#I honestly was waiting for this scene since the trailer dropped and

[queenwhoneverwasx]

‘Whether it’s to my daughter or to someone else’s, your father will remarry sooner than late. His new wife will produce new heirs, and chances are better than not that one those will be male and when that boy comes of age and your father has passed, the men of the realm will expect him to be heir, not you. Because that is the order of things.’- Princess Rhaenys Targaryen

Credit for screencaps

[rip-quizilla]

Impossible to Hate You ~ Part 5

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!Reader

Summary: Everything is falling- leaves from the trees, rain from the sky, you for Eddie, and Eddie for you.

Word Count: 10.1 K

A/N: Big thanks to @the-unforgivenn (happy birthday❤️) for all of the help you gave me on this chapter, and honestly this whole fic in general. You've been an invaluable part of the writing process of this story, and the fact that you care so much about Eddie & Ace just makes me feel so loved... you don't even know. Ily wifey✨

Thank you @vintagehellfire for your priceless tattoo knowledge- I hope I did you proud!!

Also thanks to @blueywrites for helping me decide on what Eddie would tattoo on reader back in our Tumblr DMs in June😂 y'all that's how long I've had this scene in my brain. This part of the story has been a long time coming.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Part 5

Fall, 1983

“Rick, are you serious, man?”

“Dead serious, I’ll sell it to you for twenty.”

You caught the tail end of their conversation as you approached the red plastic picnic table in Forest Hills trailer park. Today was the first day of fall, and while it may not have felt like biting cold and crunchy leaves yet, it did feel like flannels tied around waists and long-dead grass that broke beneath the soles of your shoes. You hopped up onto the surface of the table, swinging your feet around to rest beside Eddie where he sat on the bench. 

“Sell what?” you asked, producing three cans of Coke from your bag that you’d brought from home and handing one to each of the boys. Rick had grown accustomed to your presence since the spring, so he actually cracked a smile when he answered your question and nodded in thanks as he accepted the can.

“Munson wants to buy my old tattoo gun.”

Your jaw dropped. “Wait, seriously?” you asked Eddie.

He didn’t take his eyes off Rick. “And I’m wondering what the catch is if you’re selling it to me for so cheap.” 

You cracked open your can of soda with a hiss, joining Eddie in his Rick stare-down. “Hmm,” you mused, “I bet he forgot to clean it and it’s staph-infested.”

“Nope,” Rick popped the ‘p’ after taking a swig from his shiny red can. “Never been used, so I can guarantee it’s staph-free. Always meant to use it, but after that brush with the cops I had last month, I don’t want to risk having it.”

You narrowed your eyes at Eddie, trying to discern whether or not he’d thought about the fact that if he bought it, then he would be in possession of paraphernalia for illegal Indiana activities. 

Then again, you knew he smoked weed and that was most definitely against the law as well, and he hadn’t been caught yet. You trusted him not to be stupid enough to get arrested.

You turned your line of questioning on Eddie. “Why on earth do you need a tattoo gun anyway?”

“Well you see, Ace-�� Eddie lifted one of your feet up from the bench, straightening your leg and presenting your right shoe- your white converse, half covered in mythical creatures and random doodles that Eddie had slowly been adding to with his fine-tipped Sharpie ever since you’d bought them in early August. “-it seems that I need a canvas for my art, and it won’t be long before I run out of shoe.” 

You quirked an eyebrow. “So now people are the canvas?” 

Eddie held up his arms, bare skin nearly translucent in the afternoon sun. His nearly-too-small Iron Maiden tee showcased just how much bare skin he had to spare along the contours of his limbs. “If by people you mean me, then yeah.” 

“You’re going to tattoo yourself?”

“Yep!”

“Without practicing on someone else first?”

Eddie smirked, “You volunteering?”

You rolled your eyes, but for some odd reason the idea stuck. You decided to play along. 

“Let’s say I am, what would the tattoo be?” 

Eddie hadn’t anticipated this answer. He was so surprised, in fact, that he choked on the soda that he’d just sipped into his mouth before your question. In a cacophony of coughs and wheezes, Eddie managed to regain his composure as you smiled wryly, feeling as though you’d bested him somehow in some small way. To fluster him with something as small as this, something he hadn’t expected. 

“You’re serious? You want a tattoo?” Eddie responded skeptically, before turning away from you to fiddle with his soda can still held in his hands. 

You shrugged, as if he were asking if you wanted a pizza, not a permanent brand inked on your skin. “Why not? I think I’d look pretty badass with a tattoo.” 

You weren’t sure what was making you feel so bold today, but you had a feeling it might be related to the thought of Eddie covered in ink that wound up and down his skin that was making you ache to touch it when it was still naked and peach-pale. You scooched a couple inches down the tabletop to the left, placing your seat directly behind Eddie’s neck. 

Then, in a stroke of something between bravery, stupidity, and need, you carefully slung your legs over Eddie’s shoulders so that they sat in the bends of your knees.

It was a simple gesture- familiar, even. You made a point to lean back a little, bracing your hands behind you on the tabletop so that the apex of your thighs stayed a good distance from the back of Eddie’s neck. You felt Eddie’s shoulders stiffen, each muscle under your jeans tensing for a moment before relaxing into the closeness. 

Then Eddie brought his hands to your ankles, his fingertips brushing the spare skin between your high tops and the cuffs of your jeans. The pads of his thumbs barely caressed the skin but they felt like a kiss- a thing coveted and then forbidden, then coveted even more. 

His touch drifted over your legs, warm hands coming to rest over your shins and squeeze, heating the denim that separated his skin from yours. You were holding your breath. You’d been so confident a second ago yet here he was, knocking the very air from your lungs. 

You waited anxiously for him to say something; if he didn’t you were sure you were going to do something stupid. Something that would involve more of his skin on your skin.

“Would you want this tattoo of yours to show?” Eddie asked at last, breaking the silence between the two of you- well, the three of you. Rick was still there, taking in the sight before him with a smirk on his face. 

“Not easily, my parents would kill me.” you said, ensuring that your tone of voice was nonchalant, casual. “But I don’t see the harm in something small that I could hide.” 

Eddie tilted his head back and up, earthen eyes flicking up to yours. “What happened to ‘looking badass’?”

You pursed your lips as you leaned forward, bringing your faces to hover parallel over each other. “You’re saying that taking my pants off to reveal a surprise tatty isn’t badass?”

You watched as Eddie’s eyes flashed darker for a split second- nearly imperceptibly so- before his lips stretched sinfully into a mischievous grin. “Oh, under the pants then, huh?” 

His hands traced higher, ghosting on your knees and burning his fingerprints through your jeans. 

“Easy to hide,” you said, struggling to keep your voice even. “It’s a practical placement.”

Eddie’s thumbs stroked absentminded circles into the flesh of your lower thighs, tight denim puckering with the motion. “Practical placement…” he murmured, low enough that it sounded like he hadn’t even meant to say it out loud. 

“You could put it on your hip.”

Both of your heads whipped around to focus on Rick, who was grinning at both of you like he’d just discovered a fun new game to play. He shrugged, hopping up to sit beside you on the tabletop. “You want it to be hidden all of the time, right?” he leaned to shove you congenially with his shoulder. “When’s a good girl like you gonna be showing off some hip? I bet the only one who’ll see that will already be married to you when he lays eyes on-”

“Hey!” you interjected. “You act like I’m some prude, I’m not a nun.” Rolling your eyes, you looked back down at Eddie hoping to meet his gaze and laugh together over how ridiculous Rick was being. However, you looked down only to find Eddie’s chocolate browns trained on Rick with wide-eyed warning. A silent message was clearly being exchanged, but it wasn’t for you.

Rick was smiling smugly down at Eddie, unbeknownst to you, and Eddie was getting the message loud and clear:

It’s time to raise the stakes, kid. 

“Perfect!” Rick chirped, smug eyes still trained on Eddie’s. “So you wouldn’t mind letting Eddie use your hip as his, uh… canvas, then?”

If Eddie’s looks could kill, Rick would be a dead man. 

“Yeah.” you choked out, refusing to give yourself time to chicken out of what you’d gotten yourself into. “Yeah, why not?”

***

Rainy days in autumn just felt right.

Sure, you were in Latin class. Sure, you were supposed to be working on a packet the substitute teacher had just passed out. However, it was raining outside. The sub was easygoing enough that she hadn’t made a move to stop Eddie from doodling on your shoe that was perched comfortably on the crook of his hip. 

You sat behind him in every class you had together- there were four of them this year- and Eddie had gotten into the habit of reaching back to tap you on the leg whenever he knew he was losing focus. Every time he tapped, you would carefully stretch your leg forward until his hand caught on your ankle, lifting it up until it rested on his lap. His sharpie would go to work on whatever blank spots he could still find on your white converse, and the mindless activity of his drawing would keep his mind awake enough to listen as teachers droned on and on. 

The change in Eddie wasn’t lost on his teachers- they had all noticed the impact that your company seemed to have on him, and it was the only reason why they hadn’t had any issues with your constant companionship. When you were around, Eddie actually paid attention in his classes and turned in work- that was good enough for them.

The silence of the classroom and the soundtrack of rainfall beating against the roof and windows had created the perfect work zone for you, and your focus on your classwork was only interrupted when you noticed a folded piece of torn notebook paper on the edge of your desk. 

Smirking as you felt Eddie continue doodling on your shoe, you unfolded the paper and read the slanted scrawl that you’d come to recognize instantly as Eddie’s handwriting. 

Were you serious about the tattoo thing? It’s OK if you’re not.

Your cheeks heated, contemplating whether you were still serious about it or not. The only fears you had about it were completely logical- Eddie had literally no clue what he was doing. Yours would only be his second tattoo after his own. Worst case scenario, the tattoo would get infected and you go to the hospital. Eddie gets arrested for tattooing without a medical license. Best case scenario… you get to sit there while he grips your naked thigh for as long as it takes to leave a permanent reminder of him on your hip. 

You blinked a couple of times, letting that mental image wash over you, before confidently penning your answer beneath his message. 

I’m serious. 

Folding the scrap of paper and handing it back to him, you felt his Sharpie leave your shoe as he took the note and read it. You watched him register the two words, glance back at you through the loose strands of hair that hung over his shoulder, then smile softly into a shake of his head. A second later, he was handing the note back to you.

If you say so, Ace. What am I tattooing, and where?

You had to think about it for a moment before passing back your answer

Hip is fine. What are you gonna do? We could match.

Eddie’s reply came faster than you’d ever seen him write any of his notes in class, that’s for damn sure.

You want matching tattoos?? Are you sure?

Your heart began to race. Was that bad? Was he judging you for wanting to match him? Maybe you were being too clingy, trying too hard… you glanced down at his jacket, which was wrapped around you almost every day at this point- it was practically a second skin. His handwriting was all over your shoes. You stared at your fingers, scarlet polish chipping from the tips of your nails, and you remembered that you’d chosen red solely because he’d mentioned it was his favorite color. 

Were you coming across as desperate? Were you weirding him out? Maybe you needed to dial it back-

A new piece of paper slid across your desk, Eddie’s eyes glancing your way with nothing but warmth in his gaze before he returned his attention to your shoe on his lap. 

I’m fine with it if you are. 

Putting bats on my forearm. 

You released a breath that you hadn’t realized you’d been holding, giving ways for butterflies to take flight inside your chest. You grinned, jotting down your reply beneath his writing. 

I’m more than fine with it. 

Could you do just one little bat on my hip?

Eddie took a little longer this time with his response, and you understood why once you saw the adorably small silhouette of a bat penned in black on the paper he’d passed back to you. 

You leaned forward, letting your chin nearly brush the fabric of his denim jacket as you whispered low enough that the substitute teacher wouldn’t hear. 

“It’s perfect.”

A snicker from the other side of the classroom caught your ear. Eddie and you both turned to see a cluster of letter-jacketed assholes staring at the two of you, whispering and laughing with each other. 

You knew deep down that you didn’t care what they thought. You knew that you should just keep your head down. Ignore them. 

But then you caught the tail end of one of their sentences.

“...fucking freaks.”

Two things happened simultaneously: your eyebrows jumped, and Eddie’s stomach dropped.

The ringing of the bell was all you needed to angrily shove your belongings into your backpack and march over to the other side of the classroom, stopping the jocks in their tracks. Eddie was right behind you, tugging you back by the crook of your elbow as you steadily ignored his pleas to sit down and ignore them, they aren’t worth it.

“You want to repeat what you were saying over there, Alan?” You stared up at the freckled boy, his harsh features sneering down at you from where he stood nearly half a foot taller than you. His height did nothing to deter you, however. Neither did Eddie’s death grip on your arm.

Alan snorted, raising an eyebrow at the sight of the two of you before him. His eyes flicked over you, appraising for about two seconds before directing his attention to Eddie behind you. “You letting your girl pick your fights for you now, Munson?” 

Eddie didn’t have a chance to respond; you didn’t give him one. “Don’t look at him.” you stepped forward, bringing you mere inches from the freckled football star. “I asked you a question.”

Alan and his cronies laughed, apparently amused by the show of dominance you were trying to make. You opened your mouth to berate him further, but the sharp tug on your arm from Eddie was strong enough this time to jerk you away from them and toward the door of the classroom. 

“Wh- Eddie, quit it!” you tried to shake off his grip but it wasn’t going to budge; Eddie marched you out the door and down the hallway like a man on a mission. 

“Yeah, Eddie, quit it!” You both could hear Alan’s patronizing whine from the classroom, his voice thrown into a reedy falsetto that made your blood boil. His voice trailed off, melting into the nasal snickers of his friends.

Eddie didn’t let go of your arm until the two of you reached his locker, at which point he finally looked you in the eye- and his stare embodied an intensity that you hadn’t seen from him ever before. You’d seen him intense, of course… just not like this. 

This looked like fear. 

“What the fuck was that for?” Eddie bit out, his teeth clenched and eyes wide. 

You crossed your arms, suddenly defensive. Had you messed up, somehow? “I… I mean, they were calling us names, I wasn’t going to just sit there.”

“Alan’s an illiterate asshole, you don’t need to explain yourself to him.”

“I know I don’t need to, but…” You chuckled humorlessly, that familiar vengeful feeling from moments ago beginning to bubble back up. “You know what, no. I do need to. I’m not the kind of person who can just sit there while jerks like him run around slandering good people, it’s wrong!”

Eddie huffed, his hands on his hips as he glanced around and shook his head. “Slandering, huh? That’s a big word, Ace. What’s that, the college word of the day?” You raised an eyebrow, watching him closely and curiously. 

He was fidgeting nonstop, repeatedly picking up his feet and replacing them on the floor only an inch or so away from where they’d been before. His eyes darted in every direction, as if scanning for potential threats so that he could run from them before they decided to pounce. 

“Eddie, why are you so afraid of those guys?” 

Big brown eyes widened to saucers, refocusing on you. “This isn’t fear, Ace, it’s just common sense.” Eddie checked over his shoulder to ensure the jocks were gone, then took a step closer. He leaned his shoulder against the locker, lifting his opposite arm to gently place his hand on your upper arm. You shivered, feeling his thumb trace small circles through his own black leather. Maybe that’s why he’s so scared all of a sudden, you pondered, leaning closer to Eddie. He’s given me his armor. 

You lowered your voice, sympathetic to Eddie’s plight. “You know I wouldn’t let them hurt you, Eds.” Looking up into his eyes, you expected to see them soften, gratitude coating his gaze. Instead, they widened and crinkled slightly at the edges. Eddie huffed out a gaudy laugh, incredulous at your admission.

“Hurt me?” he shook his head, stunned, and began to rifle through his locker for the books he needed for next class. “Ace, I just don’t want them to hurt you!”

You balked. “Me?” an eyebrow raised, you crossed your arms over your chest, defensive once again. “You really think they’d hit a girl? They’re jerks but I don’t think they’d go that far-”

“Nah, they’ll only sick their girlfriends on you.” Eddie punctuated his sentence with a slam of his locker door. “Purebred harpies with matching scrunchies who’ll make your life a living hell and then pretend that you’re the crazy one.”

It was a struggle to keep up with him at the rate he was walking, strides each a yard wide as he tugged you along by your hand. 

Your hand. Eddie Munson was holding your hand. 

“You, uh… you speaking from experience?” You stuttered over your words, cheeks heating at the sudden skin-to-skin contact. He had just admitted that he didn’t want to see you get hurt- his blatant protectiveness of you coupled with the way he was decisively dragging you by the hand to your locker right now was nearly too much for you to handle. 

“Trust me,” Eddie sighed, swinging you around as he reached your locker and (to your dismay) letting go of your hand. “You get asked out on a dare enough times, you figure out how their coven operates.” 

Eddie wasn’t meeting your eyes. You had to actually place your hand on his shoulder to capture his gaze. “Eddie,” you said, making a conscious effort to keep your voice steady and be something stable for him to feel at least a little grounded on. “Deep breath.”

Surprisingly, he did as you said. Eddie closed his eyes, inhaling deep and allowing his lungs to fill long enough that his chest expanded before his exhale blew softly on your cheeks. It smelled like the apple you’d brought for him at lunch.

 When you were once again treated to that warm hazelnut gaze, your hand acted without thinking and flew up to gently rest against his jawline. You were crossing some invisible line- you knew that- but the light in the hallway was causing shadows to take up residence in the dusting of whiskers that decorated the sharp incline that led to his chin. Your fingertips brushed his skin reverently, and he seemed frozen. Eddie didn’t dare move; you were like a butterfly that had deigned to land on him of all people, and damn it all if he was going to fuck it up and scare you off. 

“I’ve got you, you’ve got me… right?” Your voice was barely loud enough to be heard through the noise of bustling students. “We look out for each other, Eddie, we’re stronger together.” 

Eddie remained still under your caress, wishing he could focus on your touch. Wishing he could rip his eyes away from where they were trained behind you- held in terrified contact with a sadistic-looking Alan who stood with his cherry-lipsticked girlfriend across the hallway. Alan’s lips were curled into a sneer, watching as the thing that Eddie wanted most became his worst nightmare.

You were openly touching him, while wearing his clothes, standing in shoes covered with his drawings- and Eddie watched in horror as the harpy pushed up on her tiptoes to whisper something in Alan’s ear before both of them refocused not on Eddie, but on you. 

They laughed like fucking heyenas, eyeing their next meal. 

It took every ounce of self control Eddie had, but he gently took your hand in his and lowered it from his cheek. He ignored the way your eyes gazed up at him the same way a scorned puppy begged for some kind of affection, any confirmation that they are, indeed, loved. 

“It’s the together part I’m worried about, Ace.” Eddie whispered, keeping his voice low. 

You were quiet, which Eddie hated because it was his fault.

“Oh, and um-” Eddie raised his shoulders and shivered, rubbing his hands along his upper arms to warm himself with the friction. “-it’s a little chilly today… you mind if I wear the jacket?” His hand drifted down to the flannel that hung loosely tied around your waist, taking a corner of the material and feeling it between the pads of his thumb and forefinger.

“This’ll keep you warm, yeah?” 

You stared blankly for a moment, stunned. You had nearly forgotten that the jacket was his to take. You’d assumed he liked that you always wore his jacket, but… perhaps you’d made that up. You were eager for him to want things like that, after all… ‘more than friends’ kinds of things. However, asking for a borrowed item to be returned was completely normal for friends. You chided yourself for reading too much into it and smiled warmly up at him.

“Yeah! Of course!” you sprung into action, setting your backpack down on the floor as you began to shrug off the jacket. “You’re right it’s frigid in here today.” 

You handed the jacket to Eddie, who donned it with a thin-lipped smile. Parting ways for your next class, you departed in opposite directions down the hallway. 

Upon arriving in your calculus class, you glanced out the window eager to zone out as you watched the rain, only to be greeted by a gray sky drained of its water. The rain’s reprieve left nothing in its wake but a tired sun, soft mist that obscured all surety, and packed Indiana dirt softened to mud too loose for one to find their footing. 

The sort of mud that, should you try to walk through it, you’d be destined to slip and fall. 

***

When Eddie thought of Halloween, he thought of blood and sugar. 

It was a strange contradiction, the way that Halloween’s association with horror and gore had balanced itself out with candy corn and fun-sized Snickers bars, and yet the juxtaposition of the two brought a smile to his face. The combination of sweet and terrifying embodied the holiday perfectly. On Halloween, there was no need for any kind of steely exterior that might protect him from judgment. No need to hide the way he really feels behind the scary metalhead armor he’d so carefully curated as a defense mechanism. 

On Halloween, he wasn’t just allowed to be a freak. He was celebrated for it. 

On Halloween, he could just be. 

It was the reason why Halloween just so happened to be the day he’d had enough courage to look through your bedroom window exactly four years ago. It’s the day when Hell meets Heaven to make something sweet, and anything can happen.

Anything- including matching tattoos on the floor of his trailer. 

Everything was ready- Eddie had laid out sheets of newspaper to cover what he’d deemed the tattoo zone, and broken down a cardboard box to act as a stable surface on the soft carpet of his bedroom floor. Eddie had scrutinized every instruction he’d been able to wrench from Rick for how to work the tattoo machine. Grips, needles, fucking rubber bands that were apparently very necessary… he’d made sure he had it all. He’d even practiced on an orange that he’d swiped from the kitchen counter.

A thick black cable now snaked across his carpeted floor, connecting the machine to a pedal, the pedal to a power supply, and the power supply to the yellowed plastic outlet on his wall. Beside the machine sat a stack of paper towels and all sorts of other shit Rick had advised him to make sure he used. He was lucky that Rick had bought a bottle of black ink- Eddie wouldn’t have known where to seek out medical-grade ink in a state where it was illegal to ink your skin without a license. 

Your knock at his door made Eddie jump; he wasn’t sure why he was so nervous. It would be easy to write his nerves off as adrenaline before his first tattoo, but who was he kidding- it was you. You’d gone from someone who made him nervous to someone who made him nervous for different reasons, and all of this was very inconvenient for Eddie. 

“Trick or Treat,” You’d chirped when he opened the door, and it was at that moment Eddie realized that this night may very well be the death of him.

You wore your favorite baggy sweater over a tight black tank top, which you’d tucked into some high waisted acid washed jeans. Unsurprisingly, the chucks on which he’d scribbled his claim were fastened securely on your feet. In your hands was a variety pack of halloween candies and a shopping bag from the local drugstore. Everything about you radiated warmth, and Eddie had to fight the urge to change tonight’s itinerary to movies and a blanket fort and spend the whole evening on the couch with you, surrounded by candy wrappers and the light of his television set. 

“I brought antibacterial soap,” you said, bringing Eddie back to reality. You rifled through your shopping bag to show him your spoils as you stepped through the threshold and into his trailer. “-large bandages, and a little travel first aid kit just in case. Oh, and I did a little bit of reading at the library and I couldn’t find much on tattoos, but the one commonality between every book and article I could find said to make sure you wash the wound often and disinfect everything-”

“Ace,” Eddie interrupted, taking the bag from you and closing the front door. The corner of his mouth quirked up, keeping an amused chuckle at bay. “You went to the library to read about how to safely care for an illegal tattoo?” Your expression soured, shifting to a half-scowl, half-pout. 

“Well one of us has got to do it,” you huffed, grabbing the bag and marching towards Eddie’s room. “And I know you wouldn’t set foot in the library unless you were forced.” You continued to yell at him from his room, “You’ll thank me when your kitchen-scratched tattoo doesn’t get infected, and you get to grow old with all of your limbs intact!”

Eddie stayed glued to his spot as his smirk grew into a goofy grin. You were fucking adorable. 

You hadn’t argued when Eddie insisted that he start with his own tattoo- before he got started on permanently marking your skin, he wanted to be sure that he at least had gotten the hang of it first. He immediately started getting to work with his trusty fine-tipped Sharpie, sketching out a scattering of bats on his forearm and glancing every once in a while at his notebook for reference. You’d flipped through that notebook on several occasions when the two of you had sat idle during classes or study sessions. The drawings were always sprawling, sharp and gruesome in a way that wasn’t so much scary as it was fascinating to you. 

You laid stomach-down on his mattress, positioned behind where he sat on the floor, his back leaned up against the bed frame and close enough that you could probably reach down and play with his hair if you were bold enough. You didn’t- no matter how tempting it was, you didn’t want to risk anything that might mess up his focus. You settled for watching Eddie’s reflection in the mirror that sat leaned up against the wall in front of him. 

When the Sharpie stencil had dried and Eddie picked up the tattoo machine, you couldn’t deny the nervous uptake in your heart rate. You watched him gingerly begin the process of permanently inking his drawing into his skin, and before the needle touched skin, Eddie looked over his shoulder at you and winked, whispering a surprisingly shaky “Point of no return.” Before you could ask if he was having second thoughts, he was already outlining the first bat, his socked foot pressing decisively on the pedal that whirred his machine to life. 

Minutes ticked by before you uttered a soft “Does it hurt?” to break the awkward silence. Normally, Eddie had some sort of music playing, Metallica or WASP or something along those lines spinning on his cheap old turntable- but tonight there was nothing but the electric buzz that filled the small bedroom, and it was starting to make you antsy. 

Eddie huffed, and it was as much of a laugh as he could afford while holding still. “Well, Ace, it’s a needle sticking in and out of my arm repeatedly, so if I’m being honest it ain’t exactly sunshine and rainbows.” You watched him wince as he moved on from outlining the first bat and started on the second. 

“Does it at least make you feel a little badass?” You watched his reflection in the mirror glance up through the curtain of his hair and raise an eyebrow at you. 

“That depends,” He said, “do I look badass?” 

“A little.” You teased. “You’ll look more badass when the tattoo is finished.” 

That earned you a snort from him. “What, fifty percent of a tattoo doesn’t cut it?” His reflection flashed you a genuine smile, that lopsided grin affecting you the way it always does, spiking your body temp and rushing the thump of your heart. 

“Nope. Though, if your intention is to tell the world that you have commitment issues-”

“I do not have commitment issues-”

“Then what kind of issues do you have?” 

Eddie parted the needle from his skin, taking a moment to glance wryly over his shoulder in your direction. 

“You.” It was punctuated by a tongue that peeked out from between his lips. You followed suit, shoulders shaking as you chuckled.

Silence threatened to fall for a moment then, but Eddie put a stop to that. “Keep talking.”

“Huh?”

His voice was quiet, muttered like he was biting the inside of his cheek as he spoke. “Hurts less when we’re talking.”

You smiled, watching as he avoided your eye contact in the mirror, focusing on his arm as a subtle blush began to creep onto his cheeks. Tempting as it was to tease, you opted for a more neutral topic.

“Which is better, sour candy or chocolate?”

You could barely see his eyebrows furrow behind his curtain of curls as he considered your question. “Chocolate.”

“You’re crazy.”

He barked out a laugh. “After all the ridiculous shit I’ve said, that’s what crosses the line for you?”

You shook your head, amping up your reaction for his benefit; he was laughing, and it was music to your ears. You were greedy for more of it. 

“Sour candy is a whole experience, chocolate is just sweet! That’s all it has going for it!”

Eddie gawked but kept his eyes trained on his skin. “What do you have against sweets?”

You rolled your eyes, flopping from your stomach to your back and staring up at the water stain on Eddie’s ceiling. “I haven’t got anything against sweets… I just like a little tart to go with it. Oh hang on, that reminds me-”

You stuck your hand into the plastic bag you’d brought with you, producing a variety pack of cheap Halloween candies. “Do you normally get trick-or-treaters? I thought we could pour these into a bowl and set it out on the porch- you know, so we don’t have to keep answering the door.”

Eddie Shook his head. “Nah, not a lot of kids who live here. Those who do always high-tail it to the neighborhoods where the good shit is, like-”

“Loch Nora?” you finished, smirking. 

Nodding his approval, Eddie echoed, “Loch Nora.”

“Well in that case,” you yanked open the bag of candy so hard that a few individually wrapped pieces were flung onto the bedspread as well as the floor below. “I guess we’ll have to eat all of this ourselves.”

Eddie paused his tattooing to glance at a fun-sized packet of sour gummy worms that had landed on the carpet beside him. “Gummy worms?” he asked.

You flicked the back of his head while the needle was off his skin. “Uh, yeah, they’re delicious.”

“Did you at least get candy corn?”

You gagged. “Candy corn?!”

The two of you passed the next hour like that, debating about various arbitrary topics and inevitably disagreeing on almost all of them. There were only three things that you both agreed on without any debate whatsoever: Santa Claus was the superior holiday mascot, Joan Jett could easily beat Cyndi Lauper in a fight, and The Empire Strikes Back was way better than A New Hope.

When Eddie was finally finished with his tattoo, you were off the bed in an instant and already reaching for the antibacterial soap. 

“You should wash it under some warm water first before anything gross has a chance to get in there-”

“Hey hey hey, whoa hold on!” Eddie was laughing, eyes wide as he smiled at you. Your hand was already encircled around his wrist, tugging his arm (and the person attached to it) toward the bathroom. “Ace, you haven’t even looked at it yet, c’mon you’re bruising the artist’s ego here.” 

You sighed but couldn’t hide the rueful grin that danced on your pursed lips. Softening your vice like grip on his wrist, you shifted your hands to cradle his forearm and survey the last hour’s work.

“It looks good, Eddie… really good, actually.” You absently swiped a thumb over the soft skin of his wrist. “If you’d told me it was professionally done, I’d totally believe you.”

“Yeah?” He looked up from where your thumb stroked the base of his forearm, eyes shining.

“Yeah,” you smirked. “Of course, I’d tell you to try and get your money back, but-”

“Oh shove it up your ass, Sweet Tart.” The playful shoulder-check had you letting go of his arm, but both of your faces were painted with ear-to-ear smiles. 

Eddie washed his new tattoo in the bathroom sink, admiring the way the bats stretched and shifted with every flex of his forearm. Your mouth hurt, as did the muscles in your cheeks; you couldn’t stop smiling. He was so happy with his work, and you had to admit that he had actually done a really good job with that tattoo machine. 

“We’ve got to get you out of Indiana, Munson,” you murmured to the mirror where he continued to scrutinize his work from every angle. “I think you may have just found your calling.” 

His eyes were wide and shining with pride as they glanced your way. “You think?” 

You nodded, that saccharine smile stubbornly staying put on your lips. To be fair, you didn’t fight it.

“You’re coming with me, then.” Eddie replied, his own smile glowing in the dying light above the bathroom mirror.

There it was- that familiar fire beneath the skin of your cheeks.

“Oh I am, huh?” 

“Hell yeah.” Eddie braced his arm on the doorway, leaning over you until your faces were mere inches apart. “We’re stronger together, remember?”

Breathe. Breathe… Why can’t you breathe?

You’d barely managed a nod before Eddie was ducking around you through the doorway, grabbing your hand, and leading you back to his room. 

“Your turn, Ace.”

Oh yeah, you were also getting a tattoo today. You’d almost forgotten. Were you nervous? You weren’t sure. Actually, yes, you were very nervous- not so much about the tattoo as you were for where the tattoo would be. 

In minutes, you were both sitting on Eddie’s bedroom floor- Eddie readying everything he needed for your new ink, and you sitting eerily still as your soul started to feel like it might leave your body.

“Ace,”

Eyes refocusing, you blinked a few times. “Yeah?”

Eddie’s expression was calm, sympathetic to the inward freak-out he had a feeling you were on the verge of. “We don’t have to do this, you know. I wouldn’t hold it against you.”

You tried to laugh, but it came out sounding a little more strained than you had intended. “Hah…you saying I have commitment issues?”

The corner of his mouth quirked up, but Eddie’s eyebrows stayed knitted together above his big brown eyes. “No,” he murmured. His voice was soft, as if he were speaking to a stray animal and trying not to spook it. “I guess I’m just… trying to give you an out, so you don’t feel pressured or anything.”

You shook your head, “I don’t want an out.”

Eddie blinked, “No?”

“No.”

There was a second of silence between the two of you before you both took in a collective breath, exhaling simultaneously and giggling when you both realized that you were breathing in sync. Perfect harmony; sour and sweet, nervous but willing. 

“You, uh…” Eddie stammered, his eyes flicking down to your lap and back up to your face. “...you still want it on your hip?”

Your heart rate doubled. 

“Um, yeah.” you awkwardly shifted your weight onto your knees, grabbing hold of your waistband and unbuttoning your shorts. You shimmied them over your hips, revealing the rest of your leotard- leotard, Eddie realized. Not a tank top. You were wearing a black leotard. It was almost like the kind that he’d seen ballerinas wear, except it cut so high on your hips that he was sure it wouldn’t be allowed in any of the dance studios he could think of, and….yep. YEP, it was practically a thong. Your ass was out. You were sitting on the floor of his bedroom with your ass out. 

Chill out, Munson! He screamed inwardly at himself, Chill the fuck out!

Of course, you couldn’t tell that there was a war going on between Eddie’s ability to function and the short-circuiting that threatened to render him unable to do anything but stare at you. All you could see was the way his jaw had gone slack and his eyes bugged out of their sockets.

You smiled shyly, a twinge of something between satisfaction and guilt nudging at your heartstrings. “I figured this thing would be less awkward than if I was sitting here in my underwear,” you laughed nervously as you gestured to your leotard.

Eddie gulped. He couldn’t see much of a difference. “Yeah, totally.” 

A beat passed. You grabbed a bag of gummy worms from the floor, tearing it open with a crinkle of the plastic that would not have been so loud if the two of you weren’t dead silent. You bit into the candy where the color changed from pink to blue, then finally muttered through your chewing, “Ready when you are.” 

Eddie blinked rapidly, taking his Sharpie in his hands. “Uh, yeah… yeah, okay.” 

With your free hand, you pointed to the part of your hip where your flesh naturally creased as your thigh met your pelvis. 

“Is here good?”

Eddie gulped. 

“Yeah, that’s good.” But Eddie was very much not good. He was the opposite of good, he felt like he was malfunctioning. When he placed his free hand on your upper thigh, he almost apologized. Why the hell did he feel like he had to apologize? He had no clue. His palms were sweating- did you feel how sweaty his palms were? Oh god. He forgot what a bat looked like- you were trusting his artistic skills enough for him to permanently ink his drawing into your skin and he couldn’t even remember what a goddamn bat looked li- oh, wait, he had them on his own forearm now. Eddie glanced at his arm, reminding himself what a goddamn bat looked like. 

He’s never felt like more of a nervous idiot than right now. 

Meanwhile, you felt like you were about to explode.

His hand was warm. So warm as he grasped your thigh. Whenever he’d touched you before, there was always a barrier, some form of separation between his skin and yours- jeans, a sweater, a flannel. 

A leather jacket.

That’s right- he had taken his jacket back. Maybe you were reading too deep into things, but you had this unshakable feeling that taking back that jacket had been a message. 

We’re just friends. Nothing more.

But if that was true, then why was he looking at your thighs the way he was? Why had he looked at you the way he did when he said you should go with him when he leaves Hawkins? 

He wasn’t your boyfriend… you knew that.

So why couldn’t you shake this undeniably girlfriendish ache in your chest?

“Okay.” Eddie’s voice jolted you out of your downward spiral into your very inconvenient feelings. “Check that out in the mirror, make sure you like it.”

You straightened up, walking on your knees until you faced the mirror leaning against the wall and inspected the tiny, perfect little bat that he’d drawn on the fullest part of your hip.

It matched the bats that now decorated his arm, now surrounded by an angry red halo that bloomed across his skin. Once that bat was inked, it would be something connecting you and Eddie forever- a shared experience, a secret that the two of you would always be in on. 

Suddenly, you realized that in this moment there wasn’t a single thing you wanted more than a matching tattoo with Eddie Munson.

Well, there was one thing. But you had a feeling that wasn’t happening tonight. The tattoo, however…

“I love it.” You looked over your shoulder at Eddie, but his eyes were a little too busy staring at your practically naked behind to meet your gaze. 

“Ahem.”

Breaking free of his trance, Eddie shook his head a tad, which drew a small chuckle from your smirking lips. Eddie couldn’t help but smile too, albeit more shyly than you.

“Distracted?” You teased, unable to hold back your glee at this kind of attention- any kind of attention- from Eddie. 

He sighed, blinking rapidly while he finally met your eyes. There was something new in the way he was looking at you- if you didn’t know better you might call it frustration, but it was an amused sort of frustration. Almost like his eyes were saying “what am I going to do with you?” but through sunglasses tinted with desire. 

You wanted to bottle that, stow it away for emergencies. Wanted to preserve the way that gaze made you feel so that you could experience it over and over again. 

“No.” Eddie murmured through a rueful grin. “Lie down, it’ll be easier to ink the skin while it’s flat.” You did as he instructed, feeling the crinkle of newspaper underneath the skin of your rear. Once again, you found yourself staring up at the water stain on Eddie’s ceiling until his face came into view, looking down at you as he readied the tattoo machine. 

“Are you?” You heard him ask. 

You raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

The pads of Eddie’s fingers poked and prodded at the skin around where your tattoo would soon have an indefinite spot on your hip, and you wondered if he could tell that your temperature shot up ten degrees each time you felt his hands on you.

“Are you distracted?” he clarified. “Because it hurts less when you’ve got something else to focus on.” 

“Oh.” Suddenly, your mind went blank. Of course, the moment you wanted something to distract you, all ideas turned tail and ran. “Um…”

Snap!

Your jaw dropped as the elastic of your leotard snapped back to your skin from where Eddie had pulled it away with his pointer finger. “Where’d you even get this thing?” 

Now it was your turn to short-circuit.

“Uh-” You stammered, interrupted by the machine beginning to buzz. 

Eddie didn’t wait for you to finish your thought before reminding you what he’d asked. “C’mon, Sweet Tart, where’d you get the leotard?”

You knew he was trying to distract you so you didn’t feel the pain, but you couldn’t help the tensing of your muscles as the needle pierced your skin. You winced, staring at the water stain with a newfound intensity. “Dance store.” you gritted through lips that formed a tight line. 

“Dance store, huh?” You could hear the smile through Eddie’s words. “And why were you in a dance store?”

You huffed out a short, breathy laugh, careful to keep your hip still as Eddie’s needle continued to do its work. “I was making a Flashdance costume. Heard about this Halloween party a few weeks ago, but then we made the tattoo plans… and I had already bought the leotard, so…”

It was disconcerting to speak with Eddie without looking at him; he was a very expressive person, always talking with his hands, always making sure that he looked you in the eyes when you spoke to him. But now he was focused on his work on your hip, leaving your eyes to shift between staring at his ceiling and fluttering closed.

“You were going to wear this thing to a party?” he asked, incredulous. 

Your eyebrows wrinkled over your closed eyes. “I would’ve worn tights under it…” 

He snorted. “That wouldn’t have made a difference.”

You winced, groaning as the needle hit a nerve that particularly stung. “What- ah, shit- what are you trying to say?” 

The buzzing stopped for a moment. “Fuck, you okay?” Eddie’s face leaned into your field of vision, his frizzy brown hair backlit into a halo by the light from the lamp behind him. “You want to take a break?”

You shook your head, taking a mental snapshot of how ethereal he looked like this. “No, you can keep going, I’m fine.” 

Cautiously, Eddie got back to work. A few wordless seconds ticked by before you spoke. 

“What did you mean, ‘that wouldn’t have made a difference’?”

Eddie’s reply was matter-of-fact, but you could have sworn that you heard a hint of protectiveness in his voice when he said, “Tights or no tights, the whole party would have been staring at your ass, Sweet Tart.”

The “T” sound in “Tart” was soft this time. So soft, it was barely there at all, and it almost sounded like he’d just called you sweetheart. If only. You’d give anything to be Eddie’s sweetheart.

Whether he’d meant to blend that consonant or not, it made you brave. “Is that a bad thing?”

A pause. Then, “Is this a trap?”

“Answer the question, would a bunch of people staring at my ass be a bad thing?”

Eddie sighed. “This is definitely a trap,” he muttered, before replying “No, Ace, objectively it would not be a bad thing. But sometimes people view girls differently when they walk around with their asses out.”

“Do you look at me differently when my ass is out?” You were being cheeky, you knew it. 

“No, I don’t look at you differently.” came his instant response, muttered through nearly-closed lips. “I just look at you.”

Nothing could stand against your smile, not even you. “Yeah, that much I could see in the mirror.”

“You don’t sound too upset about that.”

This was different from the flirting you were used to with Eddie. Your regular flavor of flirtation had always been surface-level banter; nothing past a jab here and there, a joke at his expense or a nickname thrown your way. 

Now? You were talking about the way he looked at your body, and the fact that he could tell that you liked when he looked. The two of you were in uncharted territory, and you buzzed under his touch in time with the inky needle at the beautiful unknown of it all. 

“Okay, the outline is done but I’m about to start filling it in.” Eddie warned. “This part hurts a little more. You wanna take a break?”

You nodded. While Eddie jumped up to get you both a glass of water, you sat up on your elbows and peered over at your hip to get a look at your new ink. When you saw it, you gasped so fervently that you startled yourself.

It was perfect. The perfect little bat. 

It wasn’t completely symmetrical. The outline was a tad thicker in certain places than others. But those imperfections made it his. And the fact that it was on your skin made it yours. 

You couldn’t wait to wake up and stare at it like this every single day. 

Eddie returned a moment later with two mismatched cups of tap water. Once you’d both rehydrated, he got to work replacing the needle at the end of the machine with a new one, as well as changing out various attachments and fiddling with a knobby-looking piece until he seemed satisfied with what he’d changed.

 You were impressed with how intensely focused Eddie was on this sort of work; it didn’t seem to be taking him long to get the hang of this. It also didn’t take him long to come up with another topic of conversation that teetered on the line between friendly and flirty.

“Ever played Fuck, Marry, Kill?”

You had not, but the title of the game brought an unexpected chuckle out of you. “Edward Munson, I am a lady! At least take me out to dinner first-”

“I’m going to take that as a no.” Eddie chuckled, and you could hear his deadpan in the tone of his voice. “I say three people’s names and you have to tell me which you’d fuck, which you’d marry, and which you’d kill. Comprende?”

“Uhh-” whatever you’d been about to say was cut short by a harsher buzz than before, accompanied by the aggressive sting of needles on your skin. “Mmh, shit, okay yeah sure let’s play.”

Eddie smiled to himself. He wasn’t sure why he loved the little noises and whispered curses that spilled from your mouth while he tattooed you, but he honestly thought they might be the cutest sounds he’d ever heard. You were taking the pain like a champ- he was actually pretty proud of you in this moment as you remained still through the sting.

“Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, and Kirk Hammett”

You rolled your eyes. Eddie had ensured over your many rides in his van this summer that every Metallica song he’d played had been an educational experience. Eddie had picked up a cassette of their debut album in July, and ever since he’d become obsessed. Already, he was trying to persuade the other members of his band to figure out how to play The Four Horsemen by ear. 

Needless to say, you knew enough about the band to at least answer the question. 

“Well I’m killing Lars for sure.”

“Poor Lars never stood a chance.”

You grinned, willing the distraction into something great enough to numb the pain. “And I think I’m gonna have to fuck Hetfield.”

“‘Have to fuck Hetfield,’ such a sacrifice.” 

You carefully stretched your arms up to rest above your shoulders, cradling your head on your hands like a pillow. “Hey, if someone’s got to do it, I’ll take one for the team.”

You heard him snort, then after a moment’s quiet he added, “So you’re marrying Kirk Hammett, then?”

“I guess so.”

“What makes Kirk marriage material? Over the other two, I mean.”

You thought about Kirk Hammett’s wild, dark curls. His build. His brown button eyes. The way he looked holding a guitar.

“I don’t know, there’s just something about him.”

Eddie thought about the way he’d been trying to make himself look more like a rockstar ever since he’d first seen the tiny, grainy picture of the Metallica members in the corner of a page of Rolling Stone; he’d been bumming copies off Jeff’s subscription since the seventh grade. How he’d started growing out his hair after seeing Kirk’s long, black mane. He smiled. 

He must be doing something right.

“Alright, Mrs. Hammett,” He quipped, “My turn, hit me with bachelorettes one through three, please.”

You thought over your options, trying to think of women you’d heard him mention before. Wondering if he thought any of them had something in common with you, and praying to God he didn’t kill them.

“Olivia Newton-John,”

Already, Eddie was descending into a fit of giggles. 

“Why are you laughing? She’s pretty!”

Eddie launched into a falsetto rendition of the chorus from Grease’s Hopelessly Devoted to You, and you were instantly fighting the giggles too. 

“Shut up! I’m not done yet. Olivia Newton-John… have you seen Fast Times?”

His response came in a tone of voice that was the vocal equivalent of a side-eye. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I don’t know if you know who Phoebe Cates is.”

“Oh,” Eddie sighed dreamily, “I know who Phoebe Cates is.” 

You rolled your eyes, but chuckled nonetheless. “Okay then- Olivia Newton-John, Phoebe Cates, and Carrie Fisher.”

Eddie barked out a joyous “Ah!” before answering, “Well this is easy, Ace, say goodbye to Newton-John!”

You mock-gasped. “You’re killing Sandy?”

“I’m killing Sandy.”

“That is brutal. She was so innocent, too.”

Eddie squinted at the half-filled tattoo, smirking into his explanation. “Okay, I see the appeal, Ace, I truly do. That outfit at the end is killer.” He paused. Should he say it? Would he be too obvious if he did? 

Ah, fuck it. 

“I’m a sucker for a woman in red shoes, let me tell ya. However-” Eddie quickly glazed over that last sentence, as well as any opening you might have gotten to think about how that might relate to you. “-I’ve gotta fuck Phoebe Cates. Because… y’know-”

“Boobies?” you beat him to the punch.

Eddie confirmed with a matter-of-fact “Boobies.” He glanced up at your face for a moment, curious to see if he could read what you thought of his answers, but you were staring pensively at his ceiling, expression unreadable. “And you have to have known I was marrying Leia the moment she was an option.” 

“You have a thing for Princess Leia?”

“Are you joking?” Eddie asked, incredulously. “How could I not? The woman’s the definition of a spitfire, she kicks ass and takes names. Not to mention, she’s got a thing for scoundrels.” 

You hummed. “Do you think you’re a scoundrel, Eddie?” 

“Well I’m certainly not a scruffy-looking nerf herder, I’ll tell you that much.”

You winced playfully, “A nerf herder you are not… but you are a bit scruffy.”

“You’ve got me there, princess.”

Eddie went silent. The nickname had just slipped out- all this talk of scoundrels and princesses and strong women who weren’t afraid of a fight and before he knew it, he was seeing more similarities between you and Leia than he’d realized were there before. 

Princess had just seemed right. It just slipped out. 

The line between friendship and dangerous territory had been so clearly drawn in Eddie’s mind before tonight. Where had he gone wrong? That once clear line was getting blurry.

Eddie was absolutely convinced that he would probably find a way to single handedly ruin your friendship before he was finished filling in your tattoo- which you would inevitably hate, because it would remind you of the asshole who you used to be friends with before he made things weird between you.

“My turn,” your voice cut through Eddie’s downward spiral, drawing a relieved sigh from him that tickled the skin of your thigh. “Let’s make this round more interesting. Only names of people from Hawkins.”

“Hm, that is interesting.” he mused, the needle inching its way toward the last remaining centimeter of bare skin left within the outline. “Let me think… Chief Hopper-”

You barked out a laugh, “Oh great start, Eds.”

“Chief’s a good looking guy! I don’t know why you’re laughing!” but Eddie was smiling ear to ear, delighted that his awkward apprehension had already begun to dissipate. “Principal Higgins-”

“Are you only going to give me old men as options?”

Eddie was going to do exactly that, because he didn’t want to picture you marrying or- God forbid- fucking any men in Hawkins that you might actually enjoy doing either of those things with. He wasn’t jealous, per se… but none of the shitheads in Hawkins were good enough for you. Eddie wasn’t even good enough for you; not yet, at least. He could picture a future version of himself one day taking his chances with you, once you’d both skipped town and found your way in some thriving city somewhere. 

You were both too good for this place- you were the first person to make him think that about himself.

“What was that security guard’s name at the mall? Average joe looking guy? Quentin? Quincey?”

“Oh, you mean Quinn?”

“Knew his name started with a Q.” Eddie softly bit his bottom lip as he finished the last bit of your bat’s wing. “Hopper, Higgins, and Quinn. Those are your options.”

You groaned. “These choices suck, can I just kill them all?”

“I kinda like it when you go all bloodthirsty, Ace.”

You rolled your eyes before letting them flutter closed. “Ugh, well I’m obviously killing Higgins… he’s never been nice to you and all he cares about are school sports. I guess… I mean if I have to, I’ll fuck Hopper.”

Eddie was beside himself with giggles, “I mean, that’s one way to get out of a speeding ticket.”

“You’re lucky I can’t smack you right now.” You ignored Eddie’s snickering and continued. “And I don’t think I’d mind being married to Quinn, he always smiles at me and asks how my day was. Plus he’s kind of cute, he’s got nice hair.”

Eddie wrinkled his nose. “I don’t see it.”

You laughed, and the jingling tone of your voice suddenly sounded too loud as the buzzing of Eddie’s machine stopped. 

“Alright, Ace,” Eddie announced, leaning back to survey his work. “Check out your new ink.”

You didn’t need to look at it again to know it would be perfect, but you looked anyway. You stood on your sleeping legs and gazed at the little black bat on your hip- it sat beautifully balanced on the skin framed by your high cut leotard, and you knew at once that you’d think of Eddie each time you saw it. This was exactly what you wanted- a daily reminder of exactly how he made you feel, of who he was to you. 

At this moment, it dawned on you exactly what it was that Eddie made you feel. The way you always wanted to be around him, and the way he had become a balloon that inflated your chest every time he made you laugh, and how you knew- just knew- that you’d follow him anywhere if he asked. 

You loved Eddie Munson. You were in love with him. 

And you couldn’t stop smiling like an idiot at that little asymmetrical bat.

Taglist: @emma77645 , @rustboxstarr, @josephquinnsfreckles, @rozxartaki, @sheneedsrocknroll92

[chaifootsteps]

Hai, I wanted to air out some HH feelings and thought this was the best place to do so. I never watched the original pilot. After the first trailer dropped I figured that the show wasn't gonna be for me, it just wasn't my comedy style. But I did watch Addict when it dropped.

I thought it was really cool that a fan song got an officially animated mv! And I thought that it did a really good job at being subtle with Angel's SA...until the end. They added a whole new verse to the song to, from how I saw it, put in a flash back to an SA scene. I don't know why people don't bring that up more with Addict. A whole new verse to do that scene. Especially since it's supposed to be the hopeful/uplifting send-off after the credits.

But then when Michael was let go I went to the replies on his tweet. I stopped looking through them after I saw 3 different people post a gif of the SA shot in Addict under their well wishes. Just...why would you put something like that under your "We'll miss you! We loved your performance! Good luck" message to a VA? Why include the worst act against that character to your VA send-off?

That was when I really knew that Angel wasn't going to be handled well. Not just because of the needless scene inclusion at the end of Addict, but because of how the fans were treating it.

I wish I could say that I didn't see Poison coming. I wish I could say that I thought they would wait longer than episode 4 to show it. But honestly, I expected that shit to drop in episode 2. I expected there to be reoccurring scenes for the whole first season.

When Addict just *had* to shove that scene in at the end and the video got so popular I knew they would go bigger with more budget. I wanted to think I was just doomstorming (brainstorming while filled with dread), but the fact that they had done such a great job with the subtlety and threw it all away at the end for shock value sat wrong with me. I honestly don't know why nobody brings up that ending scene of Addict.

And I wanted to have hope! Addict had shown Angel dolling himself up to wreck havoc with Cherri and I thought that would be something! That he would have wrecking shit be a kind of escapism or therapy and he'd be trigger happy or explosive happy, or that Cherri would just...be there for him at all! But she's gone from what I've heard, and now we have Poison.

It makes me feel like a loser, baby.

Speaking as someone who loved Addict, hell, who remembers Addict as their gateway drug into Hazbin? These are all extremely valid points! Also, that thing with Michael is vile, this fandom's got zero sense of how to behave then or now and he really did dodge a bullet.

Me, I never minded the ending to Addict so much because, while we do see that shot of Valentino raping Angel, it amounts to a split second. More importantly, the video ends with Angel daring to believe that things might be better at the hotel, and then Nuggets kisses him and he smiles and it's a happy, hopeful note.

One thing we can agree on, I think, is that Poison makes Addict look like high cinema. It's all of the worst things about Addict and absolutely none of the good.

[pearlywritings]

A birthday surprise

synopsis: lately the work became a never-ending exhausting routine, throwing everything else out of Childe's head. He is lucky to have you though, always ready to remind him of important things that could possibly escape his attention. Guess what? Today is the case...

pairing: Childe x fem!reader

tw: fluff + smut, established relationship, masturbation, kinda bath sex, oral (male receiving), unprotected sex, mix of praise and degradation, a tiny bit of Sir kink, usage of Childe’s real name

word count: 7.1k+ words

a/n: I am SO late, but I really wanted to finish this fic, espesically since the moment I’ve got a small scene in my head about the Palace after watching the Fatui Harbingers’ trailer. Sorry for this belated present, you, ginger dumbass, and I hope you, whoever read this, will enjoy.

samovár (Rus) - literally means “self-boiler”. A metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water for tea

dédushka (Rus) - grandpa

chertóvka (Rus) - here is “wicked woman”

Finally, this farce of yet another meeting is over. Ever since Signora's death the amount of work increased astronomically and the moments of rest were extremely rare. Orders upon orders, decree after decree and meetings followed with dozens of new ones… The Fatui organization has probably never been this lively and the meeting hall has not been occupied so often.

The palace feels like a freezer compartment, it’s much colder than the outside, sending chills on anyone’s skin even with all those layers of warm clothes, so Childe can’t help but let out a small smile in relief once the grand front doors come into view. The carpet is cracking under his feet like an ice crust, echoing in an empty hallway, with nothing but smooth walls and pillars with occasional tapestries hanging here and there, glorifying Her Majesty Tsaritsa and her trusty group of 11 - well, now 9 - Harbingers. Huh, such pathos within the overall lifelessness of the place, how miserable.

The train of thoughts in his way, only half done, is disturbed by one of the underlings approaching the man. With expressionless face Childe stops in his tracks, letting the guy come closer and bow respectfully. Honestly, he is exhausted right now, wishing for nothing more but to leave this place and go to rest. It's a wonder his shoulders do not drop right now in dull pain.

“What’s the matter? If it is work related, bring it to my office and leave it there. I'll check it tomorrow.”

“I am afraid it is urgent, Sir,” a hand comes into the ginger’s view and a small hint of surprise reflects in his eyes.

“A permission badge? Whose that?”

“That’s the thing, lord Tartaglia, we do not know,” the speaker shivers at the very clear annoyance suddenly radiating from the Harbinger and hurries to correct himself. “B-but, this woman also showed us a paper signed by the Fifth Harbinger, that granted her access up to the second level of palace and authority to ask the low-ranked Fatui soldiers for whatever she may need. She made a request to tell you she’d like to meet you in the palace gardens.”

Right, the gardens. Always covered in snow, yet everlastingly beautiful, this place was the level two in the Zapolyarny Palace structure. But why would Pulcinella grant anyone this kind of permission? Is it some kind of a business partner his curator wants him to meet? Well… was it not for “The Rooster” Tartaglia would’ve dismissed it, but it’s not like he has much of a choice - as much as he respects his superior, his lectures can be waaaay too long and energy-consuming.

“Alright, and where is this mysterious stranger?” The man takes the badge and puts it in an inside pocket of his overcoat.

“The guards led her to the pavilion in the west part, she must be waiting there.”

Childe nods and, after dismissing the guard, turns around to walk back to the exit closest to the said part of the garden.

He wasn’t lying, thinking of the place as beautiful: white marble statues, frozen fountains and snow-covered hedgerows that create an intricate maze, where anyone not accustomed could get lost. The Harbinger doesn’t waste his time on beholding all of its charms, wishing for nothing more but to get over with whatever and come to his residence to write another stack of letters for his family and then catch at least a couple of hours of a so needed sleep.

Ah, at last, the pavilion. He sees two Fatui agents standing outside, guarding the ‘guest’. There is a thin almost translucent ribbon winding from the inside and up into the air - as he gets closer he spots a steaming samovár on the table. Oh, the hospitality, he rolls his eyes, subtly nodding to the two men bowing to him, and putting his foot on the first step of the wooden stairs. 

“Greetings, lord Tartaglia,” the woman decides to start the conversation and Archons does Childe halts in his way. Deep ocean eyes dart up and take in the figure clad in a black fur coat with a hood covering her hair. Hands, holding a teacup and a saucer, are clad in equally black gloves with a very familiar embroidery on the backs of them - he himself brought them from his last visit to the capital and gave them to you.

It is really you, his heart screams in joy, when his eyes connect with the ones he’s missed so much. Your orbs stand out and shine even brighter now that you wear a mask, which hides the top half of your face plus cheeks, offering him a perfect view of your pretty lips, pink from the hot tea you’ve been drinking while waiting for him.

Oh, right, you’ve been out there expecting him, and he almost decided to not meet you back then! No, that absolutely won’t do.

“Dismissed,” guards flinch at the sudden command, but, not daring to disobey or even question one of the Eleven, they bow again and quickly leave the scene. Childe waits a moment, then some more, all the while listening to their retreating steps and not breaking eye contact with you. Once sure it is quiet, the world moves too fast. There is a clink of china and then clicks of the heels on the wooden floor - those are the only sounds the man hears before he practically runs up the stairs and catches your body in a tight embrace and instantly hoists you up. He relishes in a soft squeal, twirling around with you in his arms, having an almost iron grip under your backside to not drop you.

“Love, put me down!” you demand in a hushed voice. Oh, your voice. Columbina may be the most magnificent singer of Snezhnaya - but the way you sound is better than everything capable of producing the most exquisite noises in the whole land of Teyvat. It caresses his ears so tenderly, he wants to hear more, he missed you so much - missed your scent, your caresses, your words, reserved only for him, your mere presence...How can you ask him to let you go? Surely you are not that cruel.

“Childe, seriously! What if someone sees! And after all the work I put into coming here unrecognized for you and your job’s sake!”

You are so cute when you scold him, and the lovesick smile he gives you instead of putting you back on your feet, only fuels you more. Maybe if he kisses you, you’ll be more-

“Tartaglia, no, no kisses, NO,” ah, you know him too well - one of the reasons he loves you. But he can’t love you without being a little shit, can he?

“I will grant your wish only in exchange for a kiss,” he turns his face a little, presenting you his cheek, prettily rosy from cold. A sigh leaves your lips - he’ll make sure to kiss them again and again in private - and eventually you land a quick peck to his skin.

“Will that suffice?”

“For now it will,” he grins, finally settling you down, but not yet releasing your waist from his firm but careful grip. “So, what are you doing here? I thought you were visiting mama and papa. Did something happen? How did you even,” he brings one hand away and into his inside pocket, fishing the badge out and showing it to you, “get Pulcinella sign all this stuff?”

“Wow, wow, easy there, gingerhead,” you tease him and snatch the metal token, pocketing it. “One question at a time. If it is allowed, could we take a walk? Honestly, even with a hot tea it’s freezing to just sit. That is if you have time of course.”

“Do not worry, for you I do. So,” he draws his hands back and motions to the outside of the wooden construction, “let’s head out then. We’ll pretend you are just some business partner, deal?”

“Oh my, such a quick shift in behavior,” you tease again, stepping out and back on a scrunchy snow. “That’s what I call a professional.”

Your lover only smiles, restraining himself from taking your hand or wrapping an arm around your waist, even though he really really wants to.

As you are slowly strolling through the big maze, you answer all his questions. First of all you tell him all the latest news from home, reassuring that everyone is fine, but very sad he can’t make it this month. Actually, that’s half of the reason you arrived in the first place. How did you manage? Well, the last time Pulcinella visited to pass some gifts and goodies to his younger siblings, you were there, watching over them, and while kids were busy looking through all the stuff the “kind dédushka* P” brought them, you two got into conversation. The Fifth Harbinger is aware of the relationship his mentee and you have and, being quite different from his colleagues, he doesn’t believe relationships between people to be a distraction. Especially in this case, when Tartaglia is clearly motivated whenever you come into picture, determined to improve and progress. Archons, the elderly man already considers you Ajax’s fiancee (the ginger is at fault, but none of you actually mind, being quite sure that eventually it’ll be the case).

So, with your concern of seeing your lover rarely expressed and weighing all the risks and benefits from an upcoming decision, Pulcinella laughed and said: “You are a good young lady, and I know how smart you are. Don’t see a problem of granting some privileges to Tartaglia’s future wife.” And then a couple of days later you received all the papers and the badge, accompanied with a Fatui designed mask for you to use.

“Exactly his words?” The man muses and reaches to unbutton his overcoat and loosen his scarf a little. You give him a stinky eye, letting your act waiver a bit to slap his hand away.

“Yes, exactly his words. I know the things your superior is capable of and I am so glad he developed a soft spot for us.”

“How could he not?” Childe gives it another try, but you once again force his hand away. “Especially when you are such a kind and caring soul. And the way you tend to my younger siblings? Everyone who ever catches even a glimpse of it will have their hearts stolen,” just to humor himself he lifts the hand to his buttons again, only to watch you giving him a ‘seriously?’ kind of look. He chuckles, raising both hands in surrender.

“Childe, you are such a child sometimes”, you shake your head, stopping when the pavilion comes into view once again. Looks like you made a round somehow. “Do you really want to catch a cold right on your birthday?”

Your lover stops immediately. By his widened eyes and a dumbfounded expression it becomes clear to you - he forgot.

“My what?”

“Your birthday. This is probably the main reason I am here. When you sent that last letter and wrote there you wouldn’t be coming for a while, everyone understood, but still were very upset, especially poor Teucer. I didn’t want him to pull the same stunt he did with his travel to Liyue - and the capital is much closer to Morepesok, - so I talked to your parents and we agreed on me coming to see you and bringing you all the gifts, cards and words of congratulation. I must admit, it was hard to calm your youngest brother down and explain why I can’t take him with me to the toy factory, but I managed, eventually.”

You give your lover a moment to process the information. You can practically imagine the gears moving inside his head, tearing the cobwebs of tiredness and leading all his thoughts to the realization.

“It’s today. Today is my birthday,” Childe looks blankly at the snow at his feet. A moment later it’s almost like he snaps out of a haze.

“Oh Tsaritsa, I forgot.”

“I figured,” you chuckle, taking a step closer and cupping his cheek. “But that’s alright, love.”

“It is?” the look he gives you almost makes your heart clench. “I always make sure to come home to celebrate with everyone!”

“They know, and they understand. They only wish for you to be well, and I can assure you - while I am here, I will look after you and your health. Want me to swear with a pinkie promise?” the teasing lilt in your voice returns a smile to his face.

“No,” a big palm envelopes yours and he turns his face to plant a kiss on the inside of it, “no need, I believe you without any vow. Thank you for coming, I truly appreciate that.”

The softness that reflects in the depth of his orbs brings a similar one to your face.

“Of course, everything for my dear Ajax,” his name leaves your lips in a hushed manner, but even barely audible it sends a fluttering sensation straight to his heart. He can’t conceal his affection any longer, he needs you in private.

“Where did you stop?”

“Oh, the hotel “Imperial”. I thought it wouldn’t be suspicious if lord Harbinger visited something this luxurious.”

“Forget it. Leave me the room number, I’ll send someone to fetch your things and bring them to my residence.”

“Wait, your residence? Wouldn’t this be alarming? I mean you, bringing someone random over?” he can feel your concern, he sees the doubt in your eyes, a smile fading a little, and he almost wants to tease you for having so little faith in him. Though he decides against it.

“My people are trained well, they wouldn’t even think of questioning anything,” a reassuring squeeze of your hand gives you only a small bit of comfort.

“Either way, shouldn’t we exit separately? Playing safe and all that stuff?”

“Come on, at least three people already know I am meeting someone. Besides, you are my new business partner, remember? Pulcinella’s permit isn’t offered to every other person, no one would ask you questions once you show them the signature. Now come on!” he tugs on the hand he’s been holding this whole time, setting you in motion and then letting go of it. “Let’s get going before it starts getting dark.”

Hours later the warm water envelopes your body, making it pleasantly tingle after the time spent out there in the cold. Strong scarred arm loosely rests around your middle, the very tips of the fingers gently tickle under your ribs. The man behind you is humming something contently, keeping the other arm on the edge of a huge tub, with yours laying on top of it, fingers intertwined. Just this simple moment of peace reduces the exhaustion in his system to a minimum, and Ajax gratefully presses kisses along your shoulder - a very markless shoulder.

“I know what you are thinking about…” your voice is so relaxed, and body goes limp against his. Your free hand comes to rest on his bent knee before you continue, “but I don’t want to put a strain on your body.”

“A strain on my body?” he huffs. “You know how strong I am, and I am getting stronger every day. Unless you don’t want to?”

Your gazes connect again and you feel an arm on your waist shift. The little shit knows you are in no mood to scold him right now, getting too much pleasure in having a bath with him.

“I wouldn’t say I don’t, it’s just… My things will be here only in the morning, and that new lingerie I bought specifically for you will go to waste.”

"Don't say that," a kiss to your cheek and a squeeze on your hip. "You can wear it for me tomorrow. Today I am way too tired to unwrap a gift," at his dramatic sigh you give his knee a small slap, making him grin widely. "What? Given the conditions of never-ending work without a glimpse of finish ahead of us, your arrival is the best gift I could've asked for on my birthday - which I forgot about. But you not only reminded me of it, but became the most splendid part of it."

"Glad to hear that, Ajax. On the other hand you are right - maybe I should leave this new set for later, wouldn't want you to tear it right away."

"Love, I can't help it! You are perfect and I am no commander of my desire for you." 

You laugh at it and he joins you in the merry sound, nuzzling the side of your head with his nose, inhaling the sweet aroma clinging to your skin. Finally having you this close with no one to interrupt makes it painfully obvious how much he actually missed you, even if he didn’t give this yearning much thought. Now, when it registers in every little nerve of his body, Childe grows restless. It feels like fire ignites in his bones (despite him being a Hydro user) when he glances at your face and then down the rest of your body hidden under the water. He could manipulate the density of it to caress you and set the mood, but the urge to feel you directly overpowers the initial idea.

“Babe?”

“Mmm?”

“Can I touch you?”

“Oh? Aren’t you touching me already?” you shake your linked hands and then point at the one resting on your hip. Your lover blows hot air against your ear, making you giggle and press it to your shoulder.

“Stoooop!”

“Haha, sorry, sorry,” nope, the wide grin he hides behind your hair speaks of how not sorry he, in fact, is. “But you know what I mean. Can I touch you more intimately? Consider it a present for the Birthday Boy?”

You glance back at him, witnessing an oh-so-familiar begging look in his eyes, which you know is absolutely faux. However he is right - you can’t just leave him without a gift today, the ones arriving tomorrow, well, they will be tomorrow.

Once you give him a firm nod, that pleading expression disappears as if by a spell, turning it into a look of excitement and hunger. His head dips down, while yours tilts back out of habit and it's too late when you realize your mistake - hot wet kisses are placed all over your throat. A blissful sigh passes your lips, but doesn't stray too far before a strangled moan chases it. A finger found its way between your spread legs and is now lazely toying with your clit while kisses turn into nipping and sucking, littering your skin with lovebites.

"A…jax…" you whimper, arching your back and squeezing his hand still resting on the edge of the tub.

"Yes, baby… moan my name with that lovely voice of yours…" he now uses two fingers to stroke your slit to test your wetness. Your shoulder is next to fall victim to his attack, getting more and more marks with every passing second. You don't make any attempts to stop him, only writhing in his arms so needily, legs trembling in attempts to stay open and tits bouncing with every jolt of pleasure that passes through your body.

"You are so responsive to my touch," he starts rubbing your clit in tight quick circles, making your thighs shake with each pass over your bundle of nerves, relishing in your cries. "I've neglected you for a long time, yeah? I am sorry, princess, I'll make sure to fix it, just cum for me one time."

The lewd words practically groaned into your ear make your walls squeeze around nothing and you cry in frustration. You hate how fast this man could shift the mood from relaxed to horny and reduce you to a moaning mess, controlling your desire for him and playing you like some kind of a musical instrument. You need to get out of this bath, this position, this hold to get an upper hand, but right now you can only pathetically squeeze his fingers and knee, splashing the water with how much you move around.

"A-jax, let's go to- mhaaah! The bedroom!"

"Come on, Y/N," he bites the shell of your ear, pinching your bundle and making you squeal, "I feel your pretty little clit twitching. Give me one nice release and we'll continue in the bedroom, I promise."

You start grinding on his fingers, faster and faster, letting go of his his knee and grabbing the other edge of the tub to ground yourself. Childe shifts behind you, sitting straighter and sliding your body a bit lower to be able to have a better view of everything. He is drinking in the sight of your tightly shut eyes, parted lips, producing the most melodic sounds, neck and shoulder with red little roses blooming on your skin, hardened nipples, poking from under the water and then disappearing beneath whenever you rock and arch your body, soft mounds of your breasts that make his mouth water and the pulsating heat between your legs he mercilessly stimulates.

“I’m close!” Yes, he can sense it, applying even more pressure on your clit, pulling the tightly knotted string in your stomach until it snaps and your thighs clamp around his hand. You throw your head back against his chest, arching and spasming, mewling his name in a blissed out voice. Childe, being a good (even though often unfair) lover, helps you ride your orgasm out, pressing his lips to your forehead and gently caressing your hand with his thumb.

“You’ve done so well, princess. My sweet slutty girl, moaning like this just from my fingers,” ever the master of both praise and degradation he eases you up, slowly retrieving his hand and resting it on your stomach, rubbing it in soothing circles.

“What was that for??” still trembling you are trying to catch your breath, processing that it’s been the first time in a couple of months when your lover has touched you this way. Your own hands are never enough ever since you learned the pleasure he can provide, so, even if you are slightly mad at him for a sudden attack on your mentally unprepared self, the satisfaction overshadows it.

“Come on, babe, you gave me permission,” argh, that eat-shitting grin of his. “Don’t remember you specifying anything.”

Damn, he’s right. Well, you mentally shrug your shoulders, doesn’t matter, this orgasm was amazing.

“Besides…” he catches the lock of your dump hair, curling it on his index finger. ”It’s been years ever since I’ve gotten my position and this residence, and neither this bath nor the bedrom has ever been dirtied by sex. Now we fixed it, it almost feels the same as back home. Let’s proceed to the bedroom now!”

And that’s his proving point!? Un-fucking-believable.

The short-lived shock dissipates once you are in the said bedroom. You do not even have time to take a better look at anything, as Childe is kissing you like a man starved, groping you whenever his hands can reach and leading you straight to the king-sized bed you’ve managed to catch a glimpse of on the way to the bathroom.

“Sooo,” the ginger - who no longer looks like he hasn’t slept for days, running on caffeine only - stretches the syllable, and you know, something is coming, “does Birthday Boy get a blowjob from his loving girlfriend?”

Ah, there it is.

“Seems like this loving girlfriend’s Birthday Boy is too demanding and greedy,” you send him a challenging look, to which his grin only gets wider, baring the perfectly white teeth. Wants to play a predator? Fine, you’ll prove to him once again that he is not the only one who can be in control. It’s your turn now.

“Well,” hands plaster on his chest, feeling the muscle he’s been working day and night to develop, and then slowly and sensually slide all the way to the shoulders, “I can’t really say no, right?” with a firm press you get him where you want him - sitting on the edge of the bed. “Fulfilling wishes is a part of celebration after all. Spread your legs, handsome.”

Of course he is making a scene out of it, putting one hand behind on the bed to support himself and then wrapping the other one around his half-hard dick. He is slowly stroking himself, as his legs slide open, making enough room for you to kneel on the floor.

“I bet you are thirsting for it, aren’t you, princess?” The sweet teasing man disappeared with tiredness having been moved to the background. His natural confidence blends with obtained arrogance, which lifts its head and shows a fanged mouth. Is it going to intimidate you? Not anymore, as you know all his sensitive spots. You swear, soon he’ll be begging you like crazy to not stop your ministrations.

“I bet you are thirsting for my mouth,” retorting back only earns you a deep chuckle. Getting on your knees and situating your palms on his thighs though gives you a twitch of his length. Oh, how cute.

“Well, lord Harbinger,” you slap his hand, making him release the almost hard cock, “let’s see how tough you are.”

“Haha, amuse m- gh!”

The man squeezes the comforter with his support hand, fisting and wrinkling the smooth material. You smirk cheekily, running just the tip of your tongue along his slit again and he gasps, a beautiful shuddering inhale taken. Just to be sure you lick again and then start trailing butterfly kisses down the downside of the length, only to harshly suck on the base, making your lover choke on his own breath. Childe couldn't live without some pain in his life and you, being a ‘loving girlfriend’, do not mind to provide.

"What is it, oh mighty warrior? Cat got your tongue?" You roll out your own, dragging it all the way from the base back up to the head, stimulating every bulging vein, flexing the wet muscle so it would apply some pressure with the tip. Not really caring for his answer you blow chilly air on slickened flesh and with satisfaction see how it twitches, releasing pearly bids of precum. Fingers squeeze on his thighs when you feel his hand finding its way on top of your head. But before he can regain some composure and start commanding you around, you take the flushed head between your lips, sucking, working your tongue around at the same time. Another choked gasp which already sounds close to a strangled moan and you can't help but glance up at him.

Oh, Tsaritsa, your boyfriend is a sight to behold. Eyelids lowered, giving you just a small glimpse of his ocean eyes; cheeks are adorably red, beautifully looking close to his ginger locks; lips parted just slightly, even though you see his lower lip a bit swollen - probably bit it in an attempt to collect himself. Chest is rising and falling, and the sight of his well-defined pectorals moving makes you purr, sending the vibrations straight to his cock and making the man slightly arch his back.

Hm, usually he is more in charge and less receptive just to annoy you when you blow him, but maybe the lack of sex for a long period of time is the case, and he simply hasn't gotten used to the tricks you play on his body whenever your skilled mouth is included.

Well, all better for you.

You are sucking and bobbing your head, taking not much of him - concentrating on his favorite spots around the tip - and making some use of your hands. Oh how much he loves when you pair sucking him off with dragging your nails on his abdomen or inner thighs, almost scratching him. These bits of almost tangible pain make his cock leak harder, feeling your mouth with a bitter taste. Often you leave angry red lines behind, sometimes not enough to draw blood, other times drawing just a little, sending your man into a frenzy.

Today is not the latter case, as you are not trying to overstimulate Ajax, only excite him more than necessary. And by the way he tilts his head back, heavily panting, the tight grip in your hair and legs crossing behind your body, with heels digging into your lower back, you have all the indicators he is close.

And you pull away completely.

Childe's head snaps back upright almost immediately, eyes blown wide and staring at you, at your shiny with spit and his precum lips, at the slow manner of your thumb dragging over them, cleaning the mess of fluids. He can feel the same mess running down the underside of his dick, small globs pulling at his balls and dripping down on the floor.

"W-why did you stop?" He tries to not sound whiny, though a small hint slithers its way into his tone. You give him the most charming smile you're capable of, letting go of his thighs and grabbing his knees, forcing his legs to uncross and return to the position they were in the very beginning.

"Because it's time for the present~ You've had just enough of the birthday cake, we wouldn't want you to be too full, overwise you'd have to leave it for tomorrow."

With these words you get back on your feet, admiring your work from a new angle. A masterpiece as always.

"But sitting like that won't be all that comfortable… why don't you sit closer to the headboard, hm?" Your fingertips graze his flushed cheek, gently following the contour of his jaw and the man nods with a small gulp. How cute. Just a couple of minutes ago he was looking at you arrogantly, thinking he was going to be in charge of his own pleasure, and now one of the Harbingers is gazing up at you with figurative hearts and stars in his eyes, eager for your every move and word.

Not ten seconds later he is already lying against the pillows put against the wooden surface and you are climbing on top of him, claiming his hips like you belong there.

And you do.

The moment your crotches are close his hands find their place on your hips, kneading the flesh.

"Impatient, are we?" He only huffs at your teasing remark, growing more agitated when you do not put his cock right inside of your warm and tight pussy but start grinding it all over his length, smearing the wet mess all over his lower stomach.

"You… chertóvka*!" His words are meant to bite, yet you find them highly amusing, coming from a man of his state. Such a pity that a couple of days more and he'll take a hold of things again, making you regret everything you've done to rile him up by repeatedly fucking you into this grand bed. Or maybe not only the bed, this residence is huge after all.

Finally Childe thinks when you line his cock with your hole and begin sinking down. Oh Archons his mind screams when your tight walls wrap around his manhood. Your mouth already was a mercy to his sinful body and soul, but your sweet, eagerly sucking him in pussy must be a blessing. His fingers dig into the flesh of your hips, choking a suppressed whine out of you, and it takes all of his willpower to not just thrust into your heat - he’ll leave it for later, once you get used to his girth and length again, ready to get demolished.

The room is filled with heavy breathing and your quiet moans as you grind and bounce a little to loosen up and accept more of him inside. Your lover praises you in a hushed voice, reaching his thumb to rub your clit.

“M-maybe I should’ve used the lube,” you gasp, taking an inch more, walls fluttering around the rest that is already nestled inside. His caresses help you relax but it's been so many months since the last time…

“You are doing amazing, I promise” the man assures you, circling your bundle of nerves faster. “It’s just a few more inches, you got this, just please don’t stop completely.”

It may be the desperate edge in his words, or the pulsing flesh inside of you, pushing thick veins against your sensitive walls, but you grit your teeth, fist your hand on his hard stomach, and let your pussy swallow the final inches in one go. 

A broken moan tumbles from your lips, a choked noise escapes from the depths of his chest. 

Your head hangs low, while his is thrown back, eyes tightly shut.

Sweat is beading and running down the back of your neck, while on him it gathers between furrowed brows.

You can't stop slightly shaking from how full you are, he can hardly keep his legs pressed to bed, to not have the temptation of planting his feet firmly on the mattress to draw his hips down and back up, giving you both what you've been craving.

A minute passes, then one more. You slowly catch your breaths and get adjusted to each other. Staying connected like this shows just how long it has been since the last time you two were together.

The gingerhead is the first to come back to his senses, gliding his wide palms over your hips and sliding them right to your ass, cupping each cheek and starting to carefully grind you on top of him. Oh, what a delicious whine he hears and an excited glint in your eyes he witnesses. Carefully rocking your hips, you grab the headboard for leverage, testing the waters and your all once again found limits. It won't take long to push the maximum line further, but for now you have to be cautious, and Ajax understands that, watching all of the reactions attentively.

At some point your gazes link and you give him a smile, which he happily returns, reaching out for your cheek. Getting the hint you bend, capturing his lips in a kiss, deepening it right away. Soon you are devouring each other's mouths, creating a dirty melody of wet sounds and hungry noises, with all these battling your tongues are doing.

You feel how he is getting turned on, pent up energy evident in how frantically he pushes his hand from your cheek to hold the back of your head - leaving you no opportunity to stop this wild making out session. It's so wet already, slick is coating his cock, which starts sliding in and out more easily, but still firmly pressing against your tight walls, molding you into the shape of him.

Childe moans when you bite on his lower lip and suddenly lift your hips almost halfway up his dick, only to drop yourself back down on it. You repeat the motion, not forgetting to squeeze around him, and Ajax's fingers grip harder on your hair.

"You little-" he groans at the feeling of your nails scraping against his abdomen. Fuck, he forgot your hands have been pretty much not occupied since the moment you released the headboard to kiss him. Oh no, you better use them to hold tight onto him for what he is going to do next.

You jolt and half yelp half moan from a thrust his dick makes when he forces his body into a sitting position. There is a hand still squeezing your asscheek, the other lets go of your hair and is now fondling with your breast, squeezing the soft mound.

"Come on, ride your birthday man, love," and with that his mouth latches on your second tit. His plan works perfectly, as there are instantly hands gripping on his shoulder and hair. Childe pays it absolutely no mind, sucking on your hardened nipple and thumbing the other one. He leaves marks all over your pretty breasts the next moment and you are not left with much choice but to moan and whine while bouncing on his dick, trying to set the pace, which, with the distraction your lover is making, proves to be quite a task.

"Ajax," you try to beg, combing through his hair, though your fingers flex into a grip involuntarily whenever he stimulates the bud too harshly or the head of his cock nudges that spot inside of you, "please, c-calm down a little, I can't concentrate…"

The only answer you get is a mischievous glance from him and his mouth being full of your breast. Oh, and also that thrust he makes that almost forces you forward on top of him.

Childe hums, not missing how the vibration against your mound sends goosebumps all over your skin, and releases the less abused tit, grabbing your other buttock.

"Huh, you are so sloppy," he muses, flexing his arms and making the taut muscles bulge under his pale scarred skin. "Leaving all the work for me to do, while it is my celebration…But I am a merciful man, so hold still."

And that's the only warning you get before he starts fucking into you with a faster pace and steady rhythm, getting a bit fed up with how slowly everything was. He loves it when you are clawing at his back, moaning and screaming in his ear and at the back of his mind he thinks that it's such a pity he let all of his staff go, the fucker would love to have at least ears directed to his performance.

Which has you a slutty mess in a spawn of seconds, pussy squelching with wetness, walls contracting around his pulsating cock, gripping it deliciously and…

"Your pussy is so eager to milk me out of my cum, love," he practically purrs in your shoulder, giving you another bite. Fuck, you moan louder, holding onto his back for dear life, his dominant side is showing sooner when you anticipated. "I bet you want every last drop of it. I'll give it to you, but you have to promise you won't spill a bit."

The pleasure is so intense, you have no desire to fight him for control, too horny to care who is in charge. Your brain screams at you to respond, knowing all too well that Ajax is unfair, he can stop if you take too long, and it’ll be such an awful disturbance. You feverishly nod, trying to move too, to meet his thrusting, but the snapping of his hips is so unruled, you do not manage.

"Words, princess, I need words," the commanding tone makes you look into his eyes and you almost cum on the spot, reading the look of adoration twisted by hunger in his eyes of raging waves in a storm. You need a moment to collect your thoughts, but a palm, slapping your buttock, makes it quicker, prompting you to respond hastily.

"Y-yes, I want your cum! Please give it to me!"

"Aren't you forgetting something? That teeny-tiny word, hm?" The hand is squeezing your flesh in a warning, but you needn’t any reminder - the sting is still present.

"Please, Sir,” it goes straight to his dick and Childe groans, bucking his hips involuntarily, ruining the pace. A simple word he is called every day is but a mere reminder of his higher position, not once making his cock jump against its confines, but leaving your mouth… Never ceases to arouse him.

"What a good girl," he praises and brings your body even flusher to his own, chasing both of your releases, letting you shout wantonly into the sex-smelling air, hiding his own noises of pleasure in the crook of your neck.

When the high is about to hit him, Childe registers two hands grasping his head and forcing him to look up, and then there is a slobbery kiss right when your pussy constricts and you cum hard.

The last thing the man becomes aware of is his back hitting the mattress, your body falling on top, lips following lips and his seed shooting deep into your tight heat. Then everything turns white.

Orgasm continues to roll through you, as you grind and whine, feeling the warmth spreading inside and wild shudder running down your back.

“F-fuck…” a whimper against his swollen lips, but yours are no better. There is barely any strength to lift a finger, so you let your forehead bump into his chin, head heavy and thoughts all over the place. Eyes refuse to stay focused and eyelids slide shut. Palms are still holding his face. Hands are still cupping your ass. Your bodies refuse to let go of each other, staying impossibly close to share a heartbeat, to share one afterglow. 

Time hardly matters, thus you both have no idea for how long you have been lying like this. The ginger opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling. He thinks he saw a beautiful dream, not having ever dared to wish for this to happen, but everything is real: this bedroom is real, this bed is real, the smell of desire and sweat is real, the heat is real, he is real, you are so damn real…

There is a slight movement and instead of his chin the lips are touching your forehead, just enough to power you up to lift your head and meet his softer and much calmer gaze.

“Hey,” you sweetly murmur, running your fingertips over his cheekbone.

“Hi,” his hands now rest on your waist and a voice is so sexily hoarse. “That was mind-blowing, beautiful.”

“I know, right?” a smile tugs on your lips and Childe’s heart flutters, something that it does only around his dear ones.

“I missed this. I missed you,” now your heart skips a beat at his confession and your palms frame his face in a gentle hold.

“This is one hundred percent mutual, Ajax.”

“Y/N…”

“I am happy you loved the present. Even included me in your fun, which, now that I think of it, probably cost me an ability to walk tomorrow.”

A joyful laugh brushes your hair and one hand lifts to bury in the tangled strands, eliciting a purr out of you.

“That’s amazing, actually. You’ll spend the day in bed while I am away at work, and when I return you’ll be well-rested to continue. We have a lot to catch on after all.” 

Humming against the skin of his neck, you gently nibble here and there, giving him small hickies. It doesn’t sound that bad, as long as no one disturbs you and you get the whole place all to yourself.

But it is to be discussed later. Somewhere in the residence a grandfather clock struck eleven - you still have a whole hour of today. Awesome, as you almost forgot to tell him the most essential thing.

“Happy birthday, Ajax. I love you.”

“I love you too, Y/N. Thanks for being mine.”

[dylanmunson]

Summary: pregnant with joe quinns bubba. 

word count : 1.6k

masterlist / wattpad / request

////////////////

You and Joe had been together for just under two years when it happened. Joe was filming a scene and you were sat in the trailer feeling bloody awful. You thought you just had a tummy bug, but boy were you wrong. You sat with your head on the toilet seat, not wanting to move the sick feeling subsiding for a moment. 'Sweetheart?' you hear Joe call out, you let out a groan 'still feeling shit?' he smiles softly walking into the bathroom. 

You nod closing your eyes knowing you'll cry when you pass him the positive pregnancy test. You move it across the floor and hide in your arms 'babe' he places his hand on your back and kisses your head 'we're having a baby?' he chuckles you let out a little sob 'im sorry' you mumble, he shakes his head 'babe this is great' he grins, you frown turning to him 'your not mad?' he shakes his head 'oh god no' he grins taking your face into his hands. 'i love you' he smiles softly placing a kiss on your forehead. You sink into his touch taking in his scent, 'your really not mad?' he shakes his head, placing his forehead against yours 'nope' he grins 'i have to tell mum' he chuckles 'ca-can we wait a bit before we tell anyone' you mumble moving to sit up a bit more. 

He nods his head 'of course honey, well tell family and friends whenever your ready' you nod 'just feel like this happened at a bad time' you chuckle wiping your eyes. He shakes his head ''dont be silly sweetheart' he chuckles 'joe your in the middle of filming for stranger things' he grins 'and? well sort everything out ok' you nod, you trust this man with everything in your body. 'promise' 'promise darling' he grins kissing your lips softly. 

/////

8 weeks pregnant 

You had just had your first scan, the scan photos in your hand as you walk back onto set with Joe, he has his arm around your shoulder protectively. You had decided that since he and the rest of the cast had a week break coming up, youd all go out for dinner tonight and make your little announcement then. 

At dinner, everyones sat chatting amongst themselves when Joe stands up grinning 'i uh, i have an announcement' he chuckles everyone looking at him 'me and y/n have some really exciting news' he grins, taking your hand into his 'we're expecting' he smiles. 

'your pregnant?' 'your having a baby?' you hear everyone say, you nod, passing round one of the scan photos 'thats a very cute blob' Maya grins at you 'congrats guys' everyone following along and congratulating you both. 

/////

12weeks pregnant 

Joe was going to a premiere and of course you were his plus one. 

You were standing in your underwear in the hotel room, looking at your outfits. You groan and start crying a little, Joe walks in dropping his shirt on the floor running to you 'baby whats wrong?' he says holding your face in his hands 'nothing fits joe, im so fucking bloated' you sob 'babe' he smiles softly wiping your tears 'your not bloated' he chuckles turning you round so your facing the mirror. He wraps his arms around your ever so slightly bloated tummy 'i think thats your baby bump' he grins kissing your shoulder 'wai- what?' 'babe' he grins 'your not bloated, or fat, your pregnant' he chuckles kissing your cheek 'thats our a baby' he smiles rubbing your tummy a little. 'our sweet little baby' he grins, rocking you both side to side a little. 'baby?' you mumble placing your hands over his on your tummy. he grins kissing your shoulder again 'our baby' he mumbles into the crook of your neck. 

/////

17 weeks pregnant 

Your gender reveal party. 

You honestly werent that fussed but Millie and Sadie had convinced you to have a gender reveal, so of course you had one, but you let both girls take the lead on everything. 

So here you were standing next to Joe on the garage set, Gwydion on the drums 'ya ready?' he grins 'do it!' sadie shouts, you chuckle looking to Joe biting your bottom lip. Gwydion begins banging against the drums and you see pink powder paint lift up into the air and fall around him. 'we're having a girl' joe chuckles hugging you and spinning your around. 'a sweet little baby girl' he grins kissing your forehead 'baby girl quinn' you smile up at your boyfriend. 

/////

22 weeks pregnant 

Baby is the size of a papaya, Youve had a few scans without Joe by your side but heres here at this one, and your about to hear babies heart beat. Joe is sat on the chair next to you rubbing circles over your hand as the midwife puts the clear jel on your tummy, she finds your little bundle of joy and looks at you 'you ready to hear the heartbeat?' she smiles, you nod looking at joe. 

She plays the noise 'is it meant to sound like that?' he smiles biting his lip, 'yeah' the midwife smiles 'ill leave you both for a moment' she smiles before walking out of the room. 

'crazy right?' you chuckle, Joe nods tears forming in his eyes 'so crazy' he chuckles wiping his eyes. 'thats my baby, our baby' he grins you nod 'yeah' 'i love you so much' he chuckles placing a quick kiss to your lips before the midwife comes back into the room. 

/////

32 Weeks pregnant. 

Filming had wrapped up this week, and you knew it was a risk to fly, but the doctors had given you the all clear to do so. So here you were on a flight back to England with a sleepy joe next to you. Your half way through the flight and baby is kicking away at you. You grin though, youd rather have a baby kicking like crazy then not at all, Joe was asleep in his seat next to you, he had your hand in his so you place it on your ever growing bump. Baby girl knew when her dad was near, she'd go crazy whenever she heard his voice. You began wondering what she might look like, what kind of person she would become and all those types of things as you sit back in the seat and wait for the flight to be over. 

////

33 weeks pregnant 

You had been move for a week now and Joe was running round like crazy in between press and interviews and zoom interviews, you had both been baby shopping. He was currently in the nursery building a the nappy unit, you stand in the door way and grin 'hey handsome' he grins 'why is this so confusing' he chuckles shaking his head 'let me help' 'stay there' he groans 'ive got this, go relax sweetheart' you sigh 'but joe' 'no buts misses go' he says pointing out the door 'sir yes sir' you sigh. 

You go and lay down in bed for a bit, deciding a nap is what is best for now. 

However you woken up a little bit later, to Joe sitting next to bump, hes talking to it. 'your already so loved sweet, so so loved, me and your mum cant wait to meet you' he grins 'i might not be the best dad but im gonna try and give you everything and thats a promise, ill always be there for you, whenever whatever you need im here sweet' he mumbles placing soft kisses to your tummy, baby begins kicking and you groan slightly pretending to wake up 'nice sleep sweetheart' joe chuckles moving so his face is next to yours, you hum in response 'your gonna be an amazing dad' you smile placing a hand on his cheek, 'you heard that huh' you grin nodding 'so lucky to have you' 

////

36 weeks pregnant 

Baby had decided it was go time, she was a month early, and you were so worried. 

Joe was by your side the whole time, holding your hand and kissing your forehead, then when you heard the tiny cries of your baby girl, he broke down. He hated seeing you in pain but he told himself he couldnt cry. He wouldnt. He didnt want to see you more upset then need be, specially with all the pain you were in. But when he heard those cries he broke, the nurse placed baby on your chest and Joe looked down at both his girls 'well done sweetheart' he mumbles placing a kiss to your forehead wiping his tears, you let out a sob as you look down at your baby girl. 'dad do you wanna cut the umbilical cord?' the nurse asks, 'um sure' he chuckles 'this isnt gonna hurt them is it' he questions the nurse shakes her head as he begins cutting. 

////

1 week post birth 

Baby was coming home today, you had been discharged two days later and you hated not being able to bring baby home with you, but you and joe both went to the hospital every day and spent as long as you could with your sweet baby girl. 

Joe drove home that day so so carefully, his baby girl in her carseat in the back with you by her side. When you reached home he opened your door and helped you out before taking the carseat and taking baby inside, he placed it on the kitchen counter and took your daughter out of it, holding her close as you sat on the sofa. 

Joe then brought her over and sat with her in his arms 'so so smitten' you grin leaning your head on his shoulder, he chuckles 'im a very lucky man' he grins kissing you softly 'i love you and i love you baby girl' he grins giving your daughter a soft kiss on her forehead. 'we love you to' you grin at him. 

( @kellysimagines @ladyapplejackdnd @fancywinnerzinepasta @lillyof-thevalley @pleasantlycrazyworld )

[le-trash-prince]

OF Episode 9 Thoughts

I had to watch without my friend this week so it was a less exciting experience without the usual screaming, but this ep was so good. Honestly I don’t know why people are worried about the show not having enough episodes left to wrap up all their plot lines because they cover SO MUCH GROUND in every episode

first off I’ve been internally screaming about SandNick since the promo pics dropped AHFKFJDJDJD THE WHIPLASH THIS CREW HAS PUT MY THROUGH TODAY.

Ray peaked in his full problematic era and it was finally to the point where I could fully enjoy it. Go girl, pressure Mew into having sex. Cheat on the boy you’ve been chasing for years, give Sand that toxic romance energy!

Top spent this whole episode in a precarious balance of trying to do right by Mew but pushing things too far, and he was always one sentence away from getting punched.

Atom son, you can’t say you weren’t warned or that Boston promised anything more. Boston’s “what the fuck?” was me too LMAO he just wanted to mind his own business doing photography research 😭

SANDNICK WERE EVERYTHING THIS EPISODE THO

I loved Nick coming in with “the logical conclusion is for us to have sex”

disappointment of my life that it didn’t click for them I WOULDN’T HAVE MINDED IF THEY WERE ENDGAME

smh at Ray crashing their roommate time tho THE MOST AWKWARD EXPERIENCE AHDJFJFJF

The SandRay convo in the river was the healthiest communication we have seen from any of these boys. Again we see the transformative effects of water 🙌

Also I was just so glad to hear Sand say so many things that needed to be said. That Ray could have gotten him arrested, that he treats Sand like a possession, that he needs to be nicer to Sand!

Mew falling asleep on his own couch is the realest sign of being Not Okay. I think he really needed some time with his parents, even if he couldn’t talk to them about what he was going through. Sometimes having an outsiders perspective that you’re not doing well can mean so much. I really think they were the catalyst for Mew sobering up. I’ll dig more into this later.

Honestly a relief that Top showed up at Mew’s to talk to him and not because he was stalking him and his moms. I can only deal with one stalker per episode thanks 😔🤚

Nick kissing two men in one ep YOU GO SON

The BostonNick bathroom scene was everything to me I need a separate post for this SHDKFJSJDBFBDBE I’M SO SAD MY FRIEND COULDN’T WITNESS THIS WITH ME WE’VE BEEN WAITING SINCE THE PILOT TRAILER 😭😭😭😭

I am begging Ray to go to therapy and to learn about ethical non-monogamy that man needs a counselor and two boyfriends

I don’t recognize the song that was playing during the SandRay sex scene but it definitely seemed like a brit rock song which is on brand and I appreciate

I’m so glad Sand didn’t do Ray’s social service for him oh my god THE BIGGEST RELIEF

I’m also glad Top decided not to show the video to Mew! So many good decisions this episode!! I hope he recognized that Mew has been through enough of that kind of drama and that there are better ways to learn about this kind of thing.

Also so glad MewRay talked things out and parted cleanly. Sometimes ppl really do gotta date a friend to figure out that it doesn’t work.

I appreciated the MewCheum convo a lot too.

Honestly this episode ended way more cleanly than I was expecting after part one. I think if Top had shown Mew that video, Mew really might have lost it and just killed someone.

BOEING!!!!!!

Next week’s preview looks so good!!!

[mrs-gauche]

So, on the new cinematic that was published yesterday, without going into a deep analysis here (because people have already done an amazing job at dissecting every piece of visual/symbolism, like the Golden/Black City, what appears to be the origin of the Blight, the recurring symbols in the seven semi-circle spheres/Evanuris imagery in Trespasser etc etc), I just want to write down some of my general thoughts that I had already put in the tags under the video, but there are also a few things I'd like to add. 🙂

Ok, so generally speaking, this cinematic is basically a recap for anyone who hasn’t played Trespasser/ is new to the series / doesn’t remember every single detail from a game that came out almost a decade ago. I always wondered how they were going to (re-)introduce new people to the lore and the big revelations that were sadly concealed in a DLC and after giving it some thought, I’m actually very pleased with the way they’re doing it. 😁

So in regards to Solas, this is everything you need to know before going into the game. (Though I still try to look at this from the perspective of someone who’s only played the DAI base game and therefore only knows the after credits scene with Solas and Flemeth.. So you would still be kinda lost about as to how Varric even knows about all this stuff with the creation of the Veil/what Solas plans to do and all that, so.. I would hope this still gets addressed in some form, especially if fan speculations turn out true and there will be a ten year timeskip since Inquisition, so regardless of Trespasser, in any case, it would be nice to learn what the Inquisition has been up to these past ten years. lol)

So for anyone who is now like "Ugh, another trailer about Solas?? Don't we had enough???", I get it, I really do, but I also need you to understand that this is *not* another trailer, it's an in-game cinematic, probably part of the very beginning of the game and I feel like people tend to forget that the majority of players will NOT be people like us, who have been sitting here analyzing every single frame and syllable of new content under a microscope for the past eight years. 😂

Most people who've played Inquisition maybe once or twice a decade ago will maybe have a vague memory of who Solas or the Dread Wolf are and what his story is. Of course we know all this stuff, but that's the point, it's supposed to be a recap of everything you need to know before going into the game.

Though I can understand why you would be frustrated that they chose to show this as yet another part of marketing that's solely centered around him. (Heck, even I as a fan of his character am honestly surprised how much focus there is 😂) But even though BioWare’s blog post ended with the phrase "close out this year with a little treat", the fact that this was now a general "reintroduction" to the lore, gives me a little hope that they might not wait another couple of months now to show something new, since this is still fresh in people's minds. They're building momentum and I would hope they would use this to kick off the marketing for a wider audience (and the Game Awards are by far the biggest platform to show something).

That being said, let’s talk about the visuals for a second!

Simply put, they’re drop dead gorgeous! As expected from the great Nick Thornborrow, who also did Solas’ frescoes in DAI (and who sadly left BioWare some time ago). The art style and the way it’s presented/animated reminds me a lot of DAO’s intro or those transitional scenes between acts in DA2 or even those little animation bits from the Keep (which were also narrated by Varric!). So it’s definitely true to the DA formula/getting back to the roots even. lol

So even for those of us who knew about all this stuff, it was still amazing to see it visualized and summed up in such a beautful way. And additionally, it contained hints and symbolism that seem to confirm everything I’ve been thinking for the past seven years. lol (Again, not getting into details here, because people have already done a far better job than I could do to explain all that. 😂) I loved how the visuals transitioned seemlessly into the each other with gorgeously smooth animation! I also love how you’re getting almost blinded by the way it’s portraying the destruction of the Veil. lol Like, it get’s all dark and quiet for a second and then BOOM, spotlight ON lmao, I was instantly reminded of Sandal’s prophecy in DA2, when he’s like “The shadows will part and the skies will open wide, when he rises”.

But we also need to talk about the music and the sound design, because GOSH, this was so GOOD!

I would highly recommend listening to this thing with head phones, because WOW, there are so many different little components build into this one minute track, it’s amazing!! I looove how the music starts off with this anticipation and a single violin and then shifts into this more ominous melody supported by these faint “marching to war” drums when the visuals transition from sun to moon/Solas to Fen’Harel, like the music perfectly encapsulates this feeling of ambiguity, like he’s neither a villain or a hero, and it’s up to you what to believe.

Then there’s that beautiful wolf howling in the back right as Varric says “Dread Wolf”, before the music gets more sinister, followed by this big booming “shutting the gate” sound when the Veil is formed and whatever you call that sound of magic as the gods are sealed away and this creepy whispering as the shadows are slowly spreading from the Black City and consuming everything, when it gets all quiet. And then, if you’re wearing head phones, you get knocked off your feet by that enormous explosion sound as the Veil is shattered, like you can practically FEEL the impact of this wold-altering magic in your bones. lol And then the music culminates in this grand dramatic orchestral piece that is SO reminiscent of Inquisition’s main theme??

And as the title is shown and the music breaks up, there’s that simple melody again played by this traditional string instrument (I’m no expert, but it reminds of like, ancient greek?) that was also in the 2020 teaser trailer!

Like, huge props to whoever did the sound design and I can’t wait to find out who does the score! <333

Lastly, can we talk about how Varric’s talking in the PAST tense, when saying “But now, he wanted to tear down that Veil, and destroy the world”??

It almost sounds like whatever Solas wanted to do, something happened, but as always, it didn’t go the way he intended and now we have to deal with the consequences? lol It sounds like that line was cut off too soon there, like Varric was going to add something like "But now he wanted to tear down that Veil and destroy the world.... but he f*cked up spectacularly (again) and now we have to clean up his mess." 😂

So are we maybe already playing in a post-Veil world right from the start? I hope not, because I would have loved to actually SEE how Solas tore down that Veil? 😂 It makes me think that maybe this narration isn't the final version and it will end up being different in the game, like this was edited for marketing purposes/to avoid spoilers? lol

Also, again like in the 2020 teaser trailer, I wonder who Varric is even talking to? Who is "we"? And why are WE "the only ones who can stop him"? What is it about "us" that's able to stop him?

Also, I've seen people saying he's holding a wand in that last visual? 😂

Guys, for seven years I've been trying to mentally (and emotionally) prepare myself that Solas (like all returning characters in any BioWare game) is going to look significantly different in a sequel that’s released a decade from the previous one, and my biggest fear remains that he's gonna look like Voldemort with a nose, so I can't say I'm overly thrilled at the prospect of seeing him walking around with a damn wand. 😂

Though I’m curious if it’s like some other people are saying and it could also be a weapon/blade like the one that was produced by the red lyrium idol in Tevinter Nights/the Blue Wraith comics? 👀

(But to be completely honest, my main takeaway from this whole thing was actually “OMG, they kept the CAPE for Solas’ ancient elven armor design from the early concept art???” lmaoo I was sure they got rid of it after seeing the 2020 teaser trailer. lol I’m sorry, but for those who don’t know me, I’m the biggest sucker for capes and coats in character design 😂 Give me ALL the capes! All of them!! Edna Mode hates me. lol)

Anyway, this is all I’ve got for the moment, I’m super thrilled! Even though I totally get everyone who desperately wants to see something other than Solas lol, if only to finally get a sense of confirmation after such a long time that there’s a game that’s actually.. real and playable, you know. 😂 Though tbh, I think I’ll only be able to fully realize this the moment we get an actual cinematic trailer with in-game footage and stuff. lol Fingers crossed (and clown wig ready) for the Game Awards! 😁

[mikuni14]

I have a bit more time this week and decided to catch up on watching BL series, but whenever I watch 2 episodes, I feel like another 3 new ones jump in their place. Today, seeing the Korean version of Why R U just killed me lol 👀😭💀 I guess I'll never catch up 🤷‍♀️. Especially since very few series really interested me so I feel like I'm dragging. Most are engaging but like "ok, I'm watching, because maybe the next ep will be interesting" or to just see how it ends...

At the moment I am watching the following series (starting with the ones I like the most): Laws of Attraction this series has it all, a beloved couple, an interesting and engaging plot, romance presented at a high and satisfying level. It's perfect, it's what I want, I look forward with excitement to each new episode 💖 Jun & Jun the series started great, it also has a nice couple, unfortunately the last 2 episodes lost "steam" due to the appearance of as many as 2 (!) rivals and devoting LOTS of time to scenes with them, which made the romance fall into the background (you don't do that, as Chains of Heart has taught us). But I think the end of episode 6 got the series back on track 💖 My Personal Weatherman it's actually quite nice, very old school yaoi Hidden Agenda hm, I don't know what it is about this series, but I enjoy watching it, although it has many flaws. I guess I just like actors 😎 Love in Translation It's only the first episode, but it's looking good. I like the main couple (especially Offroad, I liked him a lot in Our Days). The trailer suggests a nice series, although the Step by Step trailer also suggested it will be good (it wasn't), so I'm optimistic, but cautious 😉 Kiseki: Dear To Me the series so far is trope after trope, cliché after cliche, and all the old school yaoi manga i've ever seen packed in one product. And we see so many familiar faces! It's fine. Love Class 2 it's fine. Be Mine Super Star I just don't feel Ashi's emotional commitment to the relationship, also the series itself is very silly. And I keep waiting for a good script for JaFirst. They were almost there in Remember Me. They just deserve something good, not another series "feeding" on their good chemistry Only Friends I've only watched the first ep so far, and I'm waiting for the right mood to watch the next ep. TBH I'm not really interested in this one, might drop it if the second ep feels the same as first 🤔 Wedding Plan I also only watched 1 or 2 episodes. I WANT to give it a shot, but the plot, which I understand is pretending to be getting married to hit on a wedding planner instead of just going out with him like a normal person, is so incredibly stupid and cringe to me that I had to take a break lol As I mentioned, I WANT to give this series a second chance, I like the couple, but it may take time, I have to be in a special mood for it 😄 Stay by my Side dropped Stay with Me dropped, but maybe I'll come back to it someday :) Why R U I honestly couldn't even get past the first episode

I plan to watch Dinosaur Love and maybe Dangerous Pleasure, although I'm not a fan of PerthChimon pairing.

I probably missed half of series being aired now lol

There are so many series, but in my opinion quantity does not translate into quality. There were times when there were fewer series, but actually more of them pulled at my heartstrings and I spent hours on tumblr reading awesome meta and experiencing, analyzing meaningful scenes, words, gestures. I don't have it now. Only LoA does that to me, a bit of Jun & Jun.. it breaks my heart, that one wonderful BL, Sing My Crush, aired all at once recently, making it easy to overlook and not getting the recognition it deserves. Idk... I just want to be emotionally (and a bit intellectually) invested 🥺 OR JUST HAVE FUN 🥳

[alienabra]

Ok, so I’ve been sitting with my thoughts for a couple of weeks now watching Vice Versa and now that we’re at the penultimate episode I think I’ve worked out what I actually wanted from Vice Versa.

I wanted a deeper reading of the concept. Because on paper the idea is very new and interesting but within the story it gets regulated to just a premise and then dropped. It’s like ‘What if two people travelled to another universe randomly?’ and then it moves into the actual story which is Talay and Puen falling in love. How to get back to their own universe isn’t actually anything they can have a hand in. They found each other and now they’re just waiting until they have a dream? If that’s the case then they didn’t even have to work hard to find each other because they were already in each other’s orbits due to Pakorn and Tess’ pre-existing relationship.

When what I actually wanted was ‘What if two people travelled to another universe and had to find their way back?’ Because only a handful of people actually travel to another universe after a near-death experience. Why? Why only these people?

I kind of wanted it to be something like… these people all have things that they need to overcome personally in order to return to their lives. So then finding your portkey is just the first step, and the second step is learning the lesson that the universe wants to teach them so to speak.

In Puen’s case it would be pretty easy. He doesn’t trust people and that is personified by the fact that he won’t give Talay his real name. Following that along, he can only go home after he lets his guard down and tells Talay his name (or decides to tell him if you still want to send Puen home before Talay with some angst).

For Talay it’s more complicated, but I think you could take something they touched on in the show and just expand it a little bit. Talay has an aversion to love but you could push that further to say that he doesn’t have a lot of close personal friendships and zero romantic relationships. He loves his work and what he does and he loves his family (you could have his brother in the place of his group of friends to show that he’s the person Talay is closest too) and he just… doesn’t feel like he needs any other connections? He's the kind of person who is lonely but doesn't realise it because he's convinced himself that he's fine? Then he gets thrown into Tess’ life where he’s not only forced to make connections with people to try and find his portkey but also Tess has friends who actually give a shit about him despite the fact that he’s a mess. Talay’s challenge is that he learns the value of friendships and ‘found family’ (plus it’s then kind of gut-wrenching when he has to give that up for his original universe).

You could even flip it onto Pakorn and Tess as well. If you want to go the bittersweet route than Pakorn’s lesson is that it’s time to properly let Tess go, while Tess’ could be about finding something to actually give a crap about. Or you could go the parallel route and have them resolve their issues with each other, and have that be the thing that’s been holding both of them back in their own universe. But, since they didn’t want to do a parallel story (which could have been really cool, just switching between four people struggling to get home/live someone else’s life) I would say go with the bittersweet option.

I do think having both stories might have helped with the pacing issues a bit because in my opinion Vice Versa had a strong beginning but it really started to lag in the middle where it just felt like a generic BL about people making a movie (twice! they had two whole ‘behind the scenes’ of a movie plotlines and by the second time I was honestly bored with it).

Overall, I think Sea and Jimmy are doing a really good job (and all the other actors too) and it's a very pretty show overall. I just wanted a story that was a bit more complex and adhered to the actual premise we were promised in the trailer.

[yeetlegay]

hi, genuinely sorry to dump this all on you but also, would love to get your opinion on this!

I’m having kind of…qualms with kinnporsche since it aired. i’ve been so excited for the show since the first trailer dropped and im not necessarily disappointed per say, i feel like im mostly just trying to understand what i should be expecting from the show?? i think firstly, kinn and porsche’s characters in the show feel different than they were in the trailers (they feel WILDLY different from the first trailer lol) which isn’t honestly a bad thing at all, just again. different expectations. porsche’s character feels the most different; i definitely thought he was gonna be a lot more serious/focused and then gets swayed by his feelings for kinn etc. the thing i never expected was his goofy side (again not a bad thing at all but it leads to my main point which is —> ) i feel like the slapstick comedy of it completely blindsided me and i just dont. get it??? it’s honestly not that the comedy is bad, i just don’t really understand where it fits in. the show is everything it promised to be: great acting, production, styling, plot for the most part, writing for the most part, characters, directing, cinematography, etc everything is such high quality and when they stick to that it works so well but the comedy (specifically the slapstick-ness of it all) always seems so out of place with everything the show is trying to be and i can’t really understand the decision to include it. like these actors are GOOD the directing is GOOD the story is GOOD the production is EXPENSIVE i just (in the nicest way possible) don’t understand why they waste it on like. a few cheap jokes 😶

episode 5 was PHENOMENAL for this exact reason because it finally felt like the show we saw in the trailers. it had so many scenes that just wowed me: the opening scene, the bathroom mirror breakdown scene (which was so reminiscent of the hidden messages trailer), the sex parallels scene, the drunk confrontation scene ALL SO GOOD and showed off exactly what the show is trying to show off: its high quality acting, directing, and styling. i just feel like this episode was exactly what ive been waiting for since ep 1 and i just really really hope they stick with this vibe for the rest of the show it just serves them so so well. again, not hating on the comedy or the show whatsoever and i do not mean to be a stick in the mud AT ALL lol we’ve gotten some great moments from it, but i was just wondering if y’all felt the same or if maybe i really am just being a hater 😅 (also could be - hopefully - worried about nothing and they were just trying to keep things light in the first few eps before delving into the angst lol)

Given that first trailer was by a totally different production company and crew, the final product was always going to be way different once Be On Cloud got ahold of it, and I personally am so happy it turned out that way! You’re right that the first trailer and what we actually got are two totally different things, so I get that it could be hard to adjust your expectations with all the changes made.

As far as the comedy aspect goes, I’m by no means an expert in the Thai film and tv industry or even just Thai culture in general, so I don’t want to generalize too much, but I’ve found that pretty much every series I’ve watched, even the more serious melodramas, will feature some amount of this style of comedy, and atp I’m inclined to say it’s just par for the course! It’s not necessarily everyone’s cup of tea, and if you’re coming from a Western lens the mix of comedy and drama can be jarring at first. It’s maybe less immediately accessible to, say, an American audience or a British one, so there can be a bit of adjustment needed to get used to this style.

I did really like the comedy of the first few eps bc I do think, like you mentioned, that the show from this point is going to get darker, and we needed some moments of levity in the beginning to sort of set the stage and get us used to the characters before they get dumped into all these shitty situations. They’ll need to have those lighter, happier, funny memories when they’re in their darkest moments, and tbh we will too lol.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with not finding the comedy to your taste - what we like is what we like! If you want to keep watching but aren’t jazzed about having the same amount of comedy that we got in the first few eps, then I’d stick it out for a while yet bc I’m pretty confident we’ll be diving into a lot darker and more serious stuff soon with more of that insane acting from Mile and Apo.

[apiratecalledav]

Quick note: I’m not back; I’ve got too much to deal with but I figured it’s only fair I post my thoughts about Stranger Things 4 volume II since I shared part one. I also might have a couple of jokes/shit posts to make if I can summon the energy in the next few days. 

Anyway—

Whew 😅 What a ride. Overall, an incredibly epic finale for a mostly spectacular season. But. Well…  shit happens, doesn’t it? And crappy, forced love triangles are the worst. Spoilers, obviously.

The Good

First of all: Eddie. Eddie. EDDIE.  

 I originally thought he was going to play a song to save Nancy from Vecna. But when the longer volume ii trailer made it clear that Nancy’s capture was only temporary, I thought for sure he’d play Master of Puppets aka the original title of episode nine. I was soo hyped. Then when the episode dropped and they changed the title, I thought there must have been a last minute issue with the rights or something and I was bummed. When it started playing, I nearly levitated with excitement. “This is for you, Chrissy.” 🥺 I also love that he and Dustin got to have a moment afterwards to just fanboy together. 

When he cut the sheets down and stayed in the Upside Down after Dustin was safe, I had Finnick flashbacks from The Hunger Games. Glad he got to have a proper fight scene and final words. I really would have lost it if he just got engulfed by monsters and vanished.

I knew he was gonna die but honestly, I thought they’d try to soften the blow/make it a little lighter by having Eddie sacrifice himself for Steve and crack a few self deprecating jokes along the way. But when he told Dustin to “never change” I said, “Oh, no” out loud. I knew then they weren’t going to show mercy so I did my best to prepare myself. It was beautifully done and I got teary eyed, especially when When It’s Cold I’d Like to Die started playing. But Dustin talking to Eddie’s uncle made me sob. I was not expecting any of that. Ugliest of ugly cries, okay?

Bonus points for a truly heartfelt, non-joking exchange of platonic “I love yous” between two young men. 

I definitely understand why some are angry that Eddie’s name wasn’t cleared but tragedy is part of his character… And there’s also a really powerful message— Eddie did things his way and he did them for himself and the people he loved. He found what made him happy and didn’t care what anyone else thought.  He never once succumbed to “might as well be bad since everyone already assumes it anyway.” He never stopped reaching out to lost sheep. Not to get all evangelical or anything, but Eddie was a true shepherd of the Lord; despite being branded as a devil, Eddie was more righteous than his “godly” neighbors, many of whom were more concerned about appearances than actual good. Eddie saved Dustin, did what he could to avenge Chrissy, and was metal AF until the end. That’s what was important to him, not what a bunch of strangers thought. I know that he and Chrissy are at their picnic table in the sky, living their best afterlives while they wait for Uncle Wayne and the rest of Hellfire. That’s what matters.

The world would be a better place if we were all a little more like Eddie Munson. And music would be better.

And if Hawkins is really getting introduced to Upside Down monsters and whatnot, there’s still hope for Eddie to get the recognition he deserves… fingers crossed. 

——

I was expecting the body count to be higher… thought Argyle might have to go to give Jonathan and Nancy some more shared trauma. Or Dmitri would die with his son thinking he was a traitor or maybe Murray would volunteer to be a decoy or something. But I’m glad they kept it lower. I think— especially in this show— it’s more effective to have only one really heartbreaking death at a time rather than a slew of moderately sad ones. 

———

Once again: Max. Lucas. Lumax. 😭 I’ve been trash for these two since day one but this season went above and beyond a billion times over. 

Lucas asking Max if he was in her happiest memory. And the season two throwback. “Presumptuous.”

Widdle Max at the skate park was too cute for words!

Max’s selfless bravery while Lucas tried so hard to come up with an alternative.

Passing notes. The movie date drawing.  The scene. You know what I’m talking about. All the awards for Sadie and Caleb. All. Of. Them.

The parallel to season 1 with Sarah dying and Hopper reviving Will with Eddie dying and El reviving  Max while When It’s Cold played. BRB once I salvage my heart after it went through this cheese grater.

Like with Joyce and Hopper, Lucas and Max have a date they need to get to. Surely a good sign.

—-—-

Music in general was especially great in these last two episodes. Separate Ways!  Erica, Lucas, and Max stepping off the RV with each “you” in the song was so good. The versions of Dream a Little Dream of Me at the Snow Ball will haunt me forever. Running Up That Hill was incredible once again. I love that it was originally Max centered but it extended to the rest of the characters. 

It’s a perfect foil to Vecna— his army is all one because they’re his puppets, while our heroes are one unit because they love each other and care about others.  

——

Steve 

Him wanting a big family to go on road trips with. 🥹  He’s really the only one without any siblings besides Dustin (who has a very loving mother plus several pets). I’ve long headcanoned Steve as a lonely-ish latchkey kid and finding out that he grew up wanting a bunch of little ones someday hit me right in the feels. 

His friendship with Robin has somehow reached new heights of adorable. The way he was just so happy for her and Vickie... Precious. 

Glad he’s rabies/infection free and his face was spared for once.

——

Robin’s character was a little wobbly for me this season but at the end of the day, I was happy. I loved her talk with Steve; I’d been missing their friendship after 4x02. Her hand on his back after Jonathan and Nancy reunited was subtle but so sweet. Robin and Vickie were very cute together. Plus, their ship name is Rockie (edited, eff you autocorrect). How awesome is that?? 

—-

A proper Will/Jonathan/Joyce hug. I always felt like there’s a rule somewhere that only two Byers are allowed to be emotional together at a time and it’s been a huge pet peeve of mine.

—-

Will!! I thought I heard somewhere that he filmed a scene with a harness so I was worried Vecna would try something. Glad he got a (at least supernatural) break this season.

His speech to Mike and the painting. Maybe a little cheesy but in a good, very ‘80s movie way. 

His love for El. That hug was exactly what I needed between the two of them. 

I know how badly this situation hurts him and I’m so proud of him for how he’s handling it. Plenty of grown-ass adults could learn a thing or two from Will. 

———

Jonathan back in Big Bro mode.  That scene was so sweet. I really like that Jonathan didn’t push Will to share or try to pry. Just said exactly what Will needed to hear. 

———

Speaking of siblings, Erica and Lucas were so adorable. The spear scene. The way she tried to save him from Jason even though she’s tiny and middle schooly. How she won’t leave his side at the hospital. 

———

Mike and El. My emotions. The pizza box goggles/ “try before you deny bit” was so cute. I had high expectations for his first “I love you” and damn, did they deliver. 

———-

El and Hopper reuniting. It really got to me. But my grandfather passed away almost a year ago, so when I watched it again with my mom, we both lost it ( but in a really good way)

———

Murray with that flamethrower was badass as fuck and kinda hilarious at the same time. I loved it.

———-

I think they did a great job balancing the darker stuff with comic relief in these last two episodes. Some of it felt forced earlier in the season to me. 

——

Joyce and Hopper finally kissed! 🎉 

Breadsticks and lasagna! 

—-

It wasn’t quite what I wanted, but overall, I’d say I like what they did with Brenner. They humanized him enough to make him interesting but they didn’t try to brush all his shit under the rug. It was a good mix of El caring about him— and in a way that said more about El than him— but not forgiving him or excusing him either. 

———-

Dmitri and Yuri’s scene was unexpected and really nice. I saw a few people saying it was too easy but c’mon. This wasn’t “hey, you remember what it’s like to be good. So stop being a dick.” It was “holy shit, literal monsters are going to literally EAT! US! ALL! This so not the time to be a douche.”

———-

Jason was… interesting. I guess I like that that he didn’t totally fall into the usual tropes. He was neither entirely “well meaning but misguided” or purely “he who hunts monsters...” When he went full asshole on Nancy, I thought he was totally over the edge. But then he seemed genuinely concerned for Max. I liked seeing that bit of humanity still there, even though he ultimately couldn’t reach into it enough to see the light. While horrific, I like the way his death symbolized the way he’d been torn apart by Upside Down-ness.  

His death made me realize I have an inner momma bear. I had felt very bad for him— his girlfriend and one of his besties died in such horrible, unholy ways. That’d mess anyone up. But once I got over the shock of how he died, I was just kinda like, “Yeah, let that be a lesson to anyone who lays a hand on my babies.” 

——-

I really liked having a brief break between episodes. I think Eddie struck more of a chord with me than Barb, Bob, and Alexei because I got to know him for longer than a day or two. 

———-

Doctor Owens. First of all: What a BAMF. Standing up to Brenner for El, trying to protect her from Sullivan. I really like that he strives to balance his teleological, “greater good” mindset with sensitivity and consideration.  He wants El to be his teammate rather than a mere means to an end— a lab rat or a weapon.

———

The Mind Flayer. Yessss. I got chills and said holy shit out loud when young Henry drew it.

———

Flambé. And Nancy blowing Vecna out the window. Epic.

———-

Sometimes, you gotta wholeheartedly embrace the tropes outright. And Hopper literally slaying the monster with a sword was fantastic.

———-

Karen telling Mike he couldn’t have any more vacations or go to college. Haha.

———-

Jonathan and Nancy’s reunion. Still not happy about all the messiness but “kiss on the forehead” is my favorite. 🥰

——-

Mike and Hopper being on good terms again. 

———

Are Hopper and Joyce and the kids just gonna live off the grid at the cabin? I’m super excited if that means they stay in Hawkins again. 

———

Shout out to Jamie Campbell Bower to his commitment to Vecna; spending hours getting covered in prosthetics and locating whatever depths of hell he pulled his Vecna voice out of. It adds so much to the character that we can see Henry/One in Vecna’s eyes and body language.

———

I don’t usually like when “all hell breaks loose” and the secret stuff gets out in the open. However, I think this show can pull it off… 

——-

I feel a little more confident that this show isn’t actually going to hurl itself down the fan service cliff. 😅

The Bad

This really isn’t anyone’s fault but one reason why I love Steve so much is because he reminds me sooo much of my brother. However, in the last couple of years, Joe Keery at certain angles (especially his eyes) has started to remind me of my husband. Steve’s battle clothes were a lot closer to my husband’s style than Steve’s usual outfits which REALLY amplified it.  So yeah, shit got distractingly weird for me a few times and I definitely could have lived the rest of my life without knowing what it’d look like if my husband and brother had a Freaky Friday thing. Haha.

———

I REALLY wanna know what the hell exactly has Mike told his parents about El. Is it some version of the “official” story? That Hopper had an affair when he was married and El is his daughter and she was visiting him in secret when Mike stumbled on her in the woods and fell hopelessly in love with her? Something else? Have his parents met El? Why is this curiosity door to potential comedic gold still closed? Picture El and Ted having a blank faced staring contest.

That reminds me… No cameo from Mr. Clark. 🙁

——-

Is Doctor Owens okay??? Is he still handcuffed to a pole in the desert?

———

Um, I don’t like how blatantly cliffhangery the ending is. There has always been an unsettling element to the endings but there was enough peace/closure that the hiatuses were more bearable. We’re looking at fall of ‘23 at the most outrageously optimistic earliest and I dunno… just feels a bit shitty. It’s not like they needed to fish for renewal…

———

Definitely sad we didn’t see a Hopper/Byers family group hug. I also wanted El to call Hopper “dad.”

———-

Eddie’s death did feel a little stand-in-ish for Steve. I don’t know if they were just piggybacking (see what I did there?) on his bond with Dustin or if they were just trolling, or if it’s a hint that maybe they did wanna kill him off and Netflix said no. Well, just in case, I’d like to thank all the millions of people who’ve canceled their Netflix subscriptions in the last couple of years. You might have saved Steve.

———-

I have a lot of feelings about the state Max is left in. I mean, I really, really don’t want this show to get too dark and given the way her journey has been a metaphor for depression, I feel like it’s extremely fucked up— borderline irresponsible— if she doesn’t come back from this. And I am fairly confident that she and Lucas will have their movie night. But I also feel like if they’re going to prolong the ambiguity of her fate in this way, there should be some kind of long term  consequences?   

——-

It felt kinda lazy not to have more downtime between the earthquake and the shit storm. A convenient way to avoid Nancy and Jonathan having a good talk and Max’s prognosis for sure. 

The Ugly The Absolute Shit-Hideous

Same song as part one but different verse:

Why, oh, why are they prolonging this bullshit love triangle? Yes, there was a recurring theme of mirroring season one and it could have been decent-ish. But this was just crap. Incredibly lazy, contrived crap. I’m torn between thinking they really do need to fix it next season and hoping that the (from what I can tell) generally negative reception will make them drop it.

Having Steve confess his feelings started to tip me into despair— he hadn’t really done anything “wrong” this season in that regard until that moment. But then just as quickly, I started seeing light at the end of the tunnel:

Robin interrupted S/N having a moment with “looks like we weren’t going the wrong way after all” 

Nancy donating yet more old things from her pre-Upside Down life… including Mr. Rabbit who’ll “be more loved in a new home.” My mom and I affectionately call Steve “harebrain” sometimes (both for “hair” and because Hare-rington) so that rabbity connection jumped out at us.

Then the way she looked at Jonathan when he reappeared. Like Steve didn’t even exist anymore. Which Steve definitely noticed and was pretty damn brutal. Are we really supposed to pretend that anyone thinks that kinda thing is shippable?   **Or that Nancy could be happy with a small army of children and most likely no career??? Or how clearly Steve wants someone to laugh at dumb muppet jokes with him (and Robin and Vickie.) I don’t see Nancy completing that adorkable foursome any more than I see her signing up for more than one or two babies. 

After Robin and Vickie had their moment, I kept waiting for one of Vickie’s friends to appear next to Steve and throw out there that she’s glad Vickie and Dan broke up because he always reminded her of Big Bird or something but nooo. Then they had to have Jonathan and Nancy once again avoid their problems.

All three of them traumatized as hell, plus we really only see them in life or death situations and that is the only reason I can give them a pass. In normal circumstances, they’d be kinda assholey.

I get that writing established couples sucks but there are so many more original paths to take. I also get that executive meddling is a thing and maybe they’re the ones pushing this crap. But in that case, you take pride in your work and respect your audience and your characters and you at least strive to make it understandable/believable. You do not do… this. 

The worst part about this whole storyline is that it doesn’t feel like they even care enough about it to waste even the slightest bit of brain power on it.

Like, why couldn’t Jonathan and Nancy have agreed at Christmas to “hit pause” and then reevaluate when they reunited at spring break? It would have made way more sense that Jonathan going MIA freaked her out so much. 

Or at the very least, couldn’t Steve and Nancy have a scene together before the trailer park so this shit didn’t feel so out of left field? She could have run into him while he was picking Robin up from school. Steve could have asked about Jonathan and Nancy could have admitted that things were rocky and Steve coulda told her how if she can help him learn to “crawl forward,” she can surely help Jonathan fly.  Or she could have opened up about how afraid she is to leave home next year.

Something.

Instead, they  just took advantage of the fact that Jonathan’s life was really painful even before/without monsters and hell dimensions, Nancy has a history of bottling things up until she bursts, and Steve has a fantastic “puppy that’s just been kicked” expression.

It also seemed like they knew it was kinda icky for Nancy to have all these moments with Steve so they tried too hard to make her perfect in every other way, and it frequently came at the expense of other characters (especially Robin becoming a “super klutz” after an entire season of playing it cool).

 Ah, fuck it, I’ll just come right out with it: Lucas should have been the one Vecna chose to deliver the message to El. For multiple reasons: revenge for taking Max back from the curse, he’s not only closer to El than Nancy is, it highlights how much their friendship has grown since the initial strained days in season one; it’s so fitting with Running Up that Hill and asking God to trade places with someone else in order to better understand them. 😭😭 

TL;DR

I mostly loved it. This is by far the most emotional experience I’ve had with Stranger Things, and in fact, any show in a good two or three years. There were a few surprises and most of them were pleasant ones. They’ve continued with their trend of taking familiar tropes and adding unique twists.  But I dislike how much they left unresolved before a very long hiatus. Also, love triangles are still garbage, especially when they crap all over multiple characters and eat up screen time that could have gone to more interesting possibilities.

[timelessbibliophile]

A Rina here to say that other anon about these being already known leaks is wrong. This leak is about a specific episode, a specific plot line, and specific scene. I don’t know the exact origin of this leak, but it seems like it was exchanged privately by a trusted source. So I think that is why Rinas are keeping it private amongst ourselves. Possibly to keep anyone from getting in trouble and possibly to stop others from ruining our fun. We’ve been starved since season 2b with the hope that we get some Rina in season 3 so we are ecstatic about this information. I’m sure it will either get spilled sometime between now and season three. If there are hints about it being true once season 3 footage starts being released we WILL NOT shut up about it I’m sure 😅 for now we are just having fun in our Rina business

Okay so now I know what you're talking about since someone sent me the leaks (i won't be posting them tho bc i agree with you on the "someone might get in trouble" part and since this seems legit and i don't want to have any part in it haha)

Here's the thing tho, ik everyone interprets what they want with the information they have, but after seeing the leaks myself i think they're not very suggestive about rina being a couple...? i think they could be interpreted as rina being friends again, and restoring their friendship, which would be great! if anything, it might suggest that there might be a love triangle, but not a portwell breakup + a rina endgame.

if this was a portwell leak, i would be freaking out, too. honestly i don't blame rinas for being excited because, as you said, you have been deprived from rina content since the start of season 2, so news that they might have a moment is exciting! What has been bugging me so much is that they're (not you bc you seem chill, but aggressive twitter rinas) being so much "HA IN YOUR FACE" about it, when

there's still a chance it could be fake

the leak isn't being forward about it. it doesn't say "ricky and gina become a couple", it says "they have a moment", which again, could just suggest friendship

I think we'll just have to wait and see how it unfolds and what it means when the season comes out (and maybe also the trailer, when it drops, gives us some clues)

[marc-spectorr]

Hi Callie! 🦜

Omgosh I’ve been meaning to type out a response while at work but it’s been really busy.

I watched Inside Llewyn Davis and I feel like the fandom pariah….I mean I didn’t NOT like it but I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. Honestly, Oscar really carried that film. I feel like everyone else was a little static. But Omgosh I think it hit a little too close to home for me?? Him just spending the whole movie trying so hard and people just being so freakin mean to him just reminded me of myself and the constant hope of “maybe it’ll be different this time” only to have my hope drop at the next scene was heavy for me. Maybe one day I’ll rewatch it again when I’m a little less sad and it’ll watch differently? Also watched it with my mom and it wasn’t her type of movie so maybe if I watched it by myself I would pick up on more? Idk 🤷🏻‍♀️

BUT I heard you watched the Force Awakens?? What did you think?? I’ve rewatched the scene where Finn and Poe escape in the tie fighter like SO MANY TIMES. I just love Poe so damn much 🥹💕

And yes definitely watch At Eternity’s gate. I have a feeling you’ll love it 🥰

And to the other anon who was talking about The Promise (I meant to look before I started typing…I think it was 🦋?? Sorry! 🤦🏻‍♀️) I didn’t realize how deep the history went….dude just finally finding a trailer of it on YouTube where the comments WERENT disabled?? Whoa…..I feel like watching it is sticking it to the people who even denied it happened and that’s more than enough reason for me.

Callie, how’s your week been?? I hope it treated you well! 💕 💐

Oh and I’m eastern standard time. I’ve been keeping up with your posts even though I haven’t been able to respond. Lol I do have a bit of insomnia so sometimes it doesn’t matter when I see your posts. It could be the afternoon, it could be 2 in the morning 😂

Random question, besides writing, what else do you like to do? Do you have any hobbies?

Cheers! -🦜Birdy 💖

heeeeey birdyyy 🦜💚 (also love the nickname btw haha i wanted to come up with a good one for you too like the others)

:o oOo thanks for sharing what you thought about it! honestly i know these movies are going to be a hit or miss. you’re bound to watch something that’s a big ehh while binging on your fave actor’s entire filmography LOL (the things we do for oscar). i’ll give each one a fair shot tho. but anyway back to llewyn,,, :((( people are mean to him?? gosh my heart can’t cope. who would ever want to be mean to someone with a sweet face like his 🥺 if you decide to rewatch it, let me know if your feelings are any different! i think i have this one scheduled for the week after hehe. it got pushed back since i binged on star wars this week.

speaking of star wars.,,, yEP I SAW THE FORCE AWAKENS. AND THE LAST JEDI AND RISE OF SKYWALKER. all i can think of right now is POE POE POE. especially his scenes in the last film??? i think ima need to watch it again tonight just bc 🥲 uGHH but i cant wait to write for him soon skksksk.

my week has been good! busy as always but what’s new lmaoao. ive been super tired too so that’s why ive been slacking on writing recently /: it’s not that i don’t want to write, i just don’t have the energy to do it which makes me madddd. and omggg!! fellow EST here too haha! so cool knowing we live in the same side of the world haha.

as for other hobbies, i love cooking!!! i also love playing video games, traveling and exploring new places. tbh i haven’t done much of those tho since i’m always at work but i’m hoping to find time soon 🥺 what about you birdy? what are your hobbies :))

thanks for stopping by sweetie. ttyl ilyyyy 💗

[getmemymicroscope]

Apparently this is based on the Hayden Christensen/Jessica Alba-starrer Awake, which I have never seen. ... And if that movie takes as many stupid "liberties" with the medicine as this movie does, I have no interest in ever watching it either.

But first, the "good." I really liked some of the songs back when the soundtrack first dropped back in 2013/2014 - Main Dhoondne Ko Zamaana (which recently made a surprise re-entry into my brain and my 'repeat for a day' playlist at work), Mashooqana, and Soniye - and they're still pretty damn good (Mashooqana is sung at a much higher pitch than I remember, which threw me for a second). And, uh... honestly, that might be it.

And the bad. Man. First, of the good songs, two of them play in quick succession right at the beginning, leaving little to look forward to as the movie progresses. And the songs after that point are just downright bad. ... That entire opening scene was just so dumb. ... Shekhar Suman playing the friend of our 'protagonist' is a bit jarring since they seem to be trying to portray them as similar in age, as in reality he is this actor's father. ... Our protagonist was passable, for a minute, until that ridiculous bullshit with the wine glasses. Like, he immediately went to unlikable - and making everyone else more unlikable doesn't suddenly make him likable. There's not good people in this movie. ... Not even the mom, who is fucking annoying throughout - even if she's right, her approach is 100% wrong. Keeping such a tight grip on your son, even if he has a heart problem; it is no surprise he didn't listen to you. Or that he fell in love on literally the first day he had the slightest bit of freedom away from you. And making her 'right' in the end doesn't fix the fact that she's overbearing, uncaring in her ways (hell, look at how she reacts to "our workers are overworked"), and all-in-all, not a friendly figure at all (the ending doesn't change that either). ... Our hero's narration at the beginning of the surgery, done so that we know he's aware and is in pain, is just bad. Sure, he's screaming cuz he's in pain, but it is so fake that is never anything more than comical (and "turn the volume off" annoying).

And the medical stuff. Oh my god. And a pre-movie title screen saying you're taking some 'liberties' should only be referring to the fact that he's under surgery and yet having the ability to have his spirit wander into the hallway and hear the conversations out there - not the actual medical stuff!

When they all enter the OR, their masks are down. And then they use their gloved hands to raise their masks. Which immediately makes their gloves unsterile. This is why the masks go on first. This is a very common mistake in movies (Dr. Strange comes to mind), but in that case, they're clearly doing it for dramatic reveal of actor (for anyone that hasn't seen the trailer and has literally no idea what they're getting into). Which is still stupid and wrong, but I guess a movie has to movie. But in this case, we've already met our doctor multiple times. There's no dramatic reveal of his full face upcoming. So there's no need to be this wrong on it.

The anesthesiologist that shows up and tries to shake hands. He doesn't, because gloves, but that's not even a funny joke. And it risks contaminating everything.

That entire clairvoyant or whatever episode. I'm not denying that he is having 'anesthesia awareness,' which does exist, but for him to be out listening to a conversation between his wife and the temporarily-out-of-the-OR anesthesiologist is a bit much. So much of the stuff happens in the OR, preventing such; why not just make it all take place there? And then it keeps happening - he's in the waiting room, the hallway, even back at home. And then he literally meets his now-dead mother at their house. Make it stop!

Literally everything involving Ria in the OR. First she, somehow, just simply enters the OR room - no one sees her, let alone stops her. That's not how ORs work. Then, after the 'twist' is revealed and she fails to convince Sam to go through with the plan on his own, she injects the transplant heart with something - WITHOUT WEARING GLOVES! She literally just takes the to-be-transplanted heart in her bare hands!! There's so, so much wrong with this! And they gowned her up, why couldn't they just throw the gloves on as well? Even if you ignore everything about her entering the OR up to this point, this final bit destroys it all.

When Sam, in the middle of this whole Ria thing, has a moment of crisis, he goes and sits down and puts his gloved hands (bloody gloves, at that) up to his mouth. Yuck. Also, contamination.

The first defibrillator scene is all wrong. It isn't 'shock shock shock.' There has to be breaks to see if it actually works. To their credit, they do it better the second time around.

I know this is more about the line than science, but the whole "the heart that loved you is gone, the heart I now have is my mother's and it won't forgive you" is obviously medically incorrect. The heart doesn't actually store emotions like that. But yes, I know this is more about having a more impactful line, so we'll let it go.

Honestly - if he's got anesthesia awareness and is still under anesthesia, his mom's decision shouldn't be a surprise to him.

The scene where he asks her to marry him. I can forgive the fact she's super dressed up while sleeping, because they're at his friends house and just came from a party. But how the hell does she wake up and immediately know that it is 5am? No looking at the time, nothing - just immediately "it's 5am." I don't buy it.

The ending has shades of that Pulkit Samrat/Yami Gautam movie Sanam Re (and not in a good way), with the whole 'heart from a loved one thing.' Also, the boat scene - the mom did everything to save the kid (all the yelling and pointing), but when the father was in the water, she just looked on as he drowned. What is this, the door from Titanic?

I guess the movie is supposed to be pro-mom, but like, it would be nice if the mom was even slightly likeable as person when they're trying to sell us on that.

This movie might not be as bad, medically speaking, as the Aftab/Celina Jaitly/Amrita Arora-starrer Red, but god is it a mess. Which all works wonders to offset any good will brought forth by the couple of good songs at the beginning. And the best song, Main Dhoondne Ko, is saved for the literal end - the final credits - and by that point, you just want it to be done so you can wipe the medical horrors you've just seen from memory.

[coralsgrimes]

Someone asked him about his role in Black Mirror. Ben said that it took him longer to fill out the paperwork/NDA stuff than it did to film his scene. He confirmed it's literally only a cameo. Why am I cackling?

Boy not booked and not busy x.x bless 🙏🙏 more time to work on shitty album that his four remaining fangirls will buy

But honestly this is so fucking funny like since 2019 all he did was two seasons of ya shiteshow about to be cancelled, another role for netflix that was just bad and everyone forgot about it, a film that was announced with no word since and it's been a year, and now a 3 sec cameo...

And I bet ye the cameo is a freebie through frens or a he was near when they were shooting and they needed a loser for a scene and only later found out that he is kind of an actor. Like a Salma fanboy he will be or something cuz what me getting from the trailer is that she probably is a fictionalized version of herself in that episode xd so maybe he will really be himself and someone the other time already mentioned he's basically wearing his own clothes xd

and again isn't the purpose of cameo to get someone that viewers would go OMG can't believe they got them for a scene? like what's benny's excuse? wait disregard me previous assumptions he probably got this 'gig' from the same corkboard that he got the tmobile ads lol

Or should we already drop the actor label and start saying Benny Boy WAS an actor and is currently trying to milk his fangirls through a failed music career claiming it's his biggest dream? Gotta go see if wikipedia let me do them changes x.x

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

Ay

AY

WHERE'S MY PROMO

The promo has now been released lol - I'm back xD

It was part of the reason I put this off lol but also it was a show week so even there had been one I wouldn't have done it xD but this was extra motivation to wait

Anyway though it is currently Sunday and I'd seen tiny bits of the tiny trailer, I have now seen it! So,

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH

MAYDAY??

THAT DOES NOT SOUND GOOD

B R I D G E C O L L A P S E??!?!!!?

ALSO UHH HEY LUCY XDD

AAAAHHHHHHH

A H H HEN

EDDIE

CHIM

AAAHHHHHH

MADDIE 😭😭

Hey now where's Buck

A A A A A H H H H H H H B O B B Y

Like hi to you too Athena but 😭😭😭😭💔💔😬😬😳

Anyway AAAAAHHHHHHHHH in short I'm stressed :'))

That's the last of my last thoughts! Now it's time for the. . .

REVIEW

I looved this episode!!! It was really great :D. I loved all the different storylines 🥰. Although PLEASE EDDIE you have BUCK!! XDD Anyway! By the way "looved" is supposed to have two o's, three just didn't quite fit right. But it is not a typo lol. Also, as of the start of this sentence, it's Tuesday. I had to sing at a graduation on Monday so I still haven't seen the next episode, but I need to do this before I can watch lol. So since it's been a week and I don't have too much time, this may be short. Anyway! Buck's storyline was hilarious, and honestly I'm glad that girl's gone xD. She kinda like immediately dipped and honestly no offense to her but. . . Buddie xD. Anyway, AAAHHHHH MADNEY IS/ARE ENGAGED!! YAYYY :'DDDD!! I'm so happy for them :))). And the calls were great today! Even though most of them were really sad 😭 xd. Well, the first one wasn't really sad I guess, I just felt bad for the guy xd. Like, yeah, she shouldn't have to say yes, but oof xd. And you're leading him on too! Anyhoo xD, the one with Athena was just 😭😭😭😭💔💔. I couldn't with that one <333. But the wedding one was super sweet :')) :D. I loved all of them 🥰.

Now it's time for the individual parts!

Ravi! As always, he slayed :D. We didn't see him too much, but he was great for what we did see :). I love him 🥰. And he was great at his job! Also, we didn't see him in the promo but I hope he's okay!

Athena and Bobby! They were great this episode :'D. AAHHH I can't believe they've been married for four years!!! That's so crazy :')). And the fact that they both got each other flowers :'D 🥰🥰❤️. I love them so much :)) <33 🥰. The call Athena responded to was super sad though 😭. I felt so bad for that poor woman :'((. And for it to be a reminder for Athena? Oof, honey :((. But she was great at her job <3. And Bobby was great at his job :D. Also try BETTER be okay next episode xdd. Bobby especially, since he looks to be in more danger. Anyway, I just loved that scene of them at the end :')).

Hen! She was great this episode :)). I'm glad she made herself clear to Maddie as well, not just talking with Chimney. And that they kind of made up from that :). Also that after that they just immediately went to trying to figure out what to do xD. I love them so much :)). Chim and Karen underrated bestie-ism and Hen and Maddie underrated bestie-ism. Lol xD Anyway! I live in FEAR for the next episode, she better be okay xdd 😭. All of them better be xd. But yeah! Hen was great at her job this episode :)). I love her 🥰.

Eddie! Get RID of her!! Anyway xD. He was great this episode :). I loved his montage at the beginning, it was hilarious xD. I saw someone put like a medication commercial over it and it was GOLD lol I died. Accidentally spelled golf there but that works still so xD. Anyway lol, this idiot man <33. But honestly guys xdd, Buddie, please. As in please give it to us lol. Also, his scenes with Chris were so cute :DD. Your honor I love them so much 🥰🥰. Also, as with everyone else, MY MAN BETTER BE OKAY!! So scared of next episode lol xdd. Anyway, Eddie was great at his job this week :D. I love him 🥰❤️.

Buck! YESS girl DROP HIMM!! I think I was gonna be telling Buck to drop her even though he didn't really, but this is what my brain wanted to say so eh whatever xD. Anyway! He was great this episode :D. Poor man was going through it in the exes department though xDD. Honestly I found it SO hilarious LOL XD. Especially Taylor's xD. Like they were just there at every turn XD. Poor Buck lol <33. What's-his-face's wide (who's name I also can't remember) showing up was interesting though 👀. I don't think Buck would get with her, but just in case right now I'm telling him no xD. I do hope her and the friend work it out though :)). Anyway, we didn't see Buck in the promo o.o. He BETTER be alright xdd. I will say I saw a picture (and saw a bit of somebody theorizing a bit) and like a tiny bit of a clip where it seems like he'll be doing the rescuing maybe? Idk, I just hope he's okay 😭. Anyway, he was great at his job this episode :)). I love him 🥰🥰.

Maddie and Chimney! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THEY'RE ENGAGED!!!!! I'M SO EXCITED FOR THEM :'DDD. Speaking of, CHIMNEY BETTER BE OKAY 😭😭!!! I mean Maddie too but I think she'll be fine lol. Talking about next episode xD. Anyway, I'm glad Maddie got to talk to hen herself :) - she deserved a chance to defend herself 🥰. And I'm glad they made up (kinda? It's not quite what happened but you know) :)). Also poor Chimney looking at signs the whole episode 😭❤️. His call with what's-her-face from the insurance company was HILARIOUS though lol xDD. I love her <33. She's my favorite character now :)). Anyway, THE PROPOSAL!!! AAAHHHH!!!!!! I'm still not okay over that :')). It was just so beautiful :'D, and I feel like it really makes sense to have Maddie do it. Like, that's not again anything about Chim, but just the fact that she's choosing it, you know? Choosing then, choosing hm :')). After everything she went through, she gets to choose :'D. Not that I would've minded Chim proposing, I would love it either way, but this is just really nice :')).And Jee being included too 😭😭❤️?? Y'all how am I supposed to take this <33. Oh also I loved seeing Maddie panic over the ring xD. And then panic over getting it off LOL. It was nice to see her just as nervous as Chim though :')). And going back to the proposal, AAHHH it's so cute that she just held it up :'DD. But, yeah, I just- they deserve it <33. There's really nothing else to say :')). I mean there is but you know xDD. Anyway, Maddie was great at her job this episode :). I believe we did see it lol, but even if she didn't, I'm sure she did :)). And Chimney did great at his job too 🥰. I just- aGH!! I love them so much :'DDD 😭😭❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰🥰.

Overall, I really enjoyed this episode! I thought it was great :)). The calls were amazing, and I loved all the different storylines :D. Even if I'm still hoping for Buddie xDD. Relating to Eddie's plot, but also Buck's lol. And I'm so happy everything worked out :')). Mostly with the proposal, but for everything else too I guess :)). Though Buck's didn't really xDD - for him at least. For me, no too bad lol. But seriously, I loved the storylines and the theme was super cute :')). I am terrified for next episode though :). Just so you know :). Seriously xD, I just hope everyone's stuff 😭😭. Anyway, yeah, I thought this episode fit together really well :)). It had a bunch of great moments 🥰🥰.

So yeah! I loved this episode, I thought it was great. I'm scared for the next episode! This has been my review of. . .

9-1-1, Season 6, Episode 17: Love Is in the Air

It was really great! I'm super excited for the next episode, but I'm also very nervous. I'll be back next week for my review of. . .

9-1-1, Season 6, Episode 18: Pay It Forward

See you next week!