#AND VERIFIED? oooh..

[plogieplogie]

"as for now" with #supportdream in your name oh it's not looking good

[bowehbowah]

my arts not arting lately in fact its been farting if you ask me. whats that pointer finger and ibis paint? you want me to animate more?? whaat???? aoooough im animating it im animating it

[the-irken-pony]

Free my man "don't tag as x" it asks the viewer for minimal respect of the creator's squick with 100x the courtesy of "x fans dni"

[ddejavvu]

oooh, reader finding out that her name in modern!remus’s phone is something super sweet like ‘my love’ and remus finds out his name in her phone is something ridicules like ‘daddy 🥵’ or ‘dicking down specialists’

"Send me that, would'ya, dove?" Remus smiles softly at the picture on your screen, a photo of your baby cousin giving him a rather drooly, wide-mouthed 'kiss' on the cheek as Remus tries turning away. He's got the most perfect expression you've ever seen on his face, a beautiful mixture of adoration and disgust.

"Mhm," You hum, tapping a mere three times to send the photo off to your boyfriend, "There y'go, Remus."

"Thanks." He grins, then his phone buzzes on the armrest of the couch, "Ah, look, m'girlfriend texted me."

He holds up the phone with something cheeky in his eyes, and your own gaze catches the contact name he has set for you on his phone: Lovey Dovey.

"Remus," You gush, mouth curling involuntarily into a good-natured pout, "That's so sweet. You're cheesier than I expected."

"Oh, please," He scoffs, "I'm sure yours is worse. What is it, sugar bear? Honey bunches? Snookums?"

Any of his further teasing quips are silenced when you resignedly murmur, "Captain Cock."

He blinks, mouth slowly closing, "What?"

"It's... it's Captain Cock," You repeat, "That's my- that's your name in my phone."

"Captain..." He echoes, and you nod, "Cock."

"'Cause we went to see that movie," You wave your hand, desperate to explain yourself away, "The- the war one. And the guy's name was Captain Cook, and- well, when we got home, you... we- uh, we fucked, so I just," You nearly fall silent, barely able to scrape together the courage to finish, "I just named you... Captain Cock."

"A war movie made you think of my dick?" Remus verifies, and you feel your cheeks blaze warmer, a level of heat you've never achieved before.

"Hey! You were the one who put the moves on me in the theater!" You defend, "I was watching a guy's head get blown through and you had your hand on my thigh! Plus," You scoff, grumbling without meeting his eyes, "Morning after, sure felt like I'd been through combat."

"I can't believe you," Remus laughs incredulously, "You nasty thing! All this time you've been my Lovey Dovey, and all you're thinking about is what's between my legs."

"No! No," You insist, ramming your face into his chest and trying to soothe the burn of your cheeks against the material of his sweatshirt, "Remus, stop it, you're being crass!'

"I'm being-! You're the one who's got my genitals saved in your phone!" He gushes, taking your jaw in his hands and pulling your face up to hover in front of his own despite your protests. He holds you there with a delighted grin on his face, one that's wolfish and teasing, "You're a perv, Y/N. Sirius would be very proud."

[godoreo22]

Saja boys x Manager reader: Part 1

A loss can lead to a gain.

(Name) walks past a few missing persons posters and frowns before entering the cafe they works at. "Sorry (Name) but we're so short staffed I'm gonna have to close this place down but i appreciate all the time you've put into working here." Mrs. Yoon hands (Name) their last paycheck with a sad smile.

"Thanks Mrs. Yoon" (Name) bows her head before walking out the front door and turning back to see Mr.Yoon flipping the closed sign and holding Mrs.Yoon close with a deep frown.

(Name) sighs before walking back home to their small apartment to look for another job. (Name) pushes her apartment open and crashes onto their couch with a groan.

"Poor Mr and Mrs. yoon. Poor me, how am i gonna stretch my last paycheck to cover my rent and food. I can more than likely kiss those Huntrix tickects goodbye." (Name) sighs before going on their phone and looking through job offers and applications.

They scroll for what feels like hours but was realistically ten minutes.

They groan in frustration because all the jobs they see are either have crazy hours, seem sketchy, or have unrealistic qualifications. They prepare to put their phone down but come upon a job offer that catches their eye, Band manager.

It looks sketchy but it is the best they can find so they apply and put their phone down hoping to get a confirmation soon only for their buzz a second later. "Okay, that was a little too soon."

They pick up their phone and see their application was approved, and they received an address and a time to be their. "This gets sketchier the more i get into it but I've gotten this far in so i guess I'll be meeting this band tomorrow at noon."

They sigh and put it into their calendar before preparing their dinner.

The next day, (Name) is up and walking to the address they were sent.

"Okay, this is no big deal, just going to a suspicious address that i got from a kinda creepy job add to do a job I'm probably not qualified for... just gonna have the cops on speed dial. just in case of course." (Name) says to herself as she gets closer to the address.

Only for that address to take her to a expensive looking apartment building.

(Name) is starting to have second thoughts about this, but (Name) swallows their anxiety and walk into the lobby and looks around in awe as they extravagent apartment.

"Uh hi i came for a job at apartment, 185... is that the top apartment..." (Name) looks around a little bit anxiously.

"Oooh... those are our new tenants." The receptionist looks off dreamily before clearing her throat. " just show me some identification and proof you know them and I'll buzz you right in."

"oh uh- they didn't mmm... give me ah..." (Name) fumbles now realizing how unprepared and how sketch this job offer was.

"Honey if you don't have any proof im gonna have to ask you to leave or im gonna call security." This only made (Name) more nervous and they try to find some identification in the ad.

Suddenly they feels a warm hand on their shoulder.

"No need to fuss, we'll verify." A husky cool voice fills (Name)'s ears. They look up over their should to glassy smooth skin and deep dark eyes. Those eyes slowly move from the receptionist down too (Name).

"yeah jenny, no need to press our new manager." Said a much deeper voice only for (Name) cute blue eyes and an adorable baby like face. Suddenly more incredibly hot guys appear too.

"Oh of course boys, j-just wanted to make sure they were legitimately here for the manager position." Jenny stammers

The boys move past her leading (Name) up to their apartment.

"So... i got the job?"

OK so that is the full Part one, hope you all like, so i will put out a few more chapters and this story will be my number one priority but i will also be working on all the other stories even if they didn't win the votes. If anyone has any feedback or ideas they want me to use or even little requests just leave a comment and ill see what i can do because i read every comment and i try to reply to every comment.

Taglist: @sparky2020sworld @imaginarydreams

[strangebiology]

"Don't you trust animal rights organizations?"

Yes and no. More like...I'll consider what both sides have to say. I recently posted "But Fur is Microplastics!" which is about being skeptical of "fur is green" arguments that are bought and paid for by the pro-fur lobby.

Which came from a post (TT, IG, FB, Tumblr) about why I'm skeptical about both sides' most accessible talking points coming from places of extreme bias. I'd be more inclined to take seriously a big, well done, non-biased study comparing sustainability metrics of real v faux fur, but it seems that has never happened, and likely never will.

Although I would not completely trust something that comes from a biased source, I would consider and listen to either org's points, even with their bias. What I'm about to say can be applied to journalism covering any claim from any lobby, activist organization, etc. But I'll use ARA groups as an example--I could use opposite examples in all of these.

For example, you do want to pay skeptical attention to even biased sources in the following examples:

Sometimes orgs and lobbies don't have an apparent reason to lie about a topic. If PETA said "X is better for animal welfare than Y," well, they do care about animal welfare, so I'd take them more seriously on that particular metric. If they said "X is better for nutrition," and it just coincidentally is the thing that aligns with their mission statement, I'm more wary. If the International Fur Federation said "mink is selling better than fox this year," well, they do care about fur trends. I hesitantly admit that those are not things I can immediately see any reason for them to lie or exaggerate about.

Sometimes orgs and lobbies are the first to bring something verifiable to your attention. For instance, if an ARA group sends you a video of pigs baking and suffocating to death over hours, well, that is footage, nearly proof. Maybe you interview the farmer and they confirm that happened, and they justify their reasons, and you include a quote from them. Then you find the American Veterinary Medical Association approved that form of killing, why they are ok with it, you find studies about it, you find Veterinarians Against Ventilator Shutdown and why they are against it, is this standard, are the alternatives better... It can be a great article starting with a biased source, with enough rigor. (It would be better if you could get this footage yourself, but journalists don't really do that these days.)

Sometimes you are just talking about one topic for now. I asked someone at the Humane Slaughter Association what science they used to make their humane slaughter recommendations. Do I need to stop and say "oooh but they're in favor of slaughter, that makes them biased against vegan meats?" No, I don't. I can talk about the ethics of livestock slaughter in general and vegan options another time.

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

I'm back with an updated listing for the signed GO book.

Looks like there was a problem with international shipping in the original listing, but it's fixed now.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186897070341

(Oooh :) (the link in the previous sent ask was no longer working for me))

Seems like there is an ebay auction with signed GO by TP, DT and MS but not NG :). Link and description:

One hardback copy of Good Omens signed by Sir Terry Pratchett, David Tennant and Micheal Sheen. please note this copy is NOT signed by Neil Gaiman. It arrived from the publisher with the scratch on the back and due to its limited and rare nature, couldn't be replaced so please bear that in mind. it is 11 years old and the pages have started to age and fox, but thjs copy has never been opened and read, it has only been opened to have the guys sign it.It came with the verified Pratchett signature from Narrativium. I got Micheal Sheen's signature at a charity football event in Cardiff, and David Tennant's signature at a comic book convention.Will be sent well packaged and boxed, I will ship internationally used a tracked and signed for service.I will not accept offers or end the auction early for any reason so please don't ask. 25% of the sale profits goes to a domestic abuse charity.

[oifaaa]

Consider: Tim Drake is still alive, purely by the power of "Oooh, poor me" with his parents selling his soul, technically making it impossible for death to take it

I hate to tell you this friend but this is a verified Oifaaa brand Au© meaning Tims the first to go

[smokescreenimusprime]

THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART FOR SMOKESCREEN CONTENT

YOUR AU’s your content and awesomeness make me happy!!!

As a 100% smokescreen stan you help keep us going!!!

I especially love the rescue bots one. Do you have any more thoughts about it?

Like how does he get treated by Megatron after being captured in your AU ? What does megatron do to sway him? Would he tell him stories of rescue bots past?

Do the other decepticons have a soft spot for him? Do they help him escape? (it would be interesting to see his dynamic with knock out hehe)

How do rescue bots get treated in general and how does that effect smokescreens treatment before and when he comes back to base! Oooh What happens next?

How do the autobots react to the “only” rescue bot , their little rookie being held captive? Esp since megatron always respected Rescue bots and is trying to sway him??

No pressure to answer but I’d love to hear what u think!

I ADORE YOUR BLOG!! You have my support!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

dhjbvjdhbvjd thank you so much that means a lot to me :D, and as for the questions >:3

Once Smokescreen is verified to have been a Real Genuine Rescue Bot, things change quite dramatically from canon. For one, Smokescreen is kept unconscious following the procedure and is moved into a new room. It's an old, long unused officer's quarters. There is a vehicon guard stationed outside 24/7, and at regular intervals a separate vehicon will come and deliver him energon. After several days of "good behavior," he's even allowed to visit an observation deck, albeit with Megatron himself accompanying him

were it not for the fact his door was locked and he wasn't allowed to leave, he'd be more of a guest than prisoner.

Admittedly, the lax behavior is partially due to Smokescreen realizing very early on that if he plays into the Helpless Frightened Rescue Bot image that Megatron seems to have gotten into his head, he'll have a much easier time escaping later

which he does :D but that's something that'll be talked about more in depth later, right now: Megatron

Megsy's got a weird thing going on where he manages to be both very respectful but also incredibly patronizing at the exact same time. He'll praise Smokescreen for his ability to rise up and become a medic despite the functionism shit that was going on in one sentence, but then in the next lament how the autobots """took advantage of his ignorance""" and """are keeping him captive"""

Megatron made one major miscalculation, and that being Rescue Bots don't just help the Cybertronian Race. Even if what he was saying about the Autobots was true, it wouldn't change the fact that Megatron has on more than one occasion shown his ill intentions to humanity as a whole. And because of his strained relationship with Team Prime, Smokescreen ended up spending a LOT of time talking with the kids, and he does not take very kindly to all the danger they've been put in by the Decepticons specifically targeting them

Smokescreen is on decent terms with a handful of Decepticons. First, Knockout, and they bond a GREAT deal over bitching over functionist assholes from their past. It's very cathartic, especially after having to play so harmless with Megatron, but he definitely needs to be careful lest he let too much slip. There's also Dreadwing, but they're more on neutral terms.

Then there are the vehicons and eradicons :)

eventually, Smokescreen manages to talk his way into being allowed to help out in the medbay. Nothing actually important or life saving, just patching up scrapes and banging out dents

however, one of Smokescreen's strongest suits is his bedside manner. He makes nice conversation, keeps pain to a minimum, and just... treats them with common decency.

luckily for him, the foot soldiers of the decepticon army have been kinda starved for that

they won't help him, they're too absolutely terrified of high command to... but if they turn the other way if they see him sneaking spare scraps of tools out of the medbay, then that's nobody's business.

As for your next question in regards to Rescue Bot treatment:

Prior to the war, over the course of millions of years they managed to leverage an amount of wiggle room with functionism. They are still some restrictions with rules and "form" requirements, but the Rescue Bot organization was a master of making up new positions and bullshitting paperwork to make it work. Public opinion was outwardly fairly neutral, but behind closed doors the majority adored the Rescue Bots. Upper classes... less so, but they couldn't afford to publicly declare otherwise.

There was still a lot of flaws with the system, and cracks of functionism sneaked their way into it, but they were trying their best with what they were given.

During the war, things got a bit messier. Countless Rescue Bots were getting caught up in battles, there was a huge drop in new members, more and more were dying or going missing. It also didn't help that some even scorned them for not picking a side.

Eventually... they were completely wiped out.

The Autobots were so, so hopeful when they found Smokescreen. A Recue Bot that was alive and well, who could remember parts of a culture and organization that was considered to be long since lost. If he made it to the end of the war, if he survived just a little bit longer, perhaps the Rescue Bots could be revived

As for when he's captured... they aren't too worried about him being harmed. It's still possible, but it's a fairly well known fact that Megatron during the war respected the Rescue Bots and punished any who conspired against them. However, that was a long time ago, and Megatron is far from the same bot he was back then

They're more worried about the affect on Smokescreen's mind. On what he'll be told, how Megatron will twist his words and break his spirit

[diminuel]

Ohhh, the Rocks / Edward D. Ace name idea is glorious, the reactions to that alone are great, Wani's would either be angsty or grumpy depending on which one is his father but imagine Whitebeard and/or the other Rocks pirates seeing that first wanted poster, regardless of which name is used, both gotta get a reaction out from them. Big Mom would definitely start hunting Ace down right away.

And I don't think Garp told Sengoku about Ace in canon, I imagine they had Roger's blood on file thanks to the execution or something and used that to check Ace's, I mean, they had to have some real confirmation because otherwise why dig up the rumor of Roger's heir and remind everyone of that clusterfuck? So they really had to be sure that they got the correct person.

I'm always craving angst, so I'm thinking about Rocks D. Ace now because I wonder if that would have changed Whitebeard's reaction to Ace. And oooh, Teach's reaction to Ace! Because all of them know that it's not possible for Ace to be Rock's son, the guy died many years ago. But could the marine have messed up, could Rocks' child have survived?

(It's of course possible that WB knows that the child survived.)

I can imagine that maybe WB is curious but apprehensive about him, but once he meets him he realizes that the fire that burns in Ace is not the same that he saw in Xebec or Xebec's child. And he might advice him not to use that name in public due to the heavy weight it carries (which Ace wouldn't have known. Maybe he artfully dodged any snail calls and letters his family tried to send him. Or maybe the marine even suppressed his chosen last name once Ace left the East Blue and got on people's radars.)

For a bit of WB angst I might also suggest that when Ace fesses up about who his real father is (and who raised him?) he also admits that he found WB's name as well and was contemplating using that. Because maybe for a while Crocodile had seen WB as his father figure? Maybe he had tried out the name? But there must have been a moment of "rejection" from WB so that he buried it again and was just "Crocodile" from then on out.

I just find the whole situation in Marineford a bit strange. It really paints Sengoku (and also Garp) in a bad light... which just clashed with their "eh, I'm retired, this doesn't matter to me anymore" attitude later on.......

Yes, maybe they did have his blood on hand to verify it... (Makes one wonder what they did with Roger's body. Was it "donated" to Vegapunk for research?)

[bee--28]

My dad and brother doing my brother's taxes as DPS characters:

Meeks: You don't have an IRA but we should probably get you one...

Charlie: International Rifle Association?

Meeks: .... Retirement

Cameron: Do you have a foreign bank account?

Meeks: Not that we should tell the government about

Pitts: Don't ask me that again

Neil: Oh, your phone's cracked?

Knox: Yeah, I dropped it like 2 days ago- well, I drop my phone all the time but

Todd: *anxious laughter* No

Cameron: Do you want to add to the presidential fund?

Neil: No! They'll take away my FAFSA!

Charlie: The check's gonna say "I'm not paying you any money!"

Charlie: I registered to vote twice actually!

Neil: Oh, that's illegal

Pitts: I feel like McAllister at dinner... Does anybody want water! Do you want water! I'm getting you all water!

Cameron: Verify your email! Go to your email! I need a code from your email!

Charlie: HOLD ON!!!

Neil: Fifty-four sixty one

Charlie: I need 5 digits

Neil: Yeah, fifty-four sixty one

Todd: *quiet chuckling*

Charlie: That's only 4

Neil: No it's not!

Charlie: Yes it is!

Neil: Five, four, six, zero, o-

Todd: Oooh, fifty-four, comma, sixty, comma, one!

Neil: Yes! I thought I was going crazy!

Charlie: And he was like, do you wanna go goof off? Of course I want to go goof off

[brimstonevalleymall]

Now that nisroch actually has one soul and not two, does their demon form have one head or is the two heads thing independent of number of souls?

Oooh, love this question and now I can finally talk about it! Okay so most of the demons in this podcast were based off this really weird really niche little book of demons that I bought in Powell's Bookstore in Portland, Oregon back when BVM was just an idea I was tossing around with friends. I'll post a picture of it at some point. In that book, the demon Misroch/Nisroch was described as the head chef of hell with a bad temper, but the name was different depending whether it was Egyptian or Hebrew in origin. I have since tried to find and verify this information anywhere outside of that book and can't so I have no idea where this information came from. ANYWAYS, we liked the idea of using both names which developed into the idea of having multiple souls (we had no idea how much that would come in clutch when we had to recast the role). So naturally, when deciding each character's demon form, we figured Misroch/Nisroch would have multiple of many body parts, but kept it vague on purpose to see what fanartists (we were delusional enough to think we'd get fanart) would come up with! TLDR: Now that their second soul is gone, Nisroch probably now only has one set of everything in demon form. - Kristen

[missamyrisa2]

Which of your ler modes (Ticklemama and Alex) is worse to be tickled by? And what about both of them tickling me together?

ahhhh I've had asks about them both coming out to tickle and I loveee the idea though it's sooo hard for me to wrap my head around it~ I dooo think on the ticklee side I kinda glitch out between them when I'm getting got so goood, like I sasssss alll tickleboy while rambling sillinessss all Amy-ish. Butttt it really just depends what will devastate you worse ~ because if you get my Alex side you're getting a lotttt of reallyyyy smartass teasing, like

"well I don't know what happened here because I think you said something, like something about being not ticklish? Which I have to say, is a really interesting comment when there appears to be some evidence that you are, in fact ticklish. I mean, I will have to run some models, get back to the lab, and verify the results but there's at least a halfway decent case here that you're ticklish, anddddd you might be completely full of shit, and that would be a little problem. That might cause you some issues, because if you said that, and you are ticklish well that would make you a liar and a ticklish liar and ticklish liars get tickled. It's not a problem for me though, yeah I'll be alright. I only know how to win anyway so y'know, you losing is par for the course and well, thing is, you're ticklish. Yeahhh, you're not ticklish the way I'm not gorgeous so let's just get this over with yeah? No more games?"

Andddd if you fall apart to sweetness wellllll~~~

"Ohh my goodnesss noooooo you're giggling darlingggg why are you sooo gigglyyyy? It can't be just from my tickles? Why I'm barely tickling youuuu ~ here I'll tickle lighterrrr is that better? Yeahh ticklemama always makes it better mmmhmm mhmmm yess let it all out nowwww ~ yesss why yes I dooo have to keep tickling you a litttleeeee ~ it's just little ticklessss ~ you're so cute like this and you're so safe and sound with me yeahhhh tickle tickle tiiiickle ~ awww you say ticklemama don't tickle but you giggle so sweeetly for meee and always come back for your tickle ticklessss uhh huhhh oooh ooh uh ohhh is that spottt? Uh oh! A spottttt? A spotttyy spotttt? Well let me just get that for yaaa yess let me just mmhmm kissy kisss that away and we'll get you allll tickle tickle tickledddd like you love to be yesssss just let it alll out you tell me about your tickles now and how you loooove your ticklesss and your Amyyyy mhmmmm ~ coochie cooo cutiee pieeee~"

[katyawriteswhump]

the power of love, part 12 (steddie, steve whump, stobin fic)

Alternate ending S4: Steve has a habit of surviving near death experiences then getting sick for no reason. And Eddie and those fatal bat bites? After an impossible feat of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation from Steve, he’s mysteriously fixed. So, Eddie’s back to being banished, this time with Steve and Robin in tow. Eddie’s healing, but Steve isn’t… and life gets even more confusing, when Eddie develops feelings for Steve, which aren’t entirely unrequited.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 13

(also on AO3 here and as part of my steve whump fic series)

Eddie POV

To Eddie, there’s something way too police-like about the way Hopper escorts Steve to the Humvee. He even raises a hand to check Steve doesn’t knock his head, while climbing in the rear seat. Eleven gets in the far side of Steve, and Robin piles in on the near side. 

Robin shoots Eddie such a mean look and slams the armoured door. Left standing in the mud, Eddie gets it—subtle as a monster punch in his gut. Stay away from Steve.

“Let’s move.” Hopper motions urgently, and Eddie trudges over and gets in.

“You sure you want me riding shotgun? What with me being… Oh, I dunno, verified spawn of Satan?” 

Hopper drops his voice to a barely audible rumble: “Whatever game you two were playing last night, I don’t wanna know.” He doesn’t sound chummy. Not actively hostile either. “I promised your uncle I’d look out for you, if I could.”

Eddie inhales sharply: “You’ve seen him? He’s okay?”

“He salvaged your six-string after the quake. He wanted me to tell you.”

Eddie snorted; cannot deny it’d played on his mind. God, Wayne knows him too damn well.

Hopper fiddles with the switches on the spartan dashboard. “Not gonna say he’s okay, because nobody in Hawkins is. Our best hope is that the military pull out when they can’t find Eleven. We still have allies, acquaintances of Owens, though their numbers are thinning fast.”

“That who we’re running to?”

Hopper has some kind of plan, which he explains as he grinds into gear. They’re heading for a remote road, where these remaining ‘allies’ have arranged further transport. “Luckily,” says Hopper, “you guys were pretty much on route.”

“We can’t stay away long,” says Eleven. “I have to go back. I can beat One, with help from friends, and…”

Eddie peeps over his shoulder, sees her staring hopefully at Steve. Who is staring glassily ahead.

“Steve?” prompts Robin. “Anything you feel like sharing.”

“Will you gimme a break? Look, I got an idea about what’s behind all this. I don’t know how much sense it’s gonna make, so…”

Nothing could’ve prepared Eddie for what Steve discloses next. “I know how nuts this must sound,” Steve says. Eddie, like the others, is temporarily stunned speechless. “That I should be… That I should’ve drowned in that lake, when I was a kid.”

“The only thing nuts,” says Robin, who’s literally cuddling him from the side, “is that you didn’t tell us this sooner.”

Steve squirms. “Honestly? It only came together in my head in the past day or so. It was like a really annoying jigsaw puzzle, and jigsaws are basically my least favorite thing ever.”

“We need to figure this out,” says Hopper. “There was no gate open to the Upside Down in 1978. Doesn’t mean Steve’s powers, if that’s what you got, aren’t linked to the Upside Down, or the experiments at Hawkins Lab. If they are, doesn’t mean they’re all bad news. Look at El.”

“I guess.” The Humvee rocks and rolls over a particularly cavernous pothole, and Steve flinches hard. “In my dreams and shit, I see this trippy… I don’t know how to describe them. They’re like a ghost or something; also, not quite a ghost. Whatever, I got this hunch they’re behind it.”

“Could be some kind of water spirit,” says Robin. “Or even a goddess. Oooh, so the Romans worshipped this water goddess, Minerva, and the ancient Celts had Sulis—"

“Be serious,” says Steve.

“I am serious. In Native American religions, water can represent a link between life and death. I wish I knew more.”

“Not sure I wanna know any of this.” Steve peeps down at El, who’s not quit staring at him. “If this is your crazy-pants frenemy after all, now would be a really good time to tell me.”

She shakes her head. “No. If I sense anything, it’s good… soft… like Mama should’ve been.”

“Oh,” says Steve. “Can you, like, see them too?”

“No.”

“Son-of-a-bitch!” bellows Hopper. The Humvee’s wheels churn uselessly in the sludgy ground. “Everyone out, apart from you.” He points at Steve. “You okay to take the wheel?”

Steve revs for about ten seconds. Eleven uses her powers to unstick the armoured vehicle, and nobody needs to shove. Trouble is, they get stuck again about ten minutes later. And again, five minutes after that. Soon after they next get going, there’s a loud metallic clunk. The Humvee chokes, splutters, and dies completely.

They all tumble out yet again, apart from Steve, who stays put, and nobody argues. Hopper props up the hood. “Munson, you any good with cars?” 

“Uh, hello?” says Robin. “My moms jumpstarts her Chevette every single day.”

That distracts Steve’s guard-dog. Eddie suffers a moment of agonising indecision then pops his head in the rear seat.

“How you doing?” Eddie knows it’s a stupid question. 

Steve shoots him a withering look, fluffs his messy hair. Eddie slides in beside then totally freezes up. He feels horrible about Steve’s arm in the sling, and as for the rest of it… 

HE DIED! On the other hand, I died too.

Yeah, how exactly does Eddie Munson fit into this beyond-freaky legend? He hardly gives a shit— he’s not the one seeing ‘ghosts’ and, worse, starting to resemble a ghost.

“Eddie,” whispers Steve. “I might need to get away.”

“Get away?” mouths Eddie. “What do you mean? From Hopper?”

Steve’s silence is answer enough.

“Granted, the dude’s packing heat,” says Eddie. And driving a freakin’ tank. "He’s not holding you hostage.”

“I know that. God, I’m so confused.” Steve’s stopped being grouchy or fighty. Which is pretty un-Steve, and scary in itself. He curls a hand over his eyes. “I feel like I’m being… I dunno, pulled in the wrong direction.”

A power chord of fear twangs across Eddie’s every fibre. “You want us to go back to Hawkins?” 

“Us?” Steve emerges from behind his fingers. “No. Hop’s right. You’d be arrested and I’d be… Ugh, I’m so goddamn sick of this. I want this all to be over, so we can… you know, fool around together.”

He reaches out, hooks a strand of Eddie’s now-totally-mad hair behind his ear, and sorta smiles. For a single damn fine moment, that smile sparks in his eyes; Eddie loses himself there, and their world is perfect.

Then Steve’s fingers drift away. Eddie wants to catch them, kiss them, promise he’ll do anything Steve needs. He’ll take down the whole damn US army, slay Vecna in a blaze of glory, even if he dies AGAIN trying, and yet… 

… Holy shit, he’s terrified of Steve! Scared that, if he touches him, he’s gonna crumble into dust, or…

“Earth to Eddie?” Steve waves in front of Eddie’s nose. “Have I added invisibility to my list of useless powers?”

“No. It’s just… I want this over too, so we can do, uh, yeeeaah, stuff.” Wow. Call yourself a lyricist, Munson? He’s rescued by a roar from the Hummer’s engine. That sleepwalker’s glaze returns to Steve’s eyes, and it feels way too much like another door swinging closed in Eddie’s face.

Although the dinged motor is fixed, the mud continues to be literally a pain in the butt. Nobody enjoys the bruisingly rough ride on the rock-hard, upholstery-free seats. 

“At this rate, we’re gonna have to ditch this piece of garbage and walk,” says Hopper.

“Jesus Christ, just ditch me already,” mutters Steve, who’s turned a disturbing shade of gray-green. Hopper doesn’t argue, which makes Eddie think he isn’t taking all that Steve says seriously. Which makes Eddie feel kinda sick, too.

What should they do? He wishes he could talk to Steve alone again, this time be less of a tongue-tied dipshit. That said, how can Steve go back to Hawkins? Right now, he can’t hardly walk.

They’re halfway across a patch of open land when they get stuck yet again. Eleven’s nearly as washed out as Steve, her nose bleeding. Hopper suggests they get the Humvee moving the traditional way.

“Shame about all that rain,” says Robin, as she, Hopper and Eddie pile out to push.

“Is that a dig?” snaps Steve, from the driver’s seat.

“Wasn’t supposed to be. Sorry. Sorry.”

They’ve barely put their backs into it, when Hopper squints into the air and curses louder than ever. A distant juddering noise reaches Eddie’s hearing.

“Oh my God,” cries Robin. “Is that—”

“Sikorsky search-and-rescue Hawks,” shouts Hopper. Yup, Eddie counts a battle-wave of ten or more. “Into the trees. Go, go, go!”

“What about our tank?” Eddie jumps on instinct to help Steve, who’s clambering out, seeming kinda dazed. Robin blocks Eddie’s path. It’s all a moot point, because Hopper’s already got to Steve.

“If they see it,” says Hopper, hustling Steve ahead of him, “chances are they’ll take a potshot.”

“I can crash them,” gasps Eleven. “Done it before.”

“Not a great idea, kiddo,” says Hopper. “They’ll know for sure it’s us, and throw everything they got into this part of the country. We’ll never make our meet.”

Eddie is scratched from head to foot by outdoor crap, before Hopper says, wheezing hard, “This’ll do.” They all get down in a bunker-like dip. Steve kneels beside Eddie, Hopper behind them. Robin shuffles around to crouch beside Steve.

“Do you hear that?” murmurs Steve to Eddie.

“Uh, yeah,” replies Eddie. “Evil empire TIE fighters, straight outta the Death Star.”

“Not them. A river or something. Loud. Like a waterfall.”

“Could be a giant bear taking a slash?” says Eddie, because life is currently so unfunny, he really might as well. And no, he can’t hear any water. Only the crescendoing approach of that airborne death squad.

“Bears have gotten so far down my ‘worry about’ list,” says Robin, “that that’s scary itself.” She picks a cobweb out of Steve’s hair. Steve, meanwhile, closes his eyes. He starts to tremble. “Uh, Steve,” says Robin, “what are you—”

“What d’you think I’m doing?” Bitchy Steve has returned, which Eddie chooses to find reassuring. “They’ll see the Hummer for sure. If I can actually do what you say I did—”

“It makes you sick,” hisses Eddie.

Robin bristles. “Since when did you care?”

“Will you both zip it?” says Steve.

Robin rubs his back. Eddie considers squeezing his knee, then decides against it. Hopper stops scrutinising the skies, brow furrowing: “What’s he doing?”

“Nothing!” Robin’s overwrought smile is stupidly guilty.

“Stevie?” prompts Eddie. “Is there anything we—”

“No, no. I remember this insane crackling. If I can get that going… Gnnng!”

“Anger helps,” whispers Eleven, from the far side of Robin. “What makes you angry?”

“A ton of shit! I can’t… Jesus, it feels like my head’s gonna explode.”

There’s a blinding flash, and a deafening thunderclap. Steve crumples forward, and Hopper grabs him by the scruff of his sweater before he hits the dirt. Eddie shrinks back, his own heart beating like it’s gonna bust outta his chest.

Steve’s now basically hyperventilating. “Ssssh, you did great.” Hopper gently braces an arm around him. “You gotta calm down. Breathe slower, nice and steady, huh?”

Eddie glances up at a bank of wispy grey clouds that hadn’t been there before. A few tense moments pass, the air palpably crackling with an electric tension. Then the noise from the choppers begins to fade.

“They’re turning around,” says Hopper. “Hawks can’t fly with lightning around.”

Robin’s shoulders sink with a relief Eddie shares. Steve, however, groans miserably. Hopper is still keeping Steve upright and asks, “You gonna puke?”

Steve scrunches his face and nods. 

“Stop goggling and get lost,” says Hopper to the others. Nobody disobeys. They’ve not gone a dozen yards, before Robin trips and falls on her face. As Eddie stoops to help her, she springs back up without aid. Far more shockingly, she throws her arms around Eddie’s neck:

“Oh my God, oh my God, I know the powers are awesome but he’s sick and I’m so scared he’s dying. What do we do? How can we help him? WHAT DO WE DO?”

All Eddie can do is press his cheek to her hair, and answer with an honesty that jack-knifes through his guts. “I don’t know, Robin. I haven’t a goddamn clue.”

Part 13

...

PS--In case anybody's worried... while there is plenty of trauma ahead, I only do happy endings ;)

tags: @estrellami-1 @kal-ology @finntheehumaneater (thank you, thank you, thank you!) If anybody else would like to be tagged on this fic or any of my writing, please let me know :) Reblogs, comments and likes also very much appreciated :) Thank you for reading so far :)

(also part of my steve whump fic series on AO3)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 13

[gildedbirdcage-if]

Oooh! I just read the anon ask about MC escaping and I was thinking, what if Alek wouldn't disappear because MC now works as a maid/cook/gardner for his family or in some trusted person's inn etc? Covering well their traks like forging documents that say that MC is an orphan etc? If MC did menage to leave the castle when younger, what would the king have done now that he needs MC to get married?

So Alek’s family technically lives in the castle. His father commands the army, ultimately something Alek will also do which is why he’s a candidate as a suitor, so there is a close professional relationship with the King (at one time it was also a close personal relationship but Alek’s father can’t support the way the MC is treated and has lost like all respect for the King as a result) there that kind of requires that they don’t have their own home. Because Alek and his mother do travel with Fero (families are given the choice to join their loved ones in the military) that’s what causes Alek to have bouts of being at the castle and prolonged times of being away it also works so they don’t have to pay staff or like get robbed lol

The thought of entrusting MC to someone does cross their mind but there is still the worry of safety. If the person were to find out who the MC is, there’s danger of extortion there. The people that knew of the Queen also loved her deeply so if they found out who the MC was they may not be better than anyone in the castle. There’s also no way for them to know if it actually is something the King would care about so there’s the fear that all parties involved, including the MC, get punished severely.

If the MC escaped in their youth, the King would care as soon as it dawned on him that he needs them to get married and have children. There would be a manhunt for the MC with an insane reward. If anyone even a little bit looked like the Queen they would be turned in out of pure greed to get the reward. Because the King wouldn’t know the MC’s face very well other than that they look like their mother, the King would likely use Orion, Alek, or a member of Alek’s family to verify. There would be leverage to make sure they wouldn’t lie, such as threatening their lives or imprisonment/torture if he thinks they’re not being honest. If the MC has died or had not been found, the search would be ongoing until the King dies knowing he was cheated.

[kusanagihaku]

WAWAWAWA I LOVED THE ASK GAMEEEE!!

now 2 return the favor: tohma, kaito, ritsu, jiro. im curious...

HI PINK HEHEHEHE glad u liked it!!!!

⋆˙⟡ tohma: you get to transfer houses. which house are you transferring to?

HOTARUBI!!!!!!! HDJSHSJJS I was sorted into jabberwock both in canon & in aya’s sorting quiz and as much as I love haru & the house & its responsibilities w my whole heart . Hotarubi haku is right there hdjdjdjd whenever i’m at work i’m always 😪 born to hotarubi forced to mortkranken…

⋆˙⟡ kaito: what are three things you like about your second favourite ghoul?

alan my love what wouldn’t i do for him,

1. the sense of security he gives off? like whatever you do he’ll always be by your side and he won’t just up and walk away… i am unfortunately also a taurus & this is . Very Incredibly attractive to me

2. the way he listens so intently… tries his best to understand & digest the information presented to him in all forms… even if he’s technologically challenged… as a yapper this is also sadly very attractive to me

3. the way he values the opinions of his first years? he knows they have good heads on their shoulders and he treats them as equals and not like . underlings despite the fact that they have much to learn about how darkwick runs. he’s so sweet to mc and his kids and the rest of his house & they clearly respect him for it I’m . punching a wall

⋆˙⟡ ritsu: you get the chance to tail one ghoul around all day without their knowledge. who do you pick?

OOOH YURI!! YURI YURI YURI!!!!

ok i KNOW i said i was born to hotarubi forced to mortkranken but like . so many things we could learn from mortkranken… also i just very much want to know what’s going on with jiro’s body i want to read his reports and I really REALLY want to know why he can’t swallow alone but can swallow with the mc ?? occupational hazard but i Want it

⋆˙⟡ jiro: you're going on an inter-house mission with four ghouls. who do you pick?

in between a team that would keep me safe vs what you did with your squad… absolute Chaos squad…

1. haku definitely on this list. isn’t even a question next

2. taiga. i need to know his beef w haku & also?? i trust that between him & haku one of them will use his brain / prior knowledge to get us out of the situation & the other will spend all night looking to verify it

3. tohma. i also need to know his beef w haku & also ?? the $ gotta come from somewhere!!

4. rui. i also need to know his beef w hak- ok no ngl i just want 2 be flirted with i NEED my hakurui inter house mission where they’re just ramping up their flirting nonstop one of us will fold & it’s not gna be me