#we'll get there tho i promise

[toxiccoworkeryaoi]

There's discussion of ronance under the cut! so if that's not your thing maybe skip this and the next part :)

part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5 - part 6 - part 7 - part 8

The sunset finds Steve sitting on a log, methodically breaking apart graham crackers and chocolate bars on top of a cooler.

Jonathan and Argyle are rolling joints beside him, sitting on a separate log and making light conversation with him.

Eddie's building a fire in front of them, a few feet away, just out of earshot. Steve loses the thread of conversation every now and then because he keeps getting distracted by Eddie's arms.

Some crackers and chocolate bars are unevenly split too. It's Eddie's fault that they're all wonky.

The taller boy (he will not let Steve forget this) is splitting a few dry logs into smaller ones using the cabin's axe.

He found and donned some leather work gloves, his tattoos shift as his arms flex, there are flashes of armpit hair every couple of swings, and there's sweat slowly dripping down his forehead.

Steve's doing his absolute best not to stare but it's very difficult.

When Eddie swipes the sweat off his brow and strips the gloves to bring out his pocket knife, Steve gets a coughing fit that Argyle has to bring him out of by clapping his back.

"Whoa there man, are you okay?" Argyle asks him,

Steve just franticaly nods as Jonathan snickers beside them.

Just as Eddie settles down in a crouch and starts shaving wood off the sides of the smaller logs, the girls come back from their walk.

Nancy walks to Eddie, offers a handful of dry pinecones and sets about arranging the logs.

Jonathan and Argyle announce they need popcorn and go back to the cabin to make some.

Robin has something trapped inside her hands.

She walks towards Steve, stands behind him and leans down to place her arms around his neck. Her hands remain closed, so that whatever is between them is now right in front of Steve's face.

"Guess what I got" she says, leaning her chin on top of Steve's head.

"That better not be a skunk, Bobbie"

Robin giggles "Have your ever seen a skunk, dingus? My hands are tiny!"

"A baby skunk, then" Steve amends, tone whiny.

Robin snorts, "Shut up. Look,"

As she opens her hands a tiny light shines out of them. Steve gasps.

"Hi!" he says, waving his index finger at the firefly,

"His name's Harold," Robin supplies.

"What? That sucks" Steve accuses, trying to look up at her, but only jostling her head a bit.

Robin gasps, "It's a perfectly good name for a firefly!" she protests, digging her chin atop his head.

Steve ducks his head and half turns in her arms, gives her a look and then turns back.

"How are the wife and kids, Harold?" he asks the bug,

Robin doesn't miss a beat, "He's gay, Steve. You should know better",

Steve can't help but laugh loudly at that.

Robin rushes to close her hands back up,

"Stop! you're scaring him!" she accuses, though there's a smile on her face.

Steve sobers up and puts down the two cracker halves in his hands to pry Robin's hands open again,

"Harold, I sincerely apologize." he offers in a gravely tone.

The bug turns around in Robin's hands.

"I think that means I'm forgiven" Steve says, looking up at her.

Robin chuckles and gently places the bug on top of Steve's left knee, moving to sit beside him.

Steve smiles at Harold before looking at her from the side,

"You having fun?" Steve checks in,

Robin smiles at him, throws her right arm around him and leans her chin against his shoulder.

"I am!" she answers "How about you?" she asks in return, half hugging him.

Steve presses his cheek against her in appreciation, just for a moment before he answers,

"Yeah, I'm having fun too" he smiles,

"Good. I wasn't lying earlier, when I said that suits you" Robin points out, drawing back without letting go of him, to look up at Eddie's bandana still on his hair.

Steve feels his cheeks start to burn.

"Shutup." he mutters defensively "he's-" Steve turns to look at Eddie, who's now fanning the flames of the fire he started and fanning himself every couple of seconds, making the few strands of hair that fell from his bun flap about wildly.

Steve can't help the smile on his face.

"Great. He's just great" he says honestly, feeling a little in awe of just how much he really likes Eddie.

Robin lets go of him only to jab her elbow in his ribs,

"See!" she says "I knew you had to make a move!"

"You were right." Steve concedes, "Not that I'm- I just mean he didn't seem put-off or anything when I tried flirting a little,"

"Of course he didn't! Steve!!" she protests,

"I know. I know," Steve says, reminded of the many times they've discussed his insecurities.

He relays his conversation with Jonathan then, and she listens, pointing out that putting it all together definitely makes it clear why Eddie hadn't made a move yet, and how Steve definitely has a chance.

"Yeah. I hope so," Steve says,

Robin rolls her eyes at his cautiousness and watches Harold finally fly away. Her eyes fall on Nancy, across from them.

Steve moves his eyes away to finish breaking off the last couple of crackers from the bunch.

Steve can admit he felt a pang of jealousy the first time he noticed his best friend laughing too hard at something Nancy said, but he quickly realized he was jealous of Nancy, he was worried she'd take Robin from him. An irrational fear that he also went through with Eddie, when he and Robin got close.

Whatever attempt Steve made at reviving the spark between him and Nancy in the upside down, got flipped right side up as soon as they were out of that hellish time.

Which was fortunate, because Nancy was still in a relationship back then, and Steve actually didn't feel like trying to woo the girl that broke his heart years ago.

Not to mention, they were different people now.

And he could admit now that he had freaked out. He'd seen the prettiest boy he'd ever known smirking at him and calling him metal and Steve had felt himself fall violently, far quicker than he was ready to.

So he'd grabbed on to whatever solid ground he could find, and he didn't have much of that.

It was just stupid. They hadn't really talked about it but Nancy had dropped by Eddie's room at the hospital a couple of times, she'd seen how devastated Steve was and she was never dumb. Steve could see the realization on her and luckily, the relief too.

Slowyly but surely they've arrived back to a place where Steve is glad to have her in his life again. He wouldn't hesitate to have dinner with her any day now, and every one of their friends know what they have is purely friendship.

So when he noticed her half-flirting with Robin at their job again, Steve tried to communicate to her that same understanding and relief with the same look.

And Nancy seemed like she got it.

Steve's fairly certain she and Robin would be good together, he's told Robin as much, but she disagrees, denied that she was attracted to their friend at first, and now refuses to give them a shot.

When he looks back up Robin's still looking at her, her cheeks on the verge of a smile.

Steve, done with his task, wipes his hands on his jeans.

"Are you sure there's nothing there?" Steve asks softly, for maybe the fifth time since Robin and Nancy met.

Looking back at that time now, with his own feelings out of the way, Steve can see clear as day, that Robin was into her from the start.

Robin looks at him now, and her face falls into the same caught look it always does when this comes up. She sighs,

"Are you sure you wanna ask me that?" she counters

"Robbie!"

"Dingus!"

"I want you to be happy," Steve tries,

"Even if it means I make a move on your ex?" she asks, her voice bitter,

"She's my friend too, Robs!" he protests,

"She broke your heart, Steve,"

"Years ago! And-"

"Not that many," Robin interrupts,

"And!" Steve emphasizes, "We're different people now,"

"You were practically offering her six babies not a year and a half ago," Robin points out,

"And you and I both agreed that that was a little bit crazy of me and a clear lapse in my judgement." Steve reminds her, "She doesn't want that. And I don't want that with her. I don't want anything with her beyond friendship and you know it,"

Robin doesn't look convinced.

"I don't care what you say. It would be weird." she says,

"Not for me, if that's what you're implying," Steve tells her,

"You've said that about other things when you did mind!" Robin accuses,

"And you've called me out on it!" Steve counters, "And I'm working on not doing that anymore. And it's not what I'm doing now!"

"I'm not gonna put my happiness before yours," Robin tells him,

Steve turns to her fully, straddling the log between them,

"I'm not asking you to do that, Robbie. I'm asking you not to put MY happiness before yours." he says, "Not even!" he amends, "I'm asking you not to put my comfort before your happiness."

Robin grimaces.

"What if you do mind? Down the line?" she asks,

"You can't base your decisions on hypotheticals." Steve protests, growing impatient, "And especially not on hypotheticals about my feelings, Rob!"

"Don't be an asshole. You're important to me!" she protests,

Steve sighs.

He reaches out and takes one of Robins hands in his own.

"And you're just as important to me," he tells her, "but i don't need you to protect me Robin. I'm not made of glass." he looks into her eyes as he goes on, "Yeah, maybe I'll be uncomfortable at some point, but I've been uncomfortable before and I'll be uncomfortable in the future,"

"I don't wanna be the cause of that," Robin says quietly, squeezing Steve's heart.

She moves to stradle the log too, facing Steve.

Steve offers her a soft smile.

"I know." he says, rubbing her knuckles in an attempt to reassure her, "You wouldn't be. Even if I saw you and Nance happy together and it made me uncomfortable, it wouldn't be because you decided to be with her, or because you're happy with her, Robs. It would be because she's my ex and she broke my heart. That's not on you,"

Robin looks like she wants to say something else but then changes her mind.

"It would be weird," she insists half-heartedly.

Steve understands what she doesn't say,  that she wants him to let it go.

"Okay." He concedes, taking her other hand and lacing their fingers. "Fine then. I won't bring it up again. I just ask that you don't- Don't think of me as this, this responsibility, okay? I don't wanna be that, I wanna be your best friend." he says, tugging on her hands a bit.

"Idiot." She calls him with a hesitant smile, clearly still awkward with displays of affection.

Steve chuckles. She tugs his hands towards her,

"I love you" she says.

It's not lost on Steve how this requires effort from her. He brings their hands to his lips and kisses the back of her palms, one and then the other, making her giggle.

"And I love you," Steve tells her, he untangles their hands and returns to his previous position, reaching for the big bag of marshmallows sitting next to the cooler.

"Now help me roast these," he requests, opening the bag, "this is as far as I came when I was little"

"Oh, did you have a maid that roasted your marshmallows growing up?"

"I hate youuuuuuu" Steve complains, and throws a marshmallow at her head.

part 6

[wukyma]

Can you elaborate on that silly AU of yours ? 👉🏻👈🏻 (the one about polites and poseidon changing each others)

(it was indeed silly in the beginning. now it's heartbreaking and I have no one to blame except myself)

Part 1 is here, finally ✨ also forgive my little human weakness for unrequited love, I've been listening to Open Arms on loop

The action starts right after Troy is conquered – they went to lotus eaters' island (⬆️ those scenes) and blinded Polyphemus. Polites survives (yay!) then Poseidon shows up (not yay). When Odysseus' half baked apology doesn't work Poli steps in,,, let's say Poseidon is intrigued and proposes an interesting deal (mostly because he wants to see them fail miserably and maybe amuse himself in the process)

I've got a whole plan written for this AU trust!!

Can you tell that I have no idea what I'm doing? I've never actually illustrated any lengthy ideas of mine so this one's running on pure intuition and enthusiasm; if u have any questions feel free to ask!

[carl77fx]

I NEED MORE ART OF THE II TGWDLM AU

PLEASEEEEE

Just for you, anon. 🫵[:)]

Feast. May these suffice.

[koinotame]

also completely unrelated to anything else but how interested would you guys be in yandere dungeon meshi.... 👁️ i feel like the tags are really bare every time i go in but there's so much yan potential. even if the characters being so multifacted makes them more challenging to write for

[whiskey-tango-matcha]

not to brag, but my therapist told me today that i did incredible during our emdr session, which means i get an A for the day in therapy, something that is both normal to want and possible to achieve 🙂‍↕️😌

[akechis-special-case]

Waking up and imagining one of my guys or crushes literally lying on top of me and refusing to get up. I'm almost being crushed but that's ok, it's worth it.

[byanyan]

what if... what if i did a little one-liner call? something small & inconsequential bc i wanna write but the brainspace is a bit fuzzy? huh?? what then???

[zuliuli]

Art requests are closed for the time being 😅

My week of freedom has sadly come to an end, and I have to get back to life things 😔

[inkykeiji]

you write for love and deepspace!?!!

JUST BARELY >.< i only have two love and deepspace pieces posted: one about zayne + meds and one about how rafayel fucks. currently writing something icky for big brother caleb but i cannot guarantee that i’ll post it ._.

[daily-roy]

“daily roy” MY ASS!!!!!

Roy is missing we weren't able to find him sorry /silly

[grim-green]

beelzebub x 2 :] I missed doing pixel art a lot!

[arctic-hands]

no offense to the anticonsumerists but the obsessive labubu hate is just as annoying as the obsessive over it. maybe it's because I'm from the Beanie Baby generation or because my parents sold their souls for a Tickle Me Elmo when I was 4, but I promise you we'll survive another flurry of cutsie toys being shared displayed and traded as "investments" that won't amount to much in five years

[free-luigi-mangione]

I'm so sorry you're being bomboarded by trolls. I hope you don't leave tumblr; as it is, most luigi blogs have stopped, and there is hardly any discourse about luigi on the internet anymore. There seems to be a toxic undercurrent in the luigi community. His support is imploding in on itself, and it's not pretty to watch.

the toxic undercurrent isn't brought about by any of us tho. it's brought about by anons who're so terrible i don't even know how to describe them in one word. i don't care about the actual trollish anons – the ones who might pick fights but will never do things that would make you want to deactivate. in fact i wish i could say that the actually problematic anons can be brushed off as easily, but that's the point of those anons i guess, they're there to make people have an emotional response (eg.– panic after getting doxxed, shock at graphic details of violence, both shock and fear at rape threats against the blog owner or subject of blog and after getting death threats) and they definitely succeed at getting the emotional response from us at least. a lot of people have deactivated because of these second sort of anons and since it's pretty clear they're incels and quite probably a single anon, i don't even know what to say.

[brennacedria]

Severe thunderstorm watch for exactly when I'm supposed to go to my appointment and then drive to work. 😣

I feel bad now for making Brian drive me yesterday, cause he might insist on today and he doesn't have a choice but to tomorrow. Only yesterday was my fault, but I still feel bad about him getting stuck with it three days this week. Except, ofc, for when I don't feel bad about it bc I hate driving. Which makes me feel bad for not feeling bad otherwise.

[lesbin]

put an offer on a house today

[getyinyusedtoit]

while everyone is different and it's totally understandable to vent/feel overwhelmed, sometimes i do feel like people psych themselves out when they start qjj. they look at the map and see a lot of characters get introduced at once and immediately get caught up on how much there is to remember.

and that's fair!! but i do think it's good to keep in perspective that the books don't expect you to remember it all immediately. (imo) t97 does a really good job of making characters memorable and also does a fantastic job reminding you of who certain characters are when they re-enter the foreground. i think there's a tendency to feel like you have to pay attention to every little thing and commit it all to memory because the political plot goes so far, and that's valid.

but i'm telling you right now that you could fill thousands of pages with reminders and details and you're STILL going to forget or miss something. that's kind of part of the fun. there are so many things that can catch you off guard and there are actually certain important characters that are glazed over and left for you to forget. characters move in and out of the story, titles and positions change, people are lying, things aren't what they seem in many cases. not everything that seems important is and sometimes the most innocuous or unimportant detail is actually important. it's part of the fun!! the experience!!! the intrigue!!!!!

what i'm really trying to say here is that if you feel like you need a guide, use one or make one up on your own!! or wing it, that's what i ended up doing and personally it was easier and less stressful for my first time around!!! but don't let the sheer amount of information psyche you out. it's a long story, the author doesn't expect you to get or remember it all as soon as a character or place is mentioned on the page. your brain will actually recall more than you think and the story itself will give you reminders/fill in the gaps.