#bring back Yellow plz

[croik]

what do you dislike about Kayne/the butcher in terms of writing?

Everything 😌

No but really I'll share my thoughts under the cut.

I could probably write an essay about how the introduction of Kayne has already irreparably damaged the show's narrative, but the short version is that by existing, he has erased virtually all stakes, imo. He appeared basically out of nowhere, deflated all tension leading up to the final confrontation with the King in Yellow (who was the main antagonist at the time), and following that confrontation removed all the consequences of it. By undoing Arthur's broken bones and returning John, everything about Arthur's and John's choices on the plateu were invalidated, as well as the choice we the Patrons had made, despite it being billed as a very significant vote. He replaced them with entirely new and completely arbitrary consequences (the memory loss, whatever John's deal is).

His motives may or may not become clear later on, but in the meantime, we're left with a villain who seems to be reshaping the story just for his own amusement, with no regard for the characters' agency or consequences. If Kayne can bring Arthur back from literal death whenever he wants, why should I ever be worried for his safety? Why should I care if John is losing his memory again, when Kayne has full control over his mind and existence? There's no point even wondering what he's after or what the conditions of his deal are until he reveals them himself, and even then, it might just get undone again.

It's contrived, imo. It's lazy. It's a get out of jail free card when you snap a character's femur and then realize you don't want spend time on healing, or come up with some other explanation to get rid of the injury so the plot can barrel forward. He's too powerful, and until he tips his hand, we can't trust that anything else will stick or matter.

Butcher is different, but the problem I have with him is the writing trying too hard to convince us that he's smart/good at this. Him clocking Arthur as blind after a few minutes, after personally watching him READ THE NOTE he himself gave him, and despite none of the other people who spent longer with Arthur noticing, is a desperate bid for us to think he's smart. Him climbing on top of the moving train, where he can't see or hear his quarry, and dropping in exactly when Arthur is next to the specific window, is very dramatic but nonsensical. He chats on and on with the officers, basically shouting at the audience how scary and important he is for far too long.

And he just happened to chase Arthur into an apartment building with a chair and rope set up in the basement. Again it's all a little too convenient. There's a lot about the current scenario that doesn't make much sense logistically, but it doesn't matter because we're just supposed to take the Butcher at his word that he's very good at this.

And hey, I'm not looking for realism. That's not my issue. I just don't like a story telling me that the villain is the best in his field, and then showing him rely on happenstance and luck while he prattles on and on, and sometimes magically intuits something unearned.

(I'm also not a fan of his "oo I'm in love with my victims" shtick, but someone else explained that better already)

Disclaimer these are all my personal feelings and I'm not trying to convince anyone or say you shouldn't like these characters, I fully admit I also have strong personal reasons for disliking them unrelated to the writing so I can't be 100% objective. But who even can be, amirite?

[xxelleswrittingxx]

I headcanon neytiri picking up the human reader like a teddy bear and showering her off to everyone

This is cute 🥺 idk if it was meant as smutty, but like thats what my whole blog is about so I'll add some in at the end 😁

"Faster..." Neytiri called out behind her as she walked her way through the village, you jogged to try to keep up with her but you could only do your best. The Omaticaya people stared hard at you as you wove your way through them, long limbs blocked your path randomly and so you dodged as you could.

A hard thump knocked you to the ground and your scream slipped past your lips. Neytiris ears twitched to the sound and she immediately whipped around to come back to you.

The tall Navi that bumped in to you was spitting harsh words in her native tongue at you, but luckily Neytiri cane to your defence and told her off. Your face burned from embarrassment.

Not only were you being stared at by passerbys while trying to keep up with the woman, but then you had to go and make an even bigger fool of yourself by knocking into somebody.

The angry Navi walked away in annoyance (how could she argue with the Olo'eyktan's daughter) but now you had another one in front of you, "Why are you like this? Do I have to carry you around? You're like a baby!"

Your face burned harder and panic struck as she stepped towards you with her arms out. Warms hands grasped around your ribs and she pulled you onto her hip. You tried to ignore the grumpled complaints that were said under her breath, and it came easy as you got distracted by bring this up close to her.

You could see the detailed stripes painted across her body and the soft lashes that fluttered around her big yellow eyes. Smile lines etched around the corners of her mouth. You wanted to see them deepen from your own doing. Her beauty was breathtaking and her body felt so nice pressed againts yours.

Before you knew it you two had made it to the school, but she never set you down. She introduced you to all of her close friends and the younger clan members that she felt strong love for within her heart. You could sense a small bit of hidden pride from her as she showed you off to them. After the introduction was done, she stepped outside as Grace started her lesson.

"My small tawtute, I enjoy having you in my arms," she smiled down at you and saw the embarrassment that etched onto your face, the way your pupils dialated, "and it seems that you enjoy it too." She whispered out the last part with a cat like grin. You couldn't lie with your nerves strung out like this.

Your legs squeezed her muscular and lean waist, your hands felt her smooth but tough skin, God you really did like it...

A/N: I really hope you guys enjoy my little blurbs, I promise I'm working on A Curious Predator, I just have lots going on and feel some writers block, but your little requests help a lot! Feel free to send more or some of your own headcannons plz <3

[meowmeowmeowmeow4x]

Dark Blue Moon and the Suffering Sun Part 7

reblog and comment plz <3 i read every one of them and love them all

also here's the masterpost

Damian knew Phantom used echolocation to locate this ravine in the first place, but the question was whether Damian could try the same thing. Damian hugged the walls of the cliff face, keeping his body flush against the surface, and lurking around corners and behind obstacles. The coast was clear.

Clearing his throat, he let out a high-pitched click, projecting it as far as his voice could carry. Immediately, his sensitive ears picked up the echoes coming back in layers. While the sound he sent was singular, the echoes came back in staggered waves, with layers of different pitches and tones and brief silent spells over the course of a millisecond.

This echolocation was useless!

Damian weighed his options. He could approach the surface, but there was no telling if Skulker had a vessel nearby where he could lick his wounds. The worst thing he could do was just hand himself on a silver platter to the creep. On the other hand, he doubted a flashlight would be very useful at the very depths of the ocean.

He still had to try.

Damian’s backside tingled with a light pressure, a feeling he’d come to associate with his lateral line. He armed the wrist ray on his left hand, and grabbed the Anti-Creep Stick with the other. Scanning the ravine revealed no other sirens or fish, but a slight stirring caught his eye.

Damian squinted at the crevice on the opposite side of the bark, not quite sure of what he was supposed to be looking at, until his nose caught the smell. There was definitely something there, but it didn’t smell like another siren the way Phantom and the teenage girls did.

An octopus then?

Octopodes were intelligent creatures, beautiful examples of the ocean’s biodiversity.

But Phantom needed sustenance, and he couldn’t afford for Damian to be picky. However, he put away the bat regardless. He wasn’t so cruel as to bash its head in to death. No, he would make it quick.

Damian unsheathed his claws, and coiled up his tail. Hopefully it wasn’t one of the poisonous varieties. He truly did not want to test Phantom’s immunities at the moment. Like a tiger waiting to leap, Damian kept his body still, and scrutinised the rock for the slightest deviation in colour…

There! Damian pounced. The octopus’s colour returned to its natural yellow pallor. His hands wrapped around its bulbous head. Score! Now to kill it. Sorry octopus, your sacrifice will not be in vain.

However, the mollusk was not about to give up without a fight. Suckered tentacles slapped at Damian’s face. The slimy skin of its head allowed it to slip out of its grasp. As Damian went to activate the wrist ray, a cloud of ink spurted right into his face, and he lost track of it.

Dammit! Damian let out some uncouth words under his breath, and banged his hand on the rock.

Hunting for food was difficult. Theoretically it should’ve been simple. Find something edible, kill it, bring it back, but everything Damian found was either too small to be worth the effort, or too big to risk his life. Multiple times Damian was forced to dive around corners or into claustrophobic cracks as ocean behemoths crossed his path. He couldn’t even find a patch of seaweed or algae this deep into the trench.

He was running out of options as the sun began to set above. Damian was starving himself, and it was getting frustrating. His body was not adapted to thrive in these waters, or maybe it was, and he just didn’t know how.

Either way, the exhaustion of the hunt began to take its toll on him. Far from providing for Phantom’s recovery, he had only wasted his own energy for nothing. Each failed kill, each accumulated bruise left him more and more anxious. That was why when he spotted a lone anglerfish creeping up from the depths, Damian decided to challenge it.

She, for male anglerfish were absolutely tiny satellites to the females, drifted into the twilight zone where Damian caught sight of her. She was almost half his size, and her teeth seemed as big as his fingers Her lure glowed brightly against the darkness of the deep ocean, as little fish wandered closer to the ‘sun’ and got chomped for their troubles. She was truly beautiful.

Hiding behind a small shelf, Damian aimed the wrist ray. The gills should allow him to subdue her quickly. Then securing the kill should be easy.

Damian waited. Just a little closer…

Then he fired.

The light of the shot was almost blinding. When the glare faded, Damian saw not a dead anglerfish, but a very much alive one dashing away. No! Damian sprung into a sprint after her. This may well be his last chance to get anything edible. He had to give chase.

Thankfully he’d gotten a lot of practice the last few others. As the anglerfish tried to round a corner, Damian grabbed its tailfin with his claws, digging in to try and slow it down.

Instead, the angler swerved to the side. Its powerful muscles slammed Damian against the rocky wall. Damian cried out in pain, and his grip loosened enough for the angler to get away.

Damian groaned. Not another one.

Damian lay there, dizzy from pain and exhaustion, watching morosely as the scraped scales healed themselves before his eyes, taking up valuable energy that he did not have to spare. Night fell. Without light, the next few quarries would be even more difficult, if not impossible. What he would do for Alfred’s cooking right about now. He would never make trouble at the dinner table again, if he ever got out of this alive.

His lateral line spiked up again, but Damian just felt tired. Sighing, he readied himself for another beating. How the might have fallen…

He noticed a beam of light shining from around a corner. Hushed voices followed. They were speaking Atlantean! Damian’s heart soared. He didn’t know they were this close to Aquaman’s territory! He knew there were a small number of settlements in the Pacific, but he never expected to stumble into one of them!

“Over here, I require assistance!” He called out.

The whispers rose into rushed conversation he couldn’t make out. Soon he found a light being shined on him, and two Atlantean soldiers, a man and a woman, pointing their spears at him. What?

“State your business here, siren.”  The venom in the woman’s voice was palpable. Belatedly, Damian realised it was hasty of him to assume good relations between the two ocean peoples. However, this was his last shot.

“Please, my companion is injured and requires medical assistance. I swear on my name that we do not mean you harm.” Damian pleaded, with complete earnestness. He even added a whimper at the end to make himself look more vulnerable, more childlike and unthreatening, even if it was beneath him.

The man laughed. “Hah! I’ve heard that one before, punk. But if you think you’re gonna pull one over us easily, you’re shit outa luck. Your kind’s not welcome in these waters, now scram.”

Damian’s mouth gaped open. Did these people have not the slightest compassion? He often criticised his father’s habit of picking up strays, but deep down he knew that that trait was a quality of his character, and not a flaw. These Atlanteans could not even be bothered to spare him a glance outside of telling him to leave. Their eyes did not hold compassion, or sympathy, or even pity, only hardened wariness, and contempt.

“Please, I beg of you.”

The soldiers bared their spears at him. “I said scram, siren! Go back to your pod and stay there.”

Damian gave them his best glare as he turned tail and swam.

Only, he stopped once he turned a corner, but was still in earshot.

“Damn sirens, sinking to new lows. What next, a baby?” The male soldier muttered, his voice trailing off as the two returned to their patrol.

Patrolling soldiers meant an outpost, maybe even a settlement. And that meant food, medical supplies, and weapons. Damian knew a golden opportunity when he saw one. If these miscreants would not grant him the aid requested, then who was Damian to decide he didn’t need permission?

And so Damian stalked them closely. He trailed behind the duo of soldiers a dozen or so metres away, using his lateral line and nose to keep close track of their movements. A sense of calm quelled the ever present instinctual fear of being out in the open, as the familiarity of stalking targets washed over him. He almost didn’t have to try, with how terrible their situational awareness. If he were in king of the ocean’s shoes, he’d be very disappointed with his underlings’ performance.

Perhaps he’d have to snitch on them to Aquaman once this was all over. That would be suitable revenge.

The soldiers unwittingly guided him through the ravine, finally ascending. Above the cliff shelf, about two hundred metres away, stood an Atlantean settlement. Looks like he managed to catch them at the end of their route. Excellent.

Damian estimated the town’s circumference to be around ten kilometres, judging by parallax. He could just spot scores of Atlanteans going about their day, kicking their legs about to swim in a way that seemed so clumsy after seeing Phantom zip through the waves. The buildings stretched out from the flat sandy planes to jutting out from the sides of cliffs.

What was more important was the fields. Huge fields full of leafy plants he had never seen before. Along the cliff face, vines weaved between stone supports bearing strange fruits.

Damian grinned.

Now, all he needed to do was infiltrate.

[judilyart]

Can you make a post about how you choose colors plz ? I'm really curious about your process

this is such a difficult question to answer bc really the way i approach colors is mostly reliant on what I find interesting and I do struggle with them, but i'll try my best to answer!

before I even start working on my piece, I like to gather a bunch of refs and think about the vibe I want to achieve since colors and values change the piece drastically. personally, I like to play around with purple a lot so usually I start with a light purple for the undertone/sky background color and I find that it helps a lot to work above that rather than the white of the canvas, it also helps me bring purple back into the shadows! I think my "secret" to why my paintings are so colorful is that I start by blocking in as many colors/shapes as I can using a brush with the color dynamics setting on, I find that it creates a good base fast without having to manually pick every single hue by hand. It's also important to try many different palettes and not be scared of scrapping something and repainting from scratch bc that's how you're able to tell what works and what doesn't! it also creates many ugly stages lol but here's a few screenshots from my process video of Under The Peach Tree as an example of how many times I repainted it

I like to keep in mind what the highlight color will be, for example in this painting I went for a skintone that's closer to the colors of the peaches and the little blanket bc that will tie everything together and make the character feel like they belong in the environment. it's similar in other cases too, for example if the grass is more cool toned then I'd go for some red pink flowers. there's a tool in photoshop that's called selective color which I use a lot as well as curves or color balance, they're all used to adjust the colors that you already have like if I feel that the yellow is not quite right then I try to change it up through those tools and see what's better. it's really a lot of trial and error and just trying things out and seeing what you end up liking, it also ofc comes with practice and learning compositional values.

I hope this helps 💗 I do upload my process on my patreon, and I've been planning a video specifically on how I paint skin since it's an interesting topic!

[marvelsswansong]

morning newspapers & fresh coffee

summary: as Hawkins and the Upside Down begins to merge into one, Eddie runs to you and places a ring on your left hand. "The moment we beat this fucking demon, I'm marrying you." And he does - trading weapons for morning newspapers and the scent of blood for fresh coffee for each morning.

tags: Eddie x gn!reader (no pronouns/descriptions), pure domestic fluff, blissful married life, 1% angst 99% fluff, happy ending for everyone sue me, obviously off-canon in many respects, oneshot

☆ word count: 4.2K+ ☆

a/n: i think we all need this. plz enjoy happy husband!Eddie and pure domestic bliss! uwu

⚠️ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲, 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞.⚠️

Sometimes you still get nightmares of that day.

The pavement beneath you rumbling, cracks of cement burning with hot lava bubbling underneath, the trees in the road falling one by one like dominoes. Crushed cars with their headlights still on, shattered glass crunching beneath your boots as you force one foot in front of the other.

The taste of iron blood and the smell of putrid smoke, burning flesh wafting from every direction as you step over a rotting demonic bat carcass, kicking over its limp body with your left foot. The action is futile - you're exhausted, dehydrated and above all, scared.

The only thing keeping you going is the promise Eddie murmured against your lips before splitting to run off with Dustin and his bunch, whilst you are to stay with the other kids under 'Max babysitting' duty.

"As soon as this shit is over. Our hideout spot, Lover's Lake, the-" he'd frantically whispered into the night, hands cradling your face gently. You were suppressing your tears the best you can, fear churning in your stomach.

"The rock overlooking the cove, the first place we ever kissed." you finished for him, voice breaking towards the end. Damn it, you cursed yourself. You had to be brave for the kids as you forced yourself to stand up straight. Eddie just smiled at that, but it didn't reach his eyes - it was cautious, slightly worried and forced.

"Meet me there, okay? As soon as you hear over this walkie talkie-" he squeezed the black object in your left hand. "Code green, we meet there."

You nodded quickly, relishing the warmth of his hand in yours before he planted a short, swift kiss to your chapped lips.

"I'll see you there, okay? Don't flake out on me, because I have a very important question to ask you."

Dustin was pulling on the sleeves of Eddie's jackets before you could question the metalhead further, and you were left standing there alone. Left hand grasping and ungrasping the walkie talkie with unease.

You didn't know why you bothered to drag yourself to the lake. Even as the battle had seemingly already been lost, the alternate universe bleeding into the mortal, the barrier separating the two worlds gone. Max was unresponsive. The line on the walkie talkie had gone dead half an hour ago. Last status update from Dustin?

A code yellow.

Not great, but not bad.

But you'd made a promise to your boyfriend. And if the world was going to end tonight, you might as well have it end with him by your side, his lanky arms tightly wrapped around your shoulder.

You're not sure how long you sit on the wet rocks overlooking the cove, legs anxiously swinging back and forth as the sun turns blood red. Specks of grey ash fall onto your hair and clothes, making you frustratedly wipe away the carnage every few seconds. Seconds bleed into minutes in agony and you find yourself looking back every two seconds, hand clenching around your metal baseball bat.

After all, it's the only weapon you've chosen to bring with you as you dragged your limp body to the lake.

The physical pain feels nothing compared to the excruciating agony of the wait, the constant "what ifs" and worst case scenarios flooding your overactive mind. You're scared for your friends. You're scared for this town. And you're terrified for Eddie.

Just as your hope begins to slip, however, the sound of a car screeching to a halt on the road nearby grabs your attention. It's accompanied by a masculine voice cursing and staggered footsteps, leaves crunching underneath boots, and then a broken voice calling your name.

You nearly slip with how fast you rise from your spot, throwing yourself into Eddie's arms as he drops his guitar on the floor and opens up for an embrace. His face is caked in dirt, hair matted underneath his blood soaked bandana and large gashes decorating his abdomen and legs. He looks worse for wear, to say the least.

But he's alive.

He's fucking alive, heart beating underneath his ripped band t-shirt and leather jacket, scarred hands circling around your waist.

"I-I thought you weren't coming back to me." you confess into his chest, the tears falling involuntarily. It's spilling out all at once, the heightened anxiety, the impending doom befalling you and your friends, the rush of nightmares you've been experiencing ever since the walkie talkie went offline. Silent tears leak from his tired eyes at that confession, calloused fingers rubbing circles into your back as he quickly places a kiss onto your forehead.

"I had to make it back to you, sunshine. I had to ask you that important question, remember?" he breathlessly adds, voice tainted with fear.

"What is it?" you question, as the ground beneath the two of you rumbles. Eddie pulls away for half a second, quickly reaching for one of his metal rings before pulling it off his scarred finger with a pained hiss. You chastise him immediately, warning him not to hurt himself, but all protests die in your mouth when he then suddenly gets on one knee.

"Angel, you are without a doubt the best thing to have ever happened to me. And as soon as we stop this Upside Down bullshit from completely overtaking Hawkins, I want to make you mine forever. Would you... be willing to be mine... forever?"

He presents the ring to you dramatically, hands and voice both shaking. The world's ending and Eddie Munson is proposing to you.

"Yes, yes, a thousand percent yes!" you scream before crashing into him. It's a bundle of limbs, arms and legs wrapping around his chest, causing both of you to fall onto the dirt floor. But neither of you care - it's nothing compared to the grime you two are already covered in, and it's especially nothing compare to the pure, unbridled joy filling your hearts as he slides the accessory onto your ring finger.

"The moment we beat this fucking demon, I'm marrying you." he grins, winking at you. And you laugh, genuinely, for the first time in months.

It's been five years since that day and you still get nightmares.

It's what causes your body to tremble in your sleep now, the slow whines escaping your lips waking Eddie immediately before he's gently shaking you awake.

"Babe. Babe. (Y/n)-"

At the mention of your name your eyes fly open, harsh breaths leaving your lungs in scattered gasps as you frantically sit up and survey the room. You're still in panic mode, sensing danger everywhere as you tense up and stare at Eddie wide-eyed. At this point, he already knows what you've dreamt about without you even having to say it.

"It's fine, you're fine. Everyone's fine." he mutters gently and you choke on a sob, feeling both relieved and embarrassed. "Aw, come here."

He quickly shifts to sit you on his lap, hands coming up to caress your cheeks as you cry silent tears in his embrace, body still shaking from the vivid terrors.

"I-it feels so real each time-" you choke out, scrunching your eyes shut, wishing those memories away. He's nothing but understanding as he holds you, cooing gentle lullabies under his breath as he rocks you lightly back and forth. Your blurry eyes focus in on the contents of your shared bedroom with Eddie, it slowly beginning to set in that you're no longer in that version of Hawkins.

His oversized hellfire shirt draped over a half-done pile of laundry. His guitar hanging by the potted sunflowers you planted last June. The stack of polaroids strung up over your bedside table, candid photos of you and Eddie doing mundane things - cooking, checking the news, carrying a bag of groceries. It'd started as an inside joke the first month after the wedding, your fingers snapping a photo as Eddie lazily read the side of a cereal box one morning. A joke which had now extended into several years of marriage and countless photographs decorating the pastel walls of your master bedroom.

"Can you say your affirmations for me?" Eddie lightly questions, making you swallow nervously.

"We've been married for five years. We're in our apartment on the upper east side of Hawkins. The portal to the Upside Down has been closed. All threats have been eliminated. Everyone is safe and alive."

It's a simple set of statements but ones which quickly ground you back to reality - it's been Eddie's idea to have you recite it when you wake up from a nightmare, sweat coating your forehead and heart beating a million miles per hour at the thought of landing back there in that hellhole.

"Fuck, I'm so sorry, Eds." you croak out. "I-I didn't mean to wake you."

He rolls his eyes playfully, squishing your cheeks and planting a swift kiss to your lips.

"Nah. Can't complain when the sight I wake up to is you, my forever partner."

"Even if that's the sight of me looking incredibly dehydrated and ugly from all the crying?" you tease, wincing when Eddie stands up and pulls the curtains to the side. It's a bright sunny day, clear blue skies and a harsh stream of sunlight glistening off of the windowsill as he looks back at you with a coy expression.

"Objection, your honor! You look hot all the time. Now come on-" he gently pats your butt, urging you to get out of bed. "We need to get a move on if we wanna make it to the market on time."

Pulling one of Eddie's many oversized shirts over your head, your bare legs brace the chilly morning temperatures as you pad out into the kitchen, the smell of freshly brewed coffee already filling the air. Eddie's humming a song underneath his breath as he mixes the pancake batter together in a glass bowl, doe brown eyes concentrated on the milky white mixture.

Sitting on the kitchen counter, you take the moment to admire how your husband looks right now. Shoulders relaxed, scarred fingers (still adorned with rings, mind you) grasping the wooden spoon, a gentle smile on his face as he dices bananas into the bowl with ease. When he stretches upwards to retrieve a couple of plates from the cupboard, his shirt rides up and you can still see the scars from the final battle - red, faded, huge wounds scattered across his lower stomach.

"Staring at my hot battle scars, babe?" he quips, using the same lame joke he's used at least a million times since the start of your marriage. You'd asked him once if he'd like to get them covered up with tattoos, but Eddie was insistent on keeping them.

"It's weird but having them on my body reminds me of what I managed to get through. They tell a story, I think, a story with an eventual happy ending." he'd said, brushing aside your worries with an assured grin. "You're real sweet for worrying bout me, angel, but I promise I'm fine. Besides, who doesn't love a scruffed up war hero?"

You'd shoved him lightly in the shoulder, leaning back against the car seat with a playful glare.

"War hero? Someone thinks highly of themselves." you tutted, waving your finger in disapproval. Eddie smirked at you sideways, hands tapping lightly against the dashboard of his van.

"Of course I would. I married you, didn't I?"

"Peanut butter or honey?" Eddie asks you as he scrapes off the pancakes from the pan with a spatula.

"Today I think... honey."

He raises his eyebrows at that, clicking his tongue.

"Honey for my honey, coming right up!"

You groan at that, but it's all for show. The wide puppy dog smile on his face as he shuffles around the kitchen, ducking under odd light fixtures and scrambling through the stack of cutlery for the "perfect" knife and fork to offer you, the sight of your husband preparing breakfast is one you'll never get tired of.

"Is it any good?" he questions as soon as you take a bite, your hair being ruffled from the light winds blowing in from the open window.

"It's amazing as always." you assure him, to which he bows dramatically.

"Thank you for the compliment, your highness."

He grabs his own plate of pancakes before reaching back up to the cupboard and groaning under his breath.

"Shit, did we forget to buy more honey the last time we went grocery shopping?"

"Maybe? I was in a rush back from the office so I thought you'd covered this week's list of groceries already." you note, frowning. Eddie sighs, closing the cabinet back up before sitting back down.

"Damn. Well, I guess it's peanut butter on pancakes for me this morning then."

You're quick to shove your plate towards him.

"Just have some of mine, babe, if you want honey."

His eyes light up at the suggestion, a wicked smirk on his face.

"That actually gives me a great idea."

"Wha-"

Before you can finish your sentence his lips are on yours, tongue teasing your lower lip, the sticky sweet taste of honey lingering afterwards as Eddie smacks his lips. He quickly cuts into his own food before popping the pancake into his mouth, letting out an exaggerated groan of satisfaction.

"Honey on pancakes. My favorite."

The conversation over breakfast is light and calm - perks of it being a Saturday morning in mid-September. He washes up as you hang the laundry by the front lawn. He's folding up the mess of clothes from last night as you water the lillies by the windowsill, admiring the water droplets falling from petal to petal.

"Love, do you prefer to listen to Duran Duran or Quiet Riot in the car today?!" he yells from the living room as you finish gathering the packages by the front porch, tucking the morning newspaper under your arm to see the metalhead holding up two cassette tapes.

"I don't mind either!" you shout back, making Eddie groan. He pouts like a little kid whose candy has been stolen.

"That response doesn't help, babe! How else am I supposed to pick between these two rock legends?" he dramatically whines, making you roll your eyes playfully.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out, you big baby."

Eddie simply sighs dramatically before pocketing the Duran Duran casette, his left hand reaching out to hold yours as his right hand carries the car keys.

"Ready to go?"

"One second." you say, hands flying to your tote bag to make sure you've got everything - keys, water bottle, extra bags, wallet, sunglasses... "All good."

The drive to the farmer's market is filled with Eddie's adorable singing, his dramatic re-enactments of the lyrics drawing odd stares from drivers passing by. Not that he cares, of course. He'd do it all over again just to see you doubled over in laughter, your gorgeous face scrunched up in a permanent grin. It's one of his most favorite sights to see.

His grip on your hand is tight, but still gentle, as you two navigate through the crowds of people, soles of your shoes shuffling against the dirt. You drag him from one booth to another, excitedly holding up different kinds of fruits and vegetables, asking him to hold your things as you run off to a jams and spreads stand.

"What'd you think about this one?" you excitedly ask, holding up a glass jar of raspberry jam to his face. Eddie blinks slowly at your question - he hasn't being paying attention to anything you've been saying at all, too entranced by the way the sunlight's been glistening in your hairline. The soft halo on your angelic features as your tongue delicately wet your lips in between sentences out of habit. It also doesn't help that you're wearing his favorite jeans, the ones that hug your thighs just right and drives him wild. "Eddie. Eddiiieeee-" you sing song, pulling the jar away from his face.

"Sorry, angel, what were you saying?" he blinks, trying to stay focused.

"The jam, Eddie! Raspberry or strawberry, what'd you think?"

He pretends to think about it for a moment.

"Strawberry, I guess."

Handing a crisp $5 to the elderly woman standing in front of you, you place the glass of jam into the bag Eddie's carrying (which at this point is bursting at the seams with all kinds of artisanal fruits, vegetables and breads) before you squeal and begin to tug at his sleeves in excitement.

"There's a waffle stand! Eddie, can we go, please?"

His arms are aching from the heavy load and his legs feel a bit sore from all the walking, but he can't find any space in his heart to refuse you when your sweet voice begs him like that. You have no idea the kind of power you have over him, he thinks. One flutter of your lashes and a slight whine and Eddie's a melted puddle on the floor, willing to bend to your every will.

"Of course we can, angel."

Lunch is thus a mess of sugar and honeyed stickiness - you sitting on Eddie's lap on a nearby bench as he feeds you spoonfuls of waffles drizzled in whipped cream and strawberries. When you later complain that you've got whipped cream all over your mouth, hands flying to your back pocket to pull out a pack of tissues, Eddie just rolls his eyes and kisses away the remnants instead.

"There. Much easier." he declares, proud smirk on his face. "Ready to go home?"

You nod, satisfied, head delirious from the sugar rush and the gaze of uninhibited adoration on his face.

"Yeah."

As the sun begins to set over the horizon, you glance over at Eddie on the drive back, admiring how well he's aged in the past five years. His hair's been cut slightly shorter, but his curls have been maintained. There are a few fine lines carving his cheekbones now when he smiles, a slight discoloration on his left hand from the burns sustained years ago. But it only makes him all the more beautiful, you think.

"What're you thinking so hard about?" he questions you, noticing that you've been rather silent for a while.

"Nothing." you respond, content. "Just... how gorgeous you are."

He lightly blushes at the compliment, and it never fails to amuse you how after everything - five whole years of marriage - he still gets flustered when you call him beautiful.

"Right back at you." he says, throwing you a quick wink in the rearview mirror.

Exhaustion hits in full force as the sun sets and you two are now back home, with Eddie shuffling through the contents of your fridge to make space for the new groceries as you thumb through the morning paper on the sofa. The only sounds in the room is the light rain beginning to drizzle outside, droplets hitting against glass in repetitive rhythm as you quickly abandon reading before hugging your husband from behind.

"I'm bored." you complain into his back, face squished against his body. His entire body reverberates with a laugh, one hand coming to pat your head affectionately.

"We were just out, angel."

"I know, but the rain always makes me sleepy and bored, you know that."

"Indeed I do. Hey-" he pulls away from you briefly. "How about we have a little date night then?"

You frown, confused.

"S-sure, but it's raining and I'm not sure if we can get a reservation so late-"

He chuckles, brushing stray hairs away from your eyes.

"No, silly. I meant like a date night inside."

That piques your interest, making you cock your head sideways.

"What'd you mean?"

Turns out, his idea of a 'inside date night' is both silly and romantic. First, he tells you to dress up as if you two were actually going out. Style your hair, put on your best clothes, spritz your perfume. He doesn't even let you leave your shared closet before he pretends to knock and presents you with a bouquet of hastily pulled out lillies, a boyish smile on his face.

"For you, my perfect date."

He's dressed up slightly too, collared blue shirt tucked into black linen pants, a sight which makes your heart skip a little faster.

"Thank you, dear husband."

He refuses to let you help in the kitchen as he prepares your favorite meal, sitting you down on the counter and asking you random questions to keep you preoccupied.

"We've been married for five years, Eddie. What could you possibly not know about me?" you question, amused. He laughs at that, crouching by the kitchen oven as he speaks.

"Not those kind of questions, silly. There's plenty of other things I could ask about like... I don't know, would you rather... fight a mermaid or a polar bear?" he finishes cautiously.

"What? What kind of question is that?" you splutter through bursts of giggles, making Eddie throw his hands up in mock surrender.

"I don't know! I'm just trying to keep this marriage fresh. Now answer, babe." he sends you a warning glare, but the ghost of a smile on his face gives him away. It makes you lean forward in interest, head resting on your propped up arms.

"A polar bear."

He gasps at that.

"What? No. You'd been mutilated in an instant! I'd choose the mermaid, you can probably just gut them like a fish and be done with it." he retorts, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Or they could drown you by dragging you to the bottom of the ocean." you counter, raising your eyebrows.

"Oh, and a polar bear wouldn't cut you down with its claws and feed on your flesh?"

The two of you stare at each other in silence before bursting into a fit of laughter, you burying your head into your hands as Eddie doubles over, body folded in half.

"God, why did you ever marry me?" he questions, slightly out of breath as he leans against the counter across from you. You stand up ever so slightly, nose brushing against his, response muttered against his lips.

"Probably because you're the most handsome, kind, funny and charismatic person I've ever met. And you give good head."

He kisses you hungrily at that admission, counter top digging into his stomach as he leans in closer, hands grasping at your neck and pulling you practically right up against him. Your mind is still dizzy from the kiss when he leans back down, tongue licking his lips, chasing the after taste of your chapstick.

"I fucking love you, (Y/n) Munson."

The smell of burning food - accompanied by the sudden loud blaring of the smoke alarm - cuts into the tender moment, making you jump off of your seat to grab a fire extinguisher as Eddie hastily opens up the oven to see the oven tray on fire. Once the fire's extinguished and the smoke has cleared, Eddie's standing by you with a sheepish smile on his face, already reaching for the house telephone.

"Maybe we should just order i-"

"Yeah."

Eddie still makes the best of the night though: draping a blanket over the living room floor and setting down a few lit candles around the edges. He's pouring you a bottle of wine as you answer the door to accept the delivery, his gaze aflame with infatuation as you sit back down across from him.

In between inside jokes and conversation about the kids - "Max called yesterday. She and Lucas were wondering if they could swing by tomorrow for lunch?" "Of course they can! At this point, I'm offended they'd even ask us for permission." "Eddie, I think they're trying to avoid a Dustin-esque incident like last Thanksgiving. Remember? We nearly called the cops because someone kept on banging on our door at three in the morning?" - the food is devoured quickly. And once the dishwasher's been filled, the blankets re-folded and the lights turned off for the night, Eddie's waiting for you in bed, wearing nothing but his boxer shorts.

"All good?" he asks you. You nod.

"All good."

It's automatic and natural the way your body fits against his as the final light in the house - the lamp on the bedside table next to Eddie - goes out. His strong arms wrap around your shoulder, pulling you against his chest, his musky cologne overwhelming your senses as he lays a sloppy kiss onto your bare shoulder.

"I love you so much, angel." he whispers against your skin, hot breath tickling your neck. It makes your heart flutter no matter how many times you hear his love being confessed (which is basically every night).

"I love you too, Eddie." you respond, squeezing his hands comfortingly. You turn around carefully in his grasp, being able to somewhat make out the outlines of his face in the dark. "I'm so glad I get to spend every day with you."

He chuckles at that, fabric rustling underneath him as he shifts closer.

"I'd hope so, babe. Cause you're stuck with me for the rest of your life."

You peer open one of your eyes at that.

"Unless I divorce you for Steve."

He gasps dramatically, body immediately straightening up.

"You wouldn't."

You hum mockingly, pretending to actually give it a think, before bursting into a fit of soft giggles that shakes against Eddie's chest.

"You're right, I wouldn't. You're my forever, Eddie Munson." you whisper, right on the precipice of sleep. The last thing you feel is Eddie's calloused fingers stroking your back tenderly, and Eddie's soft response being whispered against your ears.

"Thank you for being my forever, love."

a/n: pure domestic brainrot I want to live here plz

[thetriplets3]

can u do prompt 17(i think) from the needing comfort list — ‘you bought me chocolate/flowers’ — with matt plz !! its okay if not ! have a great dayy 🩵

haven't written in a while so hopefully this is good thank you for your request. send some more in

key to my heart

One thing I’ve always loved about Matt is how he will go lengths to make sure feel better and brighten up your darkest days.

Matt’s been by my side for a few years now, he’s the first person I want to tell anything to, a shoulder to cry on, and a comforting presence. When life gets hectic and things gets flipped over Matt is always the one to come and turn your world back around. I never know where I stand with Matt. He does things a boyfriend would do but we’ve never discussed our feeling with each other.

This week was exhausting to say the least. I’ve become the therapist amongst my friends, it’s a blessing and a curse to feel things so deeply. I give my undivided attention to anyone who needs an ear to listen to their problems and give my best advice but at the same time I absorb all their negative energy and I carry their problems. They pass the weight holding them down onto me, quickly slowing me down. That’s the downside to being the one who listens because no one thinks to listen to the listener. They don’t think how heavy it is for one person to hold all that.

I can’t take it anymore, I only have so much room to carry things and it’s filling up quickly. My space is full of others problems and there’s no room for my own thoughts or feeling. So that’s where I am now, curled up under the covers in the dark trying to feel something, anything but everyone’s problems. Turning my phone on do not disturb I see a few messages from Chris covering the ones from Matt.

chris 🍊

please answer us

helloooo??

i know you hate notifications so i know for a fact you’ve seen this

don’t ignore

at least message matt pls he’s worried

love you kid we’re here whatever it is

matt 🥤

y/n

what’s wrong why aren’t you answering any of us?

are you okay? i need to know you’re okay i’m worried

no one has heard or seen you in a few days

i know somethings up this isn’t like you

let me in let me help you

Flipping my phone face down so I don’t have to look at it, I let out a shaky breathe. The silence becomes too much all the stories and problems are all coming forth, shouting and talking over each other. Not knowing how to make it stop I let out a desperate sob wanting nothing more than for someone to listen to me like I do for them. Both mentally and physically exhausted I drifted off into a much needed nap.

My eyes squint open looking at my clock. Only a 40 minute nap. The dryness in my mouth makes me get up to go grab a drink from the kitchen, but not before wrapping a blanket around me.

Slowly and heavy lidded I trudge down the stairs, halting when my eyes meet the island. Flowers. No one’s ever given me flowers before. The thought of how they got in here escapes you, being drawn towards the yellow flowers, my favorite color. Attached to the bouquet is a little note in chicken scratch I could recognize anywhere.

My heart flutters as a pout replaces the empty look on my face. “My favorite” I gasp. A happy sigh leave my lips as I bring the bouquet to my nose to give them a sniff.

“I knew you’d love them” you voice full of love and softness.

“Matt! Holy shit you can’t do that to me” I pant with a hand over my chest.

“Sorry” you say sheepishly.

“You bought me flowers?” I ask softly.

“You told me tulips were your favorite and I thought yellow ones would make you even happier”

“That was 2 years ago I didn’t think you’d remember. I don’t think anyone would remember that” I scoff.

“When you care, you remember. If it’s important to you it’s worth remembering” You say. “You’re worth it”

Placing the flowers on the table I walk towards you. Sensing an impending hug you open your arms and pull me into your chest.

“I know you’re always there for everyone else to let their guard down but you need someone to be there for you. Stop putting up walls let me be that person. Let me in okay I love you and you don't have to feel alone” you say as your one hand rubs circles on my back and the other cradling my head to your chest, immediately bringing me comfort I didn't know I was missing.

“I know. I'll let you in might take a while. I love you Matty" I whisper into your neck.

"We'll work on it I'm here for you"

taglist: @antisocialties @iluvmatt @dwntwn-strnlo @fake-coolbeans @opheliaofficial07 @angelcake-222 @oneirophobic @strniolo @lollibumblebee @ssturniolo @20nugs

[jewishdragon]

top five soups!!!!!!!!

OK SO

#1 is my uncle's chicken matzah ball soup. Its a family legend of a soup. it's essentially a chicken stew and the signature spice is Hawaij: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaij. it WILL stain anything it gets on yellow and its WONT come out. 100000/10 soup. On the application to the college I eventually went to the final application question was "what is one food you would cook for the admission team?" and I put this soup. (recipe will be under the cut)

#2: UDON AND RAMEN. both rank the same. slurp slurp noodles ohmmygod

#3: just a hearty meat and veggie soup plz

#4: spaghettios counts as soup sorry. so i guess cheesy-tomato soup. yum yum.

#5: melted ice cream that I eat like a soup

OK NOW FOR THE LEGENDARY SOUP RECIPE:

Matzo Ball Soup

Recipe from: Mum

Makes:

1 whole 8-piece chicken

1 turnip, chunked

1 rutabaga, chunked

2-3 large carrots, diced

1 onion, diced

1 head of whole garlic cloves

Lots of whole fresh parsley

1 tbsp Osem soup flavoring

1 Manischewitz Matzo Ball Soup Mix

Tons of Hawaij

Put a whole 8-piece chicken in a large pot with water. Bring to boil, skimming off the schmaltz that will gather on the top. (Schmaltz is a foamy-like fatty substance that appears on the rim.) Stop when the foam stops forming on the top of the soup.

While the chicken boils/cooks, chop up one turnip, one rutabaga, two to three large carrots, and one onion (just depends on preference). Add these to the pot along with whole garlic cloves. Add Osem chicken soup seasoning (to taste), about one tablespoon. Note this adds a good amount of salt to the soup. For richer flavor, you can use chicken/bone broth for the base soup as well. If you do this, add less water in the beginning as this will add volume.

Use Manischewitz matzo ball soup mix to make matzo balls (follow its instructions) and add the soup mix to the pot. Add tons of Hawaij (turmeric-like spice from the middle east). Must be Hawaij MARAK (marak = soup). Add in lots of whole parsley.

Note on adding matzo balls to soup: they take time to absorb the soup into the ball, but also get mushier as they sit in the liquid longer. So, add them whenever you decide, weighing these factors.

Optional: after a long time of simmering on low boil, remove the chicken and de-bone so you do not have to deal with that while eating. I do this by shredding it with two forks so I do not have to touch the boiling hot chicken. My mom does this by hand, burning her fingers.

*my uncle also sues potato in this soup but my family dislikes potato in soup so we removed it. feel free to add that back in! add different veggies. it will all taste of hawaij in the end.

[citrus-simp]

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 2

Warnings: aside from some language, none

Note: I’m not gonna lie I had some trouble with this chapter going in so many directions 😭but plz I hope you all like!

1 <- ->3

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

The next morning you woke up bright and early to get ahead of the day. Today you were touring the kingdom to educate yourself more. Especially since you’d be living here soon…

You got up early, dressed yourself and made your way into their garden. You had asked one of the castle staff to lead you there so you could have some time to read before joining with your father and the Bakugous.

You sat on a bench under the shade of a tree and you read along the pages. Thinking of us slowly approaching autumn so the tree starts to change into beautiful colors. Leaves of orange, brown, red and yellow fluttered around you as a breeze shook the branches. You have to admit, It was pretty beautiful. From the rumors you had heard, you were expecting this kingdom to book barren and unwelcoming , but really it was quite beautiful here.

“Good morning your highness,” a voice rung looking up you see it was one of the guards you had seen. His bright red hair making it easy to remember “how did you spend the night?” He asked after a bow to you

“Oh, I slept great thank you for asking, and you are…” you asked

“ Eijiro Kirishima, captain of the guard. And as long as you’re here my lady, your personal guard.” He said giving another slight bow

“It’s nice to meet you Kirishima, but you really don’t have to bow that much to me really” you try and insist to ease up on the formalities

“Whatever makes you feel the best, my lady” he offered a sharp toothed smile “oh I was also sent to fetch you for the tour of the castle and kingdom.” He said motioning you towards the stables

“Well that sounds a lot better than sitting around all day. Will my father be joining us?” You asked

“Oh uh, well, your father will be staying behind with the king and queen discussing matters for the wedding. I will be going with you, and so will the prince.” He said carefully knowing it was a bit of a touchy subject. He heard you take a deep breath and sigh

“Very well, just hope it all goes well” you thought out loud

“Don’t worry about him, I know he comes off as cold and mean. But deep down, he cares more than he shows I’m sure it will go fine“ he tried to reassure you.

You just gave a small nod trying to brush off the subject. You follow the night towards the stables. Where are you see the prince standing with two horses. One was a tall black stallion, almost as intimidating as he was. In his other hand, he held the reins to a horse and dusted with brown spots.

“G’morning Bakugou, you ready?” Kirishima asked

“ yeah, you both took forever. Just hop on so we can get the tour over with.“ He said holding out the reins for you were horse. You had no idea why you were expecting for him to help you onto the horse, but he simply sigh and hop on the horse, as if it was no issue whatsoever. Both young men looking at you quite surprised as to how you got yourself on so quickly on your own.

“ Well, you sure have the hang of it my lady” Kirishima commented while getting his horse

“Yeah, me and my mother used to ride horses a lot when I was younger. So getting on a horse is the least of my worries. So where to first?" you ask looking to the blonde

"We're going to the town first and from there the forest." he said urging his horse to run and start walking. You follow with Kirishima following in the back. you had gone down a trail that lead to the gates of the castle. Large wooden and metal doors groan open and reveal the busy village of his kingdom. Many who walked around were all different shapes and sizes, yet seemed as if they could survive multiple battles at a time. Well, you figured they'd have to be considering they were further up north.

"This is our first stop," he said bringing his horse to stop and hopping off

"a blacksmith? You asked looking into the open shop" you asked while getting ready to get off your horse. Kirishima helping you come off.

"He actually gathers the rocks that give us the materials to create weapons, tools, armor and anything else the village needs" he said walking inside. find behind him he look around as the sound of metal against Mexico playing together, very warm in the air no doubt from the fire to use to forage weapons and tools.

“ if it isn’t my most frequent customer, how have you been my boy?” The elder man assess he sees his foraging to speak with Bakugo.

“ Pretty shit honestly getting married in like three days“ he said as if it was a death sentence made you roll your eyes

“ Then I assume it’s to this young princess over here. Can’t be all that bad seems to be a wonderful girl. It is very beautiful consider yourself lucky” he chuckled looking over to you “ it’s a pleasure to meet you your highness I was told about your arrival and your childhood to our prince. Congratulations” he seem to be a very humble and kind man so you gave him a smile.

“Thank you it’s a pleasure to meet you” you then ask him “ tell me if you think the resources are enough for your kingdom in the pending battle? Or that you have enough resources to do so?" they look at you stunned about your in depth question

"Well, hm, since we are in the north near the mountains we have a lot of resources to get materials from. From where the metal comes from, to wood, to meat and fur. I'd say we are pretty well situated here princess" he answers and you give him a nod

"Alright ya old geezer, we'll let you get back to your work" Katsuki said as he turned on his heel to exit the small establishment. You bid your good bye. You go back to your horse and get ready to mount it when you hear Kirishima clear his throat. Just then Katsuki lets out a gruff sigh and goes over to you. He comes in close, much closer than he's been before. Suddenly, his hands are on your waist causing your to squeak out of surprise. He then lifts you on to your horse and marches back to his own ride.

You cheeks were flustered more from the surprise than anything else. Looking to Kirishima you had a hunch he had asked him to do something and to not just ignore you. You had a few more stops before having to go back to the castle. You had stopped by a few farms to see the agricultural. You even saw some schools, and met some villagers. For someone who was so cold towards youit seemed likehis kingdom respected and appreciated him as their prince.

After a slightly long trip throughout the kingdom in the back in the castle, one of the advisers were showing you around the palace. Basics of where the kitchen is, meeting rooms, dinner room and all that.

“Now this shall be your room, your majesties. On the day of the wedding this will officially be your room.” The advisor said opening the double doors. If was a very elegant room, with a luxurious bed, large enough to fit a small family. Gave a quick side glance to the ash blonde next to you. He could honestly care less to be there or not.

“ no your wedding is 2 1/2 days away. The sunsets so you both need to be fitted for what you will be wearing. Please follow me” buck ago, rolled his eyes and followed the advisor for the slouch, almost like a gremlin. This was any other prince you would be surprised as to how he was walking, but since this was a bakugou, you weren’t that surprised.

You follow the advisor and he directs you into a room that was across from the one back ago was put in. In the room, there was a Taylor three means and assistant to the tailor. It seems that they were already working on the dress they just need you to fit it and then make adjustments.

You step into the white fabric (minus the cape)and brace yourself as the time, the corset, and squeeze your lungs of all it’s air. You had to admit, the dress is very beautiful however, it wasn’t exactly comfortable. However, these are usually the standards and expectations of a royal wedding. As they finish, tying the corset you turn to look at yourself in the mirror, you have never worn something like this, and there was just a small part of you that enjoyed how it looked on your body. However, that spoke with quickly extinguished when you remember exactly what was happening.

“ Your highness this will be your lady in waiting, Uraraka . Whatever you may need, she can guide you, and if you need assistance with anything she will assist you“ one of the older means had motion to the girl standing next to her. She had short brown hair, and very round cheeks just had a very round eyes, which gave her a very kind look to her features.

You give her a soft smile as you look the dress over. You gave an hour to the Taylor, letting him know that the dress had fit just fine. You were then taken out of dress in back into your normal clothes by now the sun setting and it was nearly time for dinner. Uraraka follows beside you and you make small talk with her.

“ tell me if you print a tyrant like the room is really say he is?” You ask out of curiosity, and she actually shakes her head

“ despite with many believe the prince actually works very hard to make sure that the kingdom stays afloat. I for one believe he may do it to keep his feelings from being hurt, but sometimes he can be a bit harsh.” She explained.

“ OK well, how about affairs? I have heard he’s had more than enough women in his Chambers.” You ask raising a brown. The question making the poor girl go completely tomato red a new chuckle “Uraraka as your future queen I am to me and tell me how many think I’ve been in there”

“ well, your highness, I don’t want to disappoint or change your point of you and her prince,“ she said, hesitant, trying to preserve your image of their beloved, bakugou

“Uraraka, I can assure you my perception of him may not change. It honestly make it worse. If you asked me I wouldn’t have wanted to marry him he’s been so cold and distant to me. I didn’t even want to marry in the first place I want to room my kingdom on my own.” You are missing her in stage of vulnerability.

“ well, your highness… if you really want to know at most, I know it was about five. The rumors are a bit exaggerated, but I know he has not gotten more than that. So it is true our prince is quite experienced in the bedroom” she admits not knowing if it was right for her to say such information

“Hm, well I honestly expected that. So dinner right?” You asked changing the subject” she gave you a nod and opened the dinning hall door for you. This time it was different

It was just Bakugou with another seat, assuming it was for you. The table was much smaller. Bakugou slouched in his seat, almost like a child who was put in timeout. Uraraka pulled you chair out for you to sit. Once you take your seat she pushed you in.

The dinner that was set out looked very hefty and beautiful. You were sure you’d gain 10 lbs in this week alone.

“…thank you for the tour of the kingdom” you add in as you start to cut your meat. You didn’t like him, but that didn’t mean you didn’t have manners.

“Yeah, whatever” he said as he stabbed his large piece of meat and took a bite

You sigh heavily “look, I like this as much as you do, but it doesn’t mean you have to be an ass to me. It’s not like this was my idea” you finally address the rather large elephant in the room

“Listen princess, don’t expect me to kiss your ass just because we’re going to marry. I could really care less where this goes. As far as I’m concerned I won’t ever love you. Do whatever you fucking please, just stay outta my way” he answers back while chugging down his wine

“And it’s that attitude that will be your downfall. No wonder there are so many rumors. It’s a wonder your kingdom hasn’t crumbled with you being that way” Bakugou usually didn’t take critics very well, and now a princess he didn’t even know was doing it??

Slamming his hands down on the oak table, he rises from his seat and marches your way. It may have pissed him off more that you showed no fear of him coming towards you like a wild animal. He came up to you and swung your chair outward. You still did not move a muscle frustrated him to know and he couldn’t intimidate you.

Crossing your arms you stare up into his eyes, returning the same intensity. One of his hands still grasped the head of the chair

“I dont think you know who you’re fucking with ” he growled

“On the contrary, I don’t think you know who you are fucking with” you say back standing from your seat. Tilting your head up just a bit but remaining strong until a slender arm came between you both

“Katsuki Bakugou! Go and wait in the hallway! How dare you raise your voice at our guests, and your bride nonetheless!” His mother scolded him. Her eyes full of rage. He scoffs and walks out of the room without a second glance. She turns to you quickly and bows her head

“Princess Y/N please forgive my hotheaded son! The adjustment has been difficult on him but it is no excuse. I am so sorry”

“No no, your majesty it’s alright I assure you. However, I must say that rather than cower away I was taught to stand my ground so I hope you did not take that as a sign of disrespect” you add in and she shook her head

“Believe me, I’m glad you did. Sometimes I’m not sure where or who he gets it from. I know he Can be cruel and distant…but there are times when he’s compassionate and heroic. Just bare with him if you can….” You asks sounding as if her hope had ran out.

“I’ll try to” you offer her a semi fake smile. For the next hour and a half you joined the queen for some tea and other desserts. Another way of her apologizing to you. When the day was over and done with you, bid each other goodbye and go to your individual rooms. Changing out of your dress and into something comfortable for the night was honestly very relieving.

You slumped onto your bed and let out a long exaggerated sigh. Today somehow felt like a week crunched up into hours. If this was just one day, you couldn’t imagine what your entire life would be. There had to be some kind of way you could get out of this.  and even if you wanted to marry, you wanted to marry out of love and not out of an arrangement. And you don’t exactly see yourself falling in love with this prince.

Gazing out of the window and into the night sky, you look into the stars as is asking for help

“Mother…. I don’t know what to do without you here. I feel so helpless….” You sniff, feeling emptiness of missing your mother “…. Please come back…”

And little did you know outside there was a certain blonde who had heard your pleas. After hearing you talk to yourself, he lowered his fist from the door and quietly walked away. He originally had gone to go and apologize to you for his mothers request. But you probably didn’t want to hear from him so he just left things as they were.

“ do you know you didn’t have to be that harsh to her“ a voice came from behind him turning around he saw a familiar face of the red haired knight

“ None your business right here she’s getting on my nerves” he said nonchalant, and began heading to his own room

“ do you know this is just as hard on her as it is on you she’s going through the same changes you are.” He vouched for you, even though he had only met you in a half ago he creates all the type of person that you were. And in some ways he already grew in attachments, so he really did hope that between you both. He watched as the blonde prince says nothing more and walks away down the hall. Even though he was his best friend sometimes he just didn’t know what went on in his head, or how it even worked, and he’s known him since they were children. All he could really do right now is hope that things get better.

He wondered what would really offset you, and if it was actually Bakugo. But for now he let you rest.

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

Taglist 🐉: @aikugo @sad0ni0n @outcast-thingz @cathwritestragediesnotsins @sageyrage @scarsofbeauty @atsushiki @stxrrielle

[noisyquokka]

Could I request a blurb with kevin from the boyz where we get stuck at home during a snowstorm but then eventually have to go back to work/school, the regular grind ig? Fluffy and cute stuff plz ^-^

The Place To Be

PAIRING - Kevin x GN!Reader

SYNOPSIS - Spending three days in the house can easily bring on cabin fever. Well, except when Kevin's around... It's even harder to get back on schedule when he's actively doing his best to keep you near.

WORDCOUNT - 1.9k

WARNINGS - Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, sarcastic comments/insults incoming (It's just that kinda relationship), just two (2) dorks doing cute shit together and being cute together, Kevin being a menace

A/N - So it's not a blurb (I'm basically incapable of writing anything under 1k words) but I hope you enjoy it all the same!💛 Edit: I'd like to formally apologize for thinking I posted this like 3 weeks ago when it, in fact, sat in the drafts 🤡 send me to the pit of flames, y'all!

"Good God, how many shades of the same yellow does one paint kit need!?" Kevin shakes his head, squeezing the tiny tube of Cadmium onto the palette. He's sitting beside you, working on a paint-by-number piece that he'd bought months ago. What better time to crack it open than today? You turn your head to the canvas, taking in his progress.

"Those are not the same shade, Kev." You point to the few yellows you assume he's referring to, along with the one he'd just added to his palette. "That's a light yellow compared to this one. This is more of a lemon." You reach for two others; Golden and Saffron. "And these are two different shades, babe."

"Golden, Lemon, Banana Cream, Pineapple, Pear. I don't see a difference!"

"And you call yourself an artist... pfft." It's a mumble that's loud enough for him to hear, one that earns you the bump of his knee into yours under the table. You chuckle in response, bringing your palm to rest under your chin.

His eyes rove over the canvas, and you can see the cogs turning in your boyfriend's head as he figures out how to twist this paint-by-number into his own little masterpiece. The box was labeled Cottage in the Mountains but you knew Kevin. He'd add his own little touch to the canvas in the end.

"I know I'm hot, but quit staring, babe!"

"Oh, so hot that the snow is still falling." you pipe up, sarcasm thick in your tone. Kevin places a hand on his chest dramatically, rubbing at his pec as if you've wounded him. He leans into you, pressing a kiss to your hairline before he diverts his attention back to the tubes of paint.

"Felt that one deep in my chest, at least five years off my life." He presses another kiss to your nose, finding the smirk on your lips when he pulls away. "You trying to kill me off early?"

"Ugh, you got me. I'm actually an assassin." You reach for one of the painting knives on the table, running your fingers over the blade like a villain in a movie. "Unfortunate that I have to break it to you when we're stuck in this house together, snowed in... no one to come looking for you..."

"Well, when you say it like that." he trails, taking the knife from you. He's so unbothered, too used to this back and forth that you two have conjured as your love language. The corners of your lips curl up in a grin, and you bring your hand up to cradle his jaw, pressing your lips against his cheek in a quick kiss.

"You are the only thing saving me from this hell. So thank you for staying with me." you say. Kevin chuckles, dipping his brush into the dollop of Cadmium.

"We live together, you know." 

"Well yeah, but you could've chosen to paint in the office or something."

"But I didn't." The paintbrush moves over the canvas with sparse flicks of a wrist, the man's attention taken up by the careful strokes of his workspace. Your smile hadn't faded by much, but watching him work brightened it like morning glories.

"No, you didn't." you murmur. You get up from your seat, carding your fingers through his hair before leaving a kiss on top of his head. 

It's a simple thing, really; with below-zero wind chills and a snow band that wouldn't let up, you two were stuck inside. The whole town had shuttered with the storm, putting the safety of the citizens above all else, which in turn, canceled any non-essential traveling. With the snow falling at a pretty good clip, plows couldn't clear the streets fast enough. Living in a cold climate long enough had humbled you, and you easily knew when it wasn't worth going out. It also taught you how to make a mean chicken and veggie soup. Speaking of...

The paintbrush halts its movement over the canvas, brown eyes sliding back to where you disappear into the kitchen. His stomach rumbles, those familiar scents of seared chicken and simmered vegetables distracting him from his work. Kevin finishes the bit of paint off before cleaning off his used brushes, standing from the dining table and padding after you.

"Need any help?" He smiles, watching the moment your head turns to find his form standing in the doorway. You wave him over, stirring the soup in the Dutch oven. Long arms find their respective place around your torso, pulling you slightly away from the stovetop flame.

"You're like a dog," you mutter, setting the ladle down on the counter. You turn to face him, his fingers sweeping your midriff with the action, leading him backward until his hip meets the island. "always sneaking into the kitchen, nosing around for scraps."

"Does that mean I get whatever my heart desires?" He leans against the marble, dipping his head down till his forehead bumps yours.

"Depends." you reply with a sly grin, hands sliding over the fabric of his hoodie. "What exactly are you looking for?"

Your question is met with a cheeky smile and a raised brow, strong hands slipping around your waist.

"Nothing too demanding, just you and me cuddling on the couch after we eat?" The corner of his mouth quirks up, and he cocks his head to the side. "And a taste of that soup?"

You twist away from his grasp, bringing your attention back to the stove. The soup simmers on medium heat, steam rising above the broth as you stir the menagerie in the pot. You hum to yourself, feign thinking it over. Kevin's arms catch you as you instinctively lean back into his chest, fingers trailing over your side. After a moment, the ladle is placed on the counter again, and you reach to the left to wretch the drawer open for a spoon. It's all the answer Kevin needs.

“Nothing too demanding?” you finally ask, a teasing lilt in your voice. The remark is too easy to pass up cracking jokes, and it earns you a breathy laugh as your boyfriend rests his chin on your shoulder.

"Maybe later, if you're feeling up to it." He matches your humorous teasing easily, following it with a kiss on your shoulder. You bite back a smile, taking the spoon to the pot with a careful hand, a sample taste that you blow on before turning to your boyfriend. You keep your free hand under the spoon as he takes a sip from the utensil, licking his lips just like a dog.

"Perfect!" he replies, eyes soft as he glances down at you. Fingers glide up the wrist that's holding the spoon, stealing it easily to go back for seconds.

"Biased!" you counter, reaching for the spice rack.

"For you? Always," Kevin admits, taking another sample from the pot. "But your comfort food always tastes the best."

"I'm not sure if that's an insult or a compliment to my cooking skills."

"Both." The word falls off his tongue quickly, and you scoff.

"Don't go eating it all, there's still ten minutes left on the timer!" You swat his hand away from the pot, stealing the spoon back with a half-hearted glare.

"Is that your way of telling me patience is a virtue?" he questions, taking you back into his grip. He catches the sidelong glance you spare - the shoulder that you shove back into him in retaliation - and he grins. 

"That's exactly what I'm saying." You take from the few spices you've used in the soup already, adding a little more into the pot. Kevin intently watches you work, a looming heat over your shoulder that warms you more than the flame in front of you. He doesn't let go of you when you finally back away from the stove, opting to pull you with him until he's once again leaning against the counter and you're pressed against his chest. With seven minutes left on the timer, you let your attention drift to the man clinging to your waist.

Large hands sweep up your back and pull you closer, brown eyes locked with yours for a brief moment. Patience practiced, his gaze briefly drops to your lips and then he’s leaning in, a gentle brush of his against yours that has you instinctually wrapping your arms around his neck. The warmth of his breath makes the hairs on your neck stand like electricity coursing through your veins. You nuzzle your nose playfully against his, earning yourself a lazy grin.

The space between you dwindles to nothing once he captures your lips in a kiss. It's soft and sweet, a simple little thing that has a smile pulling at your lips, and suddenly the kitchen is the coziest place to be. Kevin's ears twitch at the sound of your laughter, heard in between liplocks and small pecks.

The best sound he's ever heard.

It's when you lean into him and curl your fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck that he pulls away, pressing his forehead into yours. Just in time for the timer to go off.

It's like this for the three days that you're stuck at home; a simple routine that you quickly grow accustomed to as the hours drag on. While you don't mind sticking it out with your boyfriend, you're not against the idea of racing out into the yard to bury yourself under the several feet of snow that has fallen. Kevin makes it bearable when he's got you wrapped up on the couch or in bed, nothing more than the sound of your collective breathing and tangled legs under blankets.

It only becomes a problem when the snow has ceased and snow removal has wrapped up.

"Kevin, baby, I have to get up!"

You're still in bed, imprisoned in your boyfriend's embrace while you watch the minutes quickly deplete for you to get ready for your shift. Kevin whines into your neck, his arms tightening when you try to pry them off.

"Don't you have sick days left?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Take a sick day." he pleads, eyes closed as he snuggles into you.

"You know I can't do that."

Cue the grumbling like a perturbed feline being chased from the bathroom sink. You can't help but laugh at the response, trying once again to escape the man's clutches. He only tightens his grip again.

"Kev, come on, now," you whisper, turning your head towards your boyfriend. "We've been stuck in the house for three days."

"Take a sick day," he repeats, mumbling the words against your neck. His lips are warm against the skin, nipping at the delicate flesh lazily before he lifts his head to meet your gaze.

"Please?"

It's hard to protest when he's looking at you like that; like you're his only reason for staying in bed another day. The heat of his body sinks into yours and you feel the protests on the tip of your tongue succumbing to the thumb massaging circles into your hip. To be completely honest with yourself, you'd be willing to skip work daily if you could stay wrapped up in Kevin's arms like this for the rest of your days.

You sigh softly, knowing your attempts to convince him to let you go are failing. The puppy eyes have won you over, and he'll melt any defenses you can muster up with them.

Your hand juts out for your phone, grabbing it from the nightstand. It's a quick unlock and a couple of taps, a quick call to your supervisor that you can't make it in due to the driveway being snowed in. A little white lie. When you hang up, you shoot your boyfriend a look.

"Happy?" you ask.

Kevin sighs contentedly, pulling you close as he makes himself comfortable again.

"Very."

Psst!! If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read my work 💕 I appreciate you!

[myheartwantstocomehome]

Very Epic Intro Post: :3

Hi!!! I’m Kovu :) There’s not really a lot to know about me to be honest… uhh i really like cheese and i play guitar?

Name: Kovu

Pronouns: He/They

From: England

Like: Cheese, Burgundy,

Dislikes: Broccoli

Please Interact if:

lgbtqia+, emo, scene, if you like any of the music i listed below, neurodivergent folk :)

MUSIC:

My spotify wrapped usually has my top artists as: 5SOS, Boys of Fall, SayWeCanFly, All Time Low

but here’s a comprehensive alphabetical list of *most* the bands i like:

a day to remember, alesana, alive like me, the all american rejects, all time low, amber pacific, american hifi, the amity, addiction , anarbor , andy black, arborview, as it is, asking alexandria, avril lavine, beartooth, before their eyes, between you and me, black veil brides, blessthefall, blink 182, bowling for soup, boys like girls, bring me the horizon, broadside, busted, caslow, castle field, charlotte sands, chase atlantic, chiodos, cute is what we aim for, crooked teeth, dance gavin dance, a day to remember, emarosa, escape the fate, every avenue, the faim, falling in reverse ,fall out boy, first and forever, forever the sickest kids, fountains of wayne, franz ferdinand, the friday night boys, future palace, games we play, get scared, the ghost inside, good charlotte, grayscale, green day, hey violet, hot chelle rae, hot milk, i prevail, i the mighty, the teenage janoskians, jayxander, jimmy eat world, jxdn, knox, knuckle punch, like pacific, linkin park, louis tomlinson, loveless, mgk, madrona, the maine, makeout, mason levi , mayday parade, mccoy, midnight skies, milestones, misplaced, modsun, movements, mcr, neck deep, newfound glory, the offspring, of mice and men, oh weatherly, our last night, p!atd, paramore, pierce the veil, the red jumpsuit apparatus, sarah barrios, senses fail, set it off, silverstein, simple creatures, simple plan, a skylit drive, sleeping with sirens, sleep on it , stand, atlantic, state champs, state of survival , a step ahead, stiff dylan’s, story of the year, the story so far, story untold, the summer set, sundressed, taking back sunday, thirty seconds to mars , tonight alive, underoath, ur pretty, the used, wage war, waterparks , we are the in crowd, we the kings, we were sharks, with confidence, the wrecks, wstr , yellow card, yours truly, you vs yesterday, zebra head

DNI:

Pretty simple DNI, don’t be a jerk, don’t be pr0 the usual (anything involving self inflicted injury, or d1s0rd3d shenanigans, no general triggering stuff here plz :3) No creeps xx

I thinks that covers anything, thank you for your time <3

Socials: KovuIsAlive on everything (apart from discord)

[obsidiancreates]

Plz tell me more about your au

I'm assuming this is about Don't Hug Them (The List Of Don'ts) but friend I need you to know I always have 100 AUs rattling around in my brain and on this blog at all times so if you meant another one I am sorry

ANYWAY there's not a ton to tell that won't be covered in the fic but here's a big piece: Lesley and Roy are not the Big Bads. They're both sort of distractions and obstacles put on place to prevent The Guys from ever escaping. Their families were only able to get them put because they came from outside. The Guys could never have escaped on their own, ever.

They all went missing on the day the original Don't Hug Me I'm Scared YouTube episode was uploaded, from all different towns. They had no connections to each other at all.

The Being that took them had no goals. It had no reasoning for why it took these specific three. And there will be no unraveling if that mystery for them, or their families. It is an eldrich being, a Nothingness that claimed them, warped them, tormented them, and exists in no definitive manner. It planned so carefully, yet had no consciousness of its own. It is something Unknowable, and thus, it will Never Be Known.

Which is to say, there will never be any real closure. Their families have no-one to influct justice on, no-one to look at and say "You did this to them!" The Guys themselves will never have any confrontation with the source of their broken minds and bodies. They will simply all have to figure out how to move on, when there's no real resolution.

They're all a little like... I guess not Inhuman because they're not humans, but they're Different than they should be. They weren't just mentally an physically scarred, they were Altered. Obviously the original post goes into how their colors are too bright now and how when they're all together there's a strange air to the area.

In Chapter 2 of the fic it's established that Red Guy is now way taller than he used to be, and taller than most of his kind. It's established that he used to be a rather soothing, muted shade of red. His teeth and mouth didn't exist before he went missing, but they're still there after his rescue. He used to have a tail, and now it's gone. And his eyes don't focus anymore, not all the way.

Duck's voice carries a strange quality now, a pitch like autotune, and it's not always there but it tends to become obvious when he's emotionally distraught. He doesn't seem to totally understand Cooking anymore, specifically when it comes to Chicken (a meal he'd never even dare to sniff before he went missing). And his scar, of course, and the way the doctors were horrified and baffled by how he was still alive because he's missing several important organs, including a heart, and they have him on a transplant list but somehow he's walking around like nothing is wrong.

Yellow Guy doesn't have space for batteries anymore but when he does things like stick a fork in a socket (because he no longer understands basic safety) his eyes will go green for a few seconds before going back to normal. He doesn't flinch much at injury anymore, like he doesn't feel it unless it's something truly horrible and mangling (so a bad whack on the head just brings a laugh, and luckily he hasn't hurt himself badly enough for for his family to find out what his limit is. Yet.) Oh he'll say "Ow," and "Ouch," but that's about it, even when it's something like a big cut from mishandling a knife. He still says things that make no sense but feel like they mean something Important, and his family wishes desperately they could understand it because it's clear he has all this knowledge and no way to process it, but it sounds like it could be the answer to everything (it's not, just more Red Herrings and endless riddles meant to drive him to the depths of desperate insanity as he seeks answers More and More).

The Being won't get them back. It'll move on to someone else. But they'll never really escape. They carry some of That Place with them now, forever changed in a way that might never be reconciled with the lives they now lead.

[hrodvitnon]

Anomaly Dagon-Part 2

When Dagon is fighting Gigan's fleet, he gets so angry that his bones start to glow. Not the blue or purple of his and Goji's Atomic Breath, but a strange ethereal blue distinct from the normal shade-and his entire mechanical body begins to radiate a strange element never seen on Earth. His eyes burn that shade of blue as his Proton Scream turns from yellow to Red-and in a blaze of Ethereal light never seen on Earth, he incinerates Gigan's fleet.

Dagon temporarily loses power as a result of this-but when he comes to, he finds he has something new: a Spacium Energy Shield, a forcefield consisting of the strange element. (It's a new addition: someone gifted him this ability while he was out. But he appreciates it: it helps him better protect the ones he loves.)

  (The Ultramen do not operate by the normal rules of the Monsterverse, having their own paradigm-so I thought it was fitting that one of them is the one to bring Dagon back.)

---

Definitely not how I plan for Gigan's fleet to be taken out (as will be shown one day in Empty Fullness), but it sounds neat. I like that Dagon just shuts down for a bit because of how OP Plz Nerf that attack was though, reminds me of Gohan post one-handed Kamehameha.

[chocoholicbean45]

Sooo, i thought i'd provide a moodboard for making the eclipse outfit/style, i'm not the best with making this sooo, yeah 😅sorry if it looks basic.

Anyways! onto the explination shall we?

Starting off, i used the 2009 sun wukong outfit as a base, buut, i didn't want it to be 1 plain colour, soo, i used the skirt piece of the Havoc in Heaven animation version of Sun Wukong,for the lower half of the outfit. Though, i added the black lines to make it a bit more uniform. Oh and added smaller polkadots so it wouldn't just have large ones, to make it look more full.

For the scarf, i was a fan of how LMK made sun's scarf so, i used the style from that, just i adjusted the colour to something like the 2009 sun's,just making the colour more yellow-ish and mossy.

Oooh now for the mask, i'd used the face piece of This mask macaque wore in the 2021 New gods:Nezha Reborn movie/series, i loved the style of the mask and wanted to bring it back somehow, just changing the Blue to a violet/magenta colour that was included in the sunset image above.

Buut, for the crack in the mask, i'd found this mask made by Natalie Sharp here on tumblr and attempted to create a similar shape to it. (i do not own the image below so, plz go and support Natalie if you can 🥰)

For the glove parts, i just combined 2009 sun's wrist cuffs with a pair of fingerless gloves, but i added the white line to break them up a bit more, and added a yellowish gold band at the top them as an added detail.

Anyways! That's about it! I hope this helped with explaining things a bit better, sort of showing the thought process i went through when drawing it 🥰.

[whydoiwrite]

29 plz

29. Favorite passage you wrote?

But it’s not nothing at all. It’s the joy this woman brings her, joy that she forgot existed. Peace that she never knew could exist. Grace that she doesn’t deserve, but she finally understands now why everyone sings about it being so amazing. Kelley was the alarm bell going off in her head, the kind that make you wonder if you left the stove on, until that uncertainty manifests into an obsession with fighting ambiguity. But Lindsey… Lindsey’s safe as Nanny’s snuffbox.

She’s not Kelley.

She’s everything that Kelley isn’t.

It’s all the things Lindsey doesn’t understand about this place that make her different.

She could just run the damn red light when no one’s around and nothing’s gonna happen to her. After being passed down for generations and supplemented on occasion, the blue and white China pulled out for Sunday supper may not match, but nobody’ll notice amongst the ironed linens, silver, and plates piled high with fried chicken, snapped string beans, potato salad, and yeast rolls. She needs to stop asking if places have unsweet tea because it’s embarrassing when the entire restaurant goes silent. When Mrs. Sonnett said “bless your heart,” the first time Lindsey came over, what she was really asking was, “Who raised you?” She’s just gonna have to get used to the guessing game of which of the three or four margarine containers in Emily’s fridge is the one that actually has the margarine. And when somebody asks “Who ya for?” they mean Georgia or Tech, not your political party; hopefully the kick Emily gave her under the table was enough to make that one stick, but there’s something about Lindsey that tells Emily the way the server all but threw the slice of pecan pie down on the table and walked away in disgust didn’t faze her. She really ought to learn pretty quick that the answer is Yellow Jackets.  Always.  

There’s a promise in her eyes that she’ll get it… all of it…eventually.

And it’s all the things that she’s taken the time to figure out that make her worth risking everything for again. When Emily asks for a coke, Lindsey asks her what kind.  It’s usually a Dr. Pepper, but sometimes it’s an Orange Fanta, so she checks. You keep a shotgun by the backdoor just in case. Ma’am or sir follows every yes or no, regardless of age or stature, and there’s no such thing as too many pleases or thank yous. Grits get sugared. And you just smile and nod when you hear about that one touchdown that won them the 2A State Championship back in ’92, because the whole town’s gonna still be talking about it years from now, while wearing gold and black, whether they were old enough to remember it happening or not.

[battlelitanys]

noun: bolt; a jagged white flash of lightning. similar to: jolt (deals unaspected damage with a potency of 170.)

this was written for the first prompt of the FFXIV Write 2022 challenge! i'll be crossposting on ao3 and teasing extras on twitter! plz come make mutuals with me if you're doing this challenge too, would love to support other creators. enjoy! :3

*

The invite comes to the Baldesion Annex via a Leveilleur butler, tall and stiff faced.

“Ooh,” Krile hummed, peering around Hawu to get a good look at it. “What’s this?”

“Invite from Alisaie,” he responds, a small, incredulous smile on his face as he scans over the words. My mother won’t let me hear the end of it if we don’t reconvene at her earliest convenience. Please tell me I can rely on your company. “They arrived last night. She wants me to come over for lunch.”

“I heard, and by heard, I mean Alphinaud talked my ear off over linkpearl,” she offers, making Hawu’s ears twitch in interest, “that during their initial Garlemald project stay, Jullus coordinated a blacksmith visit to create something for the twins. She’s been showing off her new rapier to anyone who’ll see it.”

“Isn’t Garlemald’s whole thing anti-magic? How does a spellsword get cooked up over there?”

“You know,” she waves vaguely, before looking back at her documents. Her yellow hood falls over her face a little. “Something actually considerably interesting about fusing Eorzean tech exploits with Garlean metalworks. First of its kind! I think Wedge took lead on design, too.”

“Hm,” he notes, before thanking the butler with a warm smile and sending him back.

Krile ends up accompanying him, interested on the piece, and obviously to see her favourite twins again. She raps her knuckles on the door for them, and Hawu thinks briefly maybe he should’ve bought something for the house. Last Stand snacks, or a bouquet for Ameliance to organise… it isn’t long until the door opens, and a shock of white hair comes into frame.

“Hawu! Krile!”

She’s gotten a smidgen taller, hair a little longer, or maybe it had just been a while. Hawu trying to place his kid back together after the months of being apart.

“Hi,” he waves the invite with a beaming smile, hand coming to rest on her head. “There’s such a thing as a linkpearl you know.”

“My mother insisted,” she waves her hand vaguely.

“How was your trip?”

“Not that long, actually,” she grins back, clasping Krile’s hand too. “I missed you both.”

Krile beamed, swinging their hands. “We missed you, too! You’ll have to tell me everything about your Garlean travels. Raha would be so interested, it’s a shame he’s away.”

Alisaie pulls her in with a tug with Hawu following quietly behind them, and they’re whisked past the foyer straight into the conservatory space, a place that Hawu had only seen once or twice. Ameliance turns at the noise, a smile spreading across her face at the newcomers.

“Krile,” she chirped, clasping her hands with joy. “Hawu! Wonderful to see you both. I’m glad my dearest has managed to bring you over.”

“Good afternoon, ma’am,” Hawu smiles with a small wave. Alisaie rolls her eyes and decisively tugs on Hawu’s elbow.

“Let’s goooooo, come and look at this!”

He barks out a laugh, letting himself be pulled. Krile finds herself seconded by Ameliance the moment she approaches. Oh Krile, you must come and help me. We’ve got the grievous duty of taste-testing the Last Stand’s treats for the Sharlayan Scholar Summit next moon, I simply must tag you in.

She’s whisked to the side where a tower of glacé treats of orange and cream reside, and her eyes turn to hearts.

“Now you, what I need from you is to test this thing out. I haven’t properly utilised it yet. Barely the time in Garlemald, and Alphinaud didn’t leave me any time for recreational sparring. Stay.”

Alisaie stops him in the centre of the conservatory with decisive ‘stay’, and scuttles off to grab something.

“No lunch?”

“Ehhh, later!”

The area is nice, glass showing a particularly pallid day outside, with a rush of foliage native to the Northern Empty idling on both sides. He briefly considers going back to the Annex for his notebook and heading straight out to study it, but does as he’s told.

“Where is Alphinaud, anyway?”

“Wrapped up in some Forum exploits with our father, I think. Do you have your sabre on hand?”

At that Hawu frowns to himself, looking back at where she disappeared to.

“Not for months, now. Pretty sure that’s back in Ishgard, actually... Should I have brought it?”

“Yes, if you read my mind, but ultimately no. Catch!”

She chucks her practice set zipped up in a carrying bag over to him, which he finds in itself quite mean, considering the amount of dust on it meant it probably hadn’t been touched in seven summers, but he catches it with one hand regardless. Lighter, but not more than he expected.

“And you want me to go against you with this thing?” He brandishes it in disbelief.

“Duh.”

She brandishes her new bundle of (sharp) joy whilst he gets to work unzipping the bag and unsheathing his own weapon, hers glittering with navy and silver. It’s heftier than her usual style, chunky with metalwork, but the accompanying focus is a cased crystal and floating as normal, if a little magnetic in its orbit.

“Is this your magitek era, then? All magitek, all the time?”

Krile cackles from where she’s sat at the corner, cooing over afternoon tea menus with Ameliance but still keeping a watchful eye on them both.

“Ha,” she barks out a laugh, but it was a classic Alisaie one in which she didn’t find it all that funny at all. “En garde, please!”

He sinks down into a familiar position, opposite Alisaie. The sabre he has is thin and basic, but hardy. The shine of the silver is muted, but the focus has a nice red colour that permeates through its dullness.

“I’ll be honest,” he says, scrunching his nose a little, “I don’t use magic often. You’re gonna need to walk me through this.”

She sticks to her melee rotation, and strikes first. Hawu adapts well, but falters at an unexpected corps-a-corps and digs in. It’s more a tap than anything, a common round-ending technique for fending practices, and leaves Hawu taken aback in utter surprise with a hand over the spot she stabbed at.

She chucks the blade in the air, and grabs it with the other hand, laughing in delight.

“How does this go again? Ow, by the way.”

The sigh Alisaie lets out could rival the winds over the crests of Sohm Al, put on as it is. Hawu grins into his shoulder as he stretches out and sinks back into position.

“I don’t know if anyone’s told you this yet,” she begins, brandishing her rapier with a wicked smile, “but you’re rubbish at this training partner business.”

They start to trade blows, equalising the amount of hitting the floor again and again between each other, as Alisaie tests out the feel of the features of her new weapon and Hawu reacquaints himself with the flourish of a red mage. To be frank, he’s way more comfortable with melee combat, so alternating with the magic-infused skills with utilising the sword makes him falter more often than not.

“You’re doing great, dear!” Krile calls, making Hawu jerk in horror to stare over at her. Through that, he’s distracted enough for Alisaie to channel a jolt spell as the focus and the blade connect together with a magnetic clack.

He hits the floor at a bolt that disperses in a cloud of white and red, sprawling out under the conservatory ceiling and giving up entirely.

“You’re simply too good,” he complains in an exaggerated voice, scrunching his eyelids together. “There’s nothing more to it.”

He pretends to die, gripping at his chest and letting out a noise of exhaustion. Ameliance, with a face filled with cake, boos from the corner.

He stays there until he tests the waters by opening an eye, to find a bright face shoving its way into his vision, cheesing again.

“Come on, Warrior of Light. Get up and face me!”

He promptly does just that.

[watanabes-cum-dump]

ranting abt the Abyss Stigma frame BC as someone who likes character design, it was a huge let down for me

I rlly hate Bianca's new Abyss Stigma frame. Like, okay, she can be goth, but why PURPLE??? Bianca's main colours are white and royal blue. Mainly white. how does one fuck this up??? Why is there so much purple on Veritas??? Liv's colour palette swap with Solateer makes sense; all white, no pink BC she almost fucking died and she has an angel thing. But Bianca??? Purple??? WHY. Like if you wanted goth mommy Bianca either do a) monochrome or b) all black with white and blue. DON'T GIVE ME THIS FUCKING PURPLE BULLSHIT.

I'm actually losing it everyone else get colour palettes that make sense for their new frames! Nanami's new mecha frame was mostly grey and white with hints of orange/yellow BC she's fire element, okay got it. Karenina's color palette stayed the same. Great. Lucia has the same black and red across her three (four including Alpha ig) frames and it looks and feels different every single time. You couldn't keep Bianca's color palette consistent? I could forgive the shift from royal blue to purple of she was still in mostly white but noooo let's make everything this ass shade of purple and make her emo!

I'm gonna cry they butchered Bianca honestly she is such a nothing character. She's already developed during the main story she's gotten past all of her yeye ass drama and she still go a third frame and Bianca centric story. Instead of, I don't know, tying up loose ends for someone who has barely had any development (Lee) or bringing back a character who just sort of disappeared from the story (Wata, Sophia and Chang Yu but he played a huge part in the Lost Chapter story and the general lore of PGR) they went with mommy milkies again.

Listen I love tits as much as the next gal but plz either do something interesting with her character, make her look nice, or give her meaningful cameos.