’s attention to her best friend, “Do anything fun today?” 

He nearly chokes on his coke subtly. “I- Um-” 

“You just didn’t answer any of my texts today,” she continues on, “Must have been busy, yeah?” 

Eddie retracts his hand from your thigh, far more elusive in this action than he had been about removing his arm from your chair, before he fiddles with his hands in his lap. “Yeah – no, yeah. Sorry about that, Nance.” 

He pulls his phone from his pocket for no apparent reason. The shiny new smartphone, having not even bought a case or screen protector yet. You’d already yelled at him for that, claiming out of everyone, you trust him the least to not break the phone on the first day. He’d only laughed and shut you up with a kiss. 

His new phone is placed face down on the table, cherry red glinting, “I just had to go to the mall and-”

“Is that a new phone?” Argyle interrupts him, catching sight of the movement and the glinting, “Oh, holy shit, my dude! That’s a new phone! That is an iPhone if I’ve ever seen one!” 

Everyone – Robin, Steve, Jonathan – are rapidly leaning to catch sight of it as if they can’t believe it. Eddie continues to shrink at being the center of attention suddenly. 

“It is,” Steve laughs in disbelief, “Never thought I’d see the day, Munson.” 

Robin scrunches her face, “Does this mean we have to add him to the group chat?” 

You let out a giggle at that, lips pressed to try and contain some of that smile breaking through as you look at him and wiggle your brows. He immediately rolls his eyes, but picks up the phone regardless to give everyone a better look. 

“Yes, yes. I’ve finally joined the dark side,” he teases everyone just as the waitress returns with the tray of shots. Jonathan is the only one with enough sense to look away from Eddie’s spectacle, thanking her kindly, “Feast your eyes, my friends, for this is where my five hundred dollars went-” 

“Holy shit.” 

Nancy’s sudden whisper of an exclamation has everyone freezing. Eddie stops spinning and flipping the phone to show it off, staring at her with nothing but concerned, “What? What happen-” 

Nancy shares a look with Robin as they both grin.

Oh no. 

“Eddie,” Nancy says slowly, turning her head back his way slowly. 

“What?” Eddie frowns, eyes flitting back and forth between Nancy and Robin.

Robin is the one to ask the question rather than Nancy, “What exactly is your lockscreen?” 

Eddie goes pale. You’re confused, looking at the phone he’s currently cradling with the screen against his palm. 

Did he even change it? Wouldn’t it just be one of the default ones? 

“Guys,” you decide to come to his rescue, still impossibly confused, “It’s probably just some default screen, don’t tease him.” 

“That was not a default screen,” Nancy laughs out. 

Argyle looks around at everyone. Nancy and Robin, both with mischievous glints in their eyes. Eddie, still ghostly white as if he’s been caught red-handed. Steve and Jonathan, both just shrugging at each other. “Uh…. Why do I feel like I’m missing something here?”

“Show the class your lock screen, Eds.”

“Fuck off, Nancy.” 

“Oh my God,” Robin coos, leaning across Steve and pressing you back gently to catch sight of Eddie, who’s dipping his face down, “He’s blushing!” 

“Guys, leave him alone,” Steve insists, sharing a look with you now. But you have no clue what’s going on.

You have no clue what his lockscreen is. 

“Edward Munson, show us that lockscreen right now, or I’m Venmo-requesting five hundred dollars from you,” Robin continues to threaten. 

You look away from Steve and at Eddie immediately, leaning in closer to his space. He looks at you, clearly focusing on your presence more than everyone else’s, and smiles like a child trying to get out of trouble. 

“Eddie,” you say quietly, almost impossible for your friends to hear, “What the fuck is your lockscreen?” 

He slowly and carefully turns the screen towards you, making sure only your eyes can see it, and- oh.

It’s a low quality photo. Clearly taken on his flip phone. Details just a little fuzzy, and the darkness of the photo wasn’t helping. But you can see it clearly. You can make out exactly what it was that had Nancy and Robin losing their minds. 

It’s a picture of you and Eddie, with your head on Eddie’s chest.

For a moment, everyone else at the table doesn’t exist. You hadn’t been insane that night – he had taken a photo. A snapshot of the moment where everything had changed. The moment in which you had given up the fight and completely succumbed to just how much Eddie meant to you, how badly you pined for him and how deeply you liked him. 

“I was going to make it the one of you at Betty’s,” he whispers, “But, I just- I really liked this photo.” 

He’s still tense, as if he expects you to be upset with him. 

You’re the farthest thing from upset at him. 

“You made me your lockscreen?” you breathe out, a slow-growing smile beginning to stretch your lips. 

You’re not upset at him. As a matter of fact, you’re in love with him. You want to scream it from every rooftop, shout it to every stranger on the street – you are in love with Eddie Munson.

And you have been for a while. You just hadn’t found a way to tell him yet.

“Yeah,” he loosens up a little when he realizes you’re happy, enamored with the fact, “Yeah, of course I did. Who else am I going to make it besides my favorite…. Enemy?” 

He says it loud enough for everyone to hear clearly. All of Nancy’s teasing has come to a halt, Robin has settled back into her chair, and Steve is finally looking too curious for his own good. 

“As birthday boy,” Argyle breaks the moment, shatters away the bubble you and Eddie always seemed to end up in, “I am demanding I get to see this lockscreen.” 

Eddie doesn’t make any move to show the screen to any other person, only watching you for approval. 

Well, so much for next time. 

You give him a little nod. 

Eddie makes a dramatic show of it, sighing heavily before he very slowly turns his lockscreen to face everyone else. But even in his dramatics, you can see that weight lifting off his chest.

This, as a matter of fact, changes everything. 

No more hiding, no more lying. One simple flash of his phone screen, of a photo he had taken on a night that no one has even been gifted the details of yet, and all your friends suddenly know.

The reactions all vary. 

Argyle leans forward and squints before his face breaks out into pure joy for the two of you, “Oh, fuck yes! Best birthday gift ever. Pay up, my dudes!” 

Jonathan leans backward, digging out his wallet as he murmurs, “Son of a bitch.” 

Steve only smiles and shakes his head, also digging for his wallet as he seemingly chastizes himself, “I should have fucking known.” 

“Hold on,” you look between everyone as Jonathan digs out a couple twenties, “Wait, did you guys fucking bet on this?” 

“We did,” Robin answers you, holding up a hand to make Jonathan and Steve pause their retrieval of cash, “What do you take us for? Idiots? Now, gentlemen, before either of you payout, we’ve gotta ask the most important question,” she shoves a palm against Steve’s chest so that he’s out of line of sight, gaze set on you and Eddie, “When did this happen?” 

You don’t have any time to be mad at your friends. Because when Robin asks you this, suddenly you’re back to two months ago. You’re outside your dorm with Eddie, kissing him as if tomorrow would never be promised, and you’re home. 

You pulled back from Eddie finally, both of you gasping for breath as he held you steady. Your exchange from moments before still hung heavy in the air. 

You liked him, you liked him, you liked him. 

And the feeling was mutual. 

You’d already known, but it was nice to hear. It was nice to be reminded that this, what had happened between you two, was so very real. 

“I don’t wanna start over,” the words tumbled from your tongue before you could consider them, upheaving from your chest, desperate for Eddie to heard them, “I- I don’t need to start over. I like our story, okay? You had been right – it wasn’t all bad, and… and I don’t want to start over. I never want you to be a stranger again, and I know that sounds stupid-” 

“It’s not stupid,” he interrupted you, forehead meeting yours, “So very not stupid.” 

“I don’t care if you were a dick,” you continued on, carefully, “I was, too. We were both… shitty. I forgive you. I’ll forgive you a thousand times over, as long as you keep trying to make it up to me.” 

“Make it up to you?” he grinned playfully, “And just how do you suggest I start making it up to you?” 

“Ask me out,” his eyebrows raised in surprise, and you knew you must have looked like a wild idiot to everyone else, but you didn’t care, “To dinner, to a movie, to just hang around your apartment with you for another twenty four hours – I don’t care. Just… Just please, Munson, ask me out.” 

And so he had. A first date, a second date, a third. You two had gone through the entire ordeal of every cliche relationship despite the unconventional beginning. You’d gone to dinner, you’d gone to a movie, and you had done plenty of hanging out around his apartment and more. 

“The night of the bet,” Eddie answers as he finally brings an arm up around your shoulders, just as he had wanted to earlier. 

Immediately, both Robin and Argyle let out their own curses, pulling out their wallets just as Steve and Jonathan had. 

You look between them, all the annoyance you should feel just being run over with adoration for these idiots. Your eyes land on Nancy, and when you realize she’s the only one at the table not coughing up any cash, you ask her, “I’m assuming you guessed correctly?” 

“I did,” she nods, looking proud of herself. 

“How’d you know?” 

Nancy raises a threatening finger, before suddenly pointing it right in Eddie’s direction, “That idiot has always been down bad for you-”

“Okay, okay,” Eddie stops her, “I’ve already told her the nitty gritty details. No need to embarrass me.” 

“No need to embarrass you?” Nancy asks in disbelief, “Good God, just how many times did I have to sit and listen to you pine for her? No, no – I have earned this, Munson.” 

You look at Eddie, a glint in your eye, “You only told me about the first time.”

“I only remembered the first time,” he counters, blushing under yellow and faded lights, “I was usually dru-”

“Don’t lie,” Nancy stops him, “There were plenty of rants where you were dead sober.” 

Everyone only smiles at Eddie, a few teasing comments made his way, but none of them matter as you lean into his side, your shoulder bumping his to the best of your ability with his arm still around you.

“Aw, babe,” you coo, warm all over for the man beside you, “You had a crush on me? That’s cute.” 

His chin lowers, eyes boring into yours with unlimited affection. For a moment, it’s just you and Eddie. The guise of you two having your own bubble of a moment. 

His head tilts further, his ears brushing your ear as he whispers for just you to hear, “So did you, if I’m not mistaken.” 

“Not mistaken,” you whisper back. Money is now being exchanged, tossed across the table with grumbles that hold no heat. 

Yeah, you did have a crush on Eddie. You still do. You don’t think you’ll ever stop having a crush on him, even as he’s surrendered himself as yours. Especially not when his thumb is stroking your shoulder as it is now. 

Just like that very first night. The smoky bar fades to nothingness, your tunnel vision focused on Eddie. You know jokes are being made about the two of you by your friends, but it’s all white noise when he’s looking at you like this. Like you’re everything to him, like he’s just returned home after a long week. 

You’d really like to be his home to return to after every long week, for the rest of your lives, but there’ll be time to ponder on that later. For now, you two have time. 

The voice inside your head suddenly comes to life as it recognizes that this is your moment. You can tell him. Now that you’ve told everyone else, you can tell him those three words. Finally get them off your chest. Make it real. 

“Hey, Munson,” you say, still quiet enough for the words to only reach his ears. He perks up, eager to drink your next words. You have all his attention. You always have all his attention, “I-” and then you choke. He stares curiously for a few seconds, and the words just won’t come out. You want to scream – you wonder if it would work if you screeched the three words at the top of your lungs. Probably not, “I’m just really glad you didn’t really hate me,” a pathetic excuse at a coverup,  “And… I’m really glad they made that first bet.” 

He smiles so softly, it strikes you right in the center of your chest. Right amongst your garden that not only had you tended for him, but that he had also had a hand in watering these last few months. 

You should have told him. You love him, and you should have told him. 

“I’m really glad I didn’t hate you, too,” he remarks, squeezing your shoulder a little tighter, “Actually, I’m glad you don’t hate me. Not anymore, at least.” 

“I never really did.”

“You definitely sort of did. You tried to take me out with a glass, remember?” 

You burst into secluded laughter, hearing your friends beginning to pass around the shots but paying them no mind. 

Eddie can’t help it. He pulls you in close, placing an impulsive kiss to your temple and letting his lips linger there. Just pressed against you, breathing in the scent of you. 

That kiss sends shivers down your spine, warmth through the center of your bones. You love him. 

You love him, you love him, you love him. 

So why can’t you just tell him that?

“Aw!” Robin pulls the two out of your bubble, “Aren’t they just adorable?”

“Yes, yes,” Steve passes two shot glasses down to your end of the table, “Absolutely adorable. It’s nauseating. Also, I’d like to go on record – I totally knew the entire time. I was just giving them the benefit of the doubt.” 

“Playing the Devil’s advocate?” Argyle asks, lining up his multiple shots, “I dig it. Even though you’re totally lying right now.” 

“You’re so lucky it’s your birthday, dude,” Steve rolls his eyes, clearly holding back an insult. 

Eddie’s arm stays heavy on you, a welcome weight as you sit up straighter to take your own several shots. 

These were your friends. Somewhere you belonged, filled with people you loved and a boy you could come home to after all your long weeks. A certain happiness that is rare, and impossible to place, and can nearly bring you to tears overwhelms you as you grab that first shot. 

“Also-” Steve turns to you and Eddie, “I knew that was Munson’s shirt. The day he got it, all he did was brag about what a rare find it was. Fuck off with your Target bullshit.” 

Eddie’s hand leaves your shoulder long enough to reach out and thump Steve, laughter booming and vibrating against you, “Sure you did, Stevie.” 

“Target has some nice things,” Nancy offers with a shrug, now holding her own shot glass. 

The seven of you all hold up the first of what will probably be too many shots tonight, the beginning of a night that will probably be remembered through killer hangovers tomorrow and possibly even captured on camera by the likes of Jonathan, Steve, and Eddie. 

“To Argyle,” you take the lead on the cheers, jittery and anxious as all the love you continue to withhold buzzes in your chest, lifting your small glass in his direction, “The most lovable twenty three year old I know.” 

Everyone moves to drink, but Argyle immediately shakes his head, “Nah, fuck that. It’s not even my birthday yet – I demand a new toast.” 

He lifts his brows, staring you down and silently adding, you know what to do. 

And yeah, you did know what to do. 

“Fine,” you sigh dramatically, leaning further forward, Eddie’s arm following. You relish in the tense silence as everyone waits for what you’re about to say instead. Even Eddie is waiting with bated breath, watching your every move, a contrasting yet easy smile on his face, “To bets.” 

A booming applause from your group. Glasses tapping against the wooden table before shots are downed. Groans of disgust as the tequila hits everyones’ tongues. 

Eddie hardly waits before you’ve both swallowed to remove his arm and grab your face, turning your cheek so that his lips can capture yours. Everyone only cheers louder, Steve letting out an obnoxious whistle as Argyle claps. You’re surely going to get kicked out of the bar at this rate. But you really don’t care as you kiss your boy back. 

Next time. You have to tell him next time. 

—

The night ends in more of a whisper than a bang, surprisingly. 

Everyone has suddenly become a happy drunk, probably from all the love and good news passed around throughout the night. It’s all warm feelings and warm hugs, tequila on the breath and love on the mind. 

You don’t even get kicked out of the bar. Your waitress only smiles at your rowdy table from time to time, and you figure that all the good vibes must be rubbing off on her. 

Steve is the first to call it quits. Robin has drank enough to give herself the hiccups, and he says that after that, she almost always gets viciously nauseous. He wants to get in the car and home before she gets to the point, for the sake of his car’s interior not getting covered in puke.

It’s a domino effect from there.

Argyle quickly agrees, Jonathan offers a guiding arm to Nancy, and Eddie’s arm only tightens around you. The group closes out the tab, putting off worries of everyone paying Jonathan back until tomorrow. Quick, simple, painless. 

Until you all get outside. And goodbyes are exchanged – that’s not the part that gets to you – with promises of seeing each other throughout the week. Everyone congratulates you and Eddie one more time for good measure, Nancy and Steve looking the most proud of you two as Argyle and Robin giggle like children about it. And it’s fine – you laugh along and it’s all good. You let them get in all their I told you so’s and know it’s all in good fun. 

It’s all fine. Until you two branch off from the group, Eddie’s bike across the lot from everyone else’s cars. 

The moment you two are alone, you can’t tell if it’s the alcohol or if it’s the levity of suddenly having a moment that only belongs to you. Your mind wastes no time of reminding you of your pathetic cop out: I’m just really glad you didn’t really hate me. None of those words even sound akin to the real ones you should have said.

I love you. 

It’s not because your friends have found out. You know it’s not that, because just last week, right after your breakdown about whether you were smothering Eddie by half-living in his apartment, you’d had a breakdown because you realized you wanted to fully live in his apartment. You’d had a breakdown because you hadn’t grown tired of him yet, hadn’t satisfied the need to see his face every morning when you first wake up yet. You hadn’t gotten bored with all his lingering affectionate touches. You hadn’t gotten used to the way he’d kiss you in the middle of sentences. He was still taking your breath away, two months later, and you had a breakdown because you realized it wasn’t novelty or a pathetic crush making you feel this way.

You had a breakdown because you love Eddie. 

You love him, ardently so, and you still can’t find the right moment to say those words to him. He deserves to know – the entire foundation of this relationship was honesty.

It’s all you can think about as his hand finds yours and he’s walking up to his bike, practically dragging you up to his bike as your legs forget how to work amongst nerves. 

“So, I was thinking,” he carries on conversation so casually, “You want to spend the night at my place? I know you said you don’t have any class-“ 

Now. Not later, not next time. Now. 

“Hey, Eddie?” you interrupt him, stopping the two of you a few paces away from his bike. 

His face is impossibly concerned as he looks down at you, clearly reading the worry on your face, “What’s up, babe?” 

Here goes nothing – be brave.

“I-” 

Why is this so hard? 

It shouldn’t be this hard, because loving Eddie is easy. 

It’s easy when he’s looking at you like this, like he always does. It’s easy when he wakes up after you, and he comes into the kitchen to just wrap himself around you as you make him coffee, no matter what time of day it might be. It’s easy when he catches your eye from across the room during outings, sometimes winking once he knows you’ve found his gaze, just to see you laugh. It’s easy when he tries to distract you from homework when you’ve been spending far too many hours hunched over your laptop on his couch, coming and bugging you, laying his head on your lap and insisting his girl needs a break. It’s easy when he kisses you and everything just feels right. 

It’s easy. He loves you – you love him.  It isn’t hard. You’re making this hard, when it never was. 

“I love you,” you admit quietly, voice shaking as the words leave you easily. 

Loving Eddie is easy. 

“I love you,” you say more surely, voice raising in volume as you find the willpower to look into his eyes, “I love you so fucking much, Eddie.” 

Each time you say it, you gain confidence in it. It’s true – you love him. You love him so much, it encompasses every inch of your being. It entirely consumes you. You love him. 

His face falls slowly, mouth agape and eyes boring into yours.

You don’t wait for his response. You already have it – in the way he’s still holding your hand, in the way he holds you at the end of each night, in the way he knows both your orders at bars and coffee shops. In the way he will always put himself between you and the street when walking down the sidewalk, in the way when he roughly stops his bike at stop lights that his hand always flies back to hold onto you. In every soft touch and every expression of devotion he has offered you for not just two months, but for over a year. 

“You love me?” he softly asks, finally beginning to come back to life. 

You nod without hesitation, “I love you, Eddie.” 

Now that you’ve started saying it, you can’t stop it. And each time, it’s still heavy and sweet like honey, even as the confession comes as easy as breathing. It’s pouring from every crevice, filling up the night air around you. 

He takes you off guard with a harsh kiss. His teeth colliding with yours, his breath stealing yours, his entire being molded with yours. 

“Say it again,” he begs in a murmur as he pulls you in even closer, desperate as you break into a smile, “God, please say it again, sweetheart.” 

“I love you,” your cheeks begin to ache, the kiss no longer even to be a considered a kiss as you two are just mindlessly pressing your smiles together, “I love you, I love you, I love you,” with each repeat of the sentiment, Eddie drinks it in, “I’m so fucking in love with you, Eddie Munson. You and your stupid lockscreen and-”

“You do not think my lockscreen is stupid,” he pulls away, raising his eyebrows as his palms squish your cheeks, “I saw the way you looked at me. You were eating that shit up.” 

You bite your lip, trying to pull further away from him, but he won’t let you, “I was not-”

“You were,” he cheekily teases, eyes bright as he looks at you, “You were, and it was the best thing ever. Totally worth stealing Argyle’s spotlight.” 

“We didn’t steal Argyle’s spotlight,” you try to defend yourself. 

“We so did.”

You shake your head to the best of your abilities, face still between his hands, “We… Okay, we sort of did.”

He grins like a young boy, all his youth and all his love on show for you as he leans down, pausing right before pressing another kiss to your lips, “We definitely did. And it’s fair, because they fucking bet on us.” 

“They did,” you agree, not even feeling guilty anymore, too consumed by the love for the man right in front of you, “They tend to do that a lot, don’t they?” 

“They do.” 

He finally surges forward, lips sealing against yours one last time. It’s less messy this time, more meaningful. A bit more patient as he takes the time to fit his lips into yours, just as they should be. 

You have an audience. You’re completely oblivious until you hear the cheering from across the parking lot, snapping apart to both glance at where Argyle and Robin are jumping up and down, screaming their heads off. 

“Hell yeah, my dudes!” Argyle’s voice booms as Robin only produces incoherent coos to echo. 

Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan are all just watching silently, shaking their heads, but you can also see their grins. Almost as radiant as you felt.

Steve finally cups his hands around his mouth, sending his voice to you over Argyle’s continuing whooping, “Get a room!” 

Perfectly in sync, you and Eddie both throw up a hand with your middle fingers raised in their direction, still half tangled in each other. 

Your eyes find Nancy. She’s looking at you two with overwhelming pride, a certain satisfaction that breathes out the relief of finally. This may be a weight off not only your chest but Eddie’s as well, yet you can’t help but imagine just how she feels. How many nights she had stomached Eddie’s rambles about you leading up to this very moment. The pay off must be unimaginable. 

Finally. 

“Congrats on finally getting the girl, Munson!” she calls out, but her eyes are on you, winking. 

You see it now. Why they’re best friends. How all her best parts and Eddie’s best parts overlap and compliment one another perfectly. 

Jonathan is the final one to yell across the parking lot at you two, one arm slung around Nancy as the other moves to unlock his car, even his usually grumpy face showing signs of elation in that timid smile, “Now take your girl, home, dude. Spare the rest of us the gory details.” 

Eddie’s laugh reverberates against you physically from how he holds you, also making its way to burrow deep within your chest where all that liquid bliss belongs, as he throws his entire head back and makes you finally focus on just him again. Home. Not just his apartment, but him. You realize now that it’s simply wherever he goes. Where he leads, you’ll follow. It could be a shitty dorm room with a mattress that leaves your back aching, it could be a comforting apartment that holds you ‘hostage’ for twenty four hours straight – it doesn’t really matter. Wherever he is, home is. He’s your home; you love him, he knows you love him, and he’s your home. 

When his laughter finally fades, and he’s looking at you again, his dimples are prominent as ever through his whisper, “Just in case you’ve forgotten – I’m very much in love with you, too, sweetheart.” 

His lips meet yours for good measure. 

It’s been the longest week of your life, the longest year, but you’re finally home.

taglist: @catherinnn @haylaansmi @gaysludge @paprikaquinn @manda-panda-monium @audhd-dragonaut @blushingquincy @hellkaisersangel @eddieslittlewh0re @ajkamins @prettyboy200 @munsonzzgf @blue-eyed-lion @digwhatudug @madaboutjoe @wickedslashdivine @sweet-villain @somespicystuff @big-ope-vibes @jadequeen88 @sylviin @emma77645 @notbeforelong @lolalanaie @lo-siento-ama @happy-and-alone @micheledawn1975 @aysheashea @moon-huny @munsonswrld @bambipowerblueaddition @averagestudent03 @bakugouswh0r3 @mattefic @mxcheese @bietchz @nativity-in-black @stezzil @vngelis @coley0823 @folklorebau @luvmunson86 @theherothesavior @keene200213 @hargrovesswifee @m-chmcl-rmnc @cherrymedicine13 @iunaelumen777

#twenty four hours #eddie munson #my writing #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson fic #i cannot believe it's over holy shit #holy fucking shit #told y'all the photo would make a reappearance! #im resisting the urge to be so so sappy jesus christ

[wosoimagines]

Jack Of All Trades - USWNT/Reader

prompt: based off of an incorrect quote from @incorrectnwsl; Emily Sonnett: No one likes a show-off. Kelley O’Hara: Unless what they're showing off is dope as fuck. Emily: [under her breath] Fuck. That's true.

warnings: none

words: 2122

also, a note, i literally speak none of the languages that is used in this fic so i have no idea if i used the correct grammar or words as i have used a translator.

(Y/N) POV

“You’re a really good cook, you know that?” Kelley said.

I looked up at her from where I was cleaning up in the kitchen.

“You are more than welcome to take some with you,” I assured her. I motioned to where the gumbo was still sitting. “There’s more than enough there. I honestly probably made enough to feed more than my family.”

“But who taught you how to cook?” Kelley asked.

“I grew up cooking with my grandparents,” I shrugged. It wasn’t something that I had really sought out. It was just one of those things that had happened. “I loved getting to cook with them. They always cooked for our family get togethers and we were always there early. I eventually asked if I could start helping and they let me.”

“Can you get traded to Washington and come be my personal chef?” Kelley asked. I shook my head at that cause I was perfectly happy playing at Gotham. “Sonny, come convince (Y/N) that she needs to move to Washington.”

“It would be pretty awesome if you joined us,” Sonny said from her spot at the island. I rolled my eyes at that. “We could all play in Washington together. Kelley and I on the back line and you up front. Would be pretty sick.”

“You just want me there so I can cook for you.”

“I mean, yes, but like no?” Sonny said. I shook my head at that because I knew that she did want me to cook for her more if I ended up moving to play for Washington. “Like it would just be fun to have you there in Washington anyways.”

“Well, you can count it out,” I said as I placed most of the dishes I needed to clean into my sink. “I’m staying with Gotham. You two will just have to get over it and come visit me to get my cooking instead.”

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

“Who’s playing?” 

I could hear the voice outside of the door ask. I didn’t pay it much mind though as I focused on hitting the right keys. Although, I wasn’t sure as to why I was so worried about messing up. I had been able to play this piece from memory for years now.

“Is there anything (Y/N) can’t do?”

My fingers slipped at that causing me to press all of my fingers down to create a horrendous crashing sound. I looked over my shoulder at my teammates as I sent them a glare.

“Will you all shut up?” I asked. A few of them made their way into the room. “It’s quite hard to focus when you have so many people talking and you’re trying to focus.”

“What were you playing?” Becky asked.

“I had made it all the way to Scarbo,” I said. I noticed her confused look at that. “It’s the third part to Gaspard de la nuit. It’s by Ravel.”

“I didn’t know you knew how to play the piano,” Christen said. I looked over at her and nodded my head. “How long have you been playing?”

“Since I was a little kid. Longer than I’ve been playing soccer,” I admitted. It was true. “I didn’t even stop my piano lessons until I left for college. This was one of the concert pieces I became good at.”

“Is it hard?”

“Is it hard?” I repeated. “You basically have to solve endless quadratic equations in your head while you play it. Is it hard. Unbelievable.”

“Can we hear it?” Becky asked.

I sighed but nodded. The rest of the group moved to take a seat around the room as well. I tuned them out as I focused on the piece.

Once I had finished the piece, many of my teammates clapped. I only sent them a smile. 

“I can’t believe you played that from memory,” Sonny said.

“Like I said, I’ve been playing piano longer than I’ve been playing soccer,” I shrugged. It was just something I had developed a talent for. “I was playing this piece of nearly four years before I stopped taking lessons. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve played it now.”

“But for real, is there anything you can’t do?” Kelley asked.

“Guess you’ll just have to find out.”

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

“Ooooh, here’s a good one,” Sonny grinned. She glanced between myself and Tierna. “Does (Y/N) know any other languages other than English and if so, how many?”

Tierna stared at me as I nodded. She knew this. I knew that Tierna knew this. I wrote down the number myself.

“Wait,” I said. Sonny turned to look at me. “Wait, wait wait. I have a question. Is this languages that I like know? Or does it include any languages I’m also learning?”

“That’s a good question,” Sonny said. She looked down at the paper in her hand. “I’m not sure. I guess the languages you know, but if Tierna can get the ones you’re learning then it’s an extra point.”

“That’s not fair,” Kelley whined. I rolled my eyes at her as I changed the answer. “They’re rooming together so Tierna gets to hear (Y/N) practicing.”

“Get over it, Kelley,” Tierna said as she wrote on her board. “Okay, I think I have this right.”

“Okay, on three,” Sonny said. Tierna and I nodded to each other. “One, two, three. Go!”

Tierna and I turned our boards around and I immediately looked at her board.

“Noooo,” I groaned when I saw the number. “One too high.”

“At least I got the one you’re learning right,” Tierna pointed out. She was right about that. I was currently learning Arabic. “At least I got that point.”

“Can you name the four languages that (Y/N) knows, Tierna?” Sonny asked.

This was challenging since Tierna had over guessed how many languages I knew. But I did have hope that Tierna could get it right.

“Okay, I know you know Spanish, I’ve heard you talking in Spanish a lot,” Tierna listed. I nodded at that because that was true. “You also did play in France and so I know that you did learn French. You knew you were going to go to France your senior year and so you spent the year learning French.”

“Oooooh,” I hummed. Sonny turned to me. “That is two of the four.”

“I wanna hear you speak Spanish and French now just to prove it,” Kelley said. I rolled my eyes at that because Kelley had heard me speaking both languages before.

“Ooooh, yes,” Sonny agreed. I shook my head at that. “You have to repeat what I say but in each of the four languages. Let’s start with Spanish. ‘She was between a rock and a hard place.’“

“Ella estaba entre la espada y la pared,” I repeated back to Sonny in Spanish after a moment.

“If anyone watching this video knows Spanish, tell us in the comments whether or not that was correct,” Sonny said as she turned to look at the camera before turning her attention back to me. “Now for French. ‘She won the challenge against all odds.’“

“Elle a remporté le défi contre toute attente,” I said this time in French after I thought about it.

“Again, viewers, I’m relying on you guys to tell me if (Y/N) is actually saying these things correctly,” Sonny said as she looked at the camera. “Tierna, we are still missing two languages.”

“You also know Japanese,” Tierna said. I nodded at that because it was true. “You learned it when we were teenagers so you could watch anime without subtitles.”

My jaw slacked at that. I hadn’t expected for Tierna to rat me out like that.

“Tierna, you weren’t supposed to tell anyone that,” I said as my face heated up. I turned to the camera. “You guys are cutting that out. I’m serious, the world is not gonna know that it’s actually true.”

“Did you really only learn Japanese to watch anime without subtitles?” Alex asked.

“Shut up, Alex.”

“Okay, okay,” Sonny said as she held up her hands. “Now we have to hear something in Japanese. ‘You cannot alter your fate, my prince. However, you can rise to meet it if you choose.’“

“Isn’t that a quote from Princess Mononoke?”

“Shut up and translate it, (Y/N).”

“Okay, okay,” I said as I held my hands up. “王子様、あなたの運命を変えることはできません。ただし、必要に応じて立ち上がることができます。”

“Okay, that one I really do want to make sure was quoted correctly,” Sonny said as she pointed at the camera. I rolled my eyes at that. “Do you know the fourth and final language, Tierna?”

“I’m drawing a blank,” Tierna shook her head. I groaned cause Tierna had been doing so good.

“You know this,” I said. Tierna looked over at me. “Come on, T, we were roommates in college. You know this.”

“Oh. Oh! OH! It’s, um... It’s German. It’s German!”

“Is that your final answer,” Sonny asked Tierna. Tierna nodded at that. “All right, (Y/N)?”

“It is German. I studied it in college. I can’t believe it took you that long. You used to literally hold my notecards,” I said to Tierna.

“Listen, I wasn’t concerned about learning it with you,” Tierna said.  “Oh, you should say that pick-up line you would always use when we were teenagers. What was it?”

“Do you mean, ‘You know what you would look wonderful in? My arms’?” I asked Tierna. She nodded and I groaned at that. “Weißt du, worin du wunderbar aussehen würdest? Meine Arme.“

“And that actually translate to your pick up line?” Sonny asked. I nodded in confirmation.

“Dude, is there really anything you can’t do?” Kelley asked.

“Guess you’ll just have to stick around and find out.”

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

“Did you just land a toe flip?” Tobin asked causing me to turn my skateboard around to look at her. I nodded in confirmation. “Dude, I didn’t even realize you could skateboard.”

“So now you can skateboard?” Sonny asked me. 

“Jealous of everything I can do yet?” I asked her. I knew that Sonny and Kelley had both been amazed at everything that they had been learning that I could do. “It’s okay to admit it, Sonny.”

Sonny only rolled her eyes at me. I turned back to look at Tobin as I kicked my skateboard into my hands.

“I haven’t been skating for long honestly,” I shrugged. It was something I hadn’t picked up when I was a kid. “I picked it up in college so I could get around Stanford easier. Plus it’s great for when it isn’t winter and I can’t go snowboarding in Colorado or when we aren’t surfing at the beach.”

“Seriously?” Kelley asked. I turned to look at her. “What are you? Just a jack of all trades?”

“No,” I shook my head. “I did only get a B in calculus.”

“I hate you,” Kelley said. 

I set her a soft smile before I rode away from the group on my skateboard. I did at least make sure that I stayed close to them since we were supposed to be exploring the city together.

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

I grabbed the ball from the back of the net before turning to face the defenders. Kelley and Sonny had approached me while I was working on my skills and tricks once our practice had ended. They offered to defend the goal in case I wanted to get some practice against defenders in.

“You two ready to give up yet?” I asked the two.

They were both leaned over with their hands on their knees as they were both trying to catch their breath. I jogged past the two and out of the box even. I turned back to look at the two.

“Don’t worry, I can always practice these without defenders,” I assured them.

Neither of them said much as they both nodded and moved to the sideline where they each grabbed their own waters. I immediately started to move the ball. I made sure that my back was to the goal before performing a rainbow flick and then jumping up to bicycle kick the ball into the net.

“No one likes a show-off,” Sonny called out.

I knew that the two of them must have been annoyed by how many skills I had shown the two considering they had spent a lot more time with me this off season.

“Unless what they’re showing off is dope as fuck,” Kelley pointed out.

I grinned at that because I knew it meant that Kelley thought what I had been doing was cool. I was too focused on the ball in front of me as I started to dribble it again to catch what Sonny had said next.

“Fuck,” Sonny said under her breath. “That’s true.”

#uswnt imagine #uswnt imagines #uswnt x reader #USWNT #emily sonnett #emily sonnett x reader #emily sonnett imagines #emily sonnett imagine #kelley o'hara #kelley o'hara imagine #kelley o'hara imagines #kelley o'hara x reader

[sanjiluvrr1]

LUFFY x READER

Warnings: none

Summary: Luffy falling in love…

Luffy had always been one to follow his instincts. So when he found himself lost on a random island, he didn't hesitate to explore. He wandered through dense jungles and climbed steep cliffs, all in search of something new and exciting.

And that was when he stumbled upon Y/N.

She was unlike anyone Luffy had ever met before. She was strong and adventurous, with a fierce determination that matched his own. And as he watched her navigate through the treacherous terrain, he knew that she would be a perfect addition to the Strawhat crew.

"Hey!" he called out to her, bounding over a fallen log. "You're really cool! Wanna join my crew?"

Y/N turned to look at him, a puzzled expression on her face. "Your crew?" she repeated. "What crew?"

Luffy grinned. "The Strawhat crew!" he said. "We're pirates, but we're also friends. And we travel around the world, having adventures."

Y/N raised an eyebrow. "Pirates, huh?" she said. "I don't know about that. I've never really thought of myself as a pirate."

Luffy shrugged. "So what do you say? Will you join us?"

Y/N hesitated for a moment. She had always been a bit of a loner, preferring to travel and explore on her own. But there was something about Luffy's enthusiasm that was infectious. And besides, she had to admit that she was curious about this group of pirates who called themselves the Strawhats.

"All right," she said finally. "I'll join your crew. But just for a little while. I'm not sure if this pirate life is for me."

Luffy grinned again, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Awesome!" he said. "I knew you'd be a great addition to the crew. Let's go tell everyone else!"

And with that, Luffy and Y/N set off towards the rest of the Strawhat crew, who were waiting for them at the Thousand Sunny.

As they walked, Luffy couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and wonder. He had always loved meeting new people and going on adventures, but there was something about Y/N that was different. She was strong and independent, but also kind and compassionate. And Luffy found himself drawn to her in a way that he couldn't quite explain.

Over the next few weeks, as they sailed through the Grand Line, Luffy and Y/N grew closer. They would explore new islands together and battling fierce creatures. And as they fought side by side, Luffy couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for Y/N's strength and bravery.

But it wasn't until one particularly harrowing battle that Luffy realized his true feelings for Y/N.

They had been fighting a group of marines, and Y/N had been injured in the fray. Luffy had been frantic with worry, his heart pounding as he watched her fight for her life. And when it was all over and they had emerged victorious, he found himself unable to contain his emotions any longer.

"Y/N," he said, as they sat together on the deck of the ship. "I...I don't know how to say this, but...I think I love you."

Y/N looked at him, surprise evident in her eyes. "Love me?" she repeated. "Luffy, I don't understand."

Well Robin and Nami said that this fuzzy feeling I have whenever I’m around you is called “love”

Luffy took a deep breath. "So I mean, I love you," he said. "Like...more than a friend. I want to be with you…forever.

#luffy headcanons #luffy x reader #luffy #one piece #falling in love #adventures #strawhats

[natlacentral]

Sokka Actor Defends Changes To Live-Action 'Avatar' Series: "You Have To Take Risks"

Sokka actor Ian Ousley opens up on creative changes to Netflix’s ‘Avatar’ series, what he fought to keep in the show, the hilarious cast group chat, and much more.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is in the pantheon of 2000s Nickelodeon shows. 

Since its debut in 2005, the animated series inspired several spinoff projects and a passionate, global fanbase—one that’s been particularly protective of the franchise following M. Night Shyamalan’s disgraceful 2010 adaptation. 

When it was announced that the series would be getting the live-action treatment at Netflix, fans were skeptical. Would this be another bomb, like the canceled Cowboy Bepop series? Or could it actually be something worthwhile for the franchise, like the recent adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece? 

Ian Ousley, the 21-year-old actor born in College Station, Texas, who plays Sokka in the Netflix version, knew it would be a daunting task adapting one of the most beloved animated stories of the 21st Century. But he says the cast had one common goal stepping into the project. 

“We’ve got to do this thing justice,” Ousley says. “What we want is to give people a true and faithful adaptation of a show that people grew up on and still love today.”

It seems like the live-action series has resonated with fans. In its first four days in the US, it secured the No. 1 spot on Nielsen’s streaming chart and garnered nearly twice as many views as the debut of One Piece. In a sign of faith, Netflix decided to greenlight Seasons 2 and 3, ensuring the series will at least get the opportunity to tell Aang’s whole story and possibly do right by the franchise’s legacy. 

Ousley sat down with Complex to reflect on the necessary changes for live-action, what he demanded to keep in the series, bonding with the cast, and much more. 

You were 19 when you signed on to the project. We're here now, two years later. How are you feeling?

IAN OUSLEY: Feeling older [Chuckles]. I feel great. We shot this project for 13 months in Vancouver. It's been almost a year and a half since VFX and all of that stuff. So it's kind of a weird situation to go from like, “Oh, you're gonna do 12 hours of work every day for 13 months.” Then it's like, “All right, here's your life for like a year and a half.” 

Then it gets released and it's like, “Oh, by the way, you did this thing and it's awesome, and you're it's going to come out and it's going to be crazy.” So it's been a funny, kind of roller coaster situation.

It was also a massive world tour, from Tudum in Brazil to all across the globe. What’s it been like interacting with fans ever since you joined? 

I mean, great. It is a very passionate fan base. I was part of that fan base at one point, so I really understand. Since it's been released, the fan reaction has been overwhelmingly positive from what I've seen, so I'm just really grateful that the fans like it honestly. Because I was in that same spot where I was like, “Oh my gosh, I really want this to be good.” 

Everyone on the cast and the creative side of things were really fans of the project, which is rare to find, a project that everyone is so passionate about. We were like, “Okay, this has to be good because there might have been a movie at some point that maybe wasn't so good.”

We were like, “Our whole goal is: we’ve got to do this thing justice.”

What was the casting process like? I heard it was done under cover, Ken Leung thoughthe was auditioning for a different franchise. How did all that go down? 

It was under a code name, so I did a self tape under the code name “Tradewinds” and thought it was just some Netflix original because it said Netflix but didn't say anything else. I had no idea it was Avatar at all. 

I did a bunch of Zoom callbacks, chemistry reads over Zoom, which is always funny because if you've ever been on a Zoom meeting in your life, there's that subtle delay, which is kind of awkward. So acting with that was pretty interesting. 

But we were in the midst of COVID, and I got the call that I actually got the role. The first reaction was, “Oh, my God. I'm playing Sokka.” And then I was like, “Oh my God, I'm playing Sokka. What the heck?” Like, so much pressure. 

Once you landed the role, how much Avatar content did you consume to prepare for the project?

To prepare, I just watched season one because I didn't want to have in my mind too much the arc of what Sokka goes through in seasons two and three. So I was religiously watching season one, like three or four times. Throughout the process of filming the show, just reminding myself of like, “Okay, we're here. Sokka is going through this.”

The animated show is basically the heart and soul of our show, but our show is different. It's live-action. Anything's going to be different when you take it from animation and put it into real people. So just trying to add those human elements into it, finding where they really didn’t get to dive into because it’s an animated series, trying to find where we could mix those human elements in. 

What were you most excited to tackle with the project? Anything you were really looking forward to? 

I was most excited for the stunts. Dallas [Liu, who plays Zuko] is a good friend of mine, and those were my favorite days, shadowing and getting to watch him do his martial arts in costume, which is very difficult. We're basically all in leather, so doing what he's doing is insane.

The costumes, that's what really transported us into the world. The first time I got my haircut and I'd put the costume on in the fitting and stuff, I was like, “Okay, this is really cool.” Once I had the wolf tail, it was over. I was like, “Oh my gosh. This is real.” And that's kind of where I saw it through, Not just my imagination anymore, it was like, “Oh, this is real.” 

What were the action and fight scenes like for you?

Great! My job is to lose most of them [Chuckles], but it was actually a really fun experience. We did a six-week-long bootcamp where we all learned how to bend all four elements, even though I'm a non-bender. The rest of that bootcamp was focused on me re-learning my martial arts background, which isn’t very hard.

I'm a third degree black belt in taekwondo and a world champion in weapons. So that was what was fun for me because Sokka's got a lot of weapons. He's got spears, he's got his boomerang, obviously. Later on he'll master the space sword, which I'm very excited for, hopefully. I mean, that's in the animated series. We don't have any scripts yet for season two and three, but yeah, it was really fun to do those scenes.

The behind-the-scenes pictures made it look like y’all were legit family, like homies. What was the bonding experience like on and off set? 

I mean, hopefully me and Dallas didn't seem like actual homies in the show, but we were roommates. We actually knew each other in L.A. beforehand, when we were like 15. It's a very long story, but we really were not fans of each other at all. So when I found out he got cast, I was like, “Oh my God, this is gonna suck. My life is going to suck for a year.”

We were supposed to be friends and then we just bonded throughout the bootcamp and the first month of shooting. We lived a block away from each other and we would always get dropped off at one person's house, go eat, come back to that person's house, and then seven hours before we had to be on set for the next bootcamp day, which is very intense because it's like eight hours of training, we'd be like, “Oh, crap, I've got to go home.” Go sleep in separate places, and then do it all again the next day. 

So after Christmas break, we were just like, “Dude, we've got to move in together.” So we ended up doing that, which was really cool. 

Do you guys have a group chat?

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

Does it have a special nickname like “OppenHomies” or something?

You know, that sounds more like what the Oppenheimer group chat is, is that what it is? “OppenHomies”? Oh, my God. That's so lit. 

We have one, it's “Shadow Wizard Money Gang.” I think there's a music producer who has that as his producing tag that was big for a while.

One day I opened my text and it said “Shadow Wizard Money Gang” with like a ton of emojis. And I was like, “What the hell?” And it was them. I was like, “Oh, cool.”

What are your cardinal rules for adapting an animated project into live action?

I think that, for one, I'll say that we love the animated show. All of us are fans of that, which is what we are trying to embody instead of emulate, is what I would say. A shot for shot remake of an animation to me personally is unnecessary. What we want is to give people a true and faithful adaptation of a show that people grew up on and still love today. 

That's what I would say to some of the critics: “I hear you and we love the animated show and it exists and is perfect for a reason.” I think that it's necessary to bring some differences to the show so that we can have some new content. You have to take risks, and I think we took some risks. Sometimes that really, really pans out and sometimes it doesn’t. I think that most of our risks really did. 

What I’d also say to this subject in general, I know it's a little bit off topic, but I feel like the first season of the animated show is so good, but it's hopping around a lot. We're going on little side missions here and there because we're trying to get to the Northern Water Tribe, and it really finds its voice in seasons two and three.

It's like, “We know what the show is, we know what we're going after, we know what the plot points are. We have Toph now. We have the Aang Gang. We have a mission. We’ve got to save the world.” I think that our show also has that opportunity in live-action.

We've gotten so much constructive criticism, which is why we all want to make the show as good as possible. Still, not just for season one, but season two and three. I think we really have that opportunity now as well to find our voice in season two and three. 

Was there anything that you felt particularly strong about that you felt Sokka needed to keep in the live-action?

One thing that I asked to keep that was almost not there was I'm wearing the Kyoshi armor in episode two. Originally I wasn't wearing the Kyoshi armor. In the animated show, it's kind of seen as a punch line. It's a punishment, like, “Here, throw this on if you want to train with us.”

For me, I went to the people that wanted to make that change and was like, “You know, I'm a martial artist. If I'm going to a jiu jitsu gym, I'm going to wear their uniform. It can be seen as a sign of honor and respect.” I think that's totally what it is.

So I was really happy that I got to keep that. It really was not anything intense, but it was just advocating for your characters. Always. Everyone always loves that because no one had ego on our set, which is something that's so important when trying to create something that's good is like, “Oh, I'm totally down to be wrong.”

What are your hopes for deepening your portrayal of Sokka? Anything you are excited to explore in Seasons 2 and 3?

I think that he evolves through his sense of responsibility. He evolves through his relationship with his sister a lot. The reason this question is hard to answer is because I don't have scripts yet, which helps me guide where that growth will come from. I'm kind of a psycho about trying to make the performance not one noted, even in one episode or one part of a season.

I had a whole serial killer wall, theories of all like, okay, “This season he's going through this. And then the reason it changes here is because…” and then once you do all of that work, you can throw it all away once you get on set and you kind of have a sense of purpose of why.

So I think I'm going to find out more of those specifics, I will find out more about that when I get those scripts. Hopefully soon. 

#natla #atla #avatar the last airbender #ian ousley #interview #complex #netflix avatar #netflix atla #avatar netflix #atla netflix

[blossom-adventures]

Kupo Con: Pom2, London, 15th & 16th September 2023

Where do I even begin! What a weekend!

Long story under the cut, because I need to tell you everything 😆

Starting off on Friday the 15th, we drove down to our hotel in Watford, which allowed us to get a train into London for Pre-Reg, which was available for Patreons of KupoCon, to get our tickets.

A lot of people were there and I probably knew half of them, or more, from the Discord Server but I was too nervous and shy to go over and say hello. Until I saw the only one I’d met previously, I went over and said hello! She then introduced me to one of the other people there, the cosplayer who won the “People’s Choice” Cosplay award last Kupo and who has been incredibly supportive of me every time I’ve shared progress on Discord and our meeting went like this… (using initials for privacy ☺️)

L: “Hey R this is P, from the discord!”

R: “Are you Blossom!?”

P: “Yes!”

R gives me a big hug

I spent a while talking with him and I think we became fast friends, I felt like I’d known him for ages! (Technically kind of had, because we’ve been talking in the discord) and I was really nervous but he was so lovely and made it so easy to talk to him!

Then, because of train times, we had to leave, but I’d met several of the other cosplayers (mainly Clives… no joke! I met 3 all at the same time!) and I was absolutely buzzing for the main event!

Saturday the 16th, the main event! Me and my mum got to the venue just as the doors opened, within 10mins I was in an elevator with a Noctis cosplayer, who jokingly asked if they’d survive this elevator ride! 😆 I then had a Sephiroth comment on my cosplay as I walked past

I met up with R because I knew how excited he was to see my cosplay, we had another hug (as much as we both could manage anyway; I was in a tight black coat and he was in full Clive cosplay) and he went off to support his friend who was dressed as FFXs Ifrit!

While waiting for the Opening Ceremony to start, I got given my first Masquerade Token! I was beside myself with excitement! I couldn’t believe it!

The Opening Ceremony was so fun! I met a friend who I’ve known online since December, which was amazing!

And then the Cosplay Parade happened! John Bentley (Barret FFVIIR) and Liam Mulvey (Libertus FFXV Kingsglaive) were presenting it, they were both so enthusiastic about it! I was really nervous because I was stepping up onto a stage in front of a lot of people, but I did it, and Liam’s reaction was priceless!

Then we went on our way, wandering the stalls and doing quests. Every time I passed R and his group, he checked in with me, to make sure I was ok and having a good time, which I really appreciated as it was my first Kupo and Cosplay.

Then I joined the queue to meet Liam… I said hello and gave him a print of a commission I’d had done earlier in the year and then he signed my own copy of the print… and then he gave me a Masquerade Token and I was lost for words! Because I didn’t realise the guests would also have tokens!

Riding that high, I decided to join the queue to meet John. And WOW! That man is amazing! He’s so lovely and excited and genuinely loves the community! Once he’d signed my print we went to get a picture, and he complimented me on my cosplay, when I said it was my first one, he was amazed! So he told his wife (who was holding my phone to take the picture for me) to video a message, which is of him saying how awesome my cosplay was, then he gave me another Token! I couldn’t believe it! I excitedly told R what had happened and he said how amazing that was too!

By the end of the day and the start of the Closing Ceremony I had been given 9 Tokens! I had been saying in the Discord Server that 1 or 2 would be amazing! But I got 9!!!

I stayed with R for the Closing Ceremony, chatting and laughing, someone he knew from a past event complimented me on my cosplay, which R instantly agreed with, he was so supportive of everything and I will always be grateful for that

Both the “People’s Choice” and “Staff Choice” award was won by a cosplayer who made, and was operating, Hell House from FFVII which was a much deserved win.

It was at the end of the Closing Ceremony that I got a selfie with Ben, I’d spoke to him briefly earlier, after his panel, saying that I was hoping to get into the queue to meet him properly, to which he replied “Ok, Ardyn!”

But looking at the line to meet him I knew I would miss the opportunity, so as he returned to finish off the signings that were waiting for him I asked if I could grab a selfie, and he said yes, as he ran off to his table he said how good my cosplay was too.

I went over to Liam and John to thank them once again for the Tokens they gave me, and how much they meant to me, they both responded with similar things; that it was deserved!

Feeling the lump in my throat from the emotions those compliments caused, I went over and said goodbye to R, knowing I’d likely not see him again face to face until February for the Birmingham KupoCon, I managed to keep it together until I got back to my mum, I started crying shortly after!

Please! If anyone has read this far who is a Final Fantasy fan I couldn’t recommend Kupo more! It was amazing! I’ve never felt so welcomed and included at a convention before and everyone I met was lovely and supportive

Next stop for me is Birmingham in February, until then… “Walk Tall, My Friends”

#blossom rambles #final fantasy #kupocon #cosplay

[fanficmaniatic]

Things I think would be Interesting to see in the second half of the season.

Spoilers for Dragons Raising Below:

I really do hope Jay & Cole are not together, not because I don’t like them together, but because their characters do really cool things when they are away from the other ninja.

First of Jay, who is the ninja who has had twice to lose all of the team without warranty that they could come back. How would he react when he finds himself alone in the blink of an eye? What will he do? How is he going to keep going?

I do think there is a chance we will be seeing a very different version of Jay, one that has become harder by having to survive years by himself in a land he doesn’t know. Jay has a tendency being loved by people… So imagine Jay is now ruling over a kingdom far away from where Ninjago once was, a kingdom that despite the merge has not connected with the rest of the land. Helping a community fight off Monsters that appeared after the Merge, having his own army… I don’t know, this are just my hopes, but I think it will be interesting to see something like this from the character that usually just takes the beating, you know?

Still on Jay… I don’t want him to be completely alone… I think that at some point after he gets to rule the Kingdom he should find Pixal, if anything I think Pixal should be the one helping him rule. Pixal and Jay, for 2 characters with so much in common, have barely interacted through the show and I would like for that to be fixed. They have similar interests, and I think that Jay’s self deprecating humor would bounce off pretty well from Pixal’s no nonsense one.

So imagine, Pixal wakes up in a land near the kingdom, survives by herself, too far away to try to reach Ninjago. Eventually Jay hears about a Mech flying around fighting monsters and he knows it has to be her, they stay working together after that.

And Now we go to Cole… and I am going to be honest and admit my biased feelings, he is my favorite, so, if he ends up being the last one we find I’ll be okey… if it is something similar to this:

When Cole is separated from the main group two things trend to happen: he either 1) starts a revolution, or 2) gets a new power up… And hey, if they start teasing that Cole is death once again wouldn’t it be fucking awesome if the dude was chilling in some unreachable place with a new set of powers?

I think it is very unlikely to find Cole completely by himself, he tends to make friends easily, so if he had to protect his new found friends from an enemy, l do believe the dude would have end up unlocking a new ability just by pushing himself. Earth and Energy have been shown to be very versatile elements so I would honestly not be surprised.

On that note, I lied, there is another thing I would be okey with seeing, and is Cole retiring… but not quite.

I am not so sure about how willing the show is the get rid of Cole after everything with Kirby Morrow (may he Rest In Peace), but if they wanted for Cole to take a step back in the show, I think a good way of doing it would be to give Cole a kid.

Imagine, the Ninja hear about an elemental master of Earth, they are happy and think this is their clue to find Cole. The find the elemental master but she is just a little girl. She would join the team and Cole would be back but he would became more of a background character who spends his time in the monastery helping out/ training the kids but not so much in missions. Kinda like Mysako in the earlier seasons (in rewards of screen time, not behavior). But this is probably not going to happen, who knows, I just want him to have kids, he would be a very good dad.

I just hope the second half is good, man.

#ninjago #dragons rising spoilers #dragon rising #pixal borg #pixal ninjago #ninjago cole #jay walker #cole brookstone #jay ninjago

[princesspastel8]

Chapter 12

Third POV

Another week has passed. Things have been quite quiet lately, and nothing to major in Eboni's life taking place. The therapy sessions are still in full swing, much to the teen's dismay. The bright side is Tiffany is finally leaving town to join her husband, Daniel, for work.

However, Eboni had to promise not to skip her sessions unless informing Tiffany beforehand if she couldn't attend. The reasons also had to be reasonable in the eyes of her foster mother. Eboni didn't like that sort of attention. She still didn't trust Tiffany. Something within her is preventing her from doing so.

Maybe it's the fact that the teen only has two people she'll ever consider her parents. Even after so many years since their studden passing, they still hold a special place in Eboni's heart. So much so that it leaves no room for any possible parenteral figures.

Eboni is currently waiting for the final bell to ring, signaling for the weekend. Luckily, the office that holds her sessions is closed on Fridays and throughout the weekend. It gives the teen some time to finally catch up on her 'me' time. Once the bell rings, all the teenagers storm out of the classroom, Eboni staying behind for a bit- waiting for the halls to clear out some.

Taylor walks into the room, waving at Eboni- Iris, coming in a few minutes later. The three have grown close after bonding over their near death experiences with the serial killers. Eboni has come to enjoy their company, laughing together and discovering new things about the other. She's come to realize she has many things in common with these girls.

Although the teen notices the secretive air that still looms around the two, she doesn't mind. It's understandable, considering Eboni is the new one within the friend group. Besides, she has secrets of her own - her biggest being Jeff.

The teen hasn't heard anything from the killer, nor has she felt watched. The closest hearing from him would be the news channel explaining its new homicides of the week. With each passing day, that feeling of longing for him grows more and more.

"Any plans today?" Taylor asked after blowing a bubble with her chewing gum.

"Not really. Might stop by the skate park. I road here on my rollerblades, So." Eboni answers with a shrug, standing from her desk.

"Damn girl! Ya know how to blade?" Taylor smiles, her rich country accent coming through.

Eboni places her bag over her shoulder before nodding her head. "Yeah. Do you?"

"Nah, only once in a while. Iris, though, is the shit! She's the one who taught me." She grins, nudging the shy gothic teen.

"I-I'm not that great. My big sister taught me when we were really young. I just m-made it more of a habit than she did.." Iris smiles softly, twiddling her fingers.

"Oh ya, right! I forgot. Let's stop by ya place ta' grab our shakes. Fuckin' hope Luna is there!" Taylor said, full of excitement.

"Luna?" Eboni questions while the three make their way through the empty halls and out the front door, her skates hand.

"My older sister." Iris said, smiling kindly.

"Yeah man she's fuckin' awesome!" Taylor exclaims.

"Mhm..." Eboni hums, placing on her rollerblades and helmet. "Lead the way."

"Iris house not that far. She lives a few blocks down." Taylor explains, walking along the sidewalk with Iris right next to her.

Eboni stayed a few feet behind, glancing around her surroundings so she'll remember her way to Iris home. The teen envys Iris. She wished she had a sibling. Eboni was never told why her parents didn't have more. She faintly remembers her parents always calling her their 'miracle child'. Thinking back, her mother probably couldn't conceive any more babies. Eboni's parents only showed happiness, love, and joy around her, so she couldn't pinpoint when they've found this out.

The three arrived at Iris home, the gothic girl unlocking the door with her keys. "Luna, I'm home! A-And brought a new friend over!" She said happily, taking Eboni's hand, leading her to the kitchen.

When in the kitchen, Luna turns away from the stove - smiling kindly at the three of us. "Hi, you guys! I'm glad you made it back....."

A pause, then a sudden eerie chill in the air the moment Eboni and Luna locked eyes. Eboni could feel it, her eyes staring straight into her soul. So unnerving, so annoying. The teen clenches her jaw, never breaking eye contact.

Iris watches wearily. Taylor, however, looks excited, knowing excatly what's taking place. She pats Iris shoulder to help soothe her. It's been a while since she witnessed her big sister in a deep trance.

After the long stare off, Luna breaks out of her trance- smiling nervously at Eboni. "Would you like to spend the night?"

Taken aback yet still uneasied, she answers sharply through her mask, "What?"

Taylor laughs, walking towards Luna, and takes her into a bear hug. "Ya vision thingy kicked in, huh?"

"The fuck is going-"

"M-My sister... she's always been rather special. She's able to see into a person's soul. Luna can see where a soul stands with light or darkness, its past and warning events of the future to come." Iris explained, hoping it would calm Eboni's growing uneasiness and frustration.

Eboni froze, turning to stare at Luna in horror. Could this mean she saw....everything? Everything she's been trying to hide, trying to keep from her new friends? This woman found out about her obsessions? Her desires? That day with Jeff....just from looking into her eyes?

"No...fucking way." Eboni thought to herself, slowly trying to back out of the kitchen.

"Wait! I'm sorry. It's....something I can't really control. I won't speak nor tell anyone what I saw. I promise Eboni." Luna said, her tone calm.

"Y-Yeah...alright, whatever. Are you guys gonna get your skates or what?" Eboni grumbles, trying to rush them.

"Be back in a bit! Come on, Iris -" Taylor said, dragging her away up the stairs.

Eboni was left with Luna, who still wouldn't stop looking at her. "Fucking- what is it!?" She snapped.

"Eboni....Listen carefully. I know your nature in how you may respond, but please stay here for the night. If you leave now, your life will never be the same. It will become much worse than you believe. You're playing with fire, which will end with you getting burned to ashes, so pl-"

The teen begins to laugh, pulling down her mask- Luna seeming unbothered by her scars. "I don't know what you're on, but I'm not staying here. I can protect myself."

"No, Eboni, you aren't listen! You'll turn into one -"

Luna was interrupted by Taylor and Iris, returning with their skates and helmets. "Let's roll!" Taylor cheers once the two put everything on.

Eboni moves towards the door, turning around to glance at Luna. She snorts at the look of worry in her eyes. Pulling up her mask, she spoke, "Nice meeting you- witch."

Her friends didn't hear since they were already outside. Luna was left stunned at the fact that Eboni was able to figure it out. The signs were obvious to her. Luna's strange ability, the odd decor around the house, the smell of burning sage, and of course, that weird smell coming from the huge pot she was standing over. All signs point to witch. At this point, nothing really surprises Eboni in what's real and what's not.

The three didn't spend much time at the skating park because of the unwanted attention they were getting from local boys. After punching a few assholes in the nose, the three skates over to a local cafe. They chat among themselves, eating large slices of cake and juice.

After that, they went shopping at a few stores, Taylor doing most of the shopping since both Iris and Eboni prefer shopping alone - for personal reasons, neither voiced to the other. Once the sky become shades of pink and purple, the three go their separate ways- wanting to get home before dark.

Eboni unlocks her front door, locking it behind herself. She takes her rollerblades and helmet off, making her way up the stairs to her room. The teen tenses, confused as to why her bedroom door is open with her light on. Her door was locked from the outside before she left for school. Slowly walking down the hall, she reaches into her sweatpants pocket, grabbing her knife.

Luna was right. She should've stayed over. Eboni can indeed protect herself, but if tonight's events are supposed to drastically shift her life for the worse- then she understood the fear she saw in Luna's eyes before leaving. However, what Eboni saw caused more humiliation than fear.

There stood Jeff, his white hoodie coated in fresh blood, his black locks wild, and his ruby eyes wide and crazed as before. He turns his attention from the paper in his hands to Eboni.

Stretching his signature smile with a grin, he speaks, "Been awhile, huh princess?"

#Spotify #jeff the killer #jeff the killer x reader #jeff the killer x you #ben drowned #eyeless jack #laughing jack #sally williams #bloody painter #yandere #creepypasta #creepypasta x reader #creepypasta x you #bdsmplay #bdsmkink #bdsmlife #bwwm love #bwwmromance #dark romance #horror #cw: gore #triggers #slenderman #ticci toby #tim masky #hoodie #zalgo #zalgo creepypasta #creepypasta smut #smut

[butterflydm]

wot on prime rewatch: 1x01 leavetaking

spoilers for all of season one of the show; I’m going to do a reblog of this post to include book-related thoughts that go past The Eye of the World.

1. There are several things that I really love about Moiraine’s intro scene: it sets up the two items that she uses at the EotW (the sa’angreal and the knife) and she is wearing PANTS thus immediately already trimming away one of Jordan’s super-weird continent-wide gender quirks where It Is a Weird Thing for women to wear pants. Moiraine’s traveling outfit gives me life. But, frankly, the pants were the first thing that made me believe that we would be getting a genuinely UPDATED version of the story, without all the super-weird stuff about how men and women are so impossibly different that they can’t ever understand each other (even when, ex. the woman in question is behaving remarkably similar to your male friend that you have no issue understanding, and vice versa) and that was so exciting to me. And I’m still excited about it! Another thing that I love is Moiraine talking about how arrogant the ~men~ were to believe they could cage darkness in one big pre-emptive strike and then that’s basically exactly what she takes Rand off to do at the end of S1.

2. In S1E5, we find out that what Liandrin and her Red Ajah sisters do here is extremely illegal! They are not supposed to be hunting down male channelers and gentling them on the spot, they are supposed to take them back to Tar Valon for trial (...when they will get gentled, so for the actual men, it’s something of a distinction without a difference). This is also our first look at the ‘madness’ that afflicts male channelers due to the corruption and I’m really curious about how this will continue to be portrayed as we get more men channeling in the future.

3. The first appearance of Moiraine’s wishful thinking appears in this scene (arguably, the first appearance of her wishtful thinking is in the intro scene when she says that the Dragon might be reborn as a girl; that would definitely make things easier for her!), when she insists that the man that Liandrin just gentled CANNOT be the Dragon Reborn. She happens to be right in this case, but this attitude works less well for her when we get to the end of the season.

4. And then we get the super-awesome shot of the tall ‘moss-covered mountains’ that are actually abandoned skyscrapers. Perfect match for the Age of Legends scene that we get at the end of the season. Continue to love how they wove in the post-apocalypse threads. Subtle but once you know, you can see it in lots of place.

5. I really like how this opening scene with Egwene is all very metaphorical for how embracing saidar is described in the books. And getting our first glimpses of Egwene and Nynaeve is great, but I also like how it’s in the context of this woman-only group in their community because that’s a huge part of their story that they will need to navigate in the future (we know they’re both planning to head to the White Tower as of the end of S1). I do think it’s very interesting how the ‘Women’s Circle’ is not a governing body here but rather the community that all women join when they’re old enough for a braid. I don’t think we get any mentions of the Village Council or Bran as the Mayor either. The Two Rivers seems purely people chilling without a leader and just being a small community together.

6. The locations are so pretty. So, we get introduced to Moiraine & Lan, then Liandrin, then Egwene & Nynaeve, and now we have Rand and Tam. Tam is remembering the old days. Aw, this intro with Rand and Tam is cute, plus it does set up: wolves acting strangely, that Rand’s mom is out of the picture (implied dead), and him and Egwene as childhood sweethearts.

7. I think the show did a good job of marrying together the different backstories that Rand and Egwene’s romance have in the series. In the show, they’re first loves, currently in a relationship but inexplicably not married for reasons that perhaps neither of them could put a finger on if you asked them directly. Before Egwene gets the Wisdom apprentice invite, I imagine they would both vaguely say, “oh you know. we’ll get married some day” and then just keep not doing it.

8. This set of scenes in the Winespring does a good job setting up the friendship between the three boys. We see Rand and Perrin worrying over Mat losing money; and then Perrin also comes over to talk to Rand when he notices him brooding off by the wall. And Mat, in his more teasing way, is trying to make sure that the three of them stay connected as a friendship unit, even if Perrin is married and Rand is with Egwene and off in the mountains most of the year besides. And Perrin and Mat are both introduced in context of their friendship with Rand. This scene is also used to show how insular the Two Rivers is, hearing news of the world only second or third-hand.

9. Lan and Moiraine are such drama llamas, I swear. So Dramatic at all times. Nynaeve gets positioned as the village Protector even here in this introduction -- she’s the one that challenges Lan and tells him to name himself. Nynaeve and Rand are the two characters set up to be the most distrusting of Moiraine, but we see a lot of whispering between villagers in the background.

10. It’s an interesting set of shots that they set up here, actually, given some of what happens later. The people that Moiraine looks at: first, it’s Mat with the girl that we find out later that he stole from; then Nynaeve with Lan in the foreground; and finally Egwene with a shot that racks focus to include Rand and Perrin behind her (who will have a brief love trangle-ish moment later on in the season). But I like this shot of Moiraine looking around and clocking all the potential people who might be the correct age to be the Dragon Reborn.

11. Again, on a rewatch, Perrin’s secret crush on Egwene (and Nynaeve’s knowledge of it) is actually made pretty clear.

12. We get introduced next to Mat’s change in backstory which I’ve personally thought was a brilliant choice from the beginning. Mat’s background feels fairly disconnected from his characterization in the books and this new backstory grounds him as a character, gives him some strong motivations and some strong personal fears. It does add a slightly darker/seedier side to the Two Rivers, in that the Cauthons have clearly fallen through the cracks, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing either.

13. But the set-up here really is heartbreaking for Mat -- a father that is constantly breaking his mother’s heart, a mother who is so consumed by her husband’s betrayal that she’s barely a mother to her children, and Mat left to essentially parent his little sisters. And it sets up Mat as someone who has both strong reasons to want to be far away from the Two Rivers (to escape his family and the reputation his family would have in the village) and to return to the Two Rivers (to take care of his sisters). And he’s also set up as someone who only has his ‘true self’ seen by a handful of people -- his sisters, Rand, and... potentially Perrin, though Perrin doesn’t get as much screentime about it, and potentially Nynaeve as well -- and everyone else sees this surface gloss of who he is, including Moiraine, Egwene, and his own parents.

14. I do actually wonder if part of the reason that they cast the sisters so young was because filming just takes a long time, longer than the books are set in, so they may just be planning to have the events of the books take place over a longer time frame.

15. We do see here than Egwene and Rand’s relationship is definitely favored by both his father and her parents. Tam and Rand stay behind after everyone else has left to help the al’Vere’s clean up the inn, essentially acting as in-laws already. The scene between them alone is really good, too, and you can feel the tension of Egwene having something to tell Rand and being uncertain about it, and Rand is clearly aware that something is Going On but isn’t sure he wants to know, and so they ended up sleeping together first and then dealing with their actual issues afterwards.

16. I also really really love the platonic bath scene with Moiraine and Lan. Nonsexual and nonromantic intimacy between people who are essentially platonic life-partners at this point. It’s a great look under the ~dramatic~ surface that they were portraying to the villagers earlier. And it’s nice that our first bit of nudity is a guy’s butt. And I love the implication that, over the years, Moiraine has embraced some of the customs from Lan’s homeland.

17. Rand does essentially take this as something of a break-up while Egwene seems more torn on whether it is or isn’t. But then part of the issue that they end up running into later on in this episode and at the end of the season, is that Rand likes to process things alone in his head and Egwene wants to talk it all out as it’s currently happening, so they have some communication incompatibilities but it isn’t chalked up to Women are just Like This and Men are just Like That, the way that things like that tend to be spun as in the books.

18. And the intro to Padan Fain, where we find out that he acts essentially as Mat’s fence for items stolen from people in the Two Rivers works really well and it just... it does make me sad about how the show had to get adjusted post-Covid, and was not able to have Mat end out the season facing off against Fain, as I’m sure he was originally supposed to do. Fain’s whole speech about how he hated going to the Two Rivers every year would have hit harder if he’d been saying it to Mat.

19. We do see here, in a more subtle way, how most of the villagers are eyeing Moiraine and Lan suspiciously.

20. The sort of semi-post-relationship conversation with Egwene and Rand on the mountainside is very good as well. That she knows where to look for him when he’s in a thoughtful/brooding mood and the actual content of the talk as well. Honestly, I feel so puzzled by a lot of the complaints from some people about Rand’s behavior towards Egwene that I saw? It all makes perfect sense to me? She breaks up with him but then, next episode, she wants him to be instantly over any heartbreak and, at the same time, offer her boyfriend-type cuddles at night. And I get it from Egwene’s PoV too -- it’s a very stressful situation and she’s used to looking to Rand for comfort in stressful situations, so she’s going back to her instincts/old habits. But it’s just weird how I saw people call him clingy when she is the one who literally tries to physically snuggle up with him after she breaks up with him? How is he supposed to ‘just get over her already’ when she’s doing stuff like that? idk some people don’t seem to expect men to have human emotions and it’s weird to me. She’s allowed to be nostalgic about him to Aram but he’s not allowed to be nostalgic about her.

21. Rand had a whole Vision about his future (not the magic kind) and he needs some time to adjust to that vision changing. And, like... that’s fair and completely a normal human reaction to being broken up with and I do not understand why I saw so many people being weird about it when this set of episodes aired. It’s not like Rand had a made-up fantasy about Egwene -- they were literally in a romantic and sexual relationship! That ended extremely abruptly! And then they all got traumatized by having their village attacked! Even without the additional trauma that Rand was operating under, his behavior made sense.

22. Nynaeve and Moiraine do get off on such a hilariously bad footing here. Moiraine takes such a terrible approach to trying to feel Nynaeve out on her parentage, etc. Though I can see how the sort of overwhelming presence that she’s trying to use here would work against a lot of people, but it just majorly puts Nynaeve’s back up. I’ve thought a lot about how Rand might react to learning that Moiraine sent the Red Ajah after Mat, but Nynaeve would also have an extremely explosive reaction, especially because she shows a lot of sympathy and understanding for Mat in Primeverse.

23. Aaah, Nynaeve firmly establishing herself as The Protector of the Two Rivers Folk and she is, she so very much is. Zoë Robins is just so perfect as Nynaeve and I love her in the role so much. The casting is so on-point.

24. We get another establishing friendship scene with our three boys. And Mat just instantly can tell something’s wrong with Rand, even as Perrin is just like ??? about it. He susses out that it’s about Egwene and that it was Really Bad in terms of their relationship. Then a little later, we also get the bit where Rand and Perrin give some money to Mat so that he can buy lanterns for the girls. There really is kinda a vibe where Mat is extremely emotionally aware of both Rand and Perrin, and while Rand and Perrin are both emotionally aware of Mat, they are not particularly aware of each other. Which tracks with Perrin having a secret crush on Egwene and that making himself distance himself from Rand (slightly). Rand and Perrin still care about each other but don’t ever really get the one-on-one scenes that Rand and Mat, and Mat and Perrin get. But they did a really good job setting up these three as a close friend group.

25. And we do see that Egwene is also sad over the ending of her relationship with Rand (she’s crying on the bridge) and Nynaeve comes to listen to the wind with her. I do think it’s interesting that they set up both Nynaeve and Egwene as each having strong bonds to two of the boys but somewhat-to-mildly disapproving of the third one -- Nynaeve is very compassionate with Rand and Mat later on, but tells Perrin to go home to his wife; Egwene was in a romance with Rand and trauma-bonds with Perrin, but has a more antagonistic view of Mat. It makes things feel more complex than they were in the books, imo.

26. Oh, hey, that’s a beeswax candle! Nice. I love what they did with the candle ceremony. The show did such an interesting thing where it made the whole Wheel and the reincarnation feels a lot more like a vibrant cultural aspect than it does in the books. It influences the Two Rivers beliefs here and it influences the Tuatha'an people’s beliefs when Perrin talks to them in later episodes. It just really grounds the people’s behavior when it’s attached to these spiritual rituals (and I am saying this as an atheist who does not personally perform any spiritual or religious rituals -- I don’t do it, but it is a very common part of the human experience and it makes sense that it would have this kind of impact on people who live in this world). And the whole idea that the candles light the way for souls to come back and then you have a celebration to remind them of what’s worth coming back for.

27. The little touch of Nynaeve setting out the candle on the other side of the river and wiping away her tears immediately and walking away, because she feels like she needs to be strong for the village and not let them see her show her pain. And then her not dancing at Bel Tine. Those little touches showing how she has to set herself slightly apart from all of them.

28. The horror of the Trolloc attack in the middle of the dancing works really well, imo. We don’t see any of this in the book because we’re entirely in Rand’s PoV but this whole section does set up a lot: we see Mat going back into danger to act as a protector, we set up Perrin having an understandable trauma centered around the violence of the axe, we get Nynaeve trying to protect the villagers and Egwene by her side ready to fight with her, we see the initial panic of the villagers and then them rallying together, we have Padan Fain sneaking off in the middle of the attack, and we get Rand and Tam dealing with that same horror in isolation up mountain. And we get to see how well Aes Sedai and Warders work as a team, which was very cool and useful. They did a good job with the choreo there, because it really does feel like they can anticipate each other’s moves. And Egwene and Nynaeve both get a close look at what Aes Sedai are capable of accomplishing.

29. We don’t get to see Rand and Tam’s conversation in the woods here, but since this is a rewatch, we all know that it happened and will impact Rand’s behavior going forward. He just found out that his dad picked up a kid in the aftermath of a battle and took him home, so he’s got an identity crisis going on in the background of every scene that he’s in from this point forward.

30. I’m just gonna feel bad for Egwene for a moment, because she went through the rough journey of believing that Nynaeve was dead from here until they’re reunited in E6, and then post-E8, she is potentially going to be told/implied to that Rand is dead as well. Anyway, like I mentioned above, I totally understand why Egwene seeks Rand’s comfort in E2 because this is a very traumatic experience.

31. Moiraine and the Winespring collapsing together is such a cool shot. I really love it. Epic. And Lan covering her to shield her from the debris. What an amazingly visual illustration of what a Warder does.

32. Rand arriving back to the absolute ruin of the town. Heartbreaking. Ah, and Egwene telling Rand that Nynaeve ‘is gone’. Just this whole section of people counting up their losses is heartbreaking. And the little moments of connection in the tragedies, like Egwene and Rand hugging each other or Mat putting his hand on Perrin’s shoulder. Interestingly, the hand motions that Moiraine does here to heal Tam are similar from what I remember of how she draws Shadar Logoth’s corruption from Mat, both scenes that Rand witnesses.

33. Rand immediately challenges Moiraine which was another thing that viewers held against him despite it... making sense? He talks about the same sort of logic later on re: Thom as well -- that it’s possible that the convenient stranger who showed up right before the trouble conveniently helped them in order to win their trust. Rand doesn’t know that Moiraine is getting Protagonist Hero Shots.

34. The things that Moiraine tells them (notably: she tells them because Rand challenged her): that an Aes Sedai saw glimpses of the future twenty years ago, that the Dark One is waking, that his whispers are in the backs of their minds, and that the Dragon (the one person who can stand against the Dark One) has been reborn and is one of the four of them. And that they need to leave, because the Trollocs are chasing them, specifically, and if they stay then the town will be destroyed.

35. I’m also intrigued by the implication that maybe the entire village just learned that one of their four kiddos is the Dragon Reborn? Since Moiraine isn’t leaving in secret the way that they did in The Eye of the World. It’s difficult to say, because everyone else is busy working on the town and we don’t get reaction shots. But everyone does know that their four kiddos are very publicly leaving with the Aes Sedai and it’s clear that there were goodbyes, if short ones, so even if they don’t know that the Dragon is involved, they do know more than the Two Rivers knew in the book.

36. Love getting that iconic ‘a wind rose’ line. <3

#wot rewatch #wot on prime #wot #wheel of time #moiraine damodred #lan mandragoran #nynaeve al'meara #egwene al'vere #rand al'thor #mat cauthon #perrin aybara #the wheel of time #wotwatch

[davyjoneslockr]

uhhh how about Abbacchio for the ask game? (sorry I won’t stop hyping them up they are so cool)

(For this ask game)

First impression: Tbh I actually really really liked him from the beginning. Grumpy Old Man who is actually 21 is such a funny character concept, and when they revealed his backstory and stand? Immediately in love. Adore characters who can’t escape the past and, in his case, are quite literally doomed to eternally repeat it.

Impression now: Still love him!! I wish he had more of a fleshed-out character arc in some respects, but I like that his final moments are framed by him doing a simple, mundane act of kindness, and leaving a final message that only Giorno can interpret, implying that he’s finally come to trust him. He’s one of the better-written characters in Vento Aureo imo, and I just find him really interesting. The little snippets we get of him in Purple Haze Feedback really add to his character, too :]

Favorite moment: Is it too basic to say “the only time I’m at ease is when I’m with you, Bucciarati” boat scene. Because Bruabba Brain aside, like. What an awesome monologue and insight into his character, especially when you think back to another favorite scene of mine during the Man in the Mirror fight, where he basically outlines his desire to serve something greater than himself. Which you would normally take as him being sort of subservient to the most powerful force at play, but by getting on the boat, he shows that he still has agency, and, even if it’s a losing battle, he’s more interested in defending what’s right rather than what’s most comfortable. Great stuff.

Idea for a story: PRE-CANON STUFF I LOVE YOU PRE-CANON STUFF. I need to write more about the fucked up weird little group dynamic between him, Bucciarati, and Fugo in the early days of the gang. Especially when he first joins, and they’re all getting slowly adjusted to one another like a bunch of skittish cats.

Unpopular opinion: Hate it when people say he’s the dad of the group. He’s not a dad just by virtue of being with Bucciarati (whose role as a “parental figure” I do buy but in a tragic fucked up way but that’s another rant). He’s the grizzled old grandfather who sits on his porch and throws peanut shells at kids who step on his lawn, but if you sit down next to him for a while he’ll tell you stories that’ll change your life, and he’ll pretend to be annoyed by you but he’ll let you have a sip of beer and call you “kid.” Do you understand me.

Favorite relationship: Him and Bucciarati obviously. Near-religious devotion and regarding him as your savior but still calling him a freak every now and again so awesome. But I also really love his relationship with Fugo that’s touched on in Purple Haze Feedback, and I like how, despite unreliable narrator Fugo thinking they weren’t close, so much of the person Fugo becomes is a reflection of Abbacchio. You became the very thing you sought to destroy etc etc.

Favorite headcanon: He knits and crochets. No reason behind this really, I just think it’d be nice and therapeutic for him. He likes to knit scarves, blankets, etc for the rest of the gang, leave them in their rooms, and pretend they weren’t from him. Everyone catches on, but they know he’ll deny it, so they don’t say anything.

#jjba #jjba headcanons #leone abbacchio

[scoops404]

Droncert report!!

Okay this got long so, it's under the cut <3

Hi, it's me! Okay well, here's a little anecdote from me. I'll walk you guys through the whole shebang. I worked all day Wednesday and then packed up, grabbed my dog, and drove an hour to my parents house in the suburbs so I could leave Padme there (my dog, Padme Amidala). Got there pretty late (wanted to miss traffic), went to bed trying to sleep early, knowing I needed to be up early enough to make it Orlando with plenty of time. The plan was to have enough time to take a quick nap when I got to my hotel.

Padme woke me up like 3 times throughout the night to go potty (I think a bit of leftover anxiety, she always knows when something's happening, when I pack a suitcase lol). Anyway, didn't sleep very well because of that. BUT!!! I found an awesome audiobook to listen to by Naomi Novik called "Uprooted" and it's so good but so long and I'm still listening to it. Fun fact, Naomi Novik is astolat on ao3 and started ao3 and I adore her.

I only stopped once for like 20 minutes to get gas and to text my discord that I made it to Florida, and I just kinda cruised getting more and more excited (but also anxious) -- got to the hotel. The check in girls were like oh you're just here for a night, what are you doing? and i was like okay well, don't judge me, BUTTT... and they were really sweet that I drove in for one night for a concert. ANYWAY, got to my room, took a much needed shower, texted KB to figure out where she is (KB, for those of you who don't know is one of the kindest people in the fandom, an older fan, but SOOO lovely with comments and spreading positivity, etc and I'm lucky enough to be in a discord with her and we realized we were both going so we figured we'd meet up. If she wasn't going, I probably wouldn't have gone, so I really owe her)

KB walked me through getting there, parking, picking up my ticket, etc. So i ended up getting there around 4ish. Got a corndog and took two bites before it broke (sad) and then went and found KB. She was in line with the other fans who got there at noon, and I could already see the VIP line and catbeanies everywhere lol. It was so cute!

Then, I knew Leah thievesluck had made a cat beanie for me so I wanted to meet up with her. She's sooo nice and has always been really kind online and that definitely transferred into real life. She was standing in the VIP line with puppybird and kyrankat (kkmbrly as I think of her) who were also both incredibly kind and we got to talk fics and writing and reading lol.

Back with KB, the girl in line behind me (she had to be like 18 but i am so bad with ages on people now) was really sweet and getting excited when new fans would walk by to join the end of the line. She had gathered the little group around us and everyone was talking about their favorite things and passing around chargers and bracelets. It was really sweet! She mentioned Ira snowdrmr who is one of my friends in the writing sphere and I DM'd Ira really quick to be like omg someone said something so sweet about you (because my favorite thing to do is spread when someone says something nice about one of my friends or one of their fics, lol)

Once the VIPs got in, they moved our line up to in front of the house of blues and put a water thing at the front, so we got a few shots of water, which was really thoughtful. Everyone was checking twitter and looking at the pictures of Dream and George arriving, and later when Sapnap arrived. The girl in front of me was a bit older (maybe 22ish? once, again, bad with names) but she had really lovely purple highlights in her hair and she was on a twitter space. Someone behind us passed glowsticks up so I put one around my neck like a necklace. I can't stress enough how sweet everyone was being and like safe and secure in a group of people who all love dream. No one made me feel weird for being older, which was appreciated haha.

Anyway, so then it starts raining... yikes. People shared umbrellas with strangers and I turned my back to the rain and just let it hit my back and so I was fine. I think they let us in a little early because of the rain (if so, thank you!) so we went in and got very good spots, dead center, and like halfway back. For two hours fans kept each other entertained by writing things on their phones and holding them up and then everyone would cheer. It was really quite (thought tbr it got a little annoying after a while but i am OLD and my patience was wearing thin after driving all day on no sleep and very little food, so I knew i was just being cranky so i let it go)

KB was the first person to spot manager Ken and then like ten minutes later everyone else did, and then we entertained ourselves watching people play rock paper scissors with him from the balcony. From our spot halfway up, we couldn't see much of the balcony but we could see him on our left (stage left?) and later, I spotted hannah on the other side. Very proud of the fact that I was the first person to see Hannah and then everyone else kinda picked up on it and made her a bit uncomfortable with the attention (oops - but also, that was during the droncert, and this was before still).

The DJ comes on and it turns out he's a friend of Yung Gravy which is kinda cute, then, that Dream had him come on. He made a power point for us and it was called "Drorlando" where he wrote some things about the city and then we jammed for thirty minutes and got all hyped.

I heard rumblings of maybe drantis being there? I thought it was weird. A girl around me tried to call the venue, I saw online later that might have worked? Seems weird to pay money to go see a guy you like, but okay? Also, yall, i am SO nosy like i was in my element eavesdropping on everyone, it's one of my favorite things to do and when you're packed that tightly, there's no room for secrets.

AND THEN...

Dream came on and it was magical. My first impression, I'm so sorry to say and it's with all the love in my entire heart, but his head is massive. Like it's so big. I didn't think much of it in pictures but standing twenty feet from him, it's a big head. And I love him so much. The cat beanies being too small makes so much sense now. It's a big head and a lot of curls and he looked amazing and sounded amazing and I love him. This was my main takeaway because it shocked me so much, but he looked great. He's a big dude. (I also had this thought when I met Dan and Phil years ago, like they're bigger IRL than on screens - something about when you can see them in relation to your own size, it makes sense somehow?)

Anyway, the concert went about like I thought! You could tell he was definitely live singing at points because 1) the mic but also 2) he would stop in the middle of the stage and close his eyes like he was really focusing on it. ((Once again saying this with all the love in my heart and I have no problem with it because it's a live show and I'd rather have a good show than 100% real authentic vocals the entire time, but it was clear there was parts with the track playing. But also, I noticed this at the Taylor Swift concert so once again, I don't care, but I did want to point it out that the times he was clearly live singing were VERY good. He sang parts of Panic Attack for us with no music or backing or anything and then we sang it back, and that sounded really really good, so, grain of sand and all that))

We played games in between some songs, which I liked because the EP is only like 19 minutes and even with the added songs, none of them are like long rambling songs, so it was fine with me to add some fun elements. [this is where he went to change his clothes and for a few seconds in between with nothing to keep our attention, I spotted Hannah]. Quickly, though, Sapnap came out and we had to pick the correct Dream and I'm very happy to announce that I knew right away which Dream was *our* Dream. It did make me wonder who the guys were under the other masks but whatever

There was another bit later with balls in the audience and we were supposed to put them in the basket for the song we wanted, slowed down version of Slow Down versues sped up version of Everest (which he had just played so we were all kinda eager for the song we hadn't heard yet) he said "balls" really funny and we laughed at him, and then he told us we sucked at the game later, which was funny and definitely something only our Dream would say to us. Like it's hard to imagine JLo playing a concert and telling her fans they suck at something and them liking it, lol, it was funny.

There were a couple times he sat down which was bad for me because I couldn't see him, but the pictures I've seen since then looked awesome.

Anyway, I spent my time singing along and recording the songs my friends definitely wanted to see all the while my phone battery dropped down below 10%. I also was trying to make eye contact and let him know he was doing great (like a fun auntie lmao) and I think it worked once or twice -- i was like dead center and halfway back and I'm kinda tall so he might have seen me.

And then he announced he was done (a lie, we all know concerts go like that) and we chanted for him to come back, and THEN we chanted for GeorgeNotFound lmao and then he came back out and announced he had 3 more songs and then announced "gogy" and I recorded that song and omgggg it was so funny. Later I put that one on twitter because i focused EXCLUSIVELY on George like the simp I am. Panic Attack and Trust Issues were both also really cool and I think I'll have to listen back later and let the lyrics take me tf out but when he got to the part of trust issues he hadn't finished and literally sang "i didn't finish these lyrics here" it was very funny and painfully Dream, like so endearing.

Anyway, that's all I can report back on the actual event itself. Very fun! I met up with Pondsofkoi right after the droncert and then I was about dead tired from driving all day, no food, very little water, a ball of anxiety in my chest all day, and standing for hours, so I went back to my hotel and passed tf out. Woke up the next morning and drove home and then made my parents feed me while I picked up Padme.

And here I am! Oh, and I did watch the twitch part of sapnap's stream last night which was fun

I do want to say, I love Dream so much. I admire him because he doesn't do anything halfway. He puts his entire Dreamussy into everything and anything he does and he doesn't stop until it's as excellent as he can make it. He's innovative and charismatic, and I just think he has the biggest heart (and head lol) in the world. He could have easily become bitter after the way he's been treated, could have become acerbic and rude and closed off, but instead, he's open and loving, and kind, and overflowing with creativity.

#droncert #scoops live from the scene #except later

[citrus-cactus]

Otakon 2023 Wrap-Up Post!

Otakon 2023 was this past weekend, and I gotta say I had a great time! (if that wasn’t obvious. From the deluge of posts about the digimon movie redubs). That was the main reason I went this year, and the screening took up a significant portion of my time there (WORTH. EVERY. MILLISECOND.), but during my one day I was able to blitz through the main halls as well. And I met @ahiddenpath ! That was AWESOME!!! She’s incredibly sweet, and we got to walk through Artist Alley together and talk (irl!!!) about Digimon, fandom, and life ☺️

My con haul!! I was like, “eh, it’s not that much” but some might beg to differ, including me, now that I look at it all together 😅 Most of it came from the Dealer’s Hall. There is one vendor who is a huge Digimon fan herself and sells a TON of amazing digi-merch, and that’s where most of my money went, ahahaha. She not only had some amazing hard-to-get figures and blind boxes (the Adv. kigurumi figures and Piedmon keychain set), but some Frontier 20th Anniversary merch as well! HOW CAN I SAY NO TO THAT??? That is a GIANT TAKUYA ACRYLIC STAND (which I would prefer to be a bit smaller), but aaah!!!! 🤩 I randomly got Sora from a blind box (💖), as well as Koji-in-pajamas (!!), and spent a little extra to get Takeru unwrapped. Unwrapped Jyou was the same price as a random blind box, because she said no one wants him and she always has extras! Can you believe it?? JYOU! 😭 Hidden and I agree that she’s not reaching enough of this audience on Tumblr, because HOW DO YOU NOT LOVE JYOU? Look at his face! He HAD to come home with me 😤

Ahem. Anyway, I found those oldschool Fox Kids-looking vinyl clings at a separate stall that sold a lot of vintage 90s stuff. Dub merch!! I do have a small collection of that.

The pencil-board… folder… thing… is two-sided and I believe it was originally an extra with a specific issue of Animedia that covered both tri and Appmon! I had to. Because APPMON (also I do love that tri art) 🥺

Some close-ups of the small stuff! The resin statue of the mountains came from Artist Alley (actually, a friend of Hidden!) because it reminds me of home. I also really liked the moon-shaped pendant. And a citrus pin! MY BRAND!! I have a shirt with Togemon on it (the cactus), but I have a hard time finding citrus merch, so YES, I can now rep my full screen name in an outfit 👍👍👍 One lone Goomy pin is my sole Pokemon purchase this year. “Hen with a Tie” cracked me up (if you’re an anime dinosaur like me, you know), and the Mimi button was actually a gift from Hidden! 😭

Finally, Takeru and Jyou side-by-side, where they belong ☺️ The contrast of their poses/expressions cracks me up!

Takeru: I think I’ll cause problems on purpose.

Jyou: NOOOOO PLS MY BLOOD PRESSURE!!!!

So there you have it: the results of an intense and incredibly exciting digi-day! I’m still so shocked that my local con got this amazing premiere, and I got to watch the whole thing (er… when I wasn’t live-texting information to certain people who couldn’t be there in person, lol!). I’m SO incredibly grateful to the Discord group for notifying me about it, because otherwise I probably wouldn’t have even gone to the con at all this year!

Really hoping I can see my OG con buddy either at Otakon 2024 or her local con, so she can take a well-earned break from being a new mom and join in on the fun! 🤞🤞🤞

#digimon adventure #digimon frontier #appmon #appli monsters #otakon 2023 #con wrap-up #the cactus speaks #I know that’s not how being a parent works but I can dream!!

[romaine2424]

Daily Blog June 23, 2023

When I used to post on LJ I would often have a post called Tidbits, that is what I think today's post will be like. A lot of unrelated things, but then again some are. Hope you enjoy.

What I'm Reading:

The Light More Beautiful by @firethesound. It's 4 chapters and around 81K. I'm close to finishing chapter 3 and will do so later tonight along with the last chapter. Family and house responsibilities intruded on my fandom fun. LOL I'm so enjoying the story. I really really like reading and writing about older H/D (meaning not Hogwarts or 8th year). Here, I think they're in there late 20's. The fic is canon divergent at some point in HBP where a potion accident happens that effects them greatly, however, the main part of the story takes place 13 years later.

Draco has been trained as an Auror in the US and specializes in creating spying instruments and other things that help Aurors (think of Q in James Bond). Harry is training Aurors since he was waylaid by an injury, which I've yet to discover what happened to him. Draco returns to the UK to find out Pots and Pans (I love this so much), who are Harry and Pansy are best buds. And Draco also returns with his huge crush on Harry fully intact. The interplay between H/D is top notch with lots of sparks, hilarious banter, but also soft moments. Truly lovely. Oh and the acronyms!!! Highly recommend! Can't wait to finish it tonight.

Tumblr Posts of Interest:

Francesca Coppa, one of the original OTW founders, made a post about joining @fanhackers (A place where fans, academics, aca-fans and all manner of enthusiastic fannish people can come together and squee over cool research.) If you enjoy meta and fandom research definitely give a follow, too.

2. The the @thedrarrylibrarian hosts Happy Hour on Fridays with friends of the Library. I'll do a separate post later about @thedrarrylibrarian because they're awesome! But what caught my eye is their hosting @phdmama. Usually, the person they select recs a story that they love that hasn't gotten much play. @phdmama, however, chose to discuss re-reads. This is the way she so artfully stated her reasoning, "Reading, quite literally, has saved my life and transformed it. So I thought I’d highlight of few of those fics that have impacted me so profoundly. These fics are comfort food for my brain. These are fics I come back to, over and over and over again. They live in my soul." And I nodded my head reading her choices. I hope you check out the post and her selections.

What crossed my mind while reading the post was that there are fics that are in my top 10 favs, that I've only read once. I call them my Saving Private Ryan fics. Seeing that movie was an experience, one I'll never forget, but I don't think my heart could handle a second time. I put Frayach's The Price We Pay for Wings in this category. I will never understand how that fic is only 13K. It was written in 2007 for hd_holidays, and remains one of the most beautifully written h/d stories bar none.

Add-ons for yesterday's blog:

For Fan Fair, @phoenixacid heavily promotes commenting on Fair's fics, artwork, and podfics. There is a contest where you are put in a group of random folks who've asked to be involved. And the groups compete against each other for points. Points are given for comments and more points for a rec. So I'm not the only one commenting on all the fics. LOL @caroll-in and I were on the same team last year, I don't think that will happen again. We killed the competition!

@snowingalway commented on my blog yesterday with further clarification of what art is archived and what is reblogged. I found it very helpful. Here's the link with her comment at the end

Older Fic Rec:

So as I mentioned above, I hadn't re-read The Price We Pay for Wings, but when I went to get the link, I discovered something I didn't know existed...a sequel. I didn't know that Frayach had written one, I had left fandom just before. A Flame Undampened is as beautiful as the first, though I do think I could and will read it again. Scorpius had loved and is loved. And that candle, yep, it's a symbol. The fic is around 5K and was written in 2012 in honor of the Newton, CT slaying of innocents.

Oh FFS how can The Price only have 46 comments and Flame 25 ?????? sorry, just got to me. This is a subject for a later blog. :)

Have a good weekend! Rom

#romaine2424 daily blog #June 2023

[mrswhozeewhatsis]

PSA from a fandom con photographer

As some of you know, I'm a con photographer. A while back, a bunch of us joined a group chat together, and we talk about all things cons and photography in there. Recently, the subject of photo theft has come up again, but this time a new comment was made and that's why I'm here.

In the past, I've heard photographers express frustration about people reposting our photos with watermarks cropped out or otherwise removed. Sometimes, these photos are edited further and someone else's watermark slapped on top of it. This is disrespectful, at best, and really offends the original photographer. Usually, this is done in an effort to gain clout online, and not for any artistic reasons. This is not what I'm here to talk about.

I know that a lot of folks on Tumblr use con photos for fic headers and aesthetics and such, especially for RPF fics. (Because we can totally tell whether a photo is Jensen or Dean, even with the background edited out, he's just that good.) It's come to my attention that some photographers would be REALLY uncomfortable with their art being used this way. They don't read fic, they don't understand it, or they just don't want their art used in a way that misinterprets the moment captured in the photo, even if it's fiction.

We need to respect this.

How do we feel when someone reblogs our fics and uses it to prop up an argument about our characters that we disagree with? We feel kinda shitty. That's how photographers feel when their photos are used in ways they weren't consulted about.

How do we fix this?

When you search Google and find an image from a con, do a reverse lookup on that image and AT LEAST TRY to find the original photographer. If the photo has been taken in the last year or so, you can come to me and see if I know who took it, too.

Ask that photographer if they are okay with you using their image in the way you intend. I know this is a pain, but remember how you'd feel if someone used your art without asking permission!

Many times, if you ask, the answer will be yes. Sometimes, it may be no. Please respect the answer you receive.

If you honestly try and can't find the photographer, then at least put a comment captioning this on the post where you use the photo. If you make a good faith effort and express this in your caption, that at least lets us know that you tried.

If you have any questions about this, feel free to ask me!

Personal note from me: If you like any of my photos, you are welcome to use them. I know I don't make the best photos in the fandom, so this isn't much, but it's there.

Also, "credit to Google" or "I found this on Google" is not credit. Google does not create images. Google only indexes them.

Just remember that there is a person behind every image and piece of art you find on Google.

Also, if you don't contact the artist/photographer, how does that person know that you liked their work? They don't. This is the same as if someone reads your fic but doesn't hit the heart or reblog it. Personally, I LOVE getting asked about my photos the same way I love hearing feedback on my fics. Let your photographer know you love their work!

I've been asked about screen grabs and gifs. I'm referencing just those photos taken by people at cons. Screengrabs and gifs also take talent to create, so if you can find out who made them and give them credit, that's awesome. Photos taken from the star's Twitter or IG....that's a good question. Credit would go to them, but they are impossible to ask if they mind. An argument could also be made that they know what might happen to any photo they put out there. (Maybe put a link to the original as credit?)

It was only recently that I saw someone comment about their photo being used to apply a narrative to Jensen based on his facial expression in the photo, and a brief mention of fic happened right after that, and I just got the feeling that certain photographers would not be pleased to know how we use their photos, sometimes.

As far as I know, no photographer has found their photo in a fic header and complained. But based on what was said, if they did, they might not be happy. And not just because most photos used in a fic header end up being further edited to make it work with the header, beyond cropping. For instance, an asexual photographer might feel icky about their photo being used as a header for a smut fic.

TL;DR - Credit your photographers in your headers, edits, and mood boards when at all possible. Make the effort to contact them and ask for permission. Some may give you blanket permission as I have. Some may not. Either way, this is their art that you're manipulating, so please respect it.

steps off soap box Thank you for listening!

#mrswhozeewhatsis writes #incoherent babbling by mrswhozeewhatsis #please credit your photographers and artists and screengrabbers and gifmakers #blessed are the gifmakers

[antvnger]

(( any headcanons about Cassie becoming part of the young avengers and Scott’s reactions/involvement/feelings about it? ))

((Interesting question, Anon. I'm sorry it took so long to answer because I know like 2 things about Young Avengers, so I didn't know how to initially answer. And I had to take a break or two on answering so I could think of other things to add.

Edit: I’m sorry! I definitely forgot this in my drafts. Okay okay here we go, sorry it took forever.))

I don't really remember how the Young Avengers came about in the comics, but I do remember that there was an attack on the...not Young Avengers, and I know Scott was killed in the process (*cries*)

So it's possible there were others who perished in the attack too. And the Young Avengers formed because the other Avengers were no longer a thing anymore...something like that.

And I hate that idea. So!...

Like Cassie, there were quite a few of the youngsters who have been watching their heroes/mentors do all the awesome things they do, and they want in.

So they form their own band of avenging vigilantes to handle things when the other Avengers are away.

Cassie hears about this group and seeks them out and joins after she gets her purple suit from good ol' Grandpa.

She really wants to tell her dad about it, especially since she thought she did so well in the Quantum Realm, but he's got the idea that since that was over, she should stay out of the fray until she got more training from him and Hope.

Hope figures out pretty quickly that Cassie is a part of the group, and she tells Cassie she supports her. But she needs to tell her dad the truth.

"I will...when I figure out how to."

Well, she keeps pushing that conversation to the side until it can't be pushed back anymore.

And it can't be pushed back anymore because the Young Avengers ran into an issue where they needed something big, and they had only one person to fit that bill.

And well, there happened to be a news crew nearby and well...

Scott about chokes on his cereal the next morning when the news is broadcasted everywhere.

"Young Avengers gain BIG help: Ant-Man's legacy continues as a giant woman in a purple suit reminiscent of the Ant-Man suit helps the Young Avengers save the day. It is believed Lang's daughter is the woman behind the mask, but that knowledge has yet to be confirmed."

But Scott knows.

"CASSIE!"

He's not mad she's helping the Young Avengers. Not really. He's a bit on edge and nervous by it because he's not sure she's ready. His fear masks itself as anger.

He's her dad and he'll always have a hard time letting her go. He will let her, but he'll struggle some.

But what does bother him so is that she didn't tell him about this, that she kept it from him for who knows how long.

What also bothers him is that Hope knew and didn't give him a heads up either.

"I wanted to tell you, Dad," Cassie admits, "but I know how you feel about all of this, so I didn't know how to tell you."

"So you let The Today Show fill me in instead. Cool."

"...the cameras weren't supposed to be there."

"That's beside the point, Cassie!"

"But nothing bad's happened so far, Dad. I'm okay, and I saved a lot of people last night."

"...behind my back. You didn't give me a chance to support you or anything."

“Would you have? Being so protective of me? Hadn’t I proven myself yet? I can do this, Dad. And I am doing it. I love helping people and doing what you do. It’s what I was born to do. Just like you.” She gives him a soft, pleading look. “Will you let me?”

But Scott’s trust and pride are wounded over being lied to. He never handled being lied to well at all, and this time is no exception.

He shrugs after a moment of silence. “You’ve already made your choice that you will no matter what, so it really doesn’t matter what I say right now, does it. You’re still training with me and Hope and your grades better not suffer. And…” he can’t help but still worry about her. “And you better come home. No matter what, you better come home.”

It’s awkward for a while after that. Scott’s not happy with Cassie or with Hope, and though they’re all willing to work on fixing the issues that have come up in their relationships recently, Scott’s got to work on his own feelings in order to get to that point. He has a hard time getting there sometimes.

But eventually they get past it, and Cassie had him meet the whole Young Avengers crew.

And it takes hardly any time at all before he becomes the crew’s dad. He just is. No one really questions it. It just happens, and they all like it.

Scott’s house becomes a common hangout place for the Young Avengers. They’re always coming in and out of there, and he likes it.

He cooks for them; he gives them advice; he has extra sleeping bags and pillows and stuff for if they ever sleep over. And they all have more than once.

Sometimes they ask him and Hope for help in whatever mission they’re on. They know they can count on Ant-Man and the Wasp.

They all get him Father’s Day gifts, even the Young Avengers who have fathers still.

He’s Ant-Dad in all their phones. Except for Cassie’s of course. He’s just Dad.

Cassie is not surprised that Scott adopted them all, but she’s a bit surprised they all adopted Scott. There are some in the group she never would have guessed would do that. But she loves how wrong she is and she loves how her dad’s accepted the whole team.

One day after a tough mission, they all end up at Scott’s house. He cooked for them, tended to wounds, and turned on a movie for them as they all passed out in his living room.

Except for Cassie. She seeks him out in the kitchen while he’s cleaning up, and she hugs him tightly, still shaky from the mission.

He of course hugs her back. “It’s okay, Peanut. I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”

“I’ve never been that scared before,” she admits quietly.

“I get it. I do. It’s okay to be scared and to still feel uneasy. But you’re safe now.”

“I’m tired, Daddy.”

“I know, Peanut. I know. You can rest now.” He kisses the top of her head. “I’m proud of you. You’re going to be okay.”

“Thanks, Dad. I love you.”

“I love you too,” he smiles softly as he rests his head against hers, still hugging her. “So much.”

#for the ant mun #anon asks #scott lang #ant-man #cassie lang #peanut #stature #headcanon #young avengers #young avengers headcanon #ant man #antman

[starsmuserainbow]

[[Another reposted thing]]

Things that make the Tyrant-verse* a great concept:

You get to turn your muse around, perhaps try how to manipulate their story without changing it all too much and yet creating a whole different, almost opposite, version of them

All of the friends’ of the muse would stay the same since they would have switched sides too

The whole idea of the bad guys ruling the city, in this case that’d be the Tyrants (and maybe the Tyrants East too?)

The characters/muses we grow to love-hate as villains are actually the few and far between heroes trying to do something against this group of super-powered criminal evil brats

This whole thing can totally be done with muses/groups of other fandoms too, just, mirrored-verses or however to call it, I’m sure you can see how it could be interesting

I guess all I really wanna say is give me other people with Tyrant!verses! It’s such a cool idea and probably awesome and I really need it!

At the moment my muse at the Tyrants would still be Blackfire, see her verse of it (once I get to writing that info-post on here), but I do see it like she’d sooner or later get convinced by some heroes and betray the team (and get chased by them after it fails, and then end up forced to just keep travelling worlds because those that have the upper hand on Earth hunt her, on Tamaran her little brother rules and he had already thrown Starfire into a horrible prison, she definitely couldn’t expect anything else for herself if she went there, and he’s probably sending out troops to search for his sisters or maybe even set out a bounty for them), and probably during the same thing or shortly thereafter, Starfire - perhaps with Moonshot (because he follows her like a puppy anywhere) at her side since he's probably the one to free her from her prison on Tamaran - comes to Earth for some reason and perhaps then sees the fun in the group that the Tyrants are and joins them, so I’d totally have a truly switched scenario there too!

I repeat once more - please consider the Tyrant!verse! It’s a cool thing and it’d be so awesome to have people to play through it with!

*What is the Tyrant-Verse?

Well, I’m glad you ask! It’s a universe that we see for a brief moment in one of the TTGo-comics (the ones following the TT-03-cartoon), and to summarize it as short as I can, it’s one where the roles are reversed! Those that are usually the heroes are the bad guys, and those that are usually the bad guys are the heroes!

#✫ Out of Characters ✫ | OOC #Tyrants Tyrants Tyrants! #✫ Teen Tyrants Tear 'em Apart! ✫ #✫ General Tag (Starfire(Canon)) ✫ #✫ General Tag (Blackfire(Canon)) ✫ #✫ General Tag (Wildfire(Semi)) ✫ #✫ General Tag (Moonshot(OC)) ✫ #more muses have the verse but I'm tagging those that are mentioned in the post

[livingfictionsystem]

So, my adhd/autistic freind has a grandmother with NPD who was extremely abusive towards her family, but i’m worried about my friends ableism towards other people with npd. she’s not met very many but she’s under the very common impression that everyone with npd is an abuser and an asshole, and idk if should get involved because her family was so hurt by someone with npd, but at the same time i’m worried about the way she’d behave if she met another person with npd in the future. do you have any advice?

Oooof.

Sparrow here. I'm sorry about your friend's family, sounds like some real generational trauma going on there.

Anecdotal storytime, sorry if this is rambly.

I did, a couple years ago, have a pretty big grudge against Borderline folks. My most recent abuser, Rowan, had borderline. We were on a pedestal, yknow, until we weren't. Same with my cohost's ex, AJ. A shitty ex-metamor of mine has BPD. I was straight up sick of pwBPD.

I know a lot about psychology but even I had this unfair anecdotal stereotype of someone locking themselves in the bathroom and hating you/needing you until you were stressed enough to give them what they wanted.

I knew *I* had some kinda serious disorder and was looking into bipolar when the highly ironic suggestion of Borderline hit me right in the face. And I mean I was TEXTBOOK, still am. I was in denial for a WHILE. The last thing I wanted was to see any reflection of my abuser in me. And people around me didn't really disparage NPD because they already had Xanthe's glittery, spotlight-hogging, self-aggrandizing self and thought they were p cool, but even people I was close with would take jabs at Bordies and I'd laugh along with them. I kept doing intense research just to prove it wrong in me and ended up proving it more and more right.

Then finally, I saw some positive examples. One of my besties in the outerworld has Borderline. Bojack Horseman, of all things, really helped me accept it in myself. I joined some online support groups. I see how loving we are, how creative, how most of us make fun of our own mood swings and our sui-ideation. How protective we are, how our impulsivity ends up with some really cool experiences and connections.

Now I've accepted it. But it would've been a lot harder of a road if I didn't have positive examples. And yknow Borderline is p much a half sibling to Narcissism.

Xanthe and Jasper were my great examples of NPD. Their hyper-independence, how that manipulative side can be used to talk friends out of spirals or abusive relationships, how they make sure everyone who benefits them has some sort of give-and-take even if they have to pull strings to do it, the intense insecurity and self-loathing under the arrogant facade. And omg are they masters at social chess, which is awesome when my tactless ass is floundering in turmoil and people wanna cancel me by proxy.

It's really only gonna be positive rep that does it for some people. Maybe your friend has a fave character that actually fits the NPD profile. (Alastor from Hazbin gives me NPD vibes p hard tbh.) Tons of creatives have it, like literally being self-absorbed is part of being famous lol. If you've got good examples to work with, it becomes a Lot easier.

Even better if you've got someone willing to poke fun at their disorder and educate. I can also always drop more NPD stories/memes/resources for you to have in your arsenal. And even just educating about other traumagenic disorders like BPD and DID and stuff may help other disorders by proxy, the same logic does apply.

But your friend may never accept it. And that would suck. But people want to blame a set of stereotypes rather than the casual cruelty of the universe. It's up to you whether that becomes a topic that you two just can't talk about or if it ends a friendship tbh.

But yeah sorry for the ramble, I hoped the more raw experience might help the perspective. Lmk if you have any specific scenarios or anything!

-Sparrow 🧷

#narcissistic personality disorder #npd #borderline personality disorder #bpd #stigma #cluster b #ask #psychology nerd to the rescue #anon