#I've also never written wayne before but it was fun to try

[solarmorrigan]

( @nitro502-the-sequel​‘s tags on this post made me ugly laugh and then I had to write something, I hope that’s okay??)

Wait, no, this is hilarious, hold on

Steve drops Eddie off at home later that night, where Wayne is awake and puttering around in the kitchen making what might possibly be lunch (he tends to keep overnight hours even on his days off, so as not to completely fuck his sleep schedule, but hell if Eddie can keep track of what time of “day” it is for him).

Wayne gives Eddie a nod of acknowledgement and turns back to the pan he’s stirring on the stove. “How was your–”

“HE CROCHETED ME A SCARF.”

This was a little louder than Eddie had meant to be, but Wayne, to his credit, doesn’t even flinch. He turns back to look at where Eddie is standing in the middle of the living area, clutching the ends of the aforementioned scarf like it’s a towel at the end of the world.

“Who did?”

“Steve.”

“Huh,” is all Wayne says. “Is crocheting the thing with the…?” He holds his fists out in front of him, rotating them at the wrists like he’s rowing a very tiny boat.

“No, that’s knitting. Apparently, they’re different,” Eddie says, brows raised and hands held up in front of him, like he can fend off the ghost of Steve’s surprisingly enthusiastic lecture on the subject. “Crocheting is with a hook, like–” Eddie holds out one curled fist, trying to demonstrate, but it mostly just looks like he’s either stabbing something or failing to pick up some invisible spaghetti. He gives up and flutters his hands in front of himself, clearing the image. “He showed me – never mind, it’s – you’re missing the point!”

“And I’m sure you’re gonna tell me what that is,” Wayne says, turning back to the stove before the beans (Eddie’s pretty sure it’s beans he’s smelling) start to burn.

“Steve crocheted me a scarf,” Eddie enunciates, because putting the proper emphasis on certain words will definitely solve the problem.

Wayne just hums. “Well, that was nice of him. Lord knows I can never get you to wear anything warm.”

Eddie groans, clutching at this scalp and then running his hands through his hair. He’s at least seventy-five percent certain Wayne is being obtuse on purpose.

“But what am I supposed to do about it?” he laments.

“Wear it, I’d say,” Wayne replies. “Can I see it?”

Eddie hesitates for a second, because it’s his scarf and Steve made it for him, and he doesn’t want anything to happen to it when he hasn’t even had it for twenty-four hours, but then he decides he’s being ridiculous, because if he can trust anyone with his stuff, it’s Wayne. He unwinds the scarf from around his neck and passes it over.

Wayne’s brows go up as he looks over the close, even stitches, running his fingers over the little ridges Steve somehow made with yarn. He nods appraisingly. “It’s nice,” he says, handing it back.

“Right?” Eddie tosses it back around his neck with a sigh.

“Did you say thank you?”

“Yes,” Eddie says, before thinking back over the moment when Steve had told him that the scarf was for him. “…more or less.”

Wayne shakes his head, turning back to his food with some unfavorable mutter about Eddie’s manners.

“Okay, but I think you’re still not seeing the problem here,” Eddie insists.

“Looks like the problem is that you’re having a conniption over a scarf in the middle of the damn living room,” Wayne shoots back.

“No, that’s– well I mean– no,” Eddie sputters. “Okay, look, what would you do if a girl made a scarf for you?”

Wayne pauses, and Eddie loves his uncle with his whole shriveled heart, but it is always funny watching him try to shift gears when he realizes they’re talking about gay things now.

“Well,” Wayne says slowly, “pretty sure I’m a little too old to have any girl knitting me a scarf.”

“Oh my god,” Eddie groans. “Fine! A mature woman, then. Work with me here!”

Eddie gets a raised eyebrow at the mature woman comment, but Wayne lets it slide. He tilts his head consideringly as he spoons some beans out onto a plate by the stove, where he’s already got toast waiting. He tilts the pan at Eddie, wordlessly offering, and Eddie shakes his head.

“I suppose I’d have to get her something in return,” Wayne finally says. “Or make her something, if I was the creative type.”

Eddie gets another pointed look at those last two words, and he groans again, letting his head fall back in defeat, because he’d been afraid that would be the answer.

“I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to make. It’s not like I can make him warm clothes or do anything useful,” Eddie says, so caught up in the sudden and dramatic realization that all of his hobbies are entirely useless that he doesn’t manage to duck in time when Wayne gives him a not-entirely-gentle smack on the back of the head as he passes by into the living room.

“Stop that. The things you make are just fine. It doesn’t have to be useful, it just has to be thoughtful,” Wayne says, settling into his chair. “So quit standing around whining and go come up with something you can make to woo your boy.”

“Oh my god.” Eddie covers his face, even though Wayne will definitely already know he’s gone red. “You’re actually the worst. I don’t know why I talk to you.”

“You’re welcome for the advice,” Wayne drawls.

“Yeah, yeah.” Eddie waves a dismissive hand at him, but the quick “thanks” he throws out afterwards is entirely sincere.

He retreats to his room after that; apparently, he has some thinking to do.

[Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Epilogue | Ao3]

[steddieas-shegoes]

Request: wrong number au, Eddie texts Gareth something personal but puts in 1 wrong number & ends up texting Steve. The two of them hit it off & start chatting & then when they meet IRL they are completely head over heels in love & its cute as fuck

MY LOVE MY LOVE MY LOVE!!! LOVE A GOOD WRONG NUMBER AU!!! I can't believe I've never written it before now. I also had to actually include Gareth because I am actually obsessed with him lately, and I just think it's really neat that we can make these characters our own. This was such a fun and cute request! I didn't do the inappropriate route because I thought this was hilarious so sorry about that. I made up for it with something else! - Mickala ❤️

----------------------------------------------------------

GARE BEAR! You won’t believe it but i dropped my phone in a sewer. Lost everything.

He had never been so happy about having his closest friends’ numbers memorized. His phone was somewhere under the streets of Chicago, floating through dirty water and sewage, dying a slow and painful death.

He texted everyone else one at a time, let them know he had a new number and to completely delete the old one because it would never be recovered.

They were used to things like this happening; He lost his phone annually at this point and it was cheaper just to get a new number than transfer everything to a new one.

He went to dial Wayne, the old school part of him insisting on phone calls instead of texts still, when Gareth’s name popped up with a new text.

Not sure who Gare Bear is, but sorry about your phone. That’s shitty.

Eddie let out a loud laugh.

did you mean to make a pun?

Did it make you laugh?

yes

Then yes.

Eddie sat down on a bench, entirely focused on his conversation with this stranger.

Did you find your Gare Bear yet?

Not yet but i think i’m pretty happy talking to you for now

Smooth, Eddie.

Admittedly, he was in a hell of a dry spell.

Going on almost two years, actually.

A little flirting with a stranger never hurt anybody, not when he clearly needed some practice.

Not sure if your Gare Bear would like it very much though

Wait, what?

Eddie stared at his phone, trying to comprehend what that could mean. Why would Gareth not want him talking to a stranger?

I hope you find your partner though!

Oh.

Oh!

Eddie hit the call button in the corner before he could even register what he was doing.

“Hello?”

Oh no, he sounded hot.

“Hi. So, Gareth is very much not my partner. He probably actually wishes I would really forget his number,” Eddie rushed out.

“Um. Okay?”

“He’s been my best friend for ten years and he thinks I’m a mess. Not a partner,” Eddie further clarified.

“Got it. Not a partner.”

“Yes, exactly.”

They stayed silent for a moment before Eddie coughed.

“I’m Eddie, by the way.”

“Steve. Sorry about your phone, seriously that sucks,” he sounded genuinely apologetic, like he personally threw Eddie’s phone in the sewer.

“Oh, no big deal. I lose my phone more often than I go out with someone,” Eddie said.

Why did he say that?

Steve let out a laugh and it was like music.

Eddie couldn’t help the smile taking over his face at his laugh, already knew he wasn’t gonna be able to let this guy go without learning more about him.

“So you’re, what? Celibate?” Steve asked.

“Far from it. Well, maybe not far from it. Temporarily, maybe. It’s been a while,” Eddie admitted.

“How long?” Steve asked, a loud bang coming from his end of the phone. “Sorry, I had to go outside for some privacy.”

Eddie wasn’t going to read into that. He wasn’t.

“Two years give or take. I mean I’m not counting shitty dates that ended before they got worse. So, yeah. Two years.”

“Been a year for me, but. Yeah, I get it. My last relationship didn’t end on the best terms. She decided I was too in love with her I guess,” Steve sighed, voice sounding pained.

She.

Steve was probably straight.

There was no way he’d be lucky enough for Steve to like men.

Or for Steve to like him.

“I can’t really imagine breaking up with someone because they loved me too much. I’m usually the one who falls too hard,” Eddie admitted.

“Yeah, well, same here,” Steve sounded sad, a bit withdrawn.

Eddie wanted to hear him laugh again.

“I doubt either of us have ever fallen as hard as my phone did down a drain,” Eddie said sadly.

Steve let out a loud laugh and Eddie smiled.

“This might sound crazy, but I’m kind of glad your phone decided to live in the sewers,” Steve said when he finally calmed down. “And maybe a little too happy that you typed your friend’s number wrong.”

“Oh really? Why’s that?”

Was this flirting? Was he successfully having a flirtatious conversation with a potentially very hot guy?

“So I can be bold and ask if you maybe wanted to meet up somewhere?” Steve asked hesitantly.

“So you’re in Chicago?” Eddie asked.

“Yeah. You?”

“For the last five years, yeah.”

“You busy tonight?”

Eddie’s heart stopped.

He was really going to meet up with a stranger just because he liked his laugh and hoped he was hot.

He’d done more with less.

“Yeah, actually. I’m getting dinner with this guy I accidentally texted,” Eddie smirked, looking down at his feet.

“Dinner? What a lucky guy. Where are you going?” Steve sounded amused.

“Well, it depends on what he likes. I’ve been craving some pierogies. Ever been to Staropolska?” Eddie asked.

Gareth’s family owned it, and he used to eat there two or three times a week while they were in college, usually working off his bill in the kitchen doing dishes after.

He hadn’t been in a couple months, work keeping him busy and his budget being pretty tight when he moved into a studio apartment by himself.

He had enough to treat himself tonight though.

“The one on Milwaukee? Yeah. One of my favorite places to get devolay,” Steve sounded surprised that he knew it.

“You won’t believe this, but the friend I was trying to text when I got you, his family owns that place.”

“No way! Then we have to. We owe it to the guy who has almost my exact phone number,” Steve responded.

“Meet you there at seven?” Eddie asked, suddenly more nervous.

“Seven sounds good.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

Steve giggled. Eddie fell in love.

“We should probably hang up.”

“Should we?” Eddie asked, not wanting to stop talking to him yet.

“Yes, I have to do my hair. Gotta impress the guy who drops his phone in the sewer and texts strangers about it.”

“He sounds like a loser. Don’t put too much effort in,” Eddie sighed. “But okay. See you at seven.”

“See you then.”

They both stayed on the line for a minute.

“Okay. For real. Bye,” Steve laughed.

“Bye, Stevie.”

He hung up before he could convince himself to talk to him for the rest of the afternoon.

He breathed out a loud sigh, smiling as he realized he had a date.

He dialed Gareth’s real number immediately.

“Gareth, I have a date!”

“What is this number, Eddie?”

“Oh, I dropped my phone in the sewers. Not important. I have a date!”

“Jesus Christ. Okay. Come over then.”

—-----------------------------------

Gareth had been his pre-date hype man since high school, though he wasn’t very good at it.

Mostly he calmed Eddie’s nerves and helped make sure his hair didn’t look like he just woke up, which was often its unfortunate state of being.

“So, you don’t know this guy,” Gareth said from his bed.

“No.”

“And you talked for like two seconds and decided you’re in love with him,” he continued.

“Yes.”

“And you think this is totally normal and sane?”

“I didn’t say that. But we just…I dunno. We clicked. I haven’t been that at ease with someone in a long time. It felt natural,” Eddie fell back on his bed, starfishing so his arm and leg hit Gareth’s legs.

“Dude, I’m not discouraging it. I’m happy for you. I just don’t want you to be disappointed if it isn’t as easy when you meet,” Gareth said softly.

“Yeah, thanks. I think it’ll be okay, though.”

“Alright. Tell babcia I’m coming by tomorrow for lunch.”

Eddie sat up and gave Gareth a quick hug.

“Thanks Gare Bear!”

—-------------------------------------------

He arrived 20 minutes early so he could sneak in the back to say hi to Gareth’s grandmother, who still insisted on getting her hands on the food every day for a couple of hours despite being nearly 80 years old.

“Babcia!”

“Eddie! My kochany! You forget to visit and I forget what you look like!” she rushed over, flour and oil stains all over her apron.

He should have kept some distance so his shirt didn’t get ruined, but he ignored the part of his brain telling him to look perfect for his date so he could get a hug.

“You know I have to watch my money,” he said against her shoulder.

“And you know I feed you for free if you clean up after yourself. No excuse,” she pulled away and looked him over. “You look handsome. Why?”

Eddie put his hands on his hips.

“What? Don’t I always look handsome?”

“Of course, but this is different. Your hair is smooth and you smell like the perfume store,” she smirked. “Is it a girl? Or a boy? Or a someone?”

“It’s a boy. We’ve never met in person, so I wanted to make a good first impression,” he admitted.

“Oh! How lovely! What’s his name?” She was back to kneading dough, but kept her eyes on him.

“Steve. He actually has been here before, loves the devolay?”

Babcia froze.

“Steve? Oh goodness.” She turned to the sink and washed her hands, muttering under her breath about something.

Eddie’s heart sank. Babcia didn’t seem happy about this.

“What’s wrong? You know him?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Is he not a good guy? Has he been mean to you? I’ll call and cancel right now,” he insisted, reaching for his phone in his pocket.

“No, no. Nothing like that. He is a very sweet boy. He got broken up with in this restaurant a few months back. Tore me to pieces. He just sat here for hours crying. I moved him to a corner booth for his privacy and he left me a $100 tip and ever since then when he comes in I make sure to give him as many szarlotka as he wants.” She touched Eddie’s shoulder. “You be good to him. He has a nice heart.”

Eddie’s mind raced.

Why had Steve agreed to come here for a date if this is where he’d been broken up with? Why did he even bother coming back if it held such bad memories?

What if he didn’t see this as a date?

The front door chimed and he heard the employee at the front welcome someone.

“He will be good for you, drogi.”

Eddie nodded before making his way to the front, stopping in his tracks when he saw the most beautiful man he’d ever seen standing at the podium, talking to the employee with a smile.

“That’s him,” Babcia said from behind him. “Go get him.”

She shoved him forward, nearly making him trip, which caught the attention of Steve.

He looked over with a curious smile, and then realization seemed to hit him.

“Steve?” Eddie managed to ask, loud enough to be heard over the few full tables in the restaurant.

“Eddie?” he asked back, hesitantly moving towards him.

“I, um,” Eddie started, then cleared his throat. “I usually sit by the window, if that’s okay?”

“That’s perfect,” Steve nodded.

It was cliche, like the room around them closed into just them existing together, like the stars had aligned exactly right for this moment to happen.

They sat down at the table Eddie usually sat at, staring across the table at each other in slight awe.

Eddie really hoped that Steve was having the same feelings he was.

But one thing was stopping Eddie from being completely enraptured.

“Is this a date?” he asked suddenly.

“What?” Steve seemed surprised by his question. “I mean, yeah. I’d like it to be. I thought it was.”

Eddie nodded once, but remained quiet, thinking.

“Oh God, it wasn’t, was it? You were just being nice. What is it with this restaurant? If I didn’t love the food so much or babcia, I would never step foot here again, I swear-”

Eddie put his hand on Steve’s to calm him down, frown on his face.

“Woah. What?”

“I just. I don’t have the best history with dates here and I guess I didn’t learn the first time something bad happened, and now I’m being too much too fast again in this place and-”

Eddie pulled Steve’s hand up to his face, placing a soft kiss to his knuckles.

“Stevie, calm down. This is a date. I’ll have as many dates here as you want to to get rid of whatever negative stuff you associate with this place. Babcia would hate that I ruined this place for you,” he said quietly.

Steve seemed to relax at his words.

And if you wanna tell me about what happened, you can. If it’ll help,” Eddie offered.

Before Steve could reply, Gareth’s cousin, Ben, came to take their order.

It was a quick order, both knowing exactly what they wanted, and then Steve looked back at him.

“It’s just. My last girlfriend, who I was with for almost three years, dumped me here. It was kind of out of the blue for me, and I had a really hard time that night.”

Eddie felt his heart break.

How could someone do that to Steve? He didn’t need to know him better to know that he didn’t deserve that, especially not if babcia had taken him under her wing so quickly.

“She must be awful to have let you go like that,” Eddie squeezed Steve’s hand in his, resisting the urge to go to his side of the table and hold him.

Steve shrugged and looked down at their hands.

“I mean, I should have known. She was never much for romance or spending time together that didn’t involve work or school. I was looking at engagement rings and she was looking at apartments to get away from me. I was just…really blinded by what I thought was love,” Steve smiled sadly at him.

“It wasn’t?”

“Well, it may have been a type of love. It was more comfort than anything. She was kind of all I had for the first year we were together, and I think I just ignored how unhealthy that was for both of us. And then I met Robin in college, and she was like the opposite of Nancy in every way. A few months before Nancy broke up with me, I told her that Robin’s parents kicked her out when she came out to them and that she needed a place to stay until we graduated. She agreed, then never made any attempt at getting to know her. And I didn’t read into it, Nancy isn’t like, super talkative with people she isn’t already close with, and Robin just kinda stayed to herself when Nancy was home.” Steve took a shaky breath. “But it turns out she didn’t bother getting to know her because she already knew she was gonna break up with me and leave the apartment to me and Robin, so.she just. Didn’t bother. Robin warned me, but I didn’t listen.”

Eddie wanted to cry.

Steve’s voice was full of pain, but not in a way that told him he still loved her, or still hoped they would get back together. More that she broke a part of him that he still hadn’t been able to fix no matter how hard he tried or wanted to.

“Was she jealous?” Eddie asked, trying so hard to understand what could have happened.

“I dunno. I mean, Robin’s a lesbian, and I definitely never had feelings for her anyway. Nancy was always so sure of herself, I can’t imagine she’d be jealous.”

“It sounds like she didn’t appreciate you very much.”

“What do you mean?” Steve didn’t sound mad, just curious.

“Well, she didn’t even make an effort to get to know your best friend, right? And it sounds like she was too busy focusing on her future to even think about what you looked like in it, and instead of trying to plan it with you, she made a future for her. She sounds a bit selfish,” Eddie shrugged.

Instead of being upset, Steve laughed.

God, Eddie loved that laugh.

“Sorry, it’s just that you sound exactly like Robin. You’d probably be two peas in a pod.”

“Tell me about her,” Eddie genuinely wanted to know more about the person who kept Steve going.

Their food arrived in the middle of the story of how Steve and Robin met, but it didn’t stop him from continuing.

Eddie listened with a fond smile, filling in Steve’s gaps of silence as he chewed a bite of food with questions or something related to what he’d been talking about.

It was easy.

It was fun.

Halfway through the meal, Steve’s foot rested against one of his and it felt like electricity shooting through his bones.

Eddie told him about Gareth, and his family who had pretty much adopted him when they both moved here from a small town in Indiana. He talked about his uncle who raised him for most of his life, who visited every Christmas despite being on a really tight budget.

Time passed quickly, but not at all.

They hadn’t realized how long they’d been sitting there until babcia came out without her apron to hand deliver an apple tart.

“You boys enjoy. I’ll see you both soon!” she said as she smacked a kiss on top of each of their heads.

Both of them blushed, but tried to cover it up with a bite of food.

As they finished, Steve looked outside to see how dark it was, how few people were left walking the streets.

“Guess we should head out,” he muttered, sounding like that was the last thing he wanted to do.

“Would you wanna come to my place? We don’t have to do anything except talk, I promise. I just don’t really want this to end yet,” Eddie suggested.

“Really? I haven’t bored you?” Steve asked, just a hint of self-deprecation in his tone.

Eddie shook his head.

“Not at all. I’d really like to get a chance to love you the way you deserve,” Eddie said.

Steve’s eyes widened.

Eddie should back up, should say something less intense.

But if this ruined it, then at least he said what he was thinking.

“You think you could love me?” Steve asked, barely more than a whisper.

“I think I already do a little,” Eddie admitted.

Steve blinked at him for a moment, mouth slightly agape.

“I need to kiss you,” he finally said.

“Now? Here?” Eddie smiled.

“Now. Here.”

“I won’t stop you.”

Steve stood from the table and stood in front of Eddie, placing both hands on his cheeks and leaning down.

Their lips brushed in a barely-there kiss, softer than Eddie expected.

Steve stayed there for a moment, eyes closed, and Eddie couldn’t help the words tumbling from him.

“You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

If someone had said it to him, he would think they were just trying to get him into their bed, but that wasn’t the case here and he hoped Steve knew that.

“People used to call me a charmer, but I don’t think I’m half as good at it as you,” Steve whispered, his breath ghosting against Eddie’s lips.

“Just honest.”

“Take me home,” Steve said, opening his eyes and staring at Eddie, his eyes glowing with something close to love.

—-------------------------------------

They stayed up all night, never doing more than kissing and mapping out patterns on each others’ skin.

They talked about everything, even the painful parts of life, even the parts that they hadn’t shared with anyone else.

It didn’t make any sense that someone who had been a stranger not even 24 hours ago could already mean so much.

When the sun started to shine through the curtains of Eddie’s apartment, Steve sighed and buried his face in Eddie’s neck.

“I have to go to work,” though he burrowed his entire body further into the bed and Eddie’s side.

“You could call in sick,” Eddie suggested, pressing a kiss to the top of Steve’s head.

“Robin would kill me.”

He and Robin worked together as team teachers at an elementary school. When one of them missed, it left the other with 34 kids alone.

Plus, Steve loved his job, worked hard to be a teacher, and hated missing a day if he didn’t need to.

“Maybe you could bring Robin here after work? I can make dinner?” Eddie’s job was pretty easy, marketing for an Indie record label based out of New York remotely really kept him busy for a couple hours a day and the rest of the time was spent writing his own music.

Steve sat up and looked down at him, his hair ruffled from Eddie running his fingers through it for the last eight hours.

“You’d wanna meet Robin?”

“Yeah, if you want me to. She sounds like fun.”

Steve started crying.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you cry. Good job, Munson, already ruined something good,” Eddie was reaching for a tissue from his bedside table.

“No, no, I’m sorry. I’m just tired and emotional. And just. It means a lot that you’d wanna meet her,” Steve said between gasps for air as he continued to cry.

“Of course I do. I could even invite Gareth over, too, if you want. He won’t believe that our date went well,” Eddie joked, brushing the tears away from Steve’s cheeks.

“I’d love to meet him,” Steve said, sniffling.

“When can you guys get here?”

“Usually we’re done by four, but sometimes we stay later to finish grading stuff. Maybe we should say six?”

“Got it. Any allergies?”

“Robin is allergic to shellfish. She says she is. I think she just doesn’t like them,” Steve rolled his eyes.

“No shellfish, got it. Any preferences, my love?”

Steve blushed at the term of endearment, looking down before he leaned in to kiss Eddie softly.

“Anything you make will be great.”

“You wanna borrow some clothes for work?” Eddie asked.

“Do you have any business casual stuff?”

Eddie gagged.

“Unfortunately, it’s required for the job sometimes. Far left of the closet should have something,” he nodded towards the small closet by the bathroom.

Eddie watched as Steve walked over and picked out his only pair of khaki pants and a navy button down. Steve looked back at him and winked before he nodded towards the bathroom.

“Could use some help working the shower if you’re willing to,” he smirked.

Eddie jumped up from the bed and ran into the bathroom, ignoring the way Steve was laughing.

“The hot water is tricky sometimes. I should probably get in there too to make sure it stays hot,” Eddie said as he stripped off his pants.

“Definitely. Wouldn’t want me to get cold,” Steve put a hand on his shoulder to slow him down. “Kiss me?”

Eddie leaned in to kiss him slowly, letting his tongue brush along his lips just to get a taste.

“Okay?” Eddie checked in.

“Yeah. You remember what you said last night? About loving me like I deserve?”

Eddie nodded.

“I want you to. And I want to love you back.”

“I think we can arrange that.”

[withacapitalp]

Hidden Gem Friday

Another Friday, more hidden gems! Most of these are my reccs I think, just because I didn't do a lot of looking at my list this week (It was a time)

As always, I'm taking more reccs for this!! It's really fun to see fics get a second lift!

Thirteen by towardthesun recced by me (haha my own fic) written for @thefreakandthehair 2.7k (Complete)- Gen focus on Eddie and Wayne

Summary:

Eddie had never exactly had the best track record with birthdays. If he was lucky, his mom would get him a cheap toy car, or a lollipop that she swiped from the gas station — little ways to make the day special. She tried, she really did, but that was mostly at the start. By ten, she seemed to have forgotten her son even had a birthday, too lost in the drugs to see him waiting for her to notice. But…but today was his thirteenth birthday.

My Thoughts:

My thoughts on my own fic? Well yeah I really like this one! I was sad to see that it didn't really connect to a ton of people, but it also just felt very soft when I was writing it? Plus I wrote it for one of my dearest friends, so ultimately I really like it still <333

it's christmas eve again by thatsadorable recced by me 21k (WIP)- Steddie

Eddie didn’t know why he was sharing this, he usually never shared this much about himself. But something about how this man’s eyes twinkled seemed to almost compel him. “Holidays you know? And I’m looking forward to seeing my Uncle, but so much has changed… and I got a dumb blind date to go to before I head home.” The man raised fluffy white eyebrows in reply. “Maybe it will be a good one? You never know, a date on Christmas Eve? Could be magical.” A laugh slipped past Eddie’s lips. “Magical? With a guy named Steven? I don’t think so, sorry. I really doubt it, he evidently used to babysit my Uncle’s fiancee’s kid. I mean I like the kid alright. But his old babysitter? I don’t think so.” The plane jerked to a halt and people started moving towards their carry-on bags. “Well, never laugh at fate, my boy, it might just laugh back.”  or: fate very much laughs at one Eddie Munson and he finds himself searching for some holiday magic. or: Santa was trying to set him up with Steve fucking Harrington.

My Thoughts:

God, this fic is fun!!! I loved watching this one get put together, an the final (well almost final) product is such a joy to read. There's a really cool twist in this one I won't spoil, but I have to admit I've been on the edge of my seat waiting for an update!! I really really need to know how this one endsssss

who you gonna call? by dharmainitiative recced by @andrea-csenge 65k (Complete)- Stoncy

Summary:

“Just because you can’t see a ghost doesn’t mean it isn’t real,” Robin says. “There are plenty of things we can’t see that are real.” Jonathan raises his eyebrows. “Name one.” “Uh, fucking gravity?” Steve says. “Yeah, I can drop an apple,” Jonathan deadpans. Nancy clears her throat. “Is this an important conversation, or can we get back to the ghosts now?” Or: a ghost files AU

My Thoughts:

I adore stoncy, and the way they're characterized here is so cute!!!! Augh I just love having a fic that really moves? The dialogue is quick but it hits right and the flow on this one is very enjoyable. If you're looking for a classic hidden gem, this is a perfect example

Still The One by Legitcookie recced by me 5.4k (Complete)- Steddie w heavy focus on the Party

Summary:

”Why do you have to make everything so fucking difficult, Eddie?” Max's eyes widened, hand stopping just before making contact with the closed door to Steve and Eddie's apartment. ”Oh, I'm so sorry, your highness. Please keep telling me the same thing over and over again. I can't wait to hear if you put a new spin on it!” “Quit the bullshit, I wouldn't have to keep telling you if you did it this century.” This was not what Max had been expecting when she drove over that morning. She expected to knock on the door, be greeted by two lovesick buffoons that had recently moved in together, and grab the Dungeons & Dragons book Mike had left there. Apparently having a car made everyone think they could ask for favors. Well after this lovely start to the morning, that wasn't going to happen again any time soon. She should leave. She definitely shouldn't press her ear to the door to hear better. ~Or, Max overhears an argument thinking a breakup is imminent and gets The Party to help

My Thoughts:

I loooooooove the party. I ovethepartyIlovethepartyIlovetheparty. This is the best way to write them. They're so meddling and they love everyone so much and they care! so! god! damn! much! Even if they're going about it in the wrong way. Steve and Eddie are also so so cute here but this one is really being recced for the party relationship here!!

[deepestbluesky]

i was tagged by @minnarr to list my 5 favorite fics i've written! it's actually very funny to me, because i saw one of these posts yesterday from a writer i like very much who i've followed for ages, and then i got tagged today, and i realized the connecting thread is literally just one person in between. anyway!

note: in case you haven't looked closely at my ao3 page (or. not closely tbh. to my eternal regret, it's still my top fandom), i used to write hockey rpf. i don't anymore, because i think hockey and especially the nhl is morally bankrupt and actively harmful, and i no longer feel comfortable writing about nhl players or sharing fic about them. this is all to say: 1, i actually don't think i've explicitly said that before and it's important to me, and 2, i will not mention any fics from this fandom.

LUCKILY, i've somehow???? written a lot????? since then????? this continues to baffle me. how did i get here. (🎶letting the days go by🎶) (if you think, gee, did sky have trouble picking 5 fics? it has been fully half an hour and i'm still at 11 fics. the lengths i go to for tumblr posts that don't matter.) (have now picked fics, didn't take much longer bc i decided to try and go for a wide spread of fandoms, and also to pick the ones in that 11-fic list that had the lowest kudos lol)

give thanks to the broken bones. this is a batfam fic in which bruce wayne gets kidnapped as a civilian and dick grayson comes to rescue him. i have some defensive feelings about this and about the way dick and bruce's relationship is written here, but i often feel like i'm not great at writing complicated relationships that aren't just fluffy, and i feel like i nailed it here. also: gen fics.

tired of waiting for tomorrow to come. another batfam fic! this one a character study of sorts about jason todd and also my love letter about bruce springsteen's music. it's one of the most self-indulgent fics i've ever written and i'm really satisfied with it, even tho there are definitely things i wish i'd done differently too. i wrote a dvd commentary companion too so if you want Even More Of My Thoughts about it, they are on ao3 :D

daydreamers please wake up. there are goddamn NINE fics for this fucking fandom and mine is the LONGEST??? this is a fic for another dc comic, Far Sector, written by nk jemisin and drawn by jamal campbell. i loved far sector, i think it's gorgeous and fun and a cool sci fi story with very fun characters, and so when i had a chance to write a fic for it for yuletide, i was DELIGHTED. and then i realized i had to figure out how to write horror for the first time. it was a lot of work and i think it turned out really well.

don't let the stars get you down. this is a fic for the untamed, and it's jiang yanli and jin zixuan. i have now written TWO platonic marriage fics for the untamed, and i'm personally thrilled about this fact. this one is shorter but also, in some ways, more interesting to me. i really love fics that dig into jyl and what she's doing and thinking and i haven't written as many as i'd like, but that is very much what this fic is. also i just have so much love and affection in my heart for the idea of two people being married and having a kid while not being In Love and in fact having sex with and falling in love with other people.

you're a curious one. this is a word of honor fic, and it is, of course, hanwenzhou. so, to be clear, if you count shl/tyk/qy together, it's CLEARLY my second most written fandom. and yet it ended up with only one representative on this list, partially because i have more kudos in this fandom lol. but that said, if i was only gonna pick one, it had to be REALLY on brand, and this fic is PEAK sky is on her bullshit. inspired by a critical role scene with sexy dangerous vampire attacks. the whole fic is building tension that never quite resolves bc building the tension is way more fun to me than writing sex scenes usually. spoiler: everything is actually fine and there's a happy resolution. this concept still lives in my head rent free.

idk who to tag, so AS USUAL, if you see this and want to play the game, do it and say i tagged you! i am very serious, you can tag me even if we've never interacted. you can also not tag me but say you got it from me! whatever works.

[unmotivatedwrit3r]

I posted 26 times in 2022

13 posts created (50%)

13 posts reblogged (50%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@glorified-red

@citrinesparkles

@unmotivatedwrit3r

I tagged 26 of my posts in 2022

#my writing - 14 posts

#emi's mutuals - 11 posts

#jason todd x reader - 11 posts

#damian wayne x reader - 10 posts

#tim drake x reader - 7 posts

#jason todd - 6 posts

#dick grayson x reader - 6 posts

#damian wayne imagine - 6 posts

#damian wayne x you - 6 posts

#self reblog - 6 posts

Longest Tag: 90 characters

#and the fun thing about brown paper is it’s harder to use which is so in character for him

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Gift Giving

batboys x reader

(A/N): I've had zero time to write between 15 hours a week of rehearsal, 20 hours of honors seminar work, other class, and my job so I apologize for once again being MIA.

Today is my birthday, though, so I found this reasonably relevant headcanon set (because I did not have time to write something like I wanted to) and I'm posting it as my gift to you. Enjoy &lt;3

wc: ~600

warnings: none

~~

Dick Grayson:

He’s the easiest out of his brothers to shop for, mostly because he’s happy with anything as long as the person made an effort

He’s given quite a few gag gifts in his day, so if he gets any, he’ll take them good naturedly and laugh 

If you make him something, he’ll absolutely adore it

And he sounds a little bit like a parent when he says that he adores everything you give him because it came from you, and you put in the effort to find something specifically for him, and that means more than anything

Literally, he’d be happy with a new pair of pj pants

But if you want to make him really happy, get him things that will improve his quality of life

Like buy him body wash you think he’ll love the smell of, something a little more pricey that he’d never buy for himself but would really want to

 Jason Todd:

There are a few avenues you can go down when buying Jason gifts

The first is the literature route

You can either buy him a new book, a fancy copy of one he loves, or get something just a little decorative like a signed copy or a special dust jacket

The other thing guaranteed to be a hit is comfort items

He loves items that make him feel safe, so a weighted blanket or a fluffy blanket, or a new type of tea to try will make him so happy

Even better if you do something like a tasting box for the two of you to do together 

You can do gag gifts with him, but you have to be careful a) not to go too far and b) because he can and will give as good as he gets and he is devious

 Tim Drake:

Tim loves technology, so it’s smart to base gifts for him around that

Get him a new tool or a new device, or just something you found that you thought was awesome that he can tinker with

Anything weird and different he would find intriguing, and his face will light up when he thinks of things to do with new parts he’s never had before

He, like Jason, also loves comfort items

Get him fuzzy things like jackets or blankets

See the full post

95 notes - Posted September 21, 2022

#4

One More Sleep pt.1

batboys x reader

(A/N): Happy Holidays all! I was listening to this song and decided to write a blurb series about the batboys getting home early Christmas morning and have actually stuck to it so here's part 1! Part 2 will be out tomorrow but what it contains will depend on what I get written in the next 24 hours so we'll see what happens. Many thanks to Red for brainstorming help. This series wouldn't exist if not for them. Also thanks to my sister who has read these and deemed them "tooth-rotting fluff." She's a Duke fan despite knowing nothing about DC other than what she hears from me.

And I've decided to dedicate these two parts to my lovely mutuals so @citrinesparkles, this one is for you. I hope you enjoy!

And Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!

total wc: ~1800

warnings: non-graphic mentions of injury, exhaustion, specific mentions of Christmas, so. much. fluff.

~~

Dick Grayson

wc: ~700

Dick yawns as he glances up at the screen in the airport. Baggage claim 6 holds the bags for the nonstop Christmas Eve flight from California to Gotham, apparently. He checks his watch: 1:30am. Well, Christmas now. Usually his family doesn't take commercial flights back from missions, but Dick’s cover demanded he take one from San Francisco to Gotham so he could use visiting California as his excuse. 

Dick hikes his bag a little higher on his shoulders, wincing a little as his elbow tweaks even with the brace, and heads to the escalator that would lead him to the baggage claim. This early on Christmas morning, the airport is quieter than usual and the everyday Gotham bustle has been replaced with a weird sort of hollowness ringing in the air. Dick stretches his neck out—sore from hours on the javelin then the plane—and stops short. He can feel a smile spreading across his face. It’s nearly 2am on Christmas day and yet there you are: standing by the baggage claim with a thermos in one hand, the other crossed over your chest. He sees the moment you lay eyes on him in real time, when your eyes light up and a smile splits your features, and there’s a beat of warmth in his chest. He gets to have that—no one else. 

Dick picks up his pace as you head towards him. And then your arms are around him and the solemnity of an empty airport can’t get to him anymore. 

You pull back first, arms around his neck shifting for one hand to cup his face before you pull him to a kiss. 

“Merry Christmas, Dickie,” you say, forehead resting against his temple. 

“Merry Christmas, babe,” Dick whispers. He pulls back this time, his left hand winding around your free one. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

You smile, handing him the thermos. 

“Bruce sent me the flight details—it’s hot chocolate, I made it before I left—Bruce sent me the details and I said I’d pick you up to surprise you.” 

Dick squeezes your hand as the two of you walk back towards the baggage claim. It’s moving now, a stilted circling around, though there are no bags yet. 

“Best gift I could have asked for.” 

“Oh so you don’t want the matching sweaters I bought for us the other day? Okay then.” 

Dick hands you the thermos so he can grab his suitcase as it appears around the bend, playing devastated. 

“Oh come on babe you know I have a weakness for sweaters,” he teases. You take the suitcase from him as soon as it touches the ground, swapping it with the thermos, and pull your linked hands over your shoulder, guiding him out of the airport and into the cold Gotham air. His energy is flagging now, even as the wind bites at his face, adrenaline from seeing you fading back into the after-mission kind of tired that a half-nap on a plane can’t fix. 

Dick blinks his eyes open and he’s standing in front of your car. He opens the passenger door on autopilot, dropping his bag at his feet and placing the thermos into a cup holder in the center console. He climbs in and pulls the door shut before putting on his seatbelt and leaning against the window. Behind him, the trunk slams shut. The driver’s door opens and you turn the key in the ignition, sparking a burst of warm air from the vents. Dick shivers, still leaning against the car window. 

Your hand, cold from outside, finds his and squeezes. Dick squeezes back, eyes half lidded now. He wants nothing more than to turn on the radio and sing Christmas songs with you for the 25 minutes it’ll take to get to his childhood home, but he’s quickly losing to his exhaustion. 

There’s a nose pressed briefly against his cheekbone and warm lips pressed to his cheek for just a second before they withdraw. 

“Take a nap,” you suggest. You selflessly know what’s best for him, always. Making sure you know a million times over will just have to be his new year’s resolution. He’s too tired now.  “I’ll wake you when we get to the manor. Everyone’s already expecting us down at noon tomorrow. We’re doing brunch.” 

And Dick, warm in adoration and surrounded by pine-scented car air freshener, lets his eyes flutter closed. 

Jason Todd:

See the full post

185 notes - Posted December 24, 2022

#3

Autumn Winds and Boyfriend Hoodies

jason todd x reader

(A/N): So my last few weeks have been something like open and close a show, then get COVID, then have 6 essays due this week, but after his week, I'll hopefully have breathing room.

This is a birthday gift for the wonderful Citi @citrinesparkles who has been so patient about my ramblings and is just a lovely human. Citi, I hope you love it :)

warnings: none that i can think of?

wc: ~1200

~~~~

It’s been a long day. There’s no special reason, nothing you did or didn’t do. You had the right supplies for your before-work caffeine and you left on time. You even found a ten at the bottom of your bag that you’d completely forgotten about when you went to buy lunch. But you feel like you didn’t sleep as well last night, and someone opened a window somewhere before you’d even arrived, giving the late autumn winds full permission to whip through the building, leaving an unshakeable chill in their wake. 

It’s an even chillier two block walk from the bus station to your building, and you welcome the heat as you step inside. Your plans tonight: shower, heat up leftovers for dinner, and watch a movie or two on Netflix before you go to sleep. Even better if your boyfriend can in fact make it over by 8. You got a text earlier in the day that he’d gotten safely home from his two-day mission with minimal injuries, so you’re optimistic. You open your text chain with Jason as you walk up the stairs to the third floor to let him know you’re home and he can come by whenever. 

And then you get to your apartment, walk inside, and it’s freezing. You toe off your shoes and head towards the heater. There’s no warm air blowing — which is expected as it feels like it’s 60 degrees in your apartment — and the light that glows to indicate it’s on isn’t blinking a dull green as usual. Five minutes of fiddling later, you give up and email the maintenance for your building. The automated response you get says that they close at 6 in the evenings except for emergencies—which you don’t qualify as—and they won’t get back to you until tomorrow morning.

“Great, just what I needed,” you mutter to yourself, stripping off your coat to hang it up and dropping your bag by the door. You take off your shoes and put your keys on the hook by the door. You’re already getting chilly. “A hot shower sounds really good right now.”

There’s a knock on the door 40 minutes later, after you’ve showered and heated up dinner and gotten your food and drink to the coffee table. The TV is on, showing you the Netflix home screen. You don’t want to put your blanket on your lap while you’re eating, so you resign yourself to just being chilly for the next half-hour or so. The knock comes as you’re scrolling through your list, searching for something low-effort to watch, and you let out a heavy breath before untangling yourself from your squished position on the couch in order to put your bowl and the remote on the coffee table and open the door.

Jason’s on the other side when you open it, in sweatpants and a hoodie under a leather jacket. Just seeing him makes your evening so much better. He looks exhausted, heavy bags under his eyes and in soft clothes, and there’s a spark of warmth in your chest because he trusts you enough to see that part of him and you feel so incredibly lucky. 

“Hi,” you say, and you can feel a dopey smile crossing your face. You see Jason’s eyes scan you quickly, traveling over your snowflake pj pants and fuzzy socks and one of his t-shirts, and he smiles back at you. 

“Hi babe. Did you want to stand in the doorway all night or?” You step back, opening the door wider as he comes inside. 

“You know Jay, if you didn’t want to eat the remaining leftovers in my fridge, you could have just said so.” Jason laughs, a bright thing that makes you smile too. 

“Missed you too.” 

He takes the door to close it behind him and then leans towards you. You catch his face with your hands as his arms circle around your waist and back. It’s a soft kiss, and his lips are warm, staving off the chill that you’ve felt since you walked in, and you take a second to press your forehead against his temple, just relishing in the fact that he’s here, safe, with you. 

He’s a little taller than he usually is, and you look down when you step back; he’s wearing work boots. He only wears those when he needs to fit something bulky in his shoes because he doesn’t have to tie them. 

“Minimal injuries, huh?” you ask. Jason follows your eyes down to his shoes and shrugs. 

“I’m walking, so I’d say it’s minimal.” You turn to the kitchen. 

“Sit down and put whichever ankle it is on the coffee table. I’ll get your food. And an ice pack.” 

When you look back at him, Jason is grinning. He hangs his leather jacket on his hook on your coat hanger. 

-

By the time you get back to the coffee table, any warmth you’d been feeling is gone, and the ice pack you have in your hands isn’t helping. You hand Jason the ice pack first and he positions it properly over his ankle before you hand him his food. He takes it with a murmured ‘thanks,’ and you hum in response, picking your food back up and sitting back in your spot on the couch. Your food isn’t warm anymore, more lukewarm, but you’re not willing to uncurl again just to heat it up. 

Jason’s settled on a movie, you realize; there’s something paused on the screen. You didn’t even hear him start it. 

“Babe, you okay?” When you look at him, Jason’s face is creased with concern. You feel guilty for making him worry when he just got back and you’re frustrated at yourself that it’s something so mundane. 

“I’m cold.” The words sound sort of whiny and pathetic to you when they come out of your mouth, but Jason’s face lights up. 

“Hold this,” he says, passing you his bowl. You take it, confused, as he wriggles around, pulling off his hoodie. It’s dark red and huge and has a tiny logo in the corner of what you think is a Wayne Enterprises shelter in the narrows. Jason takes his bowl back and hands you the hoodie, then motions for you to give him your bowl. You hesitate, fingers twitching towards the sweatshirt.

“I run warm, so don’t feel like you’re putting me out. It’s all yours, babe.” 

See the full post

224 notes - Posted November 28, 2022

#2

MYO Pizza Night

damian wayne x reader x jonathan kent

(A/N): I love this series so much, though I know it's not why people follow my blog. I hope you enjoy anyway

warnings: mention of healing injuries

wordcount: ~880

(this takes place before the relationship becomes official, when all three of you are in high school)

~~

It’s Saturday night, and You, Damian, and Jon are in the Kents’ apartment in Metropolis. Damian and you have both been benched from patrol, him with a sprained ankle and you with a concussion, though you think that Bruce is pushing the concussion watch. You could probably be on patrol and be fine, but you’re also too excited about spending time with your two favorite people to argue. Jon’s on standby in case of an emergency, but his dad is also in town, out with Lois at a press event. You’re not sure why they consented to having three teenage superheroes alone in their house all night, but you’d rather be there than at your house, where your parent(s) would pretend that they're not intruding even as they do, or at Damian’s, where you’d inevitably have to deal with at least one brother or patrol emergency. 

Damian’s walking with a little bit of a limp that he’s trying to hide, Jon has made it his personal mission all night to carry Damian around for as long as he can without Damian pulling out some anti-Kryptonian countermeasure, and you’re torn between laughing, helping Jon, and keeping Damian from killing him. Damian really shouldn’t be walking on his ankle. 

For now, the two of you have delegated Damian to sitting at the kitchen table with his sprained ankle propped up on a chair and being iced as he organizes the supplies for making pizzas. There are three pieces of parchment paper with three different sized pieces of pizza dough on the table, and various containers of sauce and cheese and a couple toppings. You have to take turns making your pizzas because the oven is only big enough for one at a time, especially given the size of Jon’s. 

Jon goes first, and his is huge, topped with four different things and so drenched in sauce that you’re not certain that it won’t cave in. It doesn’t, but you watch it suspiciously until he puts it in the oven. The entire time you’re watching it, Damian is staring at you with narrowed eyes and an amused expression. You have half a mind to defend yourself and your reasons, but you don’t want to hear the inevitable teasing you’d get from Damian, so you instead ignore him and grab your pizza dough. You spoon on sauce and cheese to your own liking and add your own toppings. Damian is last, and he puts a lot of cheese over the sauce on his pizza, then passes it to Jon to put in the oven. By the end of the process, the three of you have gone through two bags of shredded cheese and just over a can of tomato sauce, and you’re laughing harder than you have in a while as Jon slips on a blob of tomato sauce on the floor — “See,” you whisper to Damian “I knew something was going to happen with the disaster that Jon calls a pizza”— and catches himself enough to do a sideways turn away from the kitchen counter... and then land face-first on the floor. If he weren’t indestructible, you’d be concerned he broke something, but he is, so you instead laugh, Damian’s snickers behind you only fueling your laughter.

By the time Damian’s pizza is out of the oven, Jon has eaten three slices of his own. You’re pretty sure he could have been halfway through if he hadn’t been talking most of the time, but you don’t mind. You like both hearing him talk and watching Damian’s face contort as he tries not to laugh. Damian’s ankle is free from the ice but propped up still, on the empty chair across from him. You’re on his left and Jon is across from you, which means you get the front row seat for when Damian makes a teasing retort and his cheeks flush pink. Damian’s smirk brings a smile to your face, too, and you wish that the moment would last forever. 

After dinner, when you’ve put the plates in the dishwasher, Jon’s put everything extra away, and Damian’s made popcorn (Jon tried to do it with heat vision once and blew up the bag. The entire house smelled of burnt popcorn for hours), the three of you settle on the couch for a movie. 

Damian’s holding the remote after Jon proceeded to look through every movie in the ‘kids and family’ section, just to get Damian’s reaction to most of them. You had to separate the two of them in the play fight that continued, but it ended with you sitting in between them, and they’re solid, reassuring presences next to you, so you don’t much mind at all. 

You and Jon both veto Damian’s suggestion of a documentary on the grounds of “It’s boring and I’ll fall asleep.” You share the sentiment, and despite his choice being shot down, Damian doesn’t seem too upset about it. 

You suggest a true crime movie, and Jon and Damian both agree, so Damian presses play on Netflix and you all settle in to watch. 

When Jon’s parents get home, they find the three of you on the couch, Damian’s head resting on your shoulder and Jon’s on your lap, the TV playing another movie in the background. 

293 notes - Posted July 2, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

What's a Lock to a Bat?

damian wayne x reader (featuring the batsiblings)

(A/N): I'm not dead!! I know I've been MIA but last semester was without a doubt had the most difficult and busiest semester of my life, and I've done so little writing. I want to do more now that it's summer so here's hoping. Thank you to everyone that's been patient about a request and stuck around; I am so grateful to all of you :)

I've been working on this story for i have no idea how long but have not yet managed to finish it until today and only did so because I really wanted to post something but don't have much finished so I hope you all enjoy it :)

wordcount: 2361

warnings: blood, injury, batsiblings being themselves

~~

Damian and you have been living in an apartment together for 2 months when the first bat comes through the window. It’s dick, and it’s a social call. It only spirals from there

__

It’s 2 o’clock in the afternoon and Damian has just gotten home from his last class of the day. You’re sitting on the couch, working on an assignment as he makes lunch in the kitchen. You suggested sandwiches, but he doesn’t eat deli meats, so you honestly have no idea what he’s making, but it’ll probably be good. 

A loud ‘clunk’ coming from behind your bedroom door has you standing up and reaching for the knives strapped to the side of the table right beside the couch and turning to Damian to see if he’s expecting anything or anyone he didn't warn you about. The fact that he’s pulled two of your largest kitchen knives and is focused entirely on the bedroom door tells you he wasn’t. 

You’re not as good of a shot as he is —you’re no field vigilante— but you can hit a target pretty well, especially when you know where it’s coming from. 

“Hey guys, how’s the new-Aye!” Dick says from the doorway, shrieking as he dodges a six inch knife that lands in the throwing target on the wall next to him. “Ok I guess I deserved that. Probably should have called first or something.” He smiles awkwardly and pulls the knife from the board. You’re pretty sure it went through and into the wall.

You sigh and relax, heart beating quickly from the adrenaline. “Or, you could have just used the door. We do have one, you know.” 

Damian is looking positively murderous, so Dick comes to give you a hug first, and you put the set of throwing knives away before allowing him to wrap you in a hug. He does give good hugs, and you can’t stay mad at him for long, though in all honesty, you weren’t really mad in the first place.

Dick turns to Damian, who has turned back to what you now see is boiling a pot of pasta. 

“So, what’s for lunch?”

~~

You’ve met Duke before, but only once, so you’re surprised when you get a knock on the door at 7pm on a Thursday evening and he’s standing on the other side.

“Duke, hi. Sorry if you’re looking for Damian he’s actually at the manor this-”

Duke looks quickly back and forth as if he’s expecting something to be coming up behind him 

“Yeah, I know. I may or may not have pissed him off and am looking for somewhere that he won’t find me. And I figured he’d never think to-”

“Check in his own apartment, yeah. Smart. But what makes you think that I won’t just tell him?” you ask, even as you move to let him in. 

“I was hoping?”

You lock the door behind him and move to lean against the kitchen counter. “How about this: If he asks me specifically if you’re here, I will tell him yes. If he doesn’t I won’t say anything.”

Duke collapses on your couch.

“Deal.”

As it turns out, Damian finds Duke by accident, as he’s leaving your apartment at 2am, the same time that Damian returns after his patrol shift. The look on both their faces is priceless, especially when you knew it was coming; Damian told you he was on his way back, you just didn’t tell Duke. Even after a ten minute lecture from Damian about what you think had to do with sword-display etiquette, Duke admits that you kept your word, and he stops by every few Thursdays (when Damian is at the manor) for an hour or so, just to say hi. 

~~

See the full post

1,552 notes - Posted May 26, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[swinging-stars-from-satellites]

Innocence and sadness????

my most active WIP right now!! it's my version of Battinson meeting and deciding to take in Dick. probably a little bit scatterbrained bc parts of it are being written at really weird times/late at night (when I have ideas lol) but I'm having so much fun writing about this. it's... pretty sad and melodramatic and VERY thematic but also hopeful, which... is probably the dichotomy I write most lol

basically, the premise is like... the first time B hugs Dickie as just Bruce Wayne, and then a hug from B as Batman. which makes so little sense when I say it like that, but I want to leave a little bit vague for when I finish it lol. so here's a little snippet of my favorite part I've written so far:

He reaches out, unsure, only acting on what he wishes he had once had, a hand on the boy's arm.

He can't be any older than eight or nine, Jim Gordon's daughter's age probably. Seemingly without thinking, Dick leans into the touch. B blinks, hesitates, not sure whether he's more Bruce or the Batman in this moment, and then opens his arms in silent offer. Dick stares, for a moment, eyes not focused on either B or his parents' bodies, then falteringly steps forward, letting Bruce carefully uncertainly hug him.

B has never really hugged anyone like this before, as an offer of comfort or support. He's never been sure how to act around children, but this he understands: there's a boy shaking in his arms even though he doesn't know him, a familiar trauma, and if this is all he can do then he will do it to the best of his ability. He pats the boy's back, feels silent tears that could have been his own, once, seeping into the fabric of his shirt.

"They didn't feel any pain," says B quietly into Dick's ear. "They... died instantly." Perhaps it's the wrong thing to say, because Dick pulls away, scrubbing at his eyes with the heels of his hands even as he sniffles more.

But then he fixes Bruce in a deep stare, and B freezes momentarily under the weight of the look. "Thank you," Dick says, voice small and breaking. "Thank you." He doesn't try to look past Bruce to see his parents' bodies again.

[annwayne]

Thanks for tagging me @chaniis-atlantis !

How many works do you have on AO3?

12!

What's your total AO3 word count?

81,885

What fandoms do you write for?

Only have Star Wars fics posted on ao3, but I have wips in all these fandoms: Stargate Atlantis, Call of Duty, Predator, Riddick, Marvel, Baldurs Gate 3, Mass Effect, Grimm, Leverage, True Blood

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. The Red Logs: Return to the Temple 2. Humanitarian Aid 3. Ann Wayne's Cute and Spicy Star Wars Art Collection 4. Heightened Senses and Natural Perfumes: Reader Version 5. Cozy Sun Spot

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yeah! If I see them, sometimes I don't get the email and then I don't see the notification till I next go on ao3's desktop website lol Comments are what give me motivation. So I try to respond to all of them to let the commenter know that their words mean a lot. I know how scary it can be to write your feelings out to share.

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

oh uh. none? I don't really do sad or angsty endings. I don't even have any wips planned to be angsty I just. I like the story to end happy. (though uh, I do know of one wip that will have a fairly sad ending)

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Well, I can tell you know that my Baldurs Gate 3 fic will be the happiest ending because Astarion deserves it!!!!

Do you get hate on fics?

Not so far.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Yep! So far it's all been M/F and pretty vanilla tbh. I lean more fluffy and sweet with smut haha.

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

No. I don't really care for crossovers right now.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No.

Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Kinda? We didn't finish it.

What's your all-time favourite ship?

I don't have all time favorites I have current fixations, of which: Astur (Tav)/Astarion from BG3 and Awyn/Eric

What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Hahaha no no no I don't want to admit xD Probably my leverage or mass effect fics. I thought I'd have loads of ideas and would write a ton in those fandoms, but the word docs sit blank. Mass Effect I think was just so complete of a story. I'm not sure there's anything more I want to explore? AU's maybe, but I dunno. And with Leverage, well, I think I just lost steam really fast for that fandom.

What are your writing strengths?

I'm great working in premade world. If there's a world and set up already made for me, I can write in it and write those characters.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I think I write too fast. Like plot pacing. I don't let things sink in.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

?? thoughts, is this something to have thoughts about?? Uh, it's fine? I've got a few fics that use dialogue in another language.

First fandom you wrote for?

I'm not sure... I think Adventure Time? Though that was a comic haha. I know for sure I posted a fic to ff.net for Ouran High School Host Club.

Favourite fic you've ever written?

In the past I could never finish long fics, so I'm really happy I finished The Red Logs: Return to the Temple. Now to see if I can finish a series of fics ToT I also really like how that fic came out. I think there's already a lot I would do to improve it, but it's just such a fun read. I dunno I like it.

[madaboutmunson]

I posted 2,497 times in 2022

That's 2,497 more posts than 2021!

245 posts created (10%)

2,252 posts reblogged (90%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@misha-misha

@portaltothevoid

@steveshairychest

@hellfirehaley

@lengthofropes

I tagged 388 of my posts in 2022

#eddie munson - 336 posts

#stranger things - 294 posts

#eddiemunson - 290 posts

#eddie stranger things - 252 posts

#eddie the freak munson - 207 posts

#stranger things fanfiction - 121 posts

#fanfiction - 113 posts

#eddie munson fanfic - 108 posts

#eddie x reader - 80 posts

#eddie munson fluff - 74 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#tiny eyebrow flash of i like what i'm seeing so completely distracted shortly before his expression changes to wth is going on on this day

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

See the full post

163 notes - Posted July 14, 2022

#4

Welcome to Madaboutmunson :)

As the name of this blog implies on May 27th I (and millions of others) fell in love with a fluffy haired, metalhead named Eddie Munson. So this is a little section of the internet I can come to and share my obsession with other people who also are obsessed

He is the first character I've ever met that inspired me to write fanfiction, and I love him for that because it pushed me to join this wonderful community and "meet" people I could never be without now (you know who you are you beauts!)

I'm still new to writing and love hearing from anyone who reads my stories. So totally happy to receive asks and/or feedback.

A bit about me...

I'm so old, like I could be one of The Endless.

I'm bad a Tumblr, but I am trying my best here.

I'm from the UK.

My Eddie Munson Fanfics

Requests

Requests are open see here for info

Dad!Eddie Munson - Where there is no babysitter and Eddie has to juggle a toddler and get to his daughter's recital

EddieMunsonxReader - A case of mistaken Wayne-entity. Where reader moves to the trailer park, falls for Eddie but thinks Wayne is just another townie judging Eddie harshly

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Series/Multichapter

Creep (12 parts)

Pairing: Reader x Eddie Munson

Summary: You meet Eddie Munson under the trying circumstances of high school, an event you can't fully recall, and the fallout of being the only one who can piece things back together.

Warnings: Violence, death, fluff, amnesia, implied sexual intimacy, bullying, angst

Author Notes: First ever fanfic I've written (feedback welcome)

Thanks to everyone who read, liked reblogged and let me know how the story made them feel.

I am beyond thrilled that even 1 other person read and enjoyed this. What a wonderful community, thank you 💚💚

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Fire (17 Parts)

A story about falling in love against the odds, in the weird world of Hawkins.

This is mostly a fun, fluff type story, even your parents like Eddie, but there are some instances of threat and gore towards the end.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Eddie Munson Tape Dates (with Sunbeam and Moonbeam universe from Fire)

In the fanfic Fire (above) Eddie has a box of tapes and each one is a date he's planned out for you. I decided to write a few up. In the end all of them. The first of which is directly from Fire

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

See the full post

180 notes - Posted June 28, 2022

#3

Ok so I love the Steddie HC which have Eddie reading to Steve I think it's the cutest.

I'd like to add that whilst Tolkien is first because Steve has to learn what Mordor is, I'd like some nights for it to be a choose your own adventure book.

- Eddie reads the set up and let's Steve make the decision generally (just like his DM role in Hellfire)

- Eddie always keeps a finger in the previous part page in case Steve makes a 'wrong turn'

- If Eddie ever complains about Steve's decision making. Steve snatches up the book and hits him with "Well alright Mr Smartypants, you decide" (Eddie loves this and can't hide his grin)

- Steve very much gets into being the book heroes (regardless of gender/personality)

- They exhaust the adventure books that Eddie has, so sometimes Eddie makes up a Story adventure for Steve on the fly

- Steve buys Eddie a huge set of these books for his birthday/christmas

- Eddie writes a hand bound one for Steve, where the main character is Eddie and he's rescuing Steve, because Eddie couldn't bare the thought of writing anything bad happening to Steve if he made a bad choice.

213 notes - Posted August 4, 2022

#2

Look I am not a d&d expert I've only been playing for a few years, but hear me out, I have to say I disagree with Steve being a Paladin.

Yeah he absolutely cares ferociously about his party, and will protect/defend them like the super single mom he is but to me that guy is a Barbarian.

he is first in, meat shield, and just because you are big and tough (even though he doesn't win all his fights doesn't mean he's not tough) doesn't mean you can't also be loving and kind.

See the full post

218 notes - Posted August 9, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Look, everytime I see these GIFs my brain does two things:

*INTERNALLY SCREAMING* WHERE IS YOU HAND STEVEN???!!!

*tiny boop sound* little hip bump

See the full post

346 notes - Posted July 21, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[hollandorks]

EPILOGUE LET'S GO

First of all, I'm sad this part of the story is coming to an end. I've really enjoyed writing these little reviews (that are really just me reacting with my keyboard). And, I've loved the community that MOTN has built. Like 🦇 anon and I temporarily uniting against Lena. That was fun. And ❤ anon, I think it was, not understanding why we distrusted Lena (that heart emoji is supposed to be red. I don't know if it is. I'm typing this on my PC)

So, thank you, Shelby, for writing something so absolutely wonderful and creating this safe little corner of the internet where we all shit on Bruce Wayne for his stupidity, and for doing it with a beautiful fic.

Anyways, onto the final review *chugs what little is left of my glass of wine*

BRUCE WAYNE TO WED

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!

“I wanted to do this–better,” he had said. Stuttered adorably as he continued, “I–I’m no good with saying how I feel. So all I’m going to say is that I love you and want to spend my life with you. Will you marry me?” 

God, I wish my ex's half-hearted proposal was at least half as romantic as this—

THIS IS SO CUTE!

The character progression though! I'm sure there was still some degree of over-thinking, but look at that! He didn't jump off a roof or anything! He just said the thing he was feeling, despite being nervous and vulnerable, without going to extreme lengths to avoid the conversation!!! I'm so proud of him.

He’d beamed like a proud father and immediately gone for their most expensive bottle of champagne. Had cried when she’d asked if he’d walk her down the aisle and again when Bruce asked him to be the best man. 

Alfred deserves the entire motherfucking world and if we don't give it to him, I swear to god, I'm gonna steal Bruce's cape thingy and jump off the roof myself.

“Please don’t tell me that’s what I think it is,” Bruce said in her ear. He’d promised to keep her in the loop when he went out as Batman. Just in case. 

Okay, so first of all, I love the pacing of this epilogue and I love how I can follow how it's written as if it's the last ten minutes of a movie. Like it's trying to show you the conclusion in the most concise and cohesive way possible, and you're succeeding beautifully, Shelby.

Second of all, YES! CHAOS REIGNS FOREVER! Operation: Give Bruce premature grey hairs is a-go!

They had an agreement now–he trained her whenever he had time, brought her in when he needed help on cases, and had even gotten her a bulletproof vest to wear. He’d made her promise to stay disguised at all times, and even was in the process of making her a cowl of her own.

I KNEW IT! I knew she was gonna get a suit! I called it! And, yes, I know it's not technically a suit but it's close enough and I'm gonna consider it a win!

He huffed out a laugh. “You’re impossible.” 

Always have been, babe—

ignore the babe, it's the wine talking

she clipped the first guy with the Batmobile as she came tearing around the corner.

Some things never change, but what an upgrade! From a normal ass car to the batmobile! Good for her.

The Gotham Project is perfect for her. I'm proud of her.

If he didn’t want her to read something, or wanted her to wait while he processed it for a bit longer, he told her. She respected it. Understood that some things were harder for him than others. Never pushed, never snooped. 

We love healthy boundaries.

I also love how this showcases just how much they've learned, as a couple, to navigate those boundaries. Instead of them being far too rigid (*cough* Bruce *cough*), it's now an active conversation, where both of them are involved. They don't make decisions for each other or assume what the other is thinking. That's great.

“I’m driving,” y/n said as she practically skipped to the elevator. Her entire body was pleasantly warm. Bruce tried to steal the keys from her and sighed when she darted away. She was in the driver’s seat of the Batmobile before he could get in another protest.  

Again, with the childishness, I love it.

“Congratulations on the engagement, by the way,” Gordon said with a flash of a smile. He glanced at Bruce. “Looks like you were too slow, buddy.” 

LMAO

Not Gordon calling out Bruce's stupidity around the crush he has on his fiancee— I love to see it

Bruce tugged her closer. “Gordon’s invited to our wedding, huh?” 

We love the reader still not telling Bruce about slight changes of plans. But more than that, we love the reader forcing Bruce and Gordon to interact more. He needs more friends (he, being both of them).

A new day had begun.

I love it. I wonder if the sequel will have a name related to time too. And, if it does, will the time be literally be after the middle of the night? Like 4 AM? At Dawn? Noon? No idea.

Shelby, I've said it so many times already, but you really are amazing and you've written such a beautiful story. I love it so much and so does the entire community that you've cultivated. I love you, bestie. If you need me, you know where to find me!

Besides, I'm sure I'll keep talking anyways. It's a talent, how talkative I am. I'm sure I'll still send you asks somehow. I'll find some excuse, I'm sure.

⌨

No stop making me feel nostalgic right off the bat it's so rude 😭 I never imagined having a little army/ gang of emoji anons and it has been so fun 😩

Thank you, and all of the anons and readers and commenters, for making this experience so wonderful. I literally had no idea it'd be like this when I started posting.

Um excuse me ex's half hearted proposal??? I feel like I need the story for that one lmao

We love to see character development! Will he always be good at these things? No. He will probably jump off of a roof sometimes still. But not every time, and that's what matters. Growth!

Alfred does deserve the world. He is going to get it too! (Mostly because he's about to get like a whole blurb series)

Love that you enjoyed the pacing because I was nervous about it 🥺 thank you bestie 🥺

You did call it! She gets a suit! I don't think she's want like a costume like Bruce so that's why it's like this but! It still counts!

I really want to include a scene with her hitting a guy with a car in the sequel. Idk how I'm gonna do it but I want to.

Yes to healthy boundaries! That's something else that's so hot! (Will they regress a bit in the sequel? Probably. But at least they're learning.)

Couldn't help myself with the Gordon scene. He stole the show. The spirit of Jeffrey Wright's Gordon was whispering in my ear when I wrote it.

Speaking of the sequel!! Official title reveal coming today bestie 😉

Ugh. Why did you do this to me with the last bit of your ask, you're killing me 😭 I have loved this whole experience so much. I can't even put it into words.

Listen. Bestie. Listen. Just DM me. No one has to know we know each other. You can still send anons with the ⌨️ and I'll pretend we aren't DMing. Okay? Okay. Because we should be besties irl. I can already tell how fun you are and I know we'll get along. It can be our secret.

[peteyprecious616]

Behind the mask

Pairing: Batman x reader

Summary: Somehow the man in the mask was your soulmate. You didn't know anything about him except for late night visits and whispers. But maybe you realized you meant more to him than just run-ins and phone calls.

Word count: ~1.7k

A/N: I saw the new Batman movie and let me just say...Robert Pattinson as Batman. That's all I need to say. But idk what this is but emo Bruce Wayne made me feel something. Also ive never really written a soulmate au so im not sure how it works in general. Also don't read this if you haven't seen the film obviously. It doesn't follow the movie really at all but it has some themes in it from the film. But let me know what you think.

Warnings: Nothing really; just small mentions of violence and late nights lol

I’m trying to keep you safe

I need to stay away

Stay close

Don’t leave

I can’t lose you. I've already lost everyone else.

Small grunts sounded from the metals stairs above you as you cleaned the glass at the bar.

Your eyes hurt from the number of times they rolled at the same run-ins with him.

Your fingers grasped the cup tighter, making your fingers rush white from poor circulation. You couldn’t stand his poor choice of timing.

The small tattoo still stuck permanently to your wrist as you thought about that damn cape. He always knew where to find you.

Protecting you

Saving you

But here you were, still stuck in this god-forsaken city. Pure hatred ran through your veins as you heard Cobblepot's small pleads to the man in the mask to stop. Only looking out for his bar’s reputation.

You chose this job for many reasons.

Money, fun, to spite him.

You were angry at the man that promised you everything and nothing in the shadowed alleyways of your small apartment complex.

How he couldn’t be with you because it was too dangerous but he needed to keep you safe

You were his soulmate.

—

You barely knew him. Small checks that followed months of radio silence were aggravating. His job is his only priority. Hours of examining evidence given to him surprisingly by the commissioner himself.

He barely slept, only eating when Alfred brought it down to him. Even then it was only touched a few times before he went back to work.

He called you sometimes. To make sure you were doing well, and you were okay.

But the less you knew the better.

He sent you small, expensive gifts hoping it would keep you happy. He never asked you to live with him.

You’ve asked him numerous times about it. He always told you, you would be better off.

Crime controlled his life. When he was asleep, he was haunted by his need to fulfill his father’s legacy to keep Gotham running.

You saw him on dark rooftops when you walked home from work. You never told him where you worked, walking different streets and alleyways at night.

You knew that he would tell you to quit.

The iceberg lounge was a criminal hotspot. Surrounded by famous-named Gotham residents and secret mob members that no one knew the names of.

It was where criminals and "good people" were allowed to mingle together. Or to hide and confess their sins to someone to fix them.

So you heard about what kept Batman up at night. The new bad that kept everyone on edge.

He told riddles; that was all you knew.

But that was what his whole life revolved around.

He was so stupid. So ignorant towards his safety. To put his own life at risk constantly for a city that had already fallen to ash.

To sin.

He still puts on a mask to hide his identity from a city that has already ripped his body and soul bare. He was a broken man trying to piece together a broken city;

A ripped cape and scars were gifted to him; the pain that was given to him to keep this city from bleeding out.

Even though it had nothing left to save.

He didn’t care about saving himself or saving the joke of the government that keeps trying to push on the population.

It will get better.

Keep going. Believe in us.

But everyone was greedy for money, for lust.

Only looking out for themselves.

Him only looking out for you

He was too selfish. Surrounded by people filled with it just egged him on.

He just kept getting angrier. Enraged at what this city has become. His father believed in the best of Gotham. He believed the city had good in it.

But all the good that he saw was in you. And only you.

So he kept fighting, even though he already lost the ongoing battle between good and evil that ran through the streets of his beloved home.

His mind ramped with guilt and hatred for letting it fall so quickly. And let you live in it for so long.

Who cared about vengeance? Who cared about anything when it all could just be a lie that spilled from greedy lips. He knew that he could only do so much. Alfred told him many times to hang up the cape. To slow down or leave the city because he couldn’t do any more than he already has.

What his family already tried to do.

Even with money, people had a poor sense of change; To be better people.

Alfred accepted this fact long ago, but you kept him going.

So when he found out you worked under Penguin, he froze. He dropped everything to come to find you.

—

Your bed started to feel foreign as you lay there. Your phone rested upon your chest, almost waiting for it to ring.

You did not have any plans today or tonight. It was a rare occurrence to have time to yourself.

Especially when your life had to revolve around him.

Even though it was never really put together, Batman was like the invisible glue that silently held the city steady. Always taking care of others because it's what the city needed to survive.

Holding himself together, keeping above water was another story. But his disheveled hair that was scattered upon his pillow, while you cuddled up against his bruised body, his mumbling about saving this god-forsaken town for his family, and for you was enough for him.

Your small relief that you gave him at night that made him forget that the world was ending was enough to go back out the next day.

You knew it wasn’t going to last forever.

The way he sacrificed himself to Gotham every night, without a single care in the world. Bruises were hidden by long hair that covered his face when he hid it in the crook of your shoulder.

Hiding from the light that cursed his name, you held his weak body in your arms, waiting for him to crack.

But as he laid still, silent breathes that hit your neck you still held him close. Because even if you didn’t know him, he was still a part of you.

Kisses given to cleaned, shallow cuts; soft brushes over eternal scars were just a normal interaction.

But your soul is bound with his, even if his is lost and a bit dark just like the rest of the city.

He was still yours to have

Forever

—

The last interaction was over three months ago.

Now showing up in this overcrowded bar, looking for you was not something you could handle. You called a fellow worker over to fill your shift as you grabbed your coat from the back of the bar.

You pulled out the collar of your jacket, fixing your hair as you fish for your keys in your pockets. Praying he was busy elsewhere.

But you could feel his presence becoming more familiar. Your body was magnetic towards him. Your mind struggled to give in as you fumbled to find your keys that were sitting in your hand practically.

Eyes pulled to the ground as you turned to the back door, you felt him stand behind you. His black mask doing nothing to hide his worried stare aimed at your body.

You still felt his fingertips caressing your body that night he left. The whispers and promises that still entangled your mind and soul,

I will save this city. I will be back for you.

I need you.

I love you.

"you know you can't save everyone, right?" you muttered as your back facing him.

You always tried to reassure him. He held too much on his shoulders. Uprooting his whole life before his father died and locking it away. He needed to make his father proud. So all the guilt bled through his hands and chest as he fought crime day after day.

He was never good with words. His family; other news reporters; spoke for him. He never wanted to talk to anyone because words hurt. They didn't get the work done.

But you heard him murmur as your hand caught the doorknob,

"I only need to save you."

You sighed as your hand gripped the handle tightly. He couldn't do this to you now.

"You barely know me."

"You're still important to me. Even if I'm not important to you." He said as you felt his chest hovering behind your back.

You knew he was getting anxious. He needed you safe.

"Why should I care?" you questioned as your back hit the door as you turned to see his paint-covered eyes. Your hand shifting to hold the doorknob.

What did he want you to say when he looked you in the eyes and said,

"Because I love you."

"You don't mean that."

You never knew what he meant.

Hiding his emotions, his whole life behind a mask.

If he never told you he was your soulmate, you would never have figured it out. Sometimes you wish you never met him.

But that tattoo on your wrist said otherwise.

you heard the words,

"I can't lose you too," as his lips met your ear. An easy kiss was pressed against your forehead.

He opened the door behind you and got you to your car first.

Before anything

because he knew that even if he lost everyone he cared about; his family, Alfred,

you were still promised to him. You were made for each other. He would never be alone if he had someone that he was meant to spend eternity with.

So he'd fight anyone, go anywhere, get every bruise if it meant he still got you in the end.

So yes he did hide emotions from you, kept to himself these past few months.

Because if the Riddler knew how much he would sacrifice to save you. You would be the first one he'd lose.

Batman didn't have any weaknesses. But Bruce Wayne did.

[obtusemedia]

Ranking Lady Gaga's albums, from worst to best

Being a Lady Gaga fan can be an exercise in frustration.

Gaga is far more ambitious than most popstars — I doubt we’ll ever see Ariana Grande or Ed Sheeran make an album as left-field as Born This Way or ARTPOP. But she's also far less consistent, with numerous misbegotten projects.

Gaga's undeniably successful, with five #1 hits, an Oscar and multiple iconic music videos to her name. But her messy album rollouts and tradition of underperforming lead singles make her feel like an underdog compared to the more polished, precise careers of her contemporaries like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé or Bruno Mars.

Gaga is kind of a mess. But she's our mess. This album ranking will cover some records I can't stand — albums that make me constantly hit the fast-forward button, or albums I ignore altogether. But there isn't a single record on here that wasn't a bold move. Even the "back to basics" albums made strong aesthetic choices.

So let's dive into the career of the most fascinating Millennial popstar.

#8: Cheek To Cheek (2014)

This really shouldn't count. It's a Lady Gaga album in name only. But, technically it's a Gaga album, so here we are.

I've got nothing against Gaga having fun playing Rat Pack-era dress-up with Tony Bennett. She's a theatre kid at heart, and I'm sure every theatre kid would kill to make a Great American Songbook covers record like this. It sounds like she and Tony enjoyed themselves, so I'm happy for them!

...but I'm sorry. I can't be objective about Cheek To Cheek, it's the opposite of my taste. There's only so many bland lounge ballads I can take.

BEST SONGS: I have to pick one? "Anything Goes" is cute, I guess.

WORST SONG: "Sophisticated Lady"

#7: A Star Is Born (2018)

Let me first make this clear — A Star Is Born, the movie starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga? It's a masterpiece. It's electrifying and tragic and I'm still upset it didn't sweep the Oscars that year. There's even a cute dog! You won't hear me say a bad word about it.

But A Star Is Born, the accompanying soundtrack? It's extremely hit-and-miss.

Yes, it includes arguably Gaga's best-ever song and one of the greatest movie hits ever written, "Shallow." And there's plenty of other great tunes in the tracklist too — "Always Remember Us This Way," "I'll Never Love Again," the "La Vie En Rose" cover.

Even the country-rock songs from Bradley Cooper (who, reminder, is not a professional singer) are mostly good! "Black Eyes" RIPS, and "Maybe It's Time" feels like a long-lost classic.

But sadly, there are so many mediocre filler tracks on this thing. The second half of A Star Is Born's hour-plus runtime (Gaga's longest!) is padded with generic songs like "Look What I've Found," "Heal Me" and "I Don't Know What Love Is." The only good one out of the bunch is the silly, intentionally-bad "Why Did You Do That?"

In the movie, these filler tracks serve a point – they're meant to show Gaga's character selling out. They work in the movie when you hear them for a few seconds and see Cooper make a drunkly disappointed scowl. But I don't want to listen to them, and sadly, they make up half the album.

In other words — A Star Is Born would've made an incredible six or seven-song EP. But as an 63-minute-long record? It's a slog.

BEST SONGS: "Shallow", "Always Remember Us This Way," "Maybe It's Time"

WORST SONG: "Heal Me"

#6: Joanne (2016)

After Born This Way and ARTPOP, I get why Gaga needed to make a more lowkey, back-to-basics album. I also understand that many of these songs have extremely personal lyrics for her.

But is a down-to-earth album what I really want from our most outré popstar? Not really.

Luckily, Joanne is better than that description suggests. Yes, there are some bland acoustic ballads and awkward hippie-era throwbacks (two styles that are really not in Gaga's wheelhouse), but there's also some Springsteen-style heartland rockers! And those go hard in the paint.

Joanne works best when Gaga works the record's dusty aesthetics into her brand of weirdo pop, like on the sizzling "John Wayne," the winking "A-YO" or the delightfully extra Florence Welch duet "Hey Girl."

The record also has "Perfect Illusion" — a glorious red herring of a lead single that sounds nothing like anything else on Joanne. It's a roided-up mixture of woozy Tame Impala production and hair metal histrionics, and it rules. It might be Gaga's best-ever lead single! (at the very least, it's her most underrated.)

And there is one slow tune that's unambiguously great: "Million Reasons," another solid Gaga lighters-in-the-air power ballad pastiche.

Despite what some Little Monsters may tell you, Joanne isn't a disaster. There's some great stuff in there, and even the worst songs are just forgettable. But it's still far from her best.

BEST SONGS: "Perfect Illusion," "Diamond Heart," "Million Reasons"

WORST SONG: "Come To Mama"

#5: Chromatica (2020)

When Chromatica was released near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it had been seven years since Gaga had released music in her classic gonzo-synthpop vein. I can easily picture the record serving as an "ugh fine, I'll give you what you want" response to the many Little Monsters annoyed with Gaga's half-decade of folksy ballads and Julie Andrews cosplay.

I'll say this about Chromatica — outside of The Fame Monster, it's her most consistent record. There's not a single track that's a glaring mistake. And the three singles — "Stupid Love," "911" and the triumphant Ariana Grande duet "Rain On Me" — easily stand among her best tracks.

But although "all bangers, no ballads" album sounds rad in theory, it doesn't really succeed in practice. Chromatica is solid, but it's also a very same-y record. It feels like Gaga had one really great idea for the album ('90s club music with super-depressing lyrics) and repeated it over and over and over again to diminishing results.

There are some songs that are able to separate themselves: the three singles, of course, as well as the goofy "Babylon" and "Sine From Above," the Elton John duet that's the closest Chromatica gets to a ballad. But by the end of the album, you feel more worn out than electrified.

Also — and this is probably unfair, but still — Chromatica came out just a couple months after another retro-dance blockbuster pop album: Dua Lipa's magnum opus, Future Nostalgia. That's not a flattering comparison.

BEST SONGS: "Rain On Me," "Stupid Love," "911"

WORST SONG: "1000 Doves"

#4: The Fame (2008)

Out of all of Gaga's records, The Fame is most like a time capsule. It REEKS of late '00s/early '10s pop — which isn't an entirely fair criticism, seeing as Gaga popularized that era's sleazy, synthy aesthetic. It's also not a bad thing! I don't mind a little nostalgia!

As you already know, The Fame's singles are masterworks. "Just Dance," "Poker Face," "Paparazzi" — these tracks have titanic legacies for good reason. And although it's probably the least-beloved of this album's hits, despite being a total banger, "LoveGame" should still be commended for having arguably the most Gaga lyric ever (you know, the "disco stick" line).

And even though those tracks are front-loaded on The Fame, there are some gems deeper in the tracklist. "Summerboy" is basically Gwen Stefani covering The Strokes (so obviously, it's great). "Eh, Eh" is adorable. "Starstruck" is the most 2008 song ever recorded, with aggressive Auto-Tune and Flo Rida showing up to make Starbucks jokes.

Sadly, The Fame still feels like Gaga before she became fully-formed at certain points. The back half has a number of songs that feel like generic club tracks forced by the label, and "Paper Gangsta" is one of the clunkiest songs in Gaga's catalogue.

But at the very least, the bad songs on The Fame at least serve as little nostalgia bombs for that era of pop. And the best songs are untouchable classics.

BEST SONGS: "Paparazzi," "Just Dance," "Summerboy"

WORST SONG: "Paper Gangsta"

#3: ARTPOP (2013)

For much of Gaga's career, she's been ahead of the curve. She tries something, and a year or a few years later, other popstars try something similar to diminishing results.

That doesn't just apply to the successful stuff, like Gaga's extravagant music videos inspiring many copycats from 2010-2013. It also applies to the mid-late '10s trend of legacy popstars making a controversial record with risky aesthetic or lyrical choices that backfired: reputation. Witness. Man of The Woods.

Gaga did this first, with ARTPOP — arguably the most abrasive, and bizzare major label album released by a major modern popstar. And she did it better, because unlike Swift, Perry and Timberlake, Gaga's weirdness was for real. And it was in service of some prime, hyper-aggressive bangers.

ARTPOP isn't Gaga's best work — some of her experiments on it are major misfires, from the obnoxious "Mary Jane Holland" to the bland Born This Way leftover (and Romani slur-utilizing) "Gypsy."

But when ARTPOP is on, it's ON. The opening stretch in particular, from "Aura" to "Venus" to "G.U.Y." to "Sexxx Dreams," is chaotic synthpop at its finest. Those songs took Gaga's classic sound to an apocalyptic, demented extreme, and they're fantastic.

"MANiCURE" is a great glam-rock banger, "Dope" is another classic Gaga piano ballad, the title track is some sikly-smooth dreampop; even the misguided, clunky trap anthem "Jewels N' Drugs" is bad in a hilarious, charming way!

Trust me: ARTPOP will go down in history not as a flop, but as a gutsy, underrated record from a legend. Less Witness, more In Utero.

BEST SONGS: "G.U.Y.," "Venus," "Sexxx Dreams"

WORST SONG: "Gypsy"

#2: The Fame Monster (2009)

Objectively speaking, this is probably the best Gaga album.

It's her one record with no fluff, no filler — only 34 minutes and 8 tracks, all of them stellar.

It's the record that took Gaga from "wow, this new woman is a fresh new face in pop!" to "this woman IS pop."

It's the record with her signature track, "Bad Romance," which was accompanied by arguably the greatest music video of the 21st Century. (It also has my absolute favorite Gaga track, the relentlessly catchy "Telephone.")

I don't think I need to explain what makes mega-smashes "Bad Romance" and "Telephone" and "Alejandro" great, nor the accompanying legendary deep cuts "Speechless" and "Dance In The Dark." They speak for themselves.

However — the sleek, calculated perfection of The Fame Monster, while incredible, isn't something I return to often. It's just not the side of Gaga that's my favorite. That honor would have to go to...

BEST SONGS: "Telephone," "Dance In The Dark," "Bad Romance"

WORST SONG: "So Happy I Could Die" (but it's still pretty solid)

#1: Born This Way (2011)

One of my favorite podcasts is Blank Check. The concept of the show is to analyze each movie by a famous director — in particular, those who had big success early on and then got a blank check to make whatever crazy passion project they wanted. Here's a great example: because Batman was a massive hit, Tim Burton got to make whatever Hot Topic-core movies he wanted to for decades, from Edward Scissorhands to a creepy Willy Wonka remake.

That long-winded tangent is just to say: Born This Way was Lady Gaga's blank check. By early 2011, she had conquered the pop universe, notching hit after hit after hit. Every other pop star was copying her quirky music videos. So the label let Gaga do whatever she wanted — and she didn't waste that opportunity.

Born This Way is wildly overproduced. It's both extremely trend-chasing (those synths were cutting edge at the time but charmingly dated now), but also deeply uncaring about what the teens want (I don't think Springsteen and Queen homages were big at the time). And I love every messy, overblown second of it.

From the hair-metal/synthpop hybrid opener "Marry The Night" to the majestic '80s power ballad "The Edge of Glory," Born This Way starts at an 11. And Gaga never takes her foot off the pedal for the album's entire hour-plus run time. Clanging electric guitars, thunderous synths and Clarence Clemons (!!!) sax solos collide into each other as Gaga champions every misfit and loser in the world. It's gloriously corny in the best way possible.

Born This Way is also the perfect middle ground of pop-savvy Gaga and gonzo Gaga. It doesn't go quite as hard as ARTPOP, but the hooks are stronger. And the oddball moments are tons of fun, from the sci-fi biker anthem "Highway Unicorn" to the goofy presidential-sex banger "Government Hooker" ("Put your hands on me/John F. Kennedy" might be the greatest line in pop history).

Born This Way will always be my favorite Gaga album. It's armed with nuclear-grade hooks, slamming beats, and soaring anthems. Although it's not as untouchably pristine as the Mt. Rushmore of '10s pop classics (for the record, that's 1989, EMOTION, Lemonade and, of course, Melodrama), Gaga isn't best served by meticulousness. She's proudly tacky and histrionic, and so that's what makes Born This Way an utter joy.

BEST SONGS: "The Edge of Glory," "You and I," "Marry The Night"

WORST SONG: "Bloody Mary"

[hood-ex]

Hi! Love your blog and your fic! You seem like a really nice person who's also pretty knowledgeable about dc so I thought maybe you could give me some advice? I've recently gotten into Batman comics and have some ideas for fics I want to try, but I've never been so scared to write for a fandom before. There's just so much canon I haven't gotten into and I really want to get characters right. Its also kind of an intimidating fandom to get into. Do you have any tips that might help me out?

Sure, yeah! I totally understand how you feel btw. I was so nervous to start writing fics in this fandom for the same exact reason. 

One important thing to keep in mind is that your fic doesn’t have to encapsulate every single trait that a character has across all comics. You can pick and choose a few to focus on. 

For example, if I want to write about Damian then I can choose to focus on his brash attitude and his hesitance to partake in something considered fun or childish. I don’t have to include his love of animals, his insane intellect, his tendency to insult/belittle people, his moments of compassion, his desire to be accepted, his insecurity of being rejected/replaced, etc. 

Another way to make Damian sound more like Damian is to reference little things about him from the comics. For example, Damian likes to play a video game called Cheese Viking. Throwing that into a conversation will make the readers feel like you know this character on a deeper level (even if you don’t). 

What you get is something like this:

“Get out of my way, Todd! The time I’ve wasted on talking to you could have been spent doing far more productive things like getting to the next level on Cheese Viking!” 

Also, try and find moments in comics (or individual panels you find) that will give you an example of what a character acts like when they’re happy, sad, mad, stressed, etc. Base your own reactions off of those moments. 

For example, if I want to write a scene of Dick comforting someone, I’ll try and find a scene in a comic where he’s doing that. I can then analyze whether Dick uses touch to comfort someone, if he throws a few encouraging words at them, or if he stops and listens to their troubles. Comics are good for using as a base or outline on how you can make a character react to a situation. 

Now if you don’t have time to read a bunch of comics to look for that kind of info then I’ll share a little trick with you. There are blogs on Tumblr who post the most important, relevant, and impactful scenes from comics. 

My advice to you would be to find one of these blogs that posts a lot of comic panels, type in a character’s name into the search bar of their blog (or look at their archive), and if the blog has a good enough tagging system, tons and tons of panels that have the character you typed in will pop up. 

Browse through them. Pay attention to how the character speaks, how they react to certain situations, and how they interact with other characters. Take little notes on their behavior if you want. 

Another way to go about this is simply by typing random shit into the Tumblr search bar like “Dick Grayson sad” or “Bruce Wayne fight.” Sometimes you’ll get tons of results to browse through. A lot of it will be art or text posts, but there will also be comic panels included in the search. You can also do random comic issue searches to pull up comic panels for you to analyze. I used to just type stuff like “Nightwing 145″ or “Gotham Knights 37.” 

You can also do this with Google images as well as Pinterest. Pinterest has a shit ton of comic panels too. I see them all the time in the Google search results when I’m hunting for a specific comic. Seriously, just pick a comic and start searching for random issue numbers or keywords. Stuff will pop up. Read what comes up, takes notes if you want, and absorb that info into your character building arsenal. That way you don’t have to waste time reading the entire comic, you can just look at the most important bits from the comics and base your characters off of that to get you started. 

You’ll start to notice patterns of the character’s behavior and you may even be able to spot whether something sounds OOC or not. The only bad thing about that method is you may not be able to tell if a character is acting OOC based on a panel that is out of context. In time, the more comics you read, the more you’ll be able to deduce whether something is IC or OOC. 

Now, obviously, if you’re wanting to write about a specific comic event then you should definitely read the comic to get all the details and to understand what the characters are saying to each other in context. 

Anyways, just remember that most people are pretty lenient when it comes to batfam characterization in fics (hence why there are so many fanon takes). Even in canon, the characters aren’t always consistent because they’re written by so many different people who don’t all write them the same way. So you definitely have wiggle room for trial and error when it comes to characterization while you’re still in the process of learning about the characters. Just have fun and experiment! Trust me, it doesn’t have to be perfect at first. And if you’re still hesitant, try and emulate the vibe you get from one of your favorite batfam fics. That will at least give you a place to start. 

I hope that helps you out a little! Let me know if you need any more advice!

[lucyfurwritesserialkillers-blog]

Phillip Jablonski Letter (Sept. 12th 2018)

Dearest Kaleb,

Received your letter and the photograph you sent me I will send a photograph in my letter as well. Also thank you for the great drawing of the fox I love it.

My favorite serial killer is John Wayne Gacy I just seen an interview done by his sister and mother. They spoke with one victim sister. Trying to find peace with what Gacy done.

His mother said she tried to commit suicide twice cuz of the shame brought to the family name. The sister told her he take my brother's wife but he ruined your family.

His wife (?) one night. She looked out the window. John Gacy had a young boy in his car and take him to the garage when he came out. She went into the garage she find a mattress with blood on it and found belts.

His sister done an interview on Oprah show she said John was at a party John left with a man the man take (?) to his house and sodomy them.

I write a man who written Gacy and has Gacy paintings he said Gacy painted Charles Manson and Elvis and other portraits.

Yes I got aroused when they lick the shit off the carrot also I use cucumber inside their anal hole then lick the shit off also I use a frozen banana a male anal hole. Even used a socket and into men anal hole. I attached the socket to my extend (?) push the socket up their anal hole and twist the wrench boy did they love screaming when they scream it arouses me. They go unconscious and always leave blood on my sockets.

Okay more about me. I just love infants and toddlers being a dominant person. If I ever got out I would dominate you. You would love me dominating you and I will make you wear your cross dress. I want you to fantasize what I would do to your body. Psychologist have said I have an unnatural ability to get people in my evil web and have the ability to serve me they are like my little prey. One psychologist said I was like a fish man I would bait my victims then when I hook them I would reel them like a fish out of water.

I love to destroy a boy, man or girl or woman I love to take there morals and self pride out of the male or female.

So you like to cross-dress and be a drag queen and pretend you are a female slut a drag queen that sounds great you would make a great decoy for young boys to fuck.

Do you like to dress like a girl if I got out I would turn you into a transgender I would cut off your penis and flip it inside out I've done that to men before.

Yes I would love to have a photo of you in Drag and as a boy. You should send me a picture of you in bra and panties and take picture of you bend over showing me your cute ass and lying on your stomach on your bed. I would love to have you on your hands and knees like a dog. I have enclosed a photo of me and a guy who visited me my birthday is January 3rd.

No I do not have a cellmate I am known as the asshole bandit. I was raping my cell mates only a few escaped from being sodomy by me and be my prison wife.

Yes you should tattoo my face on your thigh even better you should tattoo my face on your stomach then men can see my face and they dominate you and put my Prison number under it but it's your body you can put it anywhere you want...

I had a former pen pal who had serial killer tattoos on his body he added me to his collection.

Boy you need (?) cuz the gorgeous picture of you when you were young. How old were you in that picture you sent me? No wonder you were molested a young age because you are way too gorgeous to be straight you needed that cock in you at that age. I would have dominated you. I would have taken your boy Hood. I would have shown you your true sexual calling. I would have made you have so much pain I would shove objects in your anal hole then I will make you lick your own shit. I would give you're young anal hole a tongue bath. Any kind you drink juice, milk. ect. I would pee in your drink make you drink it. I would mix my shit in your food make you get on your hands and knees and make you eat your shit inside the food like a dog. I would Make you suck a dog's dick then I would have the dog fuck you. You would lick the dogs asshole after he took a shit. Even if the dog took a shit in public I would make you eat it in public. I would cut your tongue out so you could deep throat man's dick better. I would make urine ice cream for you to slowly suck on and urine popsicles and I would feel your baby bottle help with urine for you to drink and put you in diapers.

You would sleep on me and I would lick your feet never be treated like a human I would treat you like the piece of shit you are. I was living with my friend's wife we lived in an apartment complex we meet a single woman with 7 year girls. Outside there was a swimming pool we had a swimming pool. Where I lived didn't have a swimming pool where they came and visit. Her daughter had a sexy body short hair and a nice petite butt cheek hair one-piece bathing suit was super tight it didn't leave much to my imagination. I love the shape of her swimsuit is shirt off her amazing butt cheeks and it shows off the shape of her pussy.

We had two cats they had kittens. She love to play with their kittens. When she bent over to play with the kittens. Her swimsuit would show off her butt cheeks. She even look good in a dress. One day her mother and my wife was outside she also brought the kitten over to play with her brother and sister.

I lured her into the bedroom and I put her on her knees and force her mouth open and put my dick head in her mouth. It felt so good in her sweet mouth. When her mother called her name I said your daughter cara answer you but she has a mouth full of dick. Her mother said come right now or you'll be late for school.

I pulled my dick out of her mouth told her not to tell her mother or I'll take your kitten back.

Couldn't wait for the opportunity to get her sweet pussy and molest her sweet body. The palm of my hand sweating I wanted to eat out her sweet innocent body. I was drooling my tongue wanted to give her a nice slow tongue bath.

The opportunity came to molest her on the 4th of July Fourth of July BBQ at the complex. She was going swimming in our pool. I told her she had to ask her mother. Her mother did not want her swim by herself I told her mother I would swim with her. (????) her bathing suit. I would eat out my swimming trunks. And waited for my prey. When she came into the apartment I found her out of the pool boy sweet but moving so sexy in her bathing suit.

When we got into the pool I couldn't keep my eyes off her sexy body I swimmed by her looking at her petite butt cheeks I was whispering come play with me.

When she started floating on her back showing me that sweet treasure hidden between her legs we got out of the pool. I dried her off and pick her up take her to my bedroom. And slow strip her out her bathing suit then I laid her nude on her stomach. Then I licked call legs up to her butt cheeks and I licked out her petite butthole. Then I went and got some lubrication (?) jelly to lubricate her tight virgin butthole. I lubricated all my fingers then I slowly penetrate her tight butthole I could only get my little and her rotate the finger she was crying I said suffer you little bitch. Then I laid next to her and put her pussy over my mouth. And I ate her out. When her pussy filll my mouth it tastes like sweet delicious honey. Then I laid her on her but in some pussy did her butt. I put my finger deep in her pussy and rotated it I could leave her hymen intact I find a pin and slide it in her until it reached through hymen then I put her on her knees and masturbate in her mouth.

Her mother got a job so she gave her daughter the key to the apartment to let herself in home from school so when the daughter come home from school and my wife was ar work I would train her to be a prostitute.

We had a small collection a video games we had a (?) arcade I would take her tube video game she would wear a long dress but I would change her into a mini skirt and nude under it.

When she stand a boy to play the game she would bend over like I taught her I could see a piece of her butt cheek. One day I seen the man trying to peep under her dress I walked over I said that's my daughter when dress you thing under then I said she is available to please you sexually. She is a nice piece of ass. She will drive you crazy in bed then I found out he own the arcade i take him i take her into office and have some fun I paid her her pussy and butthole you read her one video for everything take video of her clothes he agreed to do everything to her he was her first John. I pimped her out until she was 8 years old under the sweat mother's nose and under my wife.

Well my love I'll close for now.

Love,

Phillip

XO XO XO XO