#anyway I’m glad you like my Jack design !

[berlingotesque]

I love your art‼️‼️ ITS SO YUMMY AND PRETTY AND NOMIE

Could you draw Jack? I really like your Jack design‼️‼️

If not thats fine hehrhe 😋

HIHI THANK YOU SO MUCH MY GUY 🤭

Also done and done !

[justmeinadaze]

I Have Nothing (If I Don't Have You) (Steddie X You)

A/N: Like I said last week, I was watching the music video for "Queen of the Night" by Whitney Houston from the soundtrack of this movie and it gave me this Steddie idea.

I have a few ideas I can take this! I seriously love protective Steddie. Probably something to do with my PTSD and need to feel safe lol Anyway... I hope you enjoy it! I dedicate this to @unfocused81 <3

Warnings: No smut (yet😈) but angst for sure. Security Steddie and Singer female reader. It is mentioned that Y/N does drink excessively and do drugs. Her boyfriend is a douchebag and assaults her (mentions of smacking and grabbing her, yelling at her, and calling her names) that results in Steddie intervening. There is also a bit of a riot at one of shows that they protect her from (kind of like that scene in the movie where people jump on stage and chaos ensues).

I wouldn't really call this dark themes but reader definitely has some things going on and is struggling a lot right now.

Work count: 5906

“What kind of security work have you guys done before?” 

Your manager leans against the outside of his desk as he continues to scan through the messages on his phone.

“Oh, um, we’ve done a lot before for the bar in our town and most recently a rock band in—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”, the manager cuts Steve off as he speaks. “That’s all well and good. Look, I’m going to level with you. This is essentially expensive babysitting. Y/N is a handful. Our last security detail quit when her last party at her house caused a riot in the streets of LA.”

“A riot?”, Eddie turned to his friend and raised an eyebrow inquisitively. 

The guy sets his phone down, sighing with impatience. “Yes. Obviously, you two don’t read or watch the news…which is good. Saves me the headache. Now, do you want the job or not?”

Both boys glance at each other before looking towards the man again. “Um, yeah sure. I mean it pays, right?”

“That’s the spirit. Ok, she’s at the studio downstairs right now recording…or at least that’s what she’s supposed to be doing. Go introduce yourselves. Glad to have you aboard.”, he rolls his eyes as he shoos them out of his office.

“Steve are you sure about this?”, Eddie asks as they head for the elevator. 

“Yeah. Come on, Munson. This is our ticket to high-rate clients and more money! We can handle one little girl.”

As soon as they get off on the right floor, they are met with extremely loud music and giggles from the studio room. A tall, lanky kid leans back in his chair extending his hand to greet both boys. 

“Hey, are ya’ll the security? I’m Devon. She’s in there ‘getting inspired’.” Their eyes follow his finger as he points behind the glass where you and some of your friends were strewn around the floor. “Good luck, gentlemen.”, he sings. 

Both men carefully tip toe around arms and legs to find you with your eyes closed, a half smirk painted across your lips. 

“Uh, Miss Y/L/N? I’m Steve Harrington and this is Eddie Munson. We’re your new personal security guards.”

“Hmm…sounds sexy.”, you slur. Your glassy, drug fueled eyes look up to meet theirs. “At least Jack hired some good-looking ones this time. Who is who?”

“Maybe, if you stood up and actually greeted us, you would have heard who is who the first time.”, Eddie chided. 

Your eyes fully open as your head tilts in his direction. No one ever had the balls to scold you like that since you became famous. It was usually “Yes ma’am” this or “Anything you want, ma’am. We’ll make it happen.”. Rising to your feet, you fully take them in through your haze. 

They both were attractive especially with that air of confidence you hadn’t seen in a long time. Your current boyfriend was cocky but definitely not confident. Everyone else around you seemed so fucking timid and you hated it. 

“Eddie. Steve.”, Steve repeated, pointed to his friend then himself. 

He was dressed head to toe in what you would call “conventional” clothes; nothing designer or anything to make him stand out. You could tell under the button up white, short sleeve shirt that he did have muscles that could protect you physically if need be. The jeans and sneakers he donned didn’t give you any new information that could tell you something about him except he probably didn’t make a whole lot of money. 

Eddie was more or less the same with a much more grunge fashion sense that, to you, he pulled off well. You pointed to his Metallica t-shirt with your finger. 

“My music isn’t like theirs. It might make your ears bleed.”

“As long as I can still see you and see you’re safe, I think I’ll survive.”

He’s quick witted. I like that…

“Ok. We’ll give it a try. Tomorrow, you’ll meet me at my house and I can tell you more about what you’ll be doing.”

***

“Steven Harrington, have you read half this stuff?”, Eddie sighs as he leans forward and places his elbows on his knees as he points at things on his laptop.

“She’s been arrested twice; once for possession and another for disorderly conduct where she was found having sex with someone while she was drunk in public. The cops have been called to her house multiple times due to, honestly, take your fucking pick. Her boyfriend was arrested just last week for sucker punching one of her fans for ‘getting too close’. How are we supposed to protect someone who invites all this chaos into her life.”

“I don’t know, Ed. The same way you protect anyone I guess.”, Steve leans back on the couch as he takes a sip from his bottle of beer. “Again, this is just a steppingstone. I’m sure after a few months of handling her, any number of high value agencies will want to hire us. WHICH MEANS…”, he glances towards Eddie. “…you need to control your Dom voice.”

The metalhead chuckles as he leans back as well. “It’s going to be hard with a fucking brat like her. Dude, she didn’t even have the common courtesy to say hello.”

“I know… I know… but just, try. For me?”

#########

It takes you awhile to open the door when they knock but when you finally do, you look completely hung over. 

“Yeah, come…come in. Do you want something to drink? Jack? Vodka? I have them all.”

“It’s 10am.”, Steve responds as he looks at his watch. 

You raise an eyebrow at him before heading for the kitchen and grabbing the whole bottle of Jack Daniels. “If you’re boring, Eddie. Just say that.”

“Steve. I’m Steve.”

“Right now, I don’t care—”

“We can tell.”, Eddie growls.

You blink as you look up at him. You’ve never wanted to toy with a man so bad in your life. He wasn’t even trying to hide that your disrespect was bothering him and honestly you couldn’t get enough. 

“I’m sorry, gentlemen. I don’t do mornings. Unfortunately, my manager insists on scheduling interviews for me that require me to up at this ungodly hour.” They watch you as you slump onto the couch and throw your arm over your eyes. “So, how much did Jack tell you?”

“Uh, just the basics. We watch out for you.”

“Good. It’s just following me around and making sure I don’t get swarmed or murdered. I’ll give you guys a key to my house before you leave today and when I stay at hotels I’ll do the same. You’ll most likely be staying in the same room as me anyway so…”

The sound of banging on your front door makes you cringe. “I guess I’ll get it.”, Eddie sighs as Steve’s eyes follow him. “Your makeup people are here, your highness.”

A big grin spreads across your face as you turn your head to look over at them. “I like him. Steven, you need to start stepping it up or he’ll become my favorite.”

The metalhead lazily glances towards his friend with playful wide eyes. “Well, lucky me.”

***

As snotty as your attitude was, they couldn’t deny how beautiful you were especially after your prep team was done putting you together. The makeup hid all damage you had done to yourself the night before and the outfit they had you in sexily showed off all your curves. Your eyes shifted to them, watching them as they looked around.

“No one is going to shoot me in here, boys.”

“Hm. You never know.”, Eddie exhales as he points to things. “Someone could come in through that back door behind you or because no one checks any of these people’s IDs, someone could sneak in pretending to be a hair stylist and take you out like that.”, he snaps his fingers. 

“Bags that hold all the beauty and camera equipment are big enough to hold even a rifle let alone a handgun. That’s implying someone would want to shoot you instead of stabbing or blowing you up.”, Steve followed. 

“Wow. Just charming.”

“It’s our job, Miss Y/L/N.”

“I think due to the circumstances you can call me Y/N.”, you grin. 

The producer gets your attention, walking you through the questions that would be asked and how the interview would go. The boys watched you in amazement as your personality practically changed when the camera went live. No one would ever be able to tell what you did behind the scenes or any other narrative then the one you provided. 

An hour later and after many questions, the interview ended and your face fell. 

“God, I need a drink.”

“Can we at least go over the tour first?”, your manager whined. 

“Baby!”

You excitedly got up and ran to your boyfriend’s arms. “Simon!”

Everyone in the room cringed at the heavy smacking sounds that left you two as he continued to sloppily kiss your lips. 

“Who are the new guys?”

“Babe, these are the new security guys. This is Eddie and Steve.”

They stand up to shake his hand but as Steve extends his palm the man looks down at it like the gesture was beneath him. “Yeah, listen boys, hands off, okay? She’s mine.”, you giggle as he slaps your ass.

“Come on, baby. I got a surprise for you.” You squeal as he lifts you over his shoulder and carries you towards your bedroom. 

“Y/N! We still have things to go over!”, Jack shouts as the door closes loudly. 

#########

“I want to go home, Steven. It’s 2am and they’ve been fucking in there all god damn day. At this point we shouldn’t have a client anymore because he killed her by not giving her any food or fucking water. It definitely won’t be due to her climaxing because I haven’t heard that happen yet.”

“We can’t leave until he does.”, Steve sighs. “Or she dismisses us for the evening.”

As if on cue, Simon saunters past them into the kitchen, casually opening your fridge, and begins chugging from a jug of orange juice. “Um, I’m pretty sure you two can leave. She’s not even here.”

“What?!”

“Yeah, I’m assuming she climbed out the window after I crashed. She does that to escape the security teams. It’s kind of a rite of passage honestly.”

“Where would she go?”, Eddie growls. 

“Um, there’s a bar about a mile up the road. She likes to walk there for some reason.”

***

“So, pretty lady. Do you want to come back to my place tonight?”

“Ugh, no. Get off me. I just want to drink in peace.”

“Oh, come on, honey.”, the man slurred. 

“Hey! The lady said no.”, Steve’s voice echoed through the bar as he starred the man down. “Leave. Now.”

The patron held up his hands defensively, staggering back towards his table. 

“Come on, Y/N. Time for you to go home.”, Eddie motioned for the bartender to stop serving you as the other boy reached into your purse to pay him. 

“You’re my security. Not my fucking dad. I can stay here and drink if I want.”

“You’re at a bar in a nightie, shorts, and flip flops at 2 in the morning. It’s a safety concern.”

“Oh shit.”, you giggle. “I am in my nightie.” Steve roughly grips your arm and tugs you out the door towards his car. “Let me go, you fucking dick.”

A switch flips in the man’s brain; he can’t help it. For the past couple of days, he’s tolerated your disrespect but like Eddie, he hated it. They both could handle a lot but you were pushing them too far. Still holding onto your wrist, he twirls you towards the vehicle till your back hits the door. 

“Now, listen here because I’m only going to say this once. We’ve handled the tone and the blatant disregard for what we do but it ends now. Our job is to keep you safe not fucking babysit some spoiled, rich washed-up singer. This is the last time you pull a stunt like this; do you understand me?” 

Steve’s body was so close to yours you could feel his angry breath fanning your face. It had been ages since someone put you in your place like this and you’d be lying if you didn’t say you were a bit turned on. A new feeling washed over you though as your eyes scanned his face. For the first time since you entered this industry, you actually felt safe. 

They weren’t afraid to be blunt with you which compared to everyone else in your life was a nice reprieve. You knew 90% of the people in your life, given the chance, would sell you out in a heartbeat but would still stand there and tell you how perfect you were. 

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?” Eddie’s voice startled you, completely unaware he was standing beside you with his hands in his pockets, glaring down at you with those same angry eyes. 

“Yes, I understand.”

“Good. Now get in the car.” 

#############

That following morning, they half expected to be fired but were surprised when you opened the front door as soon as they knocked. 

“We have to go to the studio first and then I have to get ready for the gig tonight.”, you mumbled as you swished around them, trying to get in the backseat of his car to no avail. “Can you open the door…please?”

Eddie caught it in your tone first…something wasn’t right and it had nothing to do with them. 

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Can we just…”, you gesture towards the car.

“HEY! When you get back tonight make sure it’s with a better fucking attitude!”, Simon yells from your front door. 

“Well maybe I won’t come back, you free loading mama’s boy!”

“Stupid bitch should learn how to talk to a man.”, he muttered under his breath as he slammed the door shut.

Steve and Eddie exchange a look before the metalhead speaks to you. “Is that something we need to handle?”

“No. He’s just being a fucking prick.”

He opens your door and you slowly slide in before both men do the same. As the car begins to move, Steve keeps checking on you in his rearview mirror. Your sunglass covered eyes remain focused on the window as you stare out into the California streets. 

“I’m sorry about yesterday. About leaving and keeping you guys out late when you didn’t have to. Simon just pissed me off and…”

“Does he talk to you like that often?”

“No. Sometimes he’s an asshole.” You flash them a sassy smirk that grows when you see Eddie try and hide his own at your sarcasm. “He’s just…hot headed, you know? He’s been through a lot.”

“And you haven’t?”

Your eyes swivel to Steve before glancing down at your hands. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

“He shouldn’t be talking to you like that, Y/N.”

“Yeah, well, neither should I so…”

“Just because you have an attitude doesn’t mean you deserve to be treated like trash. Maybe you just need someone stronger who can handle it and not take it personally.”

“Oh? And who would that be, Steve? You?”

“Aw, Munson, that’s cute. She thinks we can’t handle her.”

“Y/N, sweetheart, we’ve dealt with worse than you.”, he smiles as he turns around in his seat. “It’s you that can’t handle us. Thankfully though we aren’t in a relationship so we’ll never get to find out.”

“I never say never, gentlemen.”

****

After going over the tour dates, everything you would be doing, and everything you need, your next stop was the venue you would be performing at tonight. 

Eddie cringed as the feedback of the mic echoed around the building.

“Hey! Try plugging it into the correct port!” The young man shrugged his shoulders causing the metalhead to go over and show the boy what he was doing wrong.

“Let me guess? Rock and Roll drummer in a Metallica cover band?”, you grin at him as the mic starts picking up your voice perfectly. 

“Guitarist and our own band, not a cover band.”

“What about you, Steve? Are you musically inclined?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“What are you good at?”

“Babysitting.”, he raised his eyebrow in your direction making your smile grow. 

As the additional security from the venue finally arrived, you watched with fascination as the guys took on a more authoritative tone, telling each person where they would need to be. Time slowly dwindled till it was about twenty minutes before the show. You began pacing as you shook out your preshow jitters.

“Hey, they say they are ready for you to head towards the stage.”

You jumped at the sound of Steve’s voice. “Goddamn it! Okay, fucking thank you!” His eyes narrowed in your direction as he came in and closed the door behind him. “Can I help you with anything else?!”

“Are you alright?”

“Jesus fucking Christ, you’re not my father, Steven, or my friend. Get the fuck out! I’ll be right out!”

The boy bites his bottom lip as he nods his head. “Yes ma’am.” As he starts to open the door, he pauses turning to face you again. “You look really beautiful, by the way. Your voice is amazing. Eddie and I have actually never heard any of your songs before today. This will be our first concert. I’m excited to see it.” 

Your wide, glassy eyes turn to look at him as he slowly begins to close the door again. 

“Steve! Thank you…”

##########

That night you gave it your all and then some. Occasionally, you would glance down at the bottom of the stage watching as Steve and Eddie’s demeanor remained focused on the task at hand. Sometimes, however, you would notice a foot tap to the beat or a head would bob to your lyrics. If this was the first time they were attending a Y/N concert, you wanted them to enjoy it and show them what you bring to the entertainment table. 

So many people when you were starting out told you that you would never make it. That your dream of becoming a singer was a pipe dream for people with “actual talent”. Since day one you always felt like you had to prove yourself, hell, even before you started singing. In your house growing up you felt like you had to fight to be seen. 

Once you crossed that threshold, everything came easier but you never stopped fighting. Fighting the fear of being nothing again, the knowledge that everyone in your circle just wanted a piece of you and what you earned. Fighting to keep everyone happy including yourself. The alcohol and drugs helped immensely or at least that’s what you believed. You thought it helped numb your brain and the pain so you could just get through every day. 

When Eddie sassed you in the studio, you knew he was different. For a while you couldn’t get a read on Steve until that night outside of the bar. The fact that neither of them had asked you to hear their demo tape or hit on you was already a point in their favor but they genuinely seemed to want to protect you so you wanted to return the favor in some way, your voice.

When the concert ended, they snuck a peak at you. Eddie was never a fan of the type of music you sang but he couldn’t deny that what you did sing went straight to his heart. Steve noticed that while you sang, it was like you transported to a different place. You seemed calmer and more in tune with yourself, making you seem more confident than when you weren’t. 

This was the first time since they met you that you genuinely seemed happy. 

Something in the atmosphere changed. Maybe it was too many booze served at the bar or just the energy of the evening but people in the crowd started chanting for an encore. You were exhausted having gone longer on your set then you were supposed to already. You gave the crowd your best smile, thanking them for coming out, and telling them how much you loved their support. 

A fan jumped on to the stage and Eddie was quick to pull him back down. Panic set in as you watched the crowd start to fight with each other and the security team jump into action. The metalhead was in front of you and you hastily gripped his arm as he scanned the area trying to find Steve. 

“Harrington?!”

After tapping his shoulder, you pointed to the corner near a wall where you saw the boy in a fist fight of his own. Eddie pushed you towards the side of the stage behind a curtain.

“Don’t move! I’ll be right back, ok?!”, he shouted over the chaos as you gave him a firm nod. 

You watched as he jumped off the platform, running to pull the man off his friend and shoving him to where you were hiding. Steve didn’t even hesitate as he lifted you into his arms and they both ran down the hallway. They didn’t stop until they reached their car and placed you in the back seat, him climbing in with you as Eddie sped away. 

“Wait…what about Jack…and everyone else?”

“No. We have to get you out and away from the building especially during a scene like that.” Steve searched through his jacket pocket for a tissue, placing it against his nose when he finally finds one. 

“Are-are you okay?”

“Yeah. Fucking asshole got me good.”

About a mile down the road, Eddie parked the car into a gas station and got out to check you both over. “What happened, Harrington? Let someone get the best of you?”, Eddie chuckled. 

“Dude, they cornered me so fast especially after I pulled him off of the venue’s security guy.”

“Did I do that? Did I do something wrong?” Their head swivel around to look at your frightened frame. “Th-that’s never happened before…I-I-I…”

“Hey, hey, hey Y/N. It’s ok. You didn’t do anything wrong. I seriously think it was just…”, Eddie shrugs. “Beer and a packed in place. People just being…too rowdy. It happens but that’s what we’re here for.”

The man throws his arms up in surprise when you suddenly tackle him, wrapping your arms around his waist as you press your head into his chest. 

“Thank you…so much.” You let him go as you turn to give Steve a hug as well. “I’m so sorry you got hurt.”

When you started to pull back, his arms came down to hold you to him. “Hey, better me than you.”, he gently sighs, “Come on. Let’s get you home.”

#######

“Oh my god! What the fuck happened?! Baby, are you okay?” Simon ran to you from his place on your couch as you and the guys entered your house. 

“The concert ended a bit roughly but I’m ok. Really…”

“Isn’t it your job to fucking protect her!?”

“Yes and we did that.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?! Look at her! She’s a mess and she’s shaking!” Your boyfriend charged up to Steve who glared down at him as he continued to yell in his face.”

“Simon, leave them alone. Please, I just want to get this crap off and go to bed.”

Eddie gripped his friend’s arm as he spoke to you. “Is there anything else you need, Y/N? Do you feel safe enough for us to leave and let you rest?”

“Of course, she fucking does. I can take care of her.”

Your eyes met theirs as you nodded. “Thank you.”

“We’ll talk to Jack and everyone in the morning.” The metalhead tugs at Steve forcing him to back down from your boyfriend. He flashes you one more cursory glance before turning around and leaving you for the night. 

###########

“You boys did good last night. I don’t know what happened but you knew what to do.” Jack gave them a smile as he nodded his head in approval. “Please keep up that vigilance next week when we go on tour. I think—”

“Wait. You’re still doing the tour next week?”

Your manager looked at Eddie in confusion. “Yes? Why wouldn’t we?”

“I mean…she just went through a pretty traumatic event. I couldn’t imagine getting back up on a stage immediately after something like that.”

“Yeah, well, your security not a musician so—”

“I actually am but whatever.”

Jack sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as speaks to you. “Do you feel like you need more time?”

You didn’t even hear the man’s question. Since they picked you up and brought you to your managers office, you had been uncharacteristically quiet. You were thinking about everything including what transpired last night. It WAS incredibly scary but they did pull through and keep you safe. Not only did they look after you but each other; you appreciated that loyalty. 

Now as Eddie defended you, thinking of your well-being, you felt yourself spiraling at the action. No one cared about you this much and they barely even knew you. What was their end game? What made them tick? What made them this way? Was it genuine or was it just their jobs?

“Y/N!”

“Huh? Oh, um, I mean…a week would be fine…especially if I can just rest…”

“Yeah, sure, whatever.”, Jack responded in a nonchalant tone. “Go ahead and take the week but be back here on Thursday so we can go over everything.”

You nod as you head out of the office with your protectors in tow. “Hey, um, did you guys want to go get some lunch or something?”

***

“So, why security?”, you ask as you bite into your burger.

“Like Steve said, I mean, we’re good at it.”

“Well, good at protecting people. Security work just allows us to get paid for it.”, the man smiles as he takes a sip from his drink. 

“And you two have been friends for a while?”

“Since high school.”

“And where was that exactly?”

“You’re asking a lot of questions, sweetheart. Can I ask why?”, Eddie playfully narrows his eyes in your direction making you smile. 

“I just…you two are very different then people we usually hire. I just want to know more about you.”

“Different how?”, Steve asks.

“I don’t know. You just seem to genuinely care.”

“If the people around you don’t genuinely care then you need to hire some new people.”

“Yeah, well, that’s hard to find in this industry.” You reach in your purse and raise a flask in their direction as you pour a bit into your coffee.

“Is that why you do things like that?”, Eddie gestures towards you drink. 

“No, baby. I do things like this to keep me from going insane.”

“How about you do the healthy thing and stand up for yourself?”

You angerly turn your attention to Steve. “I can stand up for myself.”

“Oh? Is that why you let your manager, boyfriend, and entourage talk down to you the way they do?”

“Go fuck yourself, alright?! Look, I can stick up for myself and say what’s on my mind. For example, you two are complete fucking assholes.”, you growl. “I’m done eating. I want to go home.”

Eddie smirks as the other boy sighs. “Such a whiney, spoiled brat. I swear.” The metalhead pulls out his wallet, throwing money on the table as they both get to their feet. “Your highness.”, he gestures towards the front door. 

“I’m not whiney or spoiled. I worked hard to get here and I’m not going to let you or anyone talk to me like that.”

“Yet you do.”, Steve retorts as he opens the back door to his car. You roughly reach across, slamming it shut. “I thought you wanted to go home.”

“Apologize to me.”

“For what? Pointing out the obvious? Frankly, I don’t get why you have such a low opinion of yourself. You’re beautiful, talented, and you have such a gorgeous voice yet you pump yourself with poison and let these people take advantage of you. Why?”

You exhale as you look towards the ground. “I can handle it.”

“You say that a lot.” Eddie folds his arms on top of the car as he leans onto his hands. 

“Because I can.”

“By getting wasted?”

“My personal life is none of your fucking concern.”, you growl. 

“You’re right.” Steve opens the back door again and this time you climb in. “You just seem like you deserve better.”

##########

“I swear, man, that girl is going to get us killed. Or put in prison after WE kill her.”, Eddie chuckles from his place on the sofa. 

“I kind of like her.” The metalhead coyly raises his eyebrow at his friend. “Oh, come on, like you don’t?”, Steve sighs as he leans back against the couch. “There’s something hidden under all that sass and alcohol…I saw it when she was singing. I’d love to get to know that part of her better.”

Eddie grinned as he reached for his phone, smile fading when he saw the ID. 

“Hello. This is Eddie Munson.”

“E-Eddie? I, um, I think—FUCK YOU! —I need help.”

“You stupid bitch! Open this fucking door right fucking now!”

Eddie ross to his feet, tugging at Steve’s arm as he searched for his keys. “Where are you?”

“I-I’m in my bedroom. Simon and I got into a fight and-and he’s wasted. Pl-please…I’m scared. He’s never been this angry.”

Steve had already started the car, speeding towards your house. “Hey, it’s ok, sweetheart. We’re on the way, alright? Just stay on the phone with me, ok?”

“I’m sorry I was so mean to you guys today. Fuck… you two seem s-so different. I-I just…”

“Y/N don’t even worry about that right now. Everything’s going to be alright. We’re almost there.”

“You think you’re so high and mighty! Think you can talk to me anyway you want to! Fuck you, you fucking slut! Open the door, Y/N!”

“Oh, sure! You fuck all the groupies and fans that show up to my concerts but I’m the fucking slut!”

“Y/N, stop engaging. Talk to me.” There’s a loud crash and a squeak from your side as the line cuts off. “Steve…hurry.”

Five minutes later, they are bursting through your front door, running towards your bedroom where they hear your boyfriend shouting. Steve tackles him to the floor subduing him with his knee in his back. 

“Get the fuck off me!”

“Stop moving. You’re lucky I don’t fucking shoot you, asshole.”

“Y/N?”, Eddie softly called your name as you continued to cower in the corner with your head tucked into your arms. “Princess, everything is ok. I’m going to touch your arm.” You jump when his fingers graze your skin but you allow him to guide you to your feet. “There we go. Good girl. You’re doing so good. Can you look at me so I can check you out here?”

Your lips trembled as you faced him, his eyes slowly growing dark with fury as he scanned you over. Your face was red from your tears but he could also see where Simon had smacked your cheek. You had bruises that were starting to form on your arms where he must have grabbed you. 

“I’ll call the police and EMS.”, he grumbled trying to contain his anger. 

“No! No EMS. Please…I don’t need those pictures or attention.”

“But I do of me being pushed into a fucking cop car.”, Simon spat. 

Steve grabbed his hair and hit his head into the carpet. “Shut. Up.” His eyes meet yours as he speaks in a much gentler tone. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, um, I have a first aid kit here and all that so I’m fine.”

*** 

The police came by and took Simon away after taking everyone’s statements. Eddie and Steve took care of almost everything which you immensely appreciated. After everyone left, you expected them to as well but as your front door closed, you found you weren’t the only one on the other side. 

“I’m going to see if I can get your bedroom door back on its hinges.”, Eddie turned the corner to head down your hallway as Steve followed. 

You tiptoe after them, watching them with bewilderment as the metalhead got to work and Steve began straightening up the things Simon had damaged.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” They both froze, straightening up to look at you. “Why…why are you so nice to me? I’m such a fucking bitch to you. According to you, I’m a bratty, spoiled, washed up singer. WHY are you doing this?!”, you gesture around the room. 

They glanced at each other and after a few minutes it was Steve who finally spoke. “How should we be? Hm? Should we be like him? Do you think you deserve to be treated like this, Y/N?”

Their voices and demeanor completely changed in the moment; talking to you like a little girl who had just run into your parent’s room crying about a monster under her bed. 

“Sweetheart, NO ONE deserve to be treated like this. You didn’t trigger this. What he just did…isn’t your fault. You did the right thing calling us here. Now what kind of protectors would we be if we left you here alone with your house like this?”

You broke, sobbing almost uncontrollably as your hands covered your face. Strong hands tenderly grabbed your biceps, pulling you into a chest as you wrapped your arms around his back. Another palm delicately petted your head and for the first time in your life, you had never felt safer.

Stepping back, you wipe your eyes, glancing up to see Eddie’s kind, worry filled orbs running over your face as Steve stood beside him doing the same.

“Can, um, can we worry about this tomorrow and you stay here with me tonight?” 

“Yeah, we can stay here, honey. Do you have another room you can sleep in? I don’t think tomorrow morning you should open your eyes and this is the first thing you see.”

“I have a guest bedroom down the hall here.”

“Good because I agree with Steve. We can sleep on the couches out here and—”

“Can you sleep with me?”, you interrupt, your question startling both men. “I-I-I mean, you don’t have to. I just… I’m still a bit scared. I’m…forget about it.”

Eddie grabbed your hand as you started to walk away. 

“We can do that for you. If that’s what you want.” You nod your head to his statement, watching him closely as his eyes shift from security Eddie to something you had never seen before in any man. Whatever it was it made you feel weak in the knees. His fingers reached out to brush a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “Can you say it?”

“I-I want you two to sleep…in my bed…with me. Please.” That last word comes out almost in a whisper, pleading with them to stay. 

Steve’s fingers softly caress your cheek before gliding under your chin, turning you to face him. He had that same look Eddie had, that air of confidence you remembered seeing when you first met them but more dominate. 

“Good girl.”

[sillyscred]

Omg omg omg omg I love your DSaF designs!! I am very fond of DSaF and I forgot I followed you snd you have graced my feed again i thank you

anyways hello ! I’m known as the 🌘🕷 (nightmare) Anon!

(I’m not a nightmare I promise bless you want me to make you sad abt Dsaf)

also it might just be me but your Jack and dave seem like the kid of guys that spent 3000 at a casino in Vegas, lost it all and went to the slot machines with another 3000 and said “oh well, what else are we gonna buy with it? Food?”

Hello, Nightmare Anon... "Graced" is a strong word, but I humbly accept it! I'm really glad people are enjoying my content! Thanks for the ask, I love the interaction. And I'm stoked you like my designs! These two DEFINITELY would have some spending problems at Vegas. With their combined two marbles and a green thumbtack for brains, they're not good at managing finances whatsoever. Ghh.. Oh well, at least they know how to have fun! They are my two favorite party animals.

[elfiaa]

Omg!! I haven’t posted in a while huh?? Anyways, this post will be an art dump (filler) while I recover from a writers block 🫶

A bunch of art will be W.I.P’s, art I’ve made for friends, doodles, etc

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

Completed:

A character sheet of my I sort for Our Life: Always and Forever by GB Patch Games (MY REAL ONES SINCE DAY ONE ILY 😫🫶🫶)

Their visual novels are so well written, and you can definitely tell how well their games are made, so definitely check the, out!! In this drawing, my insert is a child, as there is only a demo of their new game released.

Cutieliscous yummy nerd boy blushing his brains out 😍‼️‼️ (Idia Shroud)

A drawing of Jack howl that I started months earlier that I’ve just recently finished(goals 🔥🔥)

WIP’S:

She’s a Genshin insert i made, I’m not sure what to do with her now that I don’t play the game much🙁 I named her Mari (ik, so original...!) and I designed her character to be about light and life. Her character corresponds with the next character, who im going to Name Ezra for the sake of not confusing anyone.

She’s a hydro polearm user, and is usually found in Sumeru and Liyue. She frequents any gardens or botanical areas found by Ezra, and is usually baking or doing other domestic things for her friends. Def the type to make her fighting really graceful tbh..She’s the more friendly one of the two, and is seen more frequently in public compared to the other.

Another genshin oc (😭😭). I made it that he was a sort of god or spirit of death. As l said before, his name is Ezra. I wanted him and Mari to appear as polar opposites, but actually be really close. Almost sort of a yin yang type of thing. He's more of a shut in, and can be found looking after the plants & wildlife for Mari while she is gone.

I Imagined he would be an electro swords user, but I never actually got into his character as much as I'd like to. As said before, Mari likes to bake) & is found baking for her friend frequently. His favorite dish of hers is the flan, and in return for making him food, he looks out for the animals & special plants she is especially fond of. He's never seen by the public, as some have said that seeing his true appearance drive even the purest souls mad (so edgy!!! & emo 😍!!)

He’s also naked in like all of the drawings I have of him since I never came up with a costume design for him or anything

My twisted prefect and Ruggie bc I’m in love with that furry and that furry only!!! (Tbh during this time was when my art was at its peak, but this one just wasn’t it..😣)

Doodles:

Mari + Lisa because she’s always been my favorite librarian lady 😘😘

I was being artsy don’t hold this against me

SOMEDAY,THIS COULD B THIS COULD B ORDINARYY😫😫!!

They’re real idc what you have to say…

This one’s for sure crappy so, I’m sorry for that :((

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

Anyways if you sat through and read silly comment after comment of this post then I’m glad, I’m happy when people enjoy my content, so likes comments and reposts are appreciated ^^❤️

With that, I hope you’ve had a good day today, and I hope you have one tomorrow, and the days following that!! Look out for a new post coming soon 👀👀

-Mari

[sequinsmile-x]

I just wanted to say I loved allegiance!!! Emily and Elizabeth’s relationship is so interesting and you portrayed it so well. Also Ivy saying she could never imagine not talking to Emily just filled my heart with joy! I was wondering what’s your timeline for young hotchniss in this one and in your other fics. I love young hotchniss but I never really understood the timeline like hotch is a prosecutor before he worked for Elizabeth but Emily is away for college when he works for her mother but they only have a 5 year age gap according to google. Even if Emily was in her final year he would only be 27 which is only 2 years out of law school. How the heck was he a fully practicing prosecutor in that time to then realize he wanted to work for the FBI. I mean if Emily was working on her masters or something it would make a bit more sense I guess but I’m still not sure. Sorry to dump all that on you but your kinda the designated hotchniss expert in my opinion. Until I checked ao3 I kinda forgot other people write hotchniss apart from you lol. Anyway sorry for the rant I just want to say I loved the fic and love hotchniss especially the way you write them!!!!

Thank you so much I'm so glad you liked the fic!

I was very careful in Allegiance not to mention him being a prosecutor because it didn't really fit the timeline, but in general in any of my fics I'll make Aaron anything from 5-7 years older than Emily, young hotchniss or not, to try to allow for the extra time in his career etc.

Ultimately, Aaron would have had to have been a very busy man in his career and gone to law school, immediately got a job, was a prosecutor for a hot minute and then switched to the FBI to work his way up. It could be said thats why he waits until he's clearly in his late 30s/early 40s to have Jack.

The problem is canon because the continuity is terrible. I'm fairly sure Aaron has two birthdays named throughout the show, but one of them is listed as 2nd November 1971...which would actually make him a full year younger than Emily. Which makes NO SENSE.

And also Emily and Reid's birthdays are listed as the same day, but when they celebrate the fact it's his 30th no one mentions it's also Emily's 41st.

I genuinely think I make more effort to have continuity in my long fics/series than the writers did for the show haha

[chryzuree]

I’M IN SUCH A CHRYZUREJACKS MOOD RN… anything you have to share abt them at this time 🤲🤲🤲

GOD, I FEEL SO FERAL ABT THEM RN…. you always know precisely my mood (is always explicitly posting abt them…)

but like…. chryzurejacks is jst like chrysi has someone made for her by the universe itself and if she also had someone who she made for herself and they worshipped her. then it’s worship from knowing everything about her to worship from knowing nothing about her. then, on top of that, it’s like ohhhh, azure’s her soul. jacks is her heart. she’s their breath. fuck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lives interwoven in the stars by pure stubbornness because who else can understand each other but them!!! and their cringefail pathetic wet lap dogcat of a soulmate………

umm also also also, i’ve mentioned this, but azure is also immune to jacks’s kiss <3 makes me think of that one friends episode where one of the characters is like “WHERE IS MY NEW YEAR’S KISS!!!! I WANT TO BE KISSED!!!!!!” and then one of the other guys kisses him.. jacks wants to be kissed (by chrysi), but he’s being so fucking annoying that azure kisses him for her. jacks stands there in a daze like “?!!!???????!!!!!!” and then, later, he’s mad because azure’s a better kisser than him.

i like imagining them all curled up in the same bed together, jst basking in the morning sunlight coming in from the blinds :)) literally i have nothing else to add, jst azure pressed to chrysi’s side and jacks resting his head on her chest and chrysi stroking jacks’s head while leaning into azure…. it’s something i think abt to calm myself down!!

jackszure hangout sessions whenever chrysi’s off doing something!!! it’s always azure working on a paper or writing something else while jacks jst kinda sighs sadly like a bereft dog, then looks at azure from the corner of his eye. azure hears him do that, like, seven times before he sighs and puts down his work. do you want to play checkers? yeah, checkers?? yes, do you want to set up the board?? good boy!!! (jacks is like. not appreciating that you’re talking to me like a dog, but also, YEAH, i WOULD like to play checkers 🥺)

whenever they’re at a masquerade ball, azure and jacks always keep trying to get the most dances w chrysi. near the beginning of their relationship, anyway!! then it turns into them switching off who chrysi’s dancing w every other song. romance… ((also, jacks specifically designs matching outfits for all three of them 🥰🥰🥰))

GOD, like two days ago, i was thinking abt chrysijacks arguing while azure endured it—up until he snaps, and goes, “JACKS. stop pissing off my wife!!! CHRYSI, stop yelling at your husband!!!!” both of them immediately shut up. anyway, chrysi was winning. jsyk.

jackszure companionship is also sosososo important to me??? like jacks nor azure strike me as the type of ppl to hug, but ((and specifically i’m thinking of the kh au, though this happens in a couple others)) when azure comes back from being cursed and/or possessed, jacks kinda cautiously lingers around him until azure sighs and gives him a quick hug. nobody saw anything. but also jacks is glad azure’s okay, and azure’s glad that jacks didn’t blow anything up while he was gone. now, if you’ll excuse him. he needs to go kiss their wife.

LOVEEEEE the aus where they’ve all been married for years, but since jacks is a fate and chrysi’s a half-star and azure’s undead, they all will wander sometimes?? and then when they’re reunited, they fall back into their patterns. don’t let jacks cook, don’t let azure make tea, don’t let chrysi rearrange the kitchen every week…. THIS ALSO IN A SITUATION WHERE JACKS IS A PLANT ON AN OPPOSING SIDE AND THEY GET CAUGHT AND HE BREAKS COVER TO HELP THEM??????)))) AUGHHHHHHH.

oh oh oh, in the l&c universe, after azure gets possessed, it’s soooo important to notice that while chrysi is how azure drags himself to reality, he’s able to actively try and get help via communicating with jacks… he sent that invitation to the gala to jacks on purpose! he knew jacks would get chrysi and they’d both try to help him! he knows! he knows that both of them would save him!!!!!

[mlobsters]

supernatural s13e14 good intentions (w. meredith glynn)

well that was a little bit of the old spn spark for a second there, with the hallucination/vision/whatever hot!zachariah was giving jack. very sweet and sad. something about the sound design and the dialogue.. of the offscreen voices of sam and dean, it had sort of a... theater feel to it? (watching with headphones and maybe a little bit high so, grain of salt) plus just the very... childlike wish fulfillment of kiddo with absent parents.

DEAN You know what? We made it, though. You, me and the kid. Finally under one roof. SAM And you know what, honestly, it doesn’t matter where he’s been. I’m just glad Jack’s back. DEAN Right, home safe. Where he belongs.

like 💔 i didn't realize they really went with this nuclear family thing straight out

also when the fake fire is happening sam and dean sound about as distressed (maybe more?) as you'll ever hear them in this show and that was distressing even knowing it couldn't be real

ZACHARIAH Yes. And not just a single one-way ticket like the prophet’s spell. This boy, he can open a rift big enough to march an army through. He has so much power. We just… have to make him use it. MICHAEL Then make him.

ok but like. why doesn't michael make his own army of nephilim? he's an archangel still right? what am i missing

i'm sorry donatello but all i can think is

the zachariah!cas sending the images of destroying the environment and wars etc to jack for proof of why humans are bad, reminds me of the fifth element?? i think? leeloo discovering all the bad parts of humanity? and then i think only will save the world? by the power of human love from bruce willis??? lol i've seen that movie a ton but it's been a long ass time

captions staying on for this screenshot 😂

this random fight scene with these random figures from the bible. and donatello being twitchy and obvious as fuck that he's clearly up to something. demon tablet not to be ingested while soulless and under asmodeus's influence?

donatello choking out dean from a distance and laughing like a loon, all righty

so now mary gets the catharsis of hearing from an unbiased source that her demon deal is what ultimately saved the world

bro. there's some bizarro music going on during this fight over donatello being soulless what is HAPPENING. jay gruska, is that you? (of course it is). ugh, if only i wasn't committed to keeping that earlier video clip 😞 (fine it's so goofy i'm adding an mp3 of it) it's tonally a mismatch to the vibe onscreen and is just super random. the horns that come in... lol. anyway.

but we're escalating up to cas whatever, trying to torture it out of him?

SAM Our plan, Dean. The spell, get mom back. Donatello’s soul is gone. That’s not just something you come back from. DEAN You did. SAM Yeah, because you convinced Death to get my soul back from the cage, but Amara ate Donatello’s soul. There’s nothing to get back. It’s gone. CASTIEL And Donatello’s already corrupted. I… perhaps the kindest thing to do would be to end his suffering. SAM What? CASTIEL I don’t like it either. But if Donatello’s life ends, then another prophet comes into being and they can finish the translation. DEAN So what, you just wanna kill him? SAM No! No killing! We just need the spell.

interesting how frantic padalecki is going with this. terrified the Plan is being wrecked yet again

CASTIEL I am going to do something that I promised I would never do to a human being without their permission. I’m gonna strip the spell from your mind. DONATELLO You—you—you—you can’t. I—I’ve absorbed too much power. Y-y-you’ll fry us both! CASTIEL I might. DONATELLO Ardeat intus— CASTIEL I’m sorry, but I’m not going to let you or anyone hurt the people I love. Not again.

well then. cas saving them from the moral quandary again. like killing billie for them

i don't even know what to say about this apocalypse world business with bobby, mary and jack. jack's just. poppin angels, ready to throw down with michael

SAM Well… guess you could say Donatello is alive. CASTIEL You told me not to kill him. DEAN Yeah, but, Cas, you turned him into… he’s brain dead. Machines keeping him breathing. What’s wrong with you? CASTIEL Nothing. SAM Cas— CASTIEL His soul was gone. He was corrupted. He was a danger to himself and to you and to all of humanity. Did you know that he was working with Asmodeus? SAM What? No. CASTIEL Not by choice, but he was. Some people just can’t be saved. DEAN Yeah, but who gets to make that choice? You? What exactly gives you the right? CASTIEL Nothing. I took it. And if I hadn’t acted, we would still be sitting around and talking about what to do next. We would be wasting time. And it’s time we don’t have, Dean. I told you, war is coming. War. And I did what soldiers do. Now we needed the spell to open the rift, and I got it. We need four major ingredients: the grace of an archangel… a fruit from the Tree of Life… the Seal of Solomon… and the blood of “a most holy man.” We find those things, we can bring everybody home. And together, we can beat Lucifer and Michael. This is the only way we win, and this is the only way we survive. It’s like you said, Dean. Whatever it takes.

i mean, surely sam and dean have made these kinds of decisions time and time again. especially when the "whatever it takes" is saving each other. but now cas can take the responsibility/blame for doing the ends justify the means thing

[heinousactszx]

what are your thoughts on flutter mane? i've just realised that flutter mane is exclusive to scarlet while misdreavus is exclusive to violet, which seems like a weird decision 😭

yeah they did it kinda weird with some of those, for example you can only get tyranitar in scarlet but iron thorns is only in violet. weird choice

i’m glad you asked me about flutter mane because i actually have a lot of thoughts as the resident misdreavus lover

as a whole, I definitely like it, probably would even say i love it, but do i LOVE IT love it the way I love misdreavus? ehhhh, let’s break it down

on the one hand, what they did add to the design is very nice and natural. The tendrils extending out into feathery wings is a nice touch, and it’s easy to see how those could have evolved away into the wispy edges that exist in the present. The spikes are unobtrusive and definitely add to the primal menace, and i like the inverted eyes (all the past paradox pokemon have yellow eyes except flutter mane, because misdreavus already had yellow eyes!) And I do like the subtle asymmetry on its left side, with the fang, wing, and blade of the “dress” differing just enough to be noticable without dominating the design. I’ve always liked designs that aren’t mirrorable

on the other hand... that’s it? that’s all they wanted to tweak? I know misdreavus is a simple design, basically just a floating head, but they couldn’t have pushed this to be more out there? look at some of the other paradox pokemon. Sandy shocks is recognizable as magneton but is given a totally different personality. Iron Bundle keeps the bag of delibird, but completely changes the function to tie it to the future them. Roaring moon takes the “primal” look and jacks it up to 11 in a way that still looks good, while Flutter mane mostly just flirts with it.

Flutter Mane was designed by hitoshi Ariga (known for the mega man megamix manga), who’s said that misdreavus is his favorite pokemon. While I’m happy that he got to put his own spin on his fave, I think he maybe didn’t want to stray too far from a design he already loved. That has its place, sure, don’t want to lose the misdreavus-ness in a redesign, but my preference would have been to really push it in a bizarre direction

Just for comparison, look at Iron valiant, easily my favorite of the paradox pokemon. it’s a combo of two pokemon, but combines them in such a brilliant way that it feels like an entirely NEW pokemon altogether. Bits and pieces of (mega) gardevoir and gallade’s designs are blended into something familiar yet alien, and it even introduces a whole new design element in the detachable and combinable blades, all while matching the futuristic theme of the others.

I really, really wish that all (or at least more) of the paradox pokemon had gone for combination designs like this. not only is that fascinating from a world building perspective, as we could see which pokemon diverged from a shared ancient relative in the past and which pokemon are converging into similar species in the future, but it would also lead to more interesting designs

and if they wanted a pokemon to combine misdreavus with, I mean come on! shuppet is right there! they’re both floating heads, they both end with a dress, they both feed on negative emotions! think about how easy it would be to combine these designs into something that’s distinctly both. add shuppet’s more oblong head, eye shape, and spike, while keeping misdreavus’s eye color, pointier dress, gems and tendrils, then a bit of that ancient flair and voila. Flutter mane already has the spikes even, it wouldn’t take much to make this idea work

Anyway, that was a lot of words, and it might seem like I dislike flutter mane after all that ranting, but I don’t. I really do like it, and since pokemon is clearly moving towards more different forms and such for established pokemon, it’s exciting to have your favorite included. I just can’t help but be a little disappointed that I didn’t get that bit extra more

as a quick post script, check out flutter mane’s stats

geez, man. power creep just keeps getting more absurd. it should not come as a surprise that smogon banned this thing for being too powerful. it’s extra funny to me because I’ve been wanting for years for Mismagius’s stats to get bumped up to 55/55/55/115/115/115 to give it a bit more viability, which i thought was a reasonable buff. game freak clearly thought that was kid’s stuff

[servin-up-surveys]

survey #087

Do you know anyone who has a speech impediment? I've actually brought up to my mother before if she thinks my nephew Ryder might. He has this habit of just totally derailing when he starts talking and then repeating himself a lot like he's trying to figure out what he's trying to say. She doesn't think so, instead she thinks it's just how incredibly poor his focus is and how he's always going a thousand miles an hour, but I still sincerely wonder. Has anyone of the opposite sex ever hit you before? Uh not in a non-consensual or even remotely aggressive way, absolutely not. I honestly think I'd break the guy's wrist if that ever DID happen to me. You don't lay a goddamn hand on ANYBODY unless you are defending your goddamn self. What is the meanest thing someone called you? Weak-willed. Someone who lies about being traumatized. Dead weight. Get the FUCK out of here. Have you ever been paid to build something for someone? Oh no, I'm no builder. Who is the one person you trust the most? My mom.

Has your best friend ever made you cry? Yes, but I know he didn't mean to. On one occasion I compleeeeetely overreacted to a totally hypothetical situation, and I knew I had, but cried some anyway until he noticed and we talked about it. On the other occasion I'd started crying because I thought we were going to argue, when we ended up not doing so because he's an adult that can handle serious conversations. Has anyone ever talked you into doing something you didn’t want to do? Yes. Are you smiling in your Facebook profile picture? Yes. Do you remember who you had feelings for at the beginning of 2015? Do you still speak to that person? If not, why not? Jason, and no, because he wants nothing to do with me and I'm finally at a point where I don't want to have contact with him either. When you say you don’t care, do you mean it? In most cases? LOL NOPE Have you ever dated someone who was not good to you? No. Have you ever made a boy cry? Yes. I know I made Jason cry at least once. Possibly my dad. Has the last person you kissed taken their shirt off in front of you? Yes. When was the last time you were told you were cute? A couple days back. Girt tells me that a lot. Next event you’ll wear a dress to? Probably not 'til I get married. Are you a gold digger? Absolutely not. Have you ever thought the sky would fall? No. Have you ever danced in the moonlight? Yes, but we don't talk about that fucking night. Have you ever drank Jack Daniels? Did you like it? I don't think I have. Who do you lean on when you’re down? Primarily my mom or Girt, sometimes Mazzy and Tez. Who leans on you? Mom VERY reluctantly (she feels really bad when she feels like she's "burdening" people, guess where I got it from...), Girt also with a lot of reluctance because he's also afraid of stressing me out as well as just not being the best with expressing emotions, but I'm very insistent on him above anyone else being open with those and leaning on me whenever at all he needs support. Mazzy and Tez have also opened up with me involved in group chat. In recent times I have another old online friend who is going through a very challenging time and she messages me every now and again, and I'm glad she does. Yet another old online friend has also done this, and that shit just means a lot, for multiple people I don't even talk to much to KNOW they can come to me when they need an ear, shoulder, anything. When was the last time you really had fun? I was actually working on a new RP character's profile last night and had a lot of fun with designing and prepping it for his story. Have you ever had a threesome? No, not my kind of thing. I am very monogamous in the sense that I would never want to be sexually involved with more than one individual, I don't care what the occasion is. Do you have fake nails on right now? No, I literally never do. They would bug me senseless. Have you cuddled with someone today? No, I wish. I've been in one of my overattached phases the past few days. How does alcohol affect you? My face very visibly flushes red, I get hot, a somewhat warm feeling in my stomach, and I laugh and talk more. What was the first thing you ate today? Mom made bacon, so that. What was the last type of meat you ate? Beef. Well, are McDonald's burgers even real beef? Who the fuck knows lmao Is there a special someone in your life right now? Yep, he's pretty damn special. If so, tell me your favorite thing about their personality and their looks: Girt is SO FUCKING LOYAL (it says a lot that his best friend is a recovering drug addict that for right now lives with him, he does fucking not leave people behind), and he is also so damn funny. As for looks, he has the most charming and endearing smile to me. Has a guy ever kissed your neck? Well yeah Do you remember things from when you were a kid that your parents can’t? Oh yes, my memories of childhood are *absolutely* abnormally plentiful and vivid. Is there a song stuck in your head right now? Yeah I have "OK" by Rammstein on loop right now and trying to figure out how my life came to this lmfao What’s your favorite thing about September? I guess that it's generally around that time that things start cooling off? That'd really be it, though, September is a super boring month in general. Who was the last person to insult you to your face? Probably my mom. Who was the last person you sat next to? Mom on the couch earlier. Do you smile often? I wouldn't say "often," no. What popular social media platforms AREN’T you on? Twitter. Well I mean, I HAVE one, but I literally never use it, I don't even browse. What was the name of the first porcelain doll you got? I never got those, porcelain dolls really freaked me out as a kid, and I still don't really like them. Do you sell any products? If so, what? No. Do you own any band t-shirts? Yeah, a lot. What’s your favorite Paramore song? "Decode." I've always loved it, ever since it came out. Are you bitter about anything? Yep. I probably always will be, to some extent. If applicable, what’s your favorite dance costume that you’ve had? Oh jesus hell if I remember. Did you have a boyfriend in kindergarten? No, but one of the kids that harassed me in pre-k named Christopher was also in my class and continued to get in trouble for attack-hugging and kissing me. Now as an adult, it bothers me immensely that these two boys had to bother me SO damn frequently to be actually fucking punished. And what do you know, I'm quite certain that their behavior followed me into now and how I absolutely cannot stand/genuinely freak out when people, especially men, are behind me. Did you ever read the Magic Treehouse series? I sure did, that was one of the first series I ever got into. Who was your best friend in elementary school? It alternated between Brianna, Kim, Jenna, Quiata, and maybe Kathryn. Did they continue to be your best friend in middle school? No. I have very specific memories of watching Kim change and drift away from/ignore me. Well wait, MAYBE Jenna was still a best friend in middle school? I really can't remember. Middle school is a very strange, extremely blurry period in my history. I remember SO little from then. Did you ever watch The Land Before Time movies? Oh yes, I was absolutely obsessed with it. To this day I still might get a tree star tattoo with Littlefoot's mom's death quote when my mother passes away. Did you collect anything when you were a kid? Yes, stickers. My childhood dresser was absolutely COVERED in them by the time I let go of it; even the back that nobody could see had a few, I think. What was your favorite sport to play as a child? What is it now? Basketball. I don't play sports anymore. Did you ever read the Junie B. Jones books? Yep, another series I adored. Were you friends with your neighbors? I was with a kid that lived down my road. We would go to each other's houses and ride bikes together and just hang out a lot. I very clearly remember him even eventually asking me out, but of course I was a young kid (I'm talking nowhere near even a pre-teen yet) that genuinely had no idea interracial relationships (he was African American) were an okay/acceptable thing, so I said no. I remember it caused an argument (rightfully so honestly because the ONLY reason I gave him was racism), but we eventually made up and stayed friends 'til my family moved. We're Facebook friends now and he's married and seems super happy and adores his wife. Did you enjoy exploring your backyard? Yeah, I played all the time primarily in the side yard but also the back. I was always making up games to play with my sister or by myself. Dad frequently played baseball with me, too, or we'd fly a kite in the tobacco field literally just across the street if it wasn't in use that time of year. What was your biggest fear when you were a kid? My mom dying. I had very, very severe separation anxiety. Honestly I wonder to this day if I ever completely got over it, because I still rely so much on my mom and (generally) feel like I'm safe so long as she's right there, and I still want to be with her a lot when I'm really scared. Who did you look up to most when young? Steve Irwin. He was a superhero to me. I still think he was. Did you ever play the "Reader Rabbit" computer games? omg yes, I loved them Did you have a swing set in your backyard? Kinda like in the corner where the back and side yard met, yeah. How about a sandbox? No, but I loved playing in them during school recess. Once I hit my meerkat-obsessed age, I literally started a trend of digging tunnel/"burrow" systems with other kids lmao. I can still feel all the sand under my nails, like use a shovel you barbarians Were you a teacher’s pet in kindergarten? I was basically all through school, haha. I was always the "pleasure to have in class" and very, very close with my teachers. I was a super well-behaved and honestly just very smart and attentive kid that teachers tend to enjoy. Did you ever build a treehouse or a fort in your yard? ON GOD my friends, younger sister, and I used to try to build houses out of pine straw lmao hunny it doesn't work like that. Like we would outline the walls and doorways and shit and stack as much as we could. Did you ever find anything interesting in your yard? Yep. One morning there was a FUCKING MASSIVE, very bright green toad or frog huddled against one of the the van's tires, and I still don't know what exactly it was, but damn that fella was a chonk and a half. On another instance, we had a timber rattlesnake in our driveway when we got home from school, which we really should have reported because we are just outside of the county outline map where they exist normally. We did get professionals to move it way into the field across from our house, though, but idr who exactly they were. I will add that perhaps I'm misremembering the snake, like I very clearly remember it rattling its tail, however even nonvenomous snakes do this a lot to imitate, so idk. I'm pretty damn sure it was a legit rattlesnake, though. There's really probably a lot of other stuff I found, like I was outside a lot, but idk. Did your parents let you drink soda? Occasionally. I remember I very much loved Sprite as a kid, though. Which I now hate by the way, haha. Did you ever have an imaginary friend? What was their name? Oh jesus fucking christ I had an imaginary gray wolf friend whose name I don't even remember that I would pretend came to me able to speak with me and gave me animalistic "powers," someone please help this child Did you dream of being a princess or did you not really care about that? No, princesses were my little sister's thing. What kind of car did your parents have? I remember we had a bluish/greenish family van, and my dad had this old brown car that he nicknamed "Frida the Cheetah" lmfao my dad is goddamn mailman, that car was going nowhere fast. Every time he had to replace his car he added a number (ex. Frida the Cheetah II, III) to its name btw lmfao. Were you afraid to sleep by yourself? No, though honestly that's not something I faced a lot. My sister is only two years younger than me and we shared a room, so she was there for just about my whole childhood. What was your favorite kind of cake as a kid? I'm sure it was chocolate.

[lythbounddrama]

My brain still hurts from the update. I’m just really baffled they thought the new species had anything special enough to be added, so since I’m kinda huffy let me rant a little bit.

Too many of these species just look like a different kind of Nitpicki, and I didn’t even like those to begin with. Their lore? Honestly laughably vague. (Like most of em but they don’t even have any particular intrigue)

Fabremon? Boring, we already have “inorganic species made with magic” with a bunch of companions. In concept they’re too similar to fuwa bozu and in design they’re basically just “small animal in hood”. Their lore? Weirdly not about them? It mentions how Faerilees went to war with chaotic forces and how fallen Allies would be resurrected to fight their friends in monstrous plush bodies, and like, huh??? Absolutely NOTHING on the Faerilee page mentions this shit but here it all is on the Fabremon one! Oh but don’t worry, Fabremon aren’t actually those things, they’re just recreations of that genuinely awful concept using purified gemstones that put a (still sometimes unwilling???) soul into their body! How charming. /s No but really who invented them, because you’d think the Faerilees would, I dunno, hate that???

Speaking of Faerilees, you can really tell this is a species geared towards Minka’s cutesie style because they have zero substance outside of that. Supposedly born from dandelions, their baby forms are fluffy puffs, but they do not have anything to do with dandelions in their design after that. Unlike that weirdly dark mention in the Fabremon page, their own origin is just this fluffy 3 sentences about a child making a wish.

I didn’t realize Galibytes were primates until I read the page. They look, again, like a Nitpicki. I’m really not sure how magic works in Lyth because apparently even though they have cores, they can’t do magic. Cool, glad we’re throwing out another consistent through-line. Glad nobody gets to know whether lyth has consistent worldbuilding or not. (Well, they have magic I guess, they just have so little that they can’t do shit with it) Also? Can I just say? I hate how they name individual species specific magic energy because it’s just dumb terms like “magnet” or “photo”. Personal pet peeve but it just feels so lazy to me because they sound ridiculous. Also why slime…why are they made of slime… “born from a puddle of specialized primordial soup” tells me fucking nothing. They’re apparently not even from lyth, so did they bring their weird soup with them after their world DIED apparently?

Moving on because I realize I’m rambling too long. I think Veela look like companions. They’re so small and simple and they legitimately wild be considered “simple characters” based on the submission guideline’s silly “too chibi means not a fullbody anymore!” Rule. Like, just go look at it. And another good vs evil war species story? Write. Something. More. Interesting. I swear to the gods. It’s just the Haenym lore but worse, because everyone just flat out forgets why they’re fighting. Fun.

Lastly the new companion, Atenilee. It’s a shame it’s the most Lythian like design introduced despite being a companion. They’re apparently artificially made (like literally made of metal or material) which of course you’d never be able to tell anyways. They’ve even got funny subspecies that I do think are cute. Oh well, guess it would be kinda weird if essentially robots were characters of their own.

Bottom line is that I don’t like any of the new lythians and wish they’d just at least make them more interesting or something. Or better yet? Make what species they already had more content already. I have zero hope for anything not made by a staff member shoving in their own creations will ever get more content because I’m starting to believe that Jack’s got no motivation to work on this shit on his own, and staff’s motivation to work on their own self serving content is the only reason they have content at all.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest, I’m not actually as annoyed as I probably sound. I just think lyth could be waaaay more fun for more people so easily and they’re just, not doing that. And the fact that it feels like they kinda don’t even care is why I’m upset really. Love my OCs and drawing them is fun, but clearly this group is more focused on their own fun (that they get paid for) than anything else.

Honestly? I'm not sure they even cared about the lore of any of their species to begin with. The new species' lore certainly feels very out of place. And I've never liked Lyth's magic system to begin with because it's....not even a magic system. It's just 'Magic exists' and that's it.

Too many of the species added this year look like they could be subspecies of already existing species.

~Mod Zebra

[demonsandmischief]

Fall Things 🎃🍁

A Chris Evans Imagine

Chris x Female Reader

600 Words

Happy October y'all

-Fall Things-

Festive surprises and a little Halloween competition.

---

"Guess what I got," Chris Evans, your fiance, grinned, walking through your front door with a pot of burgundy mums.

"You're home! I missed you," you said, walking towards him.

He set the flowers down, wrapping you up tight and kissing the crown of your head. "I always miss you so damn much."

"I love the flowers. I can't believe you remembered when I told you I wanted to get some for our front porch."

He smiled softly, pulling back to cup your cheeks. "Did you think I would forget, baby? I know how much you love decorating for fall and Halloween. There's more in the car. I might need a hand."

You stood on the tips of your toes to brush your lips with his.

"You'll need a jacket. It's cold with the sun going down," he said, taking off his own and handing it to you.

"We're just going to the car," you said, biting back the butterflies that filled your stomach.

You couldn't help but laugh when you saw the trunk. It was filled with mums of all colors. "What are we going to do with all of these flowers?"

He shrugged, walking to his rear door. "We'll find a place."

"Is there more? Chris..."

He grinned, "No more mums, something else for us to do. Catch." He tossed a small package towards you.

"Pumpkin carving kits?" you asked.

"And pumpkins to go with," he said, pulling out two massive orange pumpkins. "Care for some friendly competition?"

"You're on. Let's get the car unloaded first."

"Wait, one more thing," he said, putting the pumpkins down. He reaches in and pulls out a bouquet of sunflowers. "For you, my love."

You blushed, reaching for a hug, "You're cheesy and you did too much."

"Never too much for you, sweetheart. Besides, these are for inside the house." He leaned down for another sweet kiss.

"Love you," you whispered against his lips. "I'm so glad you're home, but that doesn't mean I won't beat you at pumpkin carving."

He hummed, bumping your nose with his. "We'll see."

---

"The whole house is going to smell like pumpkin guts," you grumbled, hating the slimy feeling of your hand inside the jack- o'-latern.

"I told you I'd clean it out for you," Chris chuckled, not even fazed as he separated the seeds to roast later.

"You're my competition. You can't know my design."

He continued to chuckle, reaching for the small knife.

"You're going right in without a plan? That's risky," you teased, drawing your design with a sharpie.

"I'm confident in my artistic abilities."

It's quiet for a few moments as you work. You desperately wanted to see what he was doing so you peeked your head over towards his side of the table.

"Hey," he warned. "That's cheating."

"I didn't see anything anyway," you huffed.

His shining blue eyes caught yours and you couldn't help but smile.

"Are we ready to show?" Chris asked after another little while. You both were finished and cleaned up.

You nodded eagerly. "On the count of three."

Chris counted down and you both turned the pumpkins so you could see. They each had very classic jack-o'-lantern faces except Chris of course had very clean and even lines.

"You're too good at everything," you pouted.

"Yours is adorable. The perfect pumpkin couple. They'll look great on the porch."

"So what does the winner want?" you sighed dramatically, moving to his side.

"How about a kiss," he said, drawing you to his seated form by your hips. You tangled your fingers in his hair.

"Deal."

---

->Masterlist

->Requests open

->Tags: @patzammit @dontbescaredtosingalong @oceaniamaddness @drayshadow @alexabarnes17 @christowhore @missroro @bklynxbaby

Tags are always open. Linked in Masterlist.

Thanks for requesting @chrstnnn

[sir-subpar]

Where have you been? (Part 2)

*Warning: Blood/Gore*

Five weeks. That's how long Boyfriend had been missing. Five weeks with still no sign of the blue-haired man, it was starting to drive Pico mad. The longer this went on, the harder it was for Pico to think positively. He was starting to struggle with sleep, sometimes going days without so much as a wink of rest. His fiery orange hair was messy from him constantly running his fingers through it. It was hard to relax when someone you care about was unaccounted for. Whitty and Hex were still helping out, which Pico appreciated, but it did little to ease his fears. The three of them met up and searched for Boyfriend as often as they could.

It was late in the afternoon, another day going by with no luck finding Boyfriend. The trio had resorted to putting up missing posters for Bf, splitting up to scatter them around town. It did little to help, especially when random vandals would tear them down or draw all over them. Every time Pico saw one of the posters being ruined it pissed Pico off to no end. He didn't think it was possible to want to strangle a graffiti artist as much as he did. By some miracle of willpower he refrained from doing so (that, and he didn't know who was doing it). Pico sighed angrily as he hung another poster, his thumb turning white as he pushed the tacks into a wooden pole. His gaze lingered on the poster. In the picture, Bf was smiling. He looked so happy.. Pico felt his chest tighten around his heart. It felt hard to breathe, but not impossible. He clutched the front of his vest, fidgeting with the teeth of the zipper. Pico could only imagine what Boyfriend was going through, and his imagination was not kind. As much as he tried to ignore the worst possibilities, he struggled to stay positive. 

What if Boyfriend was dead? 

He hated the idea. He didn't want to think about it. Surely he was alive. He had to be somewhere! Anywhere! He couldn't be dead! Pico tried to ground himself by thinking of other possibilities. Maybe Bf was just hiding from everyone because he didn't want Gf and her family to know where he was. Pico grit his teeth as more anger suddenly rose from his core. Girlfriend… he was honestly starting to resent her. Sure, most people don't want to see their ex after a breakup. Pico understood that, sure, whatever. But when someone goes missing, it's good to help find them. Especially when you're the last one to have seen them…

Pico was suddenly brought back to reality when he heard his phone buzzing in his pocket. Whitty was calling. The two exchanged phone numbers after they went to that diner weeks ago. Pico tapped the green icon to answer, and brought the phone to his ear. "Hey Whitty. What's up?" Pico asked, his anger faded a bit, now being distracted with the sound of Whitty's voice. "I just wanted to let you know that Hex can't help us for a few days. He's got some computer virus that's apparently been a bitch to remove." Whitty sounded agitated. Pico figured he was probably worried about his best friend. "Is he gonna be ok?" Pico asked, he was already missing one person, he didn't want to lose another. "Yeah, some tech guy's helping him out. He should be fine soon..." Whitty paused. "Hey, do you want to meet up? I'm out of posters to hang." Whitty's tone changed a bit, Pico couldn't quite figure out why, but he brushed it off. It didn't matter anyway. "Yeah, I'll pick you up. Where are you?"

…

Pico drove in silence as Whitty sat in the passenger seat. He felt a little bad for the bomb man as even with the seat pushed all the way back, he barely fit in the car. Pico's car just wasn't designed with people over 8ft tall in mind. Whitty had the chair leaned back so he wouldn't hit his head on the ceiling, his knees were bent just so he could fit in the car. Whitty's hands were in his pockets, despite the lack of space in the car, he seemed like he was relaxing a bit. 

"Hey Pico." Whitty broke the silence. Pico let out a hum, signaling he was listening. "I had this random idea for the next place we should check."  "Hmm?" Was Pico's only reply. He was tired, but he wasn't gonna quit for the day just yet. "You know that bridge close to the freeway? The one over the ditch?" Pico had to think for a moment before he caught on. "You think he might be hiding out in the ditch?" Pico asked, a little glimmer of hope making itself known. Whitty shrugged. "Maybe. I dunno. It's a common place to hide." Pico turned on his blinker, he had to drive to the opposite side of town to get there but at this rate it wasn't a big deal. If there was even a chance of Boyfriend being there, he had to take it. He had to make sure Bf was safe. 

…

After Pico parked the car, he and Whitty climbed down into the dry ditch. It was now night, the darkness making it hard to see anything. Except Whitty's eyes, that is. In the complete darkness, Pico noticed Whitty's orange eyes were glowing. He could partially see the tall man's body as the warm light from his eyes reflected off of him. Pico found it fascinating. It was oddly comforting, like a fireplace. Pico found himself getting lost in them.

 "... Pico?" Whitty's voice interrupted Pico's stupor. Turns out the inside of Whitty's mouth glowed too. "Huh? What?" Pico asked, a little lost thanks to his little daydream. "Are you alright? You seemed out of it." Whitty asked, shifting awkwardly as he stood. Pico felt uneasy, did Whitty see something in the dark that he hasn't noticed yet? Were they alone? Pico quickly shoved his hand in his pocket and whipped out his flashlight. As soon as he turned it on, and the light flooded the ditch, he realized no one else was near them (at least no one was close enough to see). So why was Whitty uncomfortable? Like someone was staring at him? 

Wait… 

Pico had almost physically face-palmed. He was staring at Whitty. He just stood there in silence and stared at this dude's face in the darkness. From Whitty's point of view, that probably came off as creepy. Now he felt a bit guilty for being so weird. Damn it, he had to say something to break this weird silence! But what? Should he apologize? Or just brush it off so they don't have to talk about it? 'Damn it Pico, say something! Anything!' He mentally chastised himself. Just when he was about to blurt out what probably would have been nonsense, Whitty piped up. "Did my eyes creep you out?" Whitty asked, sounding disheartened. Pico suddenly panicked, speaking before his brain could filter it. "What- No! No. Not at all. Your eyes are cool! Like a jack o lantern or something. They're neat! They like.." Pico cleared his throat to compose himself again. He had to give a rational response. "I think your eyes are fascinating. I didn't mean to offend you, I just got distracted. I'm sorry." Pico's face turned a light shade of pink out of embarrassment. He hoped his disjointed response would somehow make the situation less awkward. Whitty's eyes widened, and his cheeks glowed a bit as his expression shifted from surprised to bashful. He started rubbing the back of his head, a nervous habit, Pico assumed. "I… thanks. I've had people say my eyes remind them of Jack O lanterns before, but I think this is only the second time someone's used it as a compliment. Bf was the first." Whitty confessed, his tone sounding fond. Pico smiled a bit, of course B would say something like that. Pico snapped out of his trail of thought before he got more distracted with reminiscing. "Speaking of… we should get back to looking for him." Pico stated, bring their focus back to the task at hand. Whitty nodded. The two chose to walk throughout the ditch, hopefully they'd eventually find a sign of Boyfriend under these bridges. 

Each step they took echoed off of the cement around them. It was a little eerie. Pico was glad that he wasn't alone, Whitty seemed like he could hold his ground. It was comforting. After a few minutes, they came across a blanket laid out next to a few plastic water bottles. They couldn't necessarily say they belonged to Boyfriend, but it felt like they were on the right track at least. They continued their walk, hoping to find more signs of Bf. A few more mostly uneventful minutes went by, then they saw someone not too far ahead of them. Pico lowered his light a bit so it wasn't shining in their eyes, but he could still see them pretty clearly. They were leaning their back against the wall of the ditch with their arms crossed. They had what appeared to be a goat skull for a head with long horns er.. Horn. Pico noticed that one of their horns had clearly been broken off. Their face had multiple large cracks all over it. He wore a dark blue hoodie that matched his hat. His jeans were either a darker shade of blue or black, Pico couldn't quite tell. The skull-faced stranger had turned their head to look at Pico and Whitty, clearly having noticed Pico's flashlight. His black eye sockets with glowing yellow pupils staring them down. Pico admittedly got a shady vibe from him, but he was accustomed to shady people due to his type of work. He decided to approach the man, but not get too close, he just needed to know if he had seen Boyfriend. "Hey. Mind we ask you something?" Pico called, hoping the stranger would cooperate. "What do you want?" The horned stranger rudely snapped in a clear Russian accent, he was clearly agitated. Pico wasn't that fazed by the man's rudeness, again, he was used to that kind of behavior (not to mention he wasn't all that polite or well mannered himself). "We just have some questions. We're looking for a friend of ours, maybe you've seen him around." The man appeared to relax a bit after hearing that. His expression was less aggressive. "What does your friend look like?" He asked, his tone a bit less harsh than before. Pico pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his gallery until he found a picture of him and Boyfriend. He turned the phone around to face the man. As soon as he saw the photo, his eye sockets widened, and he tilted his head back a bit in surprise. "Boyfriend?" The man questioned.

Now it was Whitty and Pico's turn to be surprised. "You know him?" Whitty asked, bewildered at the man's recognition of Bf. "Yes, we are… acquainted. I see him a lot lately." That, admittedly, made Pico angrier than it probably should have. This guy knew where Bf was while no one else did. B had trusted this guy instead of Pico? Or Whitty? Pico once again asked himself the question that plagued his mind for weeks. 'Why didn't he come to me?' Pico tightened his grip on his flashlight. He should be glad. They finally had a potential lead. Pico forced the irrationality down for what felt like the 100th time that day. "Do you know where he is?" 'Please. Tell me you know where he is.'  Pico begged internally. The man nodded his head in a 'sort of' fashion. "I know where he's been hiding lately. It's not too far from here." He looked around a bit, as if checking to see if they were alone. "You know that little theater on Chavez road? The closed one? He's been around there lately. You'll find him if you go there." Pico suddenly felt a small rush of relief. That sounded promising. "Thank you, Mr..?" "Tabi" "Thank you Tabi. We appreciate it. Oh! I'm Pico, by the way. This is Whitty." Whitty waved, and Tabi nodded in acknowledgment. Tabi bagan to walk away. "Take care of Boyfriend you too. He's fragile right now." He called before departing. "We will," Whitty replied, "Thank you." Pico mumbled one more time before he and Whitty rushed towards the car. 

…

For the first time in weeks, Pico felt hope. He felt almost giddy in a sense. Soon this nightmare could be over. Soon Bf could be safe. But there was still a chance that they wouldn't find Bf. There were a lot of emotions running rampant in his head. Nerves, excitement, doubt. He couldn't remember the last time he was this conflicted. Various 'what ifs' both positive and negative coming forth to give their piece of mind. Pico gripped the steering wheel of his car tightly, his knuckles turning white. 

Tabi's words echoed in his head. 'Take care of Boyfriend, he's fragile right now.'   

Was this all really because of Bf and Gf's breakup? It just felt extreme. Most people don't go missing for weeks after a breakup. Especially Boyfriend. This was out of character for him. He hated being alone. There was more to it. There had to be. Pico was sure of it. 

Pico pulled over as the old theatre came into view. The decorative walls were a bit worn, but still beautiful. He knew this old place fairly well, it made him a little sad when it was shut down. Pico and Whitty stepped out of the car. Whitty stretched his arms, glad he could stand at his full height again. The bomb man looked at the various posters on the theater's walls, each one advertised some sort of play or performance. "Huh." Was all Whitty said. "What's up?" Pico asked. "I don't know why, but I thought this was going to be a movie theater. I didn't realise it was one of those performing arts places." Whitty replied. Pico turned to Whitty. "You've never been here before?" Pico asked, genuinely surprised. Whitty only shook his head in response. "Aw man, that's a bummer. This place was nice. It was family-owned, a local theater, ya know? It went bankrupt, but when it was open it was cool… B loved it here." Pico's tone shifted as he reminisced. Going from casual to bittersweet. Whitty tilted his head curiously, waiting for Pico to continue. He didn't make eye contact with Whitty, instead focusing his gaze on the theater's doors. "Ya know… sometimes, after a show, the owners would let B and I use the stage. We'd sing there for as long as they let us. We did it almost every week." Pico couldn't help but feel nostalgic. He remembered those times so well. It was years ago, back when he and B were together. They were memories he cherished. "Sounds like it was fun." Whitty commented briefly. "It was." Pico's tone continued to be bittersweet. Deep down, he hoped that he and Boyfriend could have what they did back then. He always regretted letting B go, but never said anything. Once Boyfriend found someone else, he figured he'd never have a chance again. Pico's vision started to blur slightly. 'Goddammit Pico! Now's not the time!' He mentally chastised himself, he didn't want to cry. Not when Bf was still lost. Not in front of Whitty. He was able to bury this before, he could do it again. Pico did his best to refocus on the task at hand. He needed to stop doing this. 

Pico cleared his throat.

"A-Anyway, we should look for Boyfriend. He's probably around here somewhere." Whitty nodded. Pico was thankful that Whitty didn't pry into his emotions. He'd rather NOT talk about that at the moment, thank you very much. "Let's check inside." Whitty proposed, Pico gave a brief sound of agreement before pulling the front door's handle. Surprisingly it was unlocked. Was Tabi right? Was Boyfriend here? Did he unlock it? Pico made a mental note about the door and continued inside, Whitty following just behind him. Once again he needed his trusty flashlight. The theater was usually dark as is, but it was extra dark with it being the middle of the night. While in said darkness, Pico was briefly reminded of earlier that night when he stared at Whitty's eyes for an uncomfortable amount of time. Pico's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. This was definitely going to be one of those memories that kept him up at night whenever he thought about it. Then, Pico had another thought. "Hey Whitty." "Hm?" "How come you haven't been using a flashlight too? I mean, I don't mind sharing mine, I'm just curious." Pico hoped it wasn't a rude question. "Oh, well, uh.." Whitty began, Pico once again noticing how the inside of Whitty's mouth glowed like his eyes. "I don't really need a flashlight. I can see in the dark." Whitty's cheeks glowled orange a bit, now Pico was convinced that was how Whitty blushed. He found it kinda endearing, to be honest. "That's really cool. Wish I could do that." Pico said and chuckled a bit, feeling a bit lighter in spirit. Whitty also laughed coyly, feeling a bit flattered. "Let's check out the stage first." Whitty directed, already walking towards it. "Yeah, good idea." Pico agreed, following suit. The 'house' was dusty, and the seats clearly hadn't been used in a while. Well, most of them hadn't. Pico paused, getting a better look. He quickly noticed that a few of them had been folded out, the armrests were raised, and what looked like a shiney red blanket was draped across them. Someone had been using them as a makeshift bed, Pico realized. Someone was definitely here. "Psst, hey Whitty." Whitty turned around to face him, Pico waved his hand in a 'come here' gesture. Whitty nodded and approached him. 

The tall bomb headed man leaned over Pico, looking down the same row of seats he was. It didn't take him long to catch on. "We must be on the right track. Wait, is that a curtain?" Whitty reached over Pico to pick up and hold the 'blanket' which was, in fact, part of a stage curtain that had been cut. Pico felt his heart clench. B was using a curtain for a blanket, he must be cold. Pico looked at the chairs/bed. One of the seats had a pile of clothes/costumes haphazardly bunched together, probably being used as a pillow. This was just… sad. Bf didn't deserve to live like this. 

While Pico looked at the seats, Whitty took a second to inspect the curtain. It was red on one side, and white on the other side- wait, no, the other side had red too. In weird splotches and smear-like patterns. Whitty held it stretched out in front of him, the white and red patterned side facing him. The patterns looked inconsistent not just in size and shape, but in hue as well. Some of the red splotches looked darker almost..wet, while others looked faded, like stains. Whitty touched one of the darker red spots with his thumb, surprised when it was actually wet. Realization suddenly dawned on him, this wasn't a pattern. Now he was worried. "Hey Pico?" His scratchy voice quietly called, Pico turned around to look Whitty in the eyes. Whitty held the curtain in a way that only let Pico see the shiney full-red side and not the 'patterns'. "I'm not entirely human, so correct me if I'm wrong but… human blood is red, right?" Pico gave him a confused and worried look, then nodded hesitantly. "That's what I was afraid of." Whitty admitted, turning the curtain around so Pico could see. Pico's white eyes shot open wide, before giving Whitty a panicked look. Pico's heart dropped.

Just as Pico was about to say something, there was a loud *CRASH* from a distance. 

Pico and Whitty's attention snapped towards the stage, it looked like a shelf had fallen over from backstage. Frantic footsteps could be heard. Neither of them had to say anything, they both bolted towards all the noise. Running up the small stairs to the stage. They ran towards the backstage area. Their own footsteps echoing as their shoes hit the wooden floorboards. Whitty, with his longer strides, took the lead ahead of Pico. Once they arrived at the backstage room, they saw the metal Exit door slowly closing. Whitty slammed it back open, dashing through it, Pico not far behind him. Once outside, they had stumbled into a fenced in parking lot. Street lights illuminated the empty lot, now they could see the other person running away from them. They were short, around Pico's height. They had a black hoodie on, the hood was up so they couldn't see their head. Even so, Pico was sure that it was Boyfriend. It had to be. 

The hooded person ran into the parking lot's locked gate. Attempting to climb over it, but they weren't fast enough. Pico and Whitty were on their tail. They still tried, though. They were clearly struggling to get up the fence's bars, it looked like they kept slipping, like they couldn't grip the bars. Just as they were about to make another attempt to climb, Whitty caught up to them. The tall bomb man swiftly wrapped his hands around their torso, easily lifting them off the ground. Like holding a kitten. They helplessly swung their arms and legs, attempting to free themself from Whitty's grip. Amidst all their wild flailing, the hood came down, revealing a familiar face with blue hair. Boyfriend. They found him.

"N-no! Let me go! P-Put me down!" Boyfriend yelled, his voice filled with panic. His eyes were closed, and tears soaked his cheeks. Whitty knelt down to bring Boyfriend closer to the ground, still not letting go. "Hey! Hey… Boyfriend, it's just us. It's okay." Whitty did his best to keep his scratchy voice steady, hoping to calm down the terrified bluette. Despite not having the most soothing voice, it seemed to help a bit. Bf stopped flailing and yelling for the moment, his eyes snapped open. He seemed to have come to a sudden halt. His fearful eyes scanned the environment around him. Pico tried to approach him slowly, he didn't want to spook the poor guy more, but he too, was shaking. He had seen Boyfriend scared before, sure, but not like this. This was a new level of absolute terror. He looked so… fragile. Like if someone so much as flicked him, he'd fall to pieces. This was a far cry from the Boyfriend Pico knew. The dumb, reckless, confident man was no where to be found. What really struck Pico though, was the noticeable dampness of Boyfriend's hoodie sleeves. Pico figured he must have been injured, and he had to help. 

In the moment though, he was overwhelmed. He was happy that they found him. He was also worried about him. Part of him was angry. After all the weeks spent searching for Boyfriend, after spending those weeks bottling up all his frustrations, fears, grief, worry. He had reached his tipping point. He couldn't hold back anymore. The tears in his own eyes couldn't be stopped this time. Pico threw away his inhibitions, and just ran up to hug Boyfriend. Pico buried his face in the crook of Boyfriend's neck, and dug his fingers into his blue hair. He was there, they actually found him. And he'd be damned if he lost Bf again. His own face was wet with tears. "G-god Damn it you- you fucking idiot. Don't scare me like that again. F-fuck." Pico's voice shook, sobbing, his cries making it harder to speak. Whitty let go of Boyfriend's torso, instead wrapping his arms around both Pico and Boyfriend, trying not to cry himself (emphasis on tried). A few of his hot, orange tears fell onto the other two boys, but neither seemed to notice.

After a few moments, Whitty and Pico pulled back from the hug. Pico kept his hands on Boyfriend's shoulders, he didn't want to let go. His attention was once again brought to the dampness of Bf's hoodie, he knew it had to be blood. "B… let's go home." Apparently that was the wrong thing for Pico to say, as soon as he did, Boyfriend panicked again. "I-! N-no! I don't want to see her again please Pico-! Don't make me go back!" Pico rushed to ask what was wrong, startled by Bf's reaction. "B, who are you talking about?" Pico gently grabbed Boyfriend's hands, he wanted to be comforting, but that changed when he noticed Bf heavily flinched, and his hands were wet. Pico gently brought Bf's hands into the light. His hands were cracked and bleeding. Badly. The skin and flesh looked like it was just barely holding on to the bones. Some of the blood was dry and crusty, while some of it was fresh. Pico furrowed his brow. "B… what happened?" Bf began crying again. "Gf.. She.." Bf's voice trembled, his lip quivered. He started sobbing. Whitty's orange eyes widened, in a spur of the moment, Whitty gathered both the shorter males in his arms. Lifting them off the ground and standing at his full height. "Hey Pico, why don't we all head to your place?" Pico nodded, still holding Bf's hands. "You can stay with me, B. I promise I won't take you to Girlfriend. She won't even know we found you, okay?" Bf looked into Pico's white eyes, then Whitty's orange ones, before slowly nodding and letting out a barely audible "okay". 

Whitty carried them to Pico's car, he decided to sit in the back with Boyfriend so he wouldn't be alone while Pico drove the car (they moved the front passenger seat as far up as they could to make more legroom for him). Bf was huddled to Whitty's side, the tall, warm, bomb man made him feel safe. Whitty had one of his arms wrapped around Boyfriend, hoping to comfort him. The bluette was still crying, but not as much as before, he seemed to have calmed down slightly. No words were exchanged during the car trip to Pico's house. 

Once they arrived, Whitty gently carried Bf into Pico's house and carefully set him down on Pico's couch. Pico ran off to grab his first aid kit from his hallway closet, mentally preparing himself for how wrecked the rest of Bf's arms might look. He didn't want to end up freaking out and scaring Bf more. Pico moved to sit next to Boyfriend on the couch. "Okay B, show me what hurts." Boyfriend seemed hesitant, Whitty, who was sitting at Bf's other side, rubbed his back. The small gesture seemed to comfort Bf a little, and he removed the black hoodie he was wearing, hissing as the fabric pulled away from his wounds; he was only wearing a tank top under it, so the damage to his arms was revealed easily. Boyfriend's arms looked worse than his hands did somehow. Cracked and bleeding, in some places, it looked like the skin had stitches only to fall apart more and undo them. He could see the bone in Bf's elbow and shoulder. 

Pico felt sick. It was a mystery how Boyfriend wasn't just screaming in anguish. Pico took a quick glance at Whitty, who also looked appalled at the gorey sight before them. Pico looked into Boyfriend's teary eyes, then back at his arms. "We should take ya to the hospital." Pico said nervously, his gauze and hydrogen peroxide couldn't fix this. "I-I already tried that. They couldn't- *sniff* they couldn't stop it. I-It's magic." Bf confessed, Pico noticed Whitty's expression changed from shock to sympathetic. Whitty gestured to Bf's arms "Was this Girlfriend's magic?" Boyfriend nodded. Pico felt rage bubbling in his core. His attempt to keep calm and collected was thrown out the window. "Did she do this on purpose!? That's it! Imma beat her ass!" Pico whipped out his gun. Furious. "I'm gonna pump that bitch full of lead!" Pico was about to storm out his house when both Boyfriend and Whitty stopped him. "PICO DON'T!" Bf and Whitty said in unison. Whitty gripped Pico's arm (which was super easy seeing as his hand was big enough for his fingers to wrap all the way around Pico's forearm), and Boyfriend hugged him, burying his face in the crook of Pico's neck. "Why the fuck are you two stopping me!?" Pico shouted, still undeniably pissed. "Please don't go, Pico!" Bf cried. "Listen dude, as much as I'd love to see ya give that girl more holes than swiss cheese, if you even try it, her family will kill you. Plus, if ya went to her now, they'll know we found Bf, and who knows what they'd do to him then!"

Pico hated to admit it, but Whitty was right. He'd just make it worse by confronting Girlfriend. Her family was powerful, her parents would definitely come after all of them if he tried to do anything to her. His anger was screaming at him to go and blast her with his Uzi, but reason objected to it. Pico sighed, and put his gun on the table. "Alright. Yer right. I'm sorry." Bf hugged him tighter. "Thank you." He said quietly. "Well, if I can't shoot that bitch, let's at least try to solve… this." Pico gestured towards Bf's arms, which were bleeding all over him in the hug. Whitty rubbed the back of his head, unsure. "Well, demon magic did this in the first place, maybe another demon can undo it?" Whitty offered, Pico thought about it, it made sense. If hospitals couldn't treat a curse, might as well try magic. "I can't say you're wrong, the issue now is finding a demon who would be willing to help. The only other demon I know I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw her. Do you know anyone?" Whitty shook his head. The three stayed quiet. Pico wracked his brain for anyone who might be helpful. Maybe his dad knew someone who could help? Probably not. His brother definitely hung out with demons and whatnot, but most people his brother hung out with were bad news. Not to mention he hasn't spoken to his older bro in a long ass time. That was a no go. Who else could he ask? Pico glanced at Whitty, he appeared to be going over various options in his head too. They were silent until Boyfriend chirped in. "I might know someone. Maybe tomorrow we can find her?" Pico shrugged. "I guess that's just what we gotta do. For now though, you should go get cleaned up. You remember where the shower is?" Bf nodded, and started walking down the hallway. "I'll bring you some clean clothes you can borrow!" Pico called, Bf replying with a distant "Thank you" before disappearing around the corner. 

Pico made eye contact with Whitty. He might not have known this guy too well, having only met him a couple weeks ago, but the time they spent working together trying to find Boyfriend made Pico appreciate him. He wanted to know more about him. Whitty was so helpful, even managing to calm Pico down when he was two seconds away from snapping. He found the gentle giant fascinating and comforting. "Hey Whitty?" Whitty let out a curious "hmm?" 

"I just wanted to say thanks.. For everything. You've been really helpful and great and.. I really appreciate it." Pico's earnest tone made Whitty's cheeks glow slightly. "It's no problem. You don't have to thank me or anything. I just.. Wanted Bf to be safe too, ya know?" Pico nodded understandably. "I wish we coulda met under better circumstances. You seem like a great guy, I uh… I'd really like to keep hangin out with you. Maybe once we get this whole curse thing sorted out, we should do something together? Maybe all three of us should." Pico felt color flooding in his own cheeks now, feeling somewhat nervous. Whitty smiled. "I'd like that." Pico let out a small chuckle. "Cool. Cool. Sounds good." 

An awkward lull took the conversation, neither saying much. Whitty eventually stood up and stretched, feeling a bit sleepy. "Well, I should head out. I'm gettin tired. Want me to meet up with you guys here tomorrow?" Pico hesitantly nodded, he almost offered to just let Whitty stay the night, but if he had plans to go home, who was Pico to stop him? "Sounds good. Imma uh.. Get some clothes for B." Pico attempted to make the situation less awkward, he was never good at goodbyes. "Yeah, that'd be good. I'll see you tomorrow." Whitty and Pico parted ways after that. Now, Pico just had to help Boyfriend. Hopefully this woman he was talking about can reverse whatever demon spell was on him..

Pico let Bf borrow his spare pajamas, and threw Bf's clothes in the wash. He wasn't sure if the washing machine was gonna be able to get all the blood out. As he was going through it, he noticed that the inside of Bf's jeans were bloody too, the curse must've been affecting his legs as well. Pico kept the 1st aid kit out, that way he could bandage what was left of Boyfriend's limbs. While Pico tended to the bluette's wounds, he made small talk with Boyfriend, hoping it would put him at ease. It seemed to help. Eventually it became time to turn in for the night. Both boys were exhausted.

 "Hey Pico?"

 "Yeah B?" 

"Can I sleep in your bed with you? I don't wanna be alone."

"... Yeah. C'mere."

"Thanks Pico."

"No prob. G'night B."

"Good night Pico."

[buckttommy]

I posted 15,758 times in 2021

3574 posts created (23%)

12184 posts reblogged (77%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 3.4 posts.

I added 10,978 tags in 2021

#tv: 911 - 3893 posts

#jack.txt - 1975 posts

#911 spoilers - 994 posts

#jack answers mail - 869 posts

#pretty sunshine boy - 736 posts

#spoilers // - 580 posts

#otp: you two have an adorable son - 542 posts

#evan buckley - 527 posts

#me tag - 463 posts

#tv: 911 lone star - 399 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#when eddie said 'i don't think i'm all here' and 'i wanna go home' 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

I have never, and I mean NEVER, watched a show where the man loves his wife as much as Judd loves Grace. He sat in that car as the water rose around them willing to die with her, hand in hand, because that's the way he wanted to go. Because he is nothing and there is nothing without her. He broke up with her because he thought it was best for her — stupid yes, but done truly because he knows how phenomenal she is. He knew everything she could be and he wanted her to reach her fullest potential, regardless of the agony it caused him. He was ready to pack up his life after 2 MONTHS to be with her because he knew down to the marrow that she was it for him, and there wasn't ever going to be any other. He said it best when he said he'd walk through fire for her, has proved it EVERY SINGLE TIME she's in his sightline and you can just feel the devotion and adoration radiating from him and I will NEVER love a tv couple as much as I love them everyone else can go home

760 notes • Posted 2021-04-20 02:11:47 GMT

#4

a man: baby..... i love you

me: but would you walk through fire so i know you love me, so that i know i’m safe? would you be willing to drown with me after our car is run off the road by a drunk driver because we made a pact to stay together no matter what? would you hang up on brother bob AND miss patricia just so you can hear the sound of my voice? give up your life just to follow me halfway around the country? attempt murder whilst i am unconscious because someone hurt me?? no???? didn’t think so. move along 💅

858 notes • Posted 2021-04-20 03:05:37 GMT

#3

How can anyone be sad about Eddie and Ana dating when it is so narratively clear what her role in the story is? Regardless of any misogynistic implications, Ana's literal role is a stepping stone on Eddie's path to healing and recovery. like. that's not fanon conjecture, that's literally canon. She is designed to be temporary. I'm not saying buddie is going to be a thing; none of us can know until we Know and frankly, I don't think the writers know if buddie is going to be a thing either. But I will say that Eddie dating Ana is an incredibly important and pivotal peak in his character arc, and that this event marks the beginning of his future as a person truly healing from a devastating loss. He's admitted to not being over the death of his wife, probably not over the fact that she was ready and willing to divorce him like two hours before her death, but now he's willing to try and I'm so GLAD we get to track his healing and recovery fully instead of the writers just skipping through his healing like it's nothing. anyways I could rant about this forever but I'd literally die for him and you guys need to stop stressing out over nothing 😭

871 notes • Posted 2021-02-23 02:11:50 GMT

#2

bobby in S1E1: this is not a family this is not a clubhouse 🙄

bobby in S1E2 - Present: if ANYONE so much as lays a HAND on one of my DUMB CHILDREN i will SHOOT THEM TO DEATH. 😡 i am married to a COP and i’m from MINNESOTA which means i know GUN THINGS. oh??? 👀 you have daddy issues??? you need the love and affection your father never gave you???👀 n ✍️ o✍️ t ✍️ e ✍️ d ✍️ welcome to the 118 bitch, come for the fires. stay for the tender love and support we offer each other freely 😤

1031 notes • Posted 2021-06-26 16:33:11 GMT

#1

All I wanted in this episode was to see Eddie standing in support of Buck against his parents and he DID. No, he wasn't there for the dinners or anything like that, but he told Buck point blank that he had nothing to apologise for.

OK seriously think about that for a moment. When is the last time ANYONE has told Evan Buckley that he has nothing to apologise for? Eddie did something for Buck that not many people do for him: he validated his feelings. He told him it was okay to be pissed, he told him he had a right to be angry and hurt, even though his delivery wasn't the greatest. And not only is this significant development on Eddie's part (actually engaging in emotionally demanding conversation? the same man who literally ran off to war instead of dealing with whatever was going on at home?? okay), this episode also posited Eddie as exactly the kind of person Buck needs. like, obviously I'm a shipper so I'm gonna look at things with shipper glasses, but even taking those off for a minute: Eddie stood in Buck's corner when no one else who mattered (even Maddie, though I'm not mad at her) did. That's a good friend. That's a good partner. like??? ugh we were fed so good in this episode y'all, eat up

1270 notes • Posted 2021-02-09 03:57:59 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[davidmann95]

New Superman show! Thoughts?

Anonymous said: Thoughts on the new Superman animated series?

cheerfullynihilistic said: Thoughts on the new HBO Max DC animated shows?

Anonymous said: A NEW SUPERMAN CARTOON!!!!!! WOOOHOOOO!!!! Also another Batman cartoon. That looks cool too

jcogginsa said: NEW SUPERMAN CARTOON!

Anonymous said: So what do you want from the new animated show? It seems to be about a “Year 2” Superman which suits me perfectly, I just want fun adventures with the trio. We’ve still got S&L and the animated movies for a more “mature” take on Superman if this is too childish.

deathchrist2000 said: So they’re making a new Superman cartoon about him falling for Lois. Thoughts?

As it happens I had to wake up much earlier than usual today, so I saw the Batman announcement pretty much as soon as it happened. I had the car ride to the comic book store to think about it, mulled over the notion that while I like Batman too much to be resentful about this it was of course notable that there was no accompanying Superman announcement, leading me to conclude that hey, they should make a Superman cartoon too, a blistering spark of unprecedented inspiration to be sure. Then since I was early I checked my phone while waiting for the store to open, and I believe I audibly yelped.

In the order they were announced: psyched for Caped Crusader! I guess this is what the ‘BTAS is coming back!’ rumors a few months ago were about, and if this basically is “BTAS but serialized, getting to go heavier, and with modern production values”, I’m more than onboard with these names attached. Assuming Abrams’ role is mostly ceremonial, and hoping since he wasn’t in the original Hollywood Reporter headline with the other two Timm’s is mostly aesthetic (the degree to which his input beyond that could be a good thing depends on how much his uncomfortable horniness can be reigned in. Not even saying anything less than exceedingly horny, just don’t have Bruce and Barbara hook up again), this looks to be mainly Reeves’ baby which really shows how far WB is investing in him as the shepherd of their biggest IP. Must be a dream gig for him, getting to do his versions of the big hyper-modern unique reinvention and the classic iconic take at the same time: between that, Timm getting to go in the darker direction he always wanted, and Abrams getting to put his name on a thing everybody already likes again the way we know that guy loves, everybody’s getting what they want with this one. I can’t imagine this not turning out well.

Additionally, controversial take: despite the Timm design hoping this isn’t another Conroy return, we all love him but he’s phoned it in for a bit now and this should scream new as much as possible.

So first off: love that title. What a joyful, clever, lovely spin on an old standard.

Second: love this setup, aesthetic, and apparent tone! Instantly love this Clark and especially this Lois and their dynamic from the one image alone, I’m not familiar with Jake Wyatt’s work but taking a quick glance I’m very glad to see he’s part of this, and getting folks from the Voltron and She-Ra reboots sends a clear message as if the art wasn’t enough of what kind of thing this is going to try to be. Which is pretty much a perfect tack for a modern Superman cartoon: tell the 20-somethings who watched Adventure Time and Steven Universe and the like “hey, this is like those, but focused on your new age group”, and the kids watching Infinity Train and Owl House “hey this is like those but Superman”. If nothing else doing a show rooted around superheroism as a metaphor for the 20s experience rather than being a teenager is a relatively unique tack (as far as mass-media goes PS4 Spider-Man is the only other one that leaps out at me), and anchoring it and the adventures around the slice-of-life escapades and growth of Lois, Clark, and Jimmy as a trio of friends ala Morrison’s Action rather than the traditional duo with a sidekick is inspired. Gut instinct, but I have a feeling this is gonna be a revelatory Lois interpretation in particular. And if All-Star was Jack Quaid’s reading for inspiration as Clark, well, that’s sure not a bad sign either.

(The above’s from reddit, I guess some concept art from early enough that the title wasn’t finalized; the person who leaked this said the girl on the right is a member of the Newsboy Legion, now the Newskid Legion.)

(Also glad to see he's in his real clothes but if he's starting the show figuring the identity out, and there's some Morrison influence, they could do worse than to have him start in the t-shirt and jeans.)

20 years since the last proper Superman on TV, and now we’re getting two shows at once! One of them Superman for KIDS, if you can imagine such a thing. Between My Adventures With Superman as an early days, poppy all-ages series, Superman & Lois as a drama acting as the de facto sequel to pretty much every prior mass-media Superman take, and the upcoming movie apparently being a fairly standalone prestige reinvention, it really feels like all the bases are being covered. Hot damn, he’s well and truly back. Worth the inevitable agonizing hellpit discourse surrounding the franchise now that it’ll be a young adult animated series open to that scale of criticism, and as noted in my Twitter mentions, while not lining up in the strictest chronological sense, in terms of paving the way for this Superman in the collective cultural headspace McKenna Jean Harris probably deserves some royalties, or at least to get to work on the show.

Anonymous said: DC giveth and DC taketh away. We get a new Superman cartoon!... and an Injustice movie. Oh well it was inevitable right? Disappointed they’re doing Injustice before Kingdom Come though, and the petty side of me hopes we get a Metal adaption with the evil Batmen down the road.

Anonymous said: Injustice is finally getting adapted. That sucks but it looks like they’re adapting the first game’s story?

lol, two out of three ain’t bad

Really don’t care, this whipped up some Twitter mentions but basically no one especially gives a shit about these DTV joints at this point anyway (even if Man of Tomorrow turned out really solid) and the contrast today is a particularly humiliating one. So sure, do this too while you’re at it, a friend noted their new burgeoning shared universe sets it up to adapt the original ‘good Earth V evil Earth’ plot pretty well but it hardly matters.

[lochtayboatsong]

The Jesus Christ Superstar essay absolutely no one asked for.

Last weekend, I watched the pro-shot of the 2012 arena tour of Jesus Christ Superstar starring Ben Forster, Tim Minchin, and Melanie C, because it was Easter and it was up on YT for the weekend.  I never managed to do my annual listen-through of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass this year, as is my usual Easter tradition, so I figured “Why not watch/listen to this instead?”  It was my first time seeing and hearing JCS in full, and Y’ALL, it has been living rent-free in my brain ever since.  I have a mighty need to get my thoughts out, so here they are, in chronological order by song.  

1) Prologue: I love the way JCS 2012 makes use of the arena video screen.  The production design and concept clearly took a lot of inspiration from the “Occupy ______” movement, which makes it feel a bit dated now.  But every single production of JCS is a product of its time period, so this is a feature and not a bug.  

2) Heaven On Their Minds: This is a straight-up rock song.  It wouldn’t be out of place on any rock and roll album released between 1970 and 2021, and it boggles my mind that Webber and Rice were both in their early twenties when they wrote it.  Also, the lyric “You’ve begun to matter more than the things you say” hits hard no matter the year.

3) What’s the Buzz: A+ use of the arena screens again, this time bringing in social media to set the tone.  Also, this song establishes right from the outset that Jesus is burnt out and T I R E D by this point in the story.  Seriously, can we just let this man have a nap?

4) Strange Thing Mystifying: Judas publicly calls out Mary and Jesus claps back.  Folx, get you a partner who will defend your honor the way Jesus defends MM in this scene.  Also Jesus loses his shoes and is mostly barefoot for the remainder of the show.

5) Everything’s Alright: Okay, this is one of the songs I have A LOT to say about.  First, it’s important to know that I was a church musician throughout all of my adolescence and into my early adulthood.  The pianist at the services I usually played at was a top-notch jazz pianist, and also my piano teacher for about six years while I as in high school and undergrad.  (Incidentally, I had a HUGE crush on his son, who was/is a jazz saxophonist and clarinetist and also played in the church band, but that’s a story for another day.)  One of the hymns we played a few times a year was called “Sing of the Lord’s Goodness,” which is notable for being in 5/4 time.  Whenever this hymn was on the schedule, it was usually the recessional, or the last song played as the clergy processed out and the congregation got ready to leave, so we were able to have some fun with it.  After a couple verses the piano player and his son would usually morph it into “Take Five,” a famous jazz standard by Dave Brubeck which is also in 5/4 time.  Anyway, the first time I listened to this song in full, it got to Judas’s line “People who are hungry, people who are starving,” and I sat bolt upright and went “HOLY SHIT THIS IS ‘SING OF THE LORD’S GOODNESS/TAKE FIVE.’”  And I was ricocheted back in time to being fourteen and trying to keep up with this father/son duo in a cavernous Catholic church while simultaneously making heart-eyes at the son.  Final note: This is the only song in the musical to feature all three leads (Jesus, Judas, and Mary Magdalene) and is mostly Jesus and MM being soft with each other in between bouts of Jesus and Judas snarling at one another.

6) This Jesus Must Die: I LOVE that all the villains in this production are in tailored suits.  LOVE IT.  Also, Caiaphas and Annas are a comedy duo akin to “the thin guy and the fat guy,” except in this case it’s “the low basso profundo and the high tenor.”  Excellent use of the arena video screen again, this time as CCTV.

7) Hosanna: My background as a church musician strikes back again.  It honestly took me two or three listens to catch it, but then I had another moment of sitting bolt upright and going “HOLY SHIT THIS IS A PSALM.”  Psalms sung in church usually take the form of call-and-response, with a cantor singing the verses and the congregation joining in for the chorus.  If I close my eyes during this song, I have no trouble imagining Jesus as a church cantor singing the verses and then bringing the congregation in for the “Ho-sanna, Hey-sanna” chorus. 

8) Simon Zealotes: This is part “Gloria In Excelsis” and part over-the-top Gospel song.  Honestly it’s not my favorite, but it marks an important mood change in the show.  The end of “Hosanna” is probably Jesus at his happiest in the entire show, and then Simon comes in and sours the mood by trying to tip the triumphant moment into a violent one.  Jesus is not truly happy again from this moment on.

9) Poor Jerusalem: Also not my fave.  It kinda reads like Webber and Rice realized that Jesus didn’t have a solo aria in Act I, so they came up with this.  But it has the distinction of containing the lyric, “To conquer death you only have to die,” which is the biggest overarching theme of the story.

10) Pilate’s Dream: Pontius Pilate might be the most underrated role in this entire show, and I love that this production has him singing this song while being dressed in judge’s robes.  

11) The Temple: The first half of this is one of the campiest numbers in Act I, at least in this production, and it’s awesome.  The second half is one of the saddest, as Jesus tries to heal the sick but finds there are too many of them.  Also the whole scene is almost entirely in 7/8 time, which I think is just cool.

12) I Don’t Know How To Love Him: Mary Magdalene’s big aria, and one of the songs I knew prior to seeing the full-length show.  This production has MM taking off her heavy lipstick and eye makeup onstage, mid-song, which is kind of cool.  Melanie C says in a BTS interview that MM’s makeup is her armor, so this is a Big Symbolic Moment.

13) Damned For All Time: The scene transition into this song is played entirely in pantomime, and I love it.  The solo guitarist gets to be onstage for a bit, A+ use of the video screen again to show Judas on CCTV, etc.  Love it.  And then this song is Judas frantically rationalizing what he’s doing, and what he’s about to do, with Caiphas and Annas just reacting with raised eyebrows and knowing looks.

14) Blood Money: This is where the tone of the show really takes a turn for the dark.  I think this might be one of Tim Minchin’s finest moments as Judas, because his facial expressions and microexpressions throughout this scene speak absolute volumes.  And the offstage chorus quietly singing “Well done Judas” as he picks up the money is a positively chilling way to end Act I.

15) The Last Supper: Act II begins with major “Drink With Me” vibes.  (Except JCS came WAY before Les Miz, so it’s probably more accurate to say that “Drink With Me” has major “The Last Supper” vibes.)  Jesus and Judas have their knock-down, drag-out fight, and it’s honestly heartbreaking, thanks again to Tim Minchin’s facial expressions.  A well-done production of JCS will really convey that Jesus and Judas were once closer than brothers, even though their relationship is at breaking point when Act I begins.

16) Gethsemane: This is Jesus’s major showpiece and one of my faves.  Jesus knows he has less than 24 hours to live, he knows he’s going to suffer, and worst of all, he doesn’t know whether it’s going to be worth it.  It’s an emotional rollercoaster to watch and to perform, and it goes on for ages: something like 6 or 7 minutes.  Fun fact: the famous G5 is not written in the score.  Ian Gillan, who played Jesus on the original concept album, just sang it that way, so most subsequent Jesuses have also done it that way.  Lindsay Ellis has a great supercut of this on YT.  John Legend notably sang the line as written during the 2018 concert.  

17) The Arrest: Judas’s Betrayer’s Kiss is played differently across different productions.  The 2012 version is pretty tame - I’ve seen clips and gifs of other productions, including the 2000 direct-to-video version, where they kiss fully on the mouth and have to be dragged apart by the guards and it is THE MOST TENDER THING.  Then the 7/8 riff from “The Temple” comes back and the 2012 version lets the video screen do its thing again as Jesus is swarmed by reporters.

18) Peter’s Denial: Not much to say about this one, as it’s basically a scene transition.  But it’s a significant moment in the Passion story, so I’m glad they included it.

19) Pilate and Christ: The 2012 production continues with the theme of Caiaphas, Annas, and Pilate all being bougie af, since Pilate intentionally looks like he just came from tennis practice during this scene.  Also he does pilates...hehehe.

20) King Herod’s Song: Tim Minchin says in a BTS interview that JCS works best when Jesus and Judas are played seriously and the rest of the production is allowed to be completely camp and wild and bizarre all around them, and he is bloody well CORRECT about that.  Case in point: King Herod.  There is not a single production of JCS that I know of where Herod is played “straight.”  He’s been played by everyone from Alice Cooper to Jack Black, and everyone puts a different zany spin on him.  In JCS 2012 he’s a chat show host in a red crushed velvet suit, who is clearly having the time of his LIFE. 

21) Could We Start Again Please: This is another of my faves.  Just a quiet moment where MM, Peter, and the disciples try to grapple with the fact that Jesus is arrested and things are going very, very badly.  This is also my favorite Melanie C moment of the 2012 show.  Her grief is very real, and the little moment she has with Peter at the end is very real.

22) Death of Judas: This is basically Tim Minchin screaming for about five minutes, and incredibly harrowing to watch on first viewing.  

23) Trial Before Pilate: Possibly my single favorite scene in the entire 2012 production.  This is another harrowing watch, but there’s so much to take in.  The “set” that the entire show takes place on is essentially just a massive staircase, and the people with power are almost always positioned above the people without power.  In this scene, the crowd shouting “Crucify Him!” is positioned above Pilate, which is a very telling clue to Pilate’s psychology during this scene.  Jesus is at the very bottom of the stairs, of course.  Excellent use of the video screen once again during the 39 Lashes, to show the lash marks building and building until the entire screen is a wash of red.  Pilate’s counting also gets more and more frantic, especially starting around “20.”  And all the while the guitar riff from “Heaven On Their Minds” is playing.  Jesus’s line “Everything is fixed and you can’t change it” is played quite differently in different productions - here it’s defiant, but elsewhere (in JCS 2000 for example) it’s almost tender, like Jesus is absolving Pilate for his part in the trial.  But it always ends the same - with Pilate almost screaming as he passes the sentence and “washes his hands” of the whole sorry business. 

24) Superstar: The most over-the-top number in the show.  Judas, who died two scenes ago, comes back to sing this.  There are soul singers.  There are girls in skimpy angel costumes.  The parkour guys from the prologue are back.  Judas pulls a tambourine out of hammerspace midway through the song.  And Jesus is silently screaming and crying as he gets hoisted onto a lighting beam while all this is going on.

25) The Crucifixion: More of a spoken-word piece than a song, it’s Jesus’s final words on the cross over eerie piano music, and another harrowing watch.

26) John 19:41: An instrumental piece in which Jesus is taken from the cross and carried, at last, to the top of the stairs, before being lowered out of sight as the video screen turns into a memorial wall and everything fades to black.

So.  I know I’m anywhere from three to fifty-one years late to this particular party, but I am on the JCS bandwagon now and I’m thoroughly enjoying myself.  :)