#but fr though communication is so important and they're just. they're out here. doing that. i love them so much

[seventeenpins]

triptych - pt ii

pairing: tommy miller x joel miller x f!reader

word count: 3.3k

summary: after a shitty day, the man you've been chatting with all evening brings you back to his place only for you to discover he lives with his brother, an old flame of yours. they both fuck you. pre-outbreak. 18+

warnings: ooof i know i'm gonna miss something but here goes! multiple orgasms, dirty talk, pussy eating, dick sucking, ass eating/ass play, anal, joel miller is an ass man, double penetration, it's literally just porn there is so little substance here it's shameful, probably not incest but maybe a little??? like the brothers aren't into each other but their balls kinda touch so i'll leave that just in case..., light spanking, creampie, light breeding?, pls tell me if i'm missing anything important

a/n: wowowow i cannot believe how fuckin lovely y'all are, i hadn't been writing for years but i certainly never received so much feedback. thanks for reading and interacting and being part of such a cool and deeply horny community 😅 my asks are always open and i'd love to take on some requests! thank u to those who've sent some so far, i'm working on them now. besides requests, upcoming fics include a follow-up to bad girl and a vampire au 💕

also, thank you for indulging in this pairing!! (grouping?) i feel like a lot of threesome fics are very pro-joel with tommy cucking, and though they're fucking excellent, i wanted to give tommy some love and an equal place at the side of his incredibly hot brother.

check out part i

when you'd first sat down at that grimy dive bar, never in a million years would you have anticipated the scene that was unfolding in front of you now.

“shit," tommy says, "she looks so nice down on her knees for us, huh joel?”

joel looks feral as he stares you down. "such a good girl for us,” he agrees, “but we gotta see if that mouth can do more than talk.”

he's holding your wrists behind your back, while tommy grips a firm hand through your hair and unbuckles his belt with the other.

"open up, baby," tommy says, and presses one finger into your mouth and then another. he gently strokes his fingers in and out of your mouth, pressing into your tongue, slowly going deeper and deeper till you're sure you can feel the digits at the back of your throat. you can feel that you've started to drool a little, and tommy lets out a little groan at the discovery.

"you think you're ready for me?" tommy asks, and you nod.

in one smooth motion, his cock is springing from his boxers and the head is pressing gently at your lips.

feeling just the tip in your mouth, you already know your jaw is gonna hurt tomorrow. you relax your jaw and open wider, and tommy makes a slightly strangled noise that you take as a great sign.

as he fucks into your mouth, your eyes begin to water and tommy notices, brushing the tears away.

"you're takin' it so good," joel lavishes his praise on you and you never want it to end, "such a good girl, aren't you? keep that throat nice and open for my brother, won't ya? i know you wanna relax into it, baby, let him see just how much you love havin his dick down your throat."

it makes you moan, his words making you almost uncomfortably wet. tommy keeps thrusting down your throat, hips occasionally stuttering.

"shit, honey-" tommy says, and chuckles at your whine when he pulls his cock out of your mouth, "you're suckin' it so good, i need a break or i'm gonna come in that pretty mouth a whole lot sooner than i mean to."

joel drops your wrists and backs up to the sofa.

"why don'tcha sit on my lap, darlin'?" he grins, and pats on his inner thigh, his cock visibly straining in his jeans, a little damp patch visible where you're sure the tip is.

"only if you take your pants off," you say, and joel's eyebrows shoot up.

joel considers. "fine, but we're gonna work you up real nice before you get to sit on anyone's cock.

once you're sat on joel's lap, his cock straining against his boxers, tommy’s kissing you with such frenzied passion you feel dizzy. the sensation is only heightened when joel runs a knuckle down your spine, dragging over each vertebrae, massaging and tantalising. then both hands are grabbing at your waist and over your hips as if mapping you out. it’s not overtly hungry, not yet, but there’s a sensuality to it you didn’t quite remember from your brief and ill-fated encounters with joel years back. you're suddenly hit with a pang of sadness that you never stayed in touch. you would've liked to see him get his first grey hairs. instead it feels like you hit fast forward and jolted ahead.

joel's close behind you and you feel his hot breath on your neck as he pulls down the neckline of your top and licks a line along the hollow of your collarbone and back up to your ear, and the drag of his tongue is delicious. he nibbles on your earlobe and the sensation draws an obscene moan from your lips. 

tommy’s close to you, too, his big hands cupping your jaw as he kisses his tongue deep into your mouth, running it along your teeth. his cock is still hanging out from his jeans, thick and hard, and you don't try to disguise the way you stare at it as you look him up and down.

"you've got far too many clothes on, sweetheart," tommy grins, and you pull off your top. before you can unhook your bra, joel's already unfastened it and is helping you pull it off.

tommy drops to his knees now, licking and sucking at your nipples, as joel unbuttons your pants, unzips them, and helps you lift your hips to yank them off of you.

the graze of tommy's teeth against the sensitive flesh of your breast makes you whimper and rut up on joel's thigh, and the brothers both laugh at your desperate noises.

"shit, she's needy, ain't she?" joel teases as he grips your waist with one hand and lets the other drag down to your panties, holding you in place while he starts to rub his fingers along your slit through the damp fabric.

he tugs at the band of your lace panties and ponders for a moment. "you partial to these?" he asks, and you shrug, "not particularly".

"good," joel says. that's all he needs to hear before he's tearing them apart and dropping the tattered fabric aside.

"well now you're just putting on a show," you tease, and he laughs but doesn't disagree. he just strokes a finger along your folds.

"i think you're a girl who likes a show," he tells you as he gathers up a little bit of your slick and slides it along your pussy. "now, what else do you like, darlin'? you want me to play with your lil clit? or just finger fuck you?"

"both," you whine, "any of it. all of it, please-"

he teases a finger into you very gently, just a little press that goes a little deeper each time he pulls it out and presses back in, till you realise he's sinking it in all the way to the hand with each thrust.

right as he adds another finger, to your surprise, tommy drops to his knees. he spreads your thighs wider and looks up for a moment, and you think you can feel joel nod behind you. that's all it takes, and tommy dives in. joel thrusts his fingers into you more urgently as laves kisses on and around your clit. he deepens it, pressing harder, flicking his tongue furiously along your swollen nerve endings and there's enough sensation that you know you won't last long.

"yes, that's it," you cry, and now it's your turn to grab tommy by the hair and press his face right where you need it the most. you're grinding up on his tongue while joel steadily continues to pump his fingers in and out of you, and you know you couldn't be quiet even if you tried.

"fuck," your words sound more like sobs now and you really don't give a shit, "keep going, just like that, joel you can go harder, tommy yes, lick my clit like that, i'm gonna- i'm gonna come-"

"good girl," joel talks you through it, "letting us take care of you like this. you need us to fuck you stupid, don'tcha? you're gonna leave here in the mornin' all stretched open, feeling us deep inside ya for days, huh?"

his filthy words are all you need to teeter over the edge- "fuuuck!" you scream, and you're positively panting now, verging on hysterical. you know joel can feel your pussy clench around him, you're so wet you're worried you've ruined joel's jeans, and you're so overstimulated that you can't speak more than a syllable or two at a time.

"oh you come so pretty," tommy says, pulling away from you to speak. you can see the way his lips are glistening with your slick before he kisses you on your inner thighs, peppering the soft skin with attention.

then, your eyes practically roll back in your head as he dives back in.

joel hasn't stopped fingering you, either, and once tommy's mouth is back on you, joel presses his fingers back into you more deeply again.

"shit, it's too much, i don't think i can take another this quick-" you try to say, but joel shushes you.

"i can already feel it coming," joel tells you, "can feel how your thighs are trembling, how you're already clenching down on me."

you're treading dangerously close to uncomfortably overstimulated, but you're also so completely turned on, you barely care. if you're gonna die in pursuit of a nut, so be it.

"fuck, you're right-" you tell joel, and tommy moans into you letting delicious vibrations pulse through you, and that sends you over the edge again.

you thrust and writhe and rut against them both, and tommy shows you mercy this time, drawing back and letting you get a little relief from the overwhelm of sensation instead of keeping his mouth on you.

you need a moment to catch your breath, and both joel and tommy rub soothing circles into your skin, joel's hands on your hips and tommy's on your thighs, and it feels exquisite.

"that's it, sweetheart, that's it-" joel soothes, and though your breathing's evened out, you know your thighs are still shaking.

tommy's licking up the arousal from between your thighs as if cleaning you off, and he looks up at you with almost dopey, half-lidded eyes, grinning.

"you taste like heaven, honey," he says, and he looks almost as fucked out as you feel. all this from eating pussy, you wonder, and that's another point in the favor of tommy miller being a man who likes to take care of fine things.

"i think i'm gettin' jealous now," joel teases, "i might need a taste, too."

without another word, tommy kisses you deeply and you taste yourself on his tongue. joel tilts your head back to meet him, and he kisses the taste from your mouth, groaning as he does it.

the sounds they're both making are so fucking hot, you love how they emote. there's nothing as unsexy as getting fucked by someone who stays absolutely silent throughout, and hearing them as pathetic as you feel works you up even more.

"what do you need, sweetheart," joel asks, and he's running a finger along your swollen folds now, teasing and torturous.

"you want us to fuck your pussy and your mouth," he asks, and moves to stroke a finger along your cheek, "you wanna have a big cock on either end of ya?"

you shake your head and joel raises his eyebrows.

"tell us what you want, baby," tommy says, and joel drags his fingers back along your pussy before tentatively using his forefinger to circle your asshole.

"please, joel-" you realise you're begging and it draws a laugh from tommy.

"you're a naughty girl, aren't you?" tommy asks, and the way he's grinning tells you that he wouldn't want it any other way.

"wanna feel full of you, both of you-" you whine.

"you gotta tell us, else we won't know what you want," joel says. from his tone of voice, it's clear he knows exactly what you want, but you need to beg for it.

"my pussy. and my ass. wanna ride both of you, feel both of you, get fucked by both of you-"

"jesus christ," tommy moans, "i bet we can make that happen, huh, big brother?"

you turn around to look at joel and his pupils are so blown, his eyes look black.

"bedroom." joel says, and it isn't a request.

tommy scoops you up in his arms and follows joel to his bedroom.

"drop her right here," joel says to tommy, and you're deposited on the edge of the bed, joel kneeling on the floor in front of you.

"looks so pretty for us," tommy says, and he sits down in an armchair near the foot of the bed and starts stroking his aching cock.

you'd been so fucked out already, you almost forgot you'd done almost nothing to take care of them. tommy's cock looks almost red and angry, and joel's is still tucked into his boxers, but the damp spot is spreading and it looks so thick through the fabric.

"let's get you ready for us, sweetheart," joel says, and without any more warning, he hooks his hands under your knees and pulls you up, legs spread, knees hanging over his shoulders. "i'm gonna eat this cute lil asshole, baby," he says and spits on your tight hole before rubbing his thumb gently against it, spreading the saliva.

he teases you with his tongue a little, testing it before pressing it flat and licking along it. you moan, and he growls against you.

you learn very quickly that joel miller is an ass man.

he eats ass like he was made for it, growling into you, spit dripping down his chest as he keeps your legs propped up on his shoulders, your thighs held in place with one arm. you're gasping through your moans and joel is drawing circles around your hole now, popping a finger into his mouth, and tentatively pressing it into the tight ring of muscle. it's fucking animalistic and you don't think anything could possibly make this better, until you notice the moans coming from tommy and the wet sounds of him furiously fisting his cock.

you're already fucked out from your first orgasms that you're practically boneless and limp, totally relaxed in a way you didn't often get. it made the feeling of joel fucking his fingers into you more glorious, building you up in a way you're not used to.

he makes quick (but thorough) work of opening you up, till he's got three fingers in your asshole and tommy's telling you how beautiful you look through his own choked moans, and you think you might lose your mind as you pant and grind and whine and joel isn't saying anything because his mouth is far too busy.

he pulls back and takes a good look at you. with someone else you might feel uncomfortably exposed but instead, you see hunger and desire in the brothers' and you know this is affecting them at least as much as it is you.

"i think we've got ya ready," joel hums, and he turns to look at his brother, "wanna check?" he asks, and tommy stands up and walks over.

you know you feel loose and ready, but the simple act of tommy popping a finger into your mouth to get it wet and then tracing it around your asshole, examining the preparation, drives you insane.

"i think she'll take it good for us," he grins and your heart flutters, "good girl," he says to you.

"you ready for us?" joel asks, and you nod.

"fuck me," you tell them.

joel lowers you down from his shoulders and tommy lays down on the bed before beckoning you.

"giddy up, cowgirl," he says with a wink, and you roll your eyes but take your cue.

you crawl up the bed, straddling his legs and then hovering over his cock which he's holding aloft.

"you good, baby?" he asks softly, and it's incredibly sweet in a way that makes you want to eat him up alive and also get fucked within an inch of your life by him.

"fuckin great," you tell him, and you pull him into a deep kiss before relaxing yourself over his cock, letting the head press into your pussy and sinking down onto it.

"jesus christ," he chokes out, and he sounds so desperate you can't help but fucking down on him, your ass slapping as you, move, his cock pressing so fucking deep into you and then you feel joel approach you from behind his hands gently running over your asscheeks and you know he's feeling the way your flesh bounces as you get off on his brother's cock. then, his hands are off of you, you hear the squirt of a lube bottle, and suddenly joel's thick lubed tip is pressing against you.

you try to thrust backwards towards it, but almost pull off tommy's cock fully, and it's like you're trying to ride both ends of a dick seesaw.

joel notices your frustration, laughing as you writhe.

"patience," he says, and delivers a sharp smack to your ass that thrusts you deeper onto tommy's cock. then, you can feel joel pressing into you, inch by inch.

once his cock head is fully sheathed in your tight ass, you take a moment to breathe before you start to find a rhythm that'll get all of you off at the same time. it takes a moment, and a few adjustments by all three of you, but before you know it, you can feel tommy brushing against your cervix and joel fully fucking into your asshole, practically rearranging your guts. with each rough thrust, they're fucking into you as one.

you're all moaning, gasping for breath. the slapping of skin against skin is delicious, and you're certain joel's balls are smacking against tommy's and you're not sure if it's weird or the hottest thing you've ever experienced.

you feel so full, you feel so fucking full it's perfect, it's delicious, you wanna be split open like this for the rest of time, want to feel two fat cocks using your holes for their pleasure, for your pleasure, because it all just feels so fucking good.

"fuck," tommy says, and it's the first thing any of you have been able to vocalise for a minute, "i'm gonna-"

"come in me," you tell him, cutting him off and he shudders.

that's all he needed before it hits him and he lets out a deep groan and unloads deep into you. it sets off a chain reaction. you come next, clenching around tommy's cock and exploding with a sob, your entire body shaking uncontrollably, and that tips joel over the edge, too as you whine at him, "come in my ass, joel-" and then he makes a strangled noise and you feel his balls tighten and hips stutter and he's unloading in you, pulse after pulse of thick come.

you lay there, tommy beneath you and joel on top of you, their cocks still twitching inside of you. gently, you tap joel's hip and he grunts and rolls over, pulling out of you. you gingerly pull yourself off of tommy, and then immediately collapse between the two of them.

"well, shit," you say, so totally blissed out you're floating on a whole other level.

"jesus christ," tommy says, and then joel starts laughing and it's the best thing you've ever heard.

"you doin' alright, darlin?" joel asks, "we take good care o' ya?"

you nod, consumed with so much euphoria you can't use your words properly.

"good- good joel," you say, "good tommy," you pat them each on the thighs and joel snorts.

tommy pops off the bed for a moment and rummages around in the other room before coming back to ask, "need a hit?"

you nod and he places the joint between your lips and sparks it. you take a deep inhale and slow blink as you sit yourself up and look at both of them.

"let's clean ya up, darlin," joel says, and, as it turns out, tommy brought a washcloth as well as weed. and he had my priorities straight you think.

"if you want me out of your house," you tell them, "you'd better tell me now so i can call a cab. otherwise, i'm gonna pass out here in the next twelve seconds."

"i won't be here in the morning", joel tells you, "got an early shift, but as i recall, tommy's specialty is box pancakes and they sometimes turn out edible."

tommy playfully slaps at his brother, and then kisses your cheek. joel kisses your cheek, too. tommy cleans you up a little, and you fall contentedly asleep between these two beautiful men.

the last thing you think before you drift off is fuck that promotion, it's not such a bad day after all.

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

hear me out... jjk characters at the cookout

jjk characters at the cookout

tags: headcanons, gn!reader, black!reader a/n: honestly this sent me into an intellectual overdrive. the hold jjk has on the black community needs to be studied

suguru

bro says "monkey" one time and gets jumped

he's pretty chill

suguru can take a joke and toss them right back with a grin and feel completely relaxed

he is punctual when he wants to leave thouh and will side eye if you told him "we're gonna leave" and you're still there an hour later

overall he enjoys himself. family is important to him so it means a lot to suguru to be included and accepted by yours

your older relatives might ask a bit about his gauges but he's classy enough that it doesn't matter by the end of the conversation. suguru is quite charming when he wants to be

yuuji

"i like em tall with a fat ass like megan thee stallion"

yuuji won over your cousins pretty much immediately with one take and one take alone

you leave yuuji alone for one second and the mf has a coordinated dance with them and your family is hyping them up

your family would honestly adore yuuji, he fits right in

he had them in a loving death grip when he said he was ready for the collard greens, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, lamb, ram, hog mog

falls right into the trap of staying way longer than you planned even though you started saying your goodbyes 45 minutes ago

can perfectly quote katt william's "whose goddamn white baby is this?" scene

promises to bring his older brothers to the next family get together

the guy your aunties call 'baby' with all the affection in the world

somehow knows all the dances? candy by cameo comes on and an uncle goes "what you know about this right here, young buck?"

passed his test with ease. like, do not come to the next get together without yuuji. they will notice

megumi

he wouldn't realize that your family is just teasing and wonder if they legitimately don't like him until you reassure him it's just familial roasting. just say something dumb right back, megumi

has to be dragged out the corner to really interact with anybody else

megumi isn't really a party person and an extrovert but due to most of his close circle being extroverted, he does know how to manage his energy so he isn't completely drained after a short while of being there

answers all questions about your relationship seriously and sincerely

megumi might be quiet but your family likes his honesty. bring his ass back next time

satoru

honorary light skin

toji

honorary dark skin

kento

the man your cousins wish they had; he's literally the epitome of "as a man, you should be doing x, y and z". you know it and when you bring him over, your family knows it

he helped with the dishes without even being prompted and hearts were stolen

being a foodie, kento will be grabbing seconds and knowing your family he won't be leaving empty handed either

he's invited to breakfast by your mom before you leave

mostly needs to be sought out for interactions like megumi. he won't turn anyone away, he welcomes the conversations he's just not a big go getter

you can convince him to dance when a slow jam comes on and enjoys how your face lights up in recognition when older songs your parents played in your childhood comes on

like yuuji, if you don't bring kento to the next family get together don't even bother coming because they'll ask over and over again why he couldn't make it

satoru fr this time

his ass cannot stay out of the banana pudding. so much so, most of the leftovers you take home are just containers of it. says he'll leave you if you don't learn the family recipe

like suguru, satoru can handle your family's teasing and he teases right back

let's your younger cousins wear his sunglasses if they ask

"wait if they're called tony toni toné why aren't none of them called tony?" "satoru please don't ask this right now" "no because-"

if they didn't know you were dating someone before you brought satoru over, they'd definitely know when he arrives. he's always draped over you and he's happy to let the world know

when pulled to the side to ask if he's serious about the relationship, satoru's usual bravado drops to tell your relative calmly he's 100% serious

he's a good time. dances even if he doesn't know the songs, sings along when he does and he'll leave somehow knowing everyone's names when you don't even remember half of who showed up

toji fr this time

fits in surprisingly well, your family is a hell of a lot better than his

tall, charismatic, got a deep voice and big feet. you and your cousins will be gossiping and swooning about it

toji is no stranger to being on a family's least favorite list. he's got plenty experience from his relatives, he only cares that megumi and tsumiki are treated well when he brings them along. if they're treated right, toji has no problems

danced with a good chunk of your aunties, your mom and a cousin or two in order to cement winning them over successfully but you got the most dances out of all of them

"someone's been quite busy, mr i don't care if they like me or not" "i don't but it doesn't hurt to gain approval anyway. your aunt virginia already invited me to her son's wedding" "i haven't even gotten my invite to quan's wedding yet" "sounds like i'm the family favorite to me"

[codename-adler]

YOUR TROJAN TEAM?!?!?! flabbergasted. sooooo many lil guys u got there!!!

mayhaps some info on #21, Levi Romanov? love the name, very intriguing <3 or any of your choice, really, whichever you feel like sharing the most!!

oh boy. oh god. Levi's such a big file. u really know how to pick 'em Roo 😂 prepare to be sick of me...... (also ty sm for being chatty n enabling <3) //official unofficial USC Trojans OCs list here//

21: Levi Romanov (22) USC Trojans Backliner

[ face subject to change]

aight let's bullet point this:

born in USA (Alaska); child of immigrants (Belarusian father (born Alaska, parents 1st gen immigrant), Dutch mother (1st gen immigrant))

5'6½" (the half inch is important)(to Levi)(not the Trojans tho)(esp. not Jeremy)

BA: Communication (USC Annenberg)

goes Pro after college

bffs: Nikita & Angie

brother-from-another-mother w/ Nikita Bailey (their mothers are bff, grew up together in Alaska); Nikita is his bff/older brother figure/idol so he joins him in playing Exy (v popular in Alaska) and follows him to USC when he graduates HS

now for the love & tragedy chaos...................

both he and Nikita have a steady relationship with their longtime girlfriends, so much so that Levi talks to Nikita about proposing to his gf after graduation

one day though the 4 of them get into a car/boating accident that kills Levi's girlfriend and seriously injures Nikita's; Levi and Nikita are somehow miraculously the least damaged

it's a rough fucking patch for Levi (and Nikita, but that's a story for another day!)

enter Angie Pullman, Trojans recruit (ask!!! me!!!)

both men are immediately drawn to her, and inevitably it ends up in a big fight that creates a (temporary) rift between Levi and Nikita

luckily it ends up being an Adam/Gansey/Blue/Ronan situation (do you see where i'm going with this?)

because the thing is, there's this guy, Anderson [subject to change] Atwell

the assistant coach

ohohoho yes

Anderson’s really been there for Levi after the accident, bc he's been much more of a confidant to Levi than any of the team's therapists, probably because he's not a therapist; and then the shit with Angie and Nikita really isolates Levi, and slowly Anderson can't help but wanting to help Levi as much as he can, more than assistant coaches probably normally feel...

so Levi's not as straight as he thought, not in love with Angie like that like he thought, much more in love with Nikita than he always thought, and definitely, definitely super hard in love with his assistant coach (you see the Adam/Blue/Gansey/Ronan pattern?) (except there is nothing whatsoever between Nikita and Anderson. in fact Nikita probably hates him a little bit actually. fr fr.)

also before anyone sends me anon hate about my own OCs, the Levi-Anderson age gap is 22-30, so calm downnnn

so yeah Levi & Anderson, once they're all in and go all out, are disgustingly happy; but the hurdles are many and exhausting (i have another ask incoming for Coach Rhemann, which will coincidentally explain really well said obstacles)

i would say, apart from Jean Moreau himself obv and Adèle Moreau, Levi is the most tragic Trojan :(

especially because he used to be such a goofy ass mf, and so hyped about Exy on and off the court, before the accident, and nowadays he's much more a shell of himself, doesn't care much about Exy outside the court, always plays his very best but his heart's not into it, feels disconnected from his team and teammates, etc.

Anderson's the one to lead him back to his love for the sport <3

Jeremy did try very hard as his captain to reignite the flame inside Levi, of course, but let's say he had a little less incentive than with the Frenchman... if ya know what i mean... but Levi's just glad even his captain never gave up on him

birthday's June 1st //lmao beginning of pride month and i didn't even do that on purpose//

originally Levi was named Reuben Muller and he was German-American? but i decided to split the character in 2 and thus Levi & Nikita were born!

his bestfriend, apart from Nikita who has known since birth almost, is Jack Driver; they hit it off instantly the first time they practice together on the court (it also helps that Jack is both a moron and a wise man. very in touch with his feelings. it just depends if his brain cells are activated or taking a nap…)

once the drama settles down Angie also becomes one of his close friends

he’s an only child [pitiful]

did i mention his ADHD? oh he has big big big ADHD… he often forgets his meds, and he’s prone to lash out (mostly at himself) or zone out, but Exy really helps a lot with both his bottomless restless energy and his self-worth <3

on the meds thing: that was such a battle. for everyone involved. Levi, the doctors, his gf, his parents, Nikita... it was just barely starting to go well when the accident happened, and well. the step from ADHD to depression is already so small, Levi had no chance. but he's climbing up the hill again now :)

so Levi's kind of the dark version of Jeremy, or like a past younger iteration of Jeremy before he got to be the Captain Sunshine we know and love (and that's partly why Jeremy has trouble connecting w him, befriend him, even look at him sometimes); he doesn't talk much anymore, except to fight and curse, but then he turns around and drops by with a pan of brownies for the new girl because he saw her eating one all alone and sad in the athletes' hall, you know? he's very hard to pin down, even more so now that the constants in his life have been taken away or flipped :/ but he's a precious dude, trust me!

[9w1ft]

if everything karlie posted are actually Easter Eggs for her showing up at the premiere, i truly deeply hope she shows up with taylor as her friend again. people dragged her hard for showing up at Eras with no proof she's in contact with Taylor. can't fathom the hate if she does it again. i hope they're both fucking aware of that. like fr if she shows up like she came on her own again i'd be starting to think we got this wring and and she's actually trying to get taylor's attention & taylor's just ignoring her. i'm nervous for karlie at this point. i've been willing to overlook taylor not doing much to clear karlie of these betrayal allegations but if this happens a 2nd time and don't even take a selfie i think shit might be going wrong bts. karlie does seem smart though so i pray she knows how badly it'll look for her if she goes and doesn't associate with taylor at all

hmm i dunno.. does it really look bad for her outside of twitter people that don’t know what they’re talking about?

because she keeps adding on partnerships and attending new conferences and kwk is going strong and i just don’t get the sense she took a hit.

i get the distinct impression that karlie really doesnt care about the opinions of the people who don’t understand. or to put it another way, i think what would be more important to karlie is taylor acknowledging what she does. that she understands. and that’s something we as fans cannot necessarily see.

idk if i can express this correctly but to me it’s something that happens with long term partners all the time. my interpretation of things based on songs and other stuff is that, i think there was a point in time where karlie was left wondering if taylor understood how she (and josh) were treating her (song candidates including stuff like illicit affairs, the great war, wcs, ylm) or if taylor appreciated the sacrifices to her life that she was making.

like maybe at some point in the rhythm taylor began cutting corners on communication and assuming that karlie would implicitly agree with whatever things she would set up, and so maybe she did not take as much care as she could have here and there, and maybe it was a sense of being taken for granted that hurt, or moments where taylor may have succumb to paranoia and did things without trusting her that hurt. i think those are the things that hurt, not what any rando on the internet might say.

i get the sense that karlie bottled up these feelings until they burst out, upon which taylor and karlie finally had an honest conversation about it, and they got on the same page, and taylor wrote many songs that articulated how she understands karlie (afterglow, renegade, among others).

one thing i know is karlie would not have gone to eras tour so soon after giving birth if the opinions of people on the internet hurt her. full stop. let alone so soon postpartum. i don’t care how much you hate someone you are simply not going to a coliseum full of beasts when your body is —for lack of a more polite but expressive phrase— still mushy. so i can only assume that they are in lock step about what they would do and that taylor has become probably quite careful about the way she sets things up and expresses her appreciation for karlie along the way.

[thegeminisage]

for never have i ever: amnesia?

HIII thank you both <333

never have i ever written amnesia, believe it or not, even though i'm a HUGE fan, as in, it's my number one bestie. actually, no, i sort of have to take that back...i've lowkey written amnesia INTO larger stuff, but never an amnesia fic on its own. so there's been: a couple of da kmeme fills with fenris who has amnesia (they're lost to the sands of time now), ben originally had amnesia during his djinn dream in @cambionverse (but it got cut and revised), and i wrote derek as having amnesia about his encounters with jennifer in anchor. but not an Actual Amnesia Fic. every time i try to think about how i'd want to do it i sort of...blank out? there's so many ways to do it i get too excited and want to do all of them at once and then something else comes along and grabs my attention. i can't tell you how many times i tried to toss around a leverage amnesia fic and just couldn't settle anywhere.

so, just off the top of my head, as a thought experiment...i'd want it to be trek because that's what i'm into rn. i actually started to formulate this as a generations fixit (kirk in the nexus can't remember his old life/that he died/something something + spock and bones pull him out) but there's a small, small, SMALL chance i might ACTUALLY write a generations fixit (sans amnesia, sadly) so i don't want to do it here and accidentally make myself less likely to do it fr in the future.

my second choice is kira/odo because i have been thinking about them nonstop for a WEEK, possibly longer. since you can't have amnesia without brainwashing, i would have odo get mindwiped and carted back to the founders or whatever. and since it's my fic and i can do what i want odo remembers like, ds9's weak points and security routines but he doesn't remember any of the people or being friends with them. so he's like helping the bad guys do evil bad guy stuff or whatever and then when the good guys are almost beat they board the defiant and he and kira are fighting until she says something important and just as she's about to go down for good he oh my fucking god i'm just rewriting the winter soldier. god damn it. maybe this is the real reason i've ever done an amnesia fic. embarrassing. winter soldier wasn't the thing that introduced me to a love of brainwashed amnesiac assassins but it is the thing that made me crazy about them. ANYWAY. let me try again.

so odo gets his memories wiped so he'll return to that great collective or whatever. and he learns what it means to Be A Changeling. he can perfect the human face like that other evil changeling that i hate. so he doesn't look like odo anymore when he changes into a humanoid form, but also he doesn't do that because THEY only did that to communicate with him and kira, so he doesn't even NEED a humanoid form. and he's like yay im so happy here i love being a changeling :) except when somebody stumbles onto their asteroid or he needs to open a door or whatever requires a humanoid form...he just winds up becoming kira. and maybe he catches sight of his/kira's face in the reflection on the water or something and is like Whoa...who is That and that other changeling lady is like dw about it come back to the goop so he does but he also keeps insisting he can't have made that form w/o seeing her and he wants to know where. and since he's got such a good sixth sense about solving unsolved mysteries he solves his own mystery of who he is and how he got there. meanwhile the ds9 gang are searching EVERYWHEREEE for him and when they finally go check the asteroid odo goes out to meet them in kiraform and is very surprised to see. kira. and everybody else is like who tf is this why is this changeling pretending to be kira but kira knows Right Away it HAS to be odo and so they recognize each other even when they aren't able to recognize each other, which is basically the same thing that happened when they met. and odo either intimidates that other changeling into giving his memories back or he remembers on his own and they leave together and live happily ever after.

WHEW. you guys thought you were throwing me softballs but i was sweating bullets over that thing. kiraodo winter soldier au would be fun as hell though don't lie

[ASK MEME]

[dreamwritesimagines]

OH I LOVED THIS CHAPTER!! and i might love monsieur allard even more i cannot wait so see more of him!! probably the important suitor you had mentioned before?? i love just being able to like and trust him without worrying that i'm accidentally wholeheartedly supporting a murderer- i also loved lucie's support at the beginning we love an unproblematic queen!!

You had woken up with a gasp before his lips could touch yours but either way, it was completely unacceptable. oh cherie my darling innocent love i can PROMISE you this is nothing yet <33

You couldn’t even begin to imagine how disappointed he would be if he knew, he would probably never want to see you again. oh cherie my darling innocent love i can PROMISE you that he has dreamed of far worse than this <33

“What is going through your mind? Besides, you know…” you motioned at him. “The usual nothing whatsoever.” okay i love the accurate representation of siblings here you're doing wonders for the sibling banter community

“I think I already have found the most gorgeous sight in the city,” he said with a smile, making your cheeks burn YES GO YOU MONSIEUR ALLARD I LOVE YOU YOU DESERVE HER MORE THAN ANTHONY AT LEAST YOU KNOW HOW TO COMPLIMENT A LADY!! but no fr i love this for her she probably misses her home sm she deserves a little reminder of home!!

Anthony acknowledged him with a nod before his dark gaze focused on you. oh i see he has his eyes on the prize 👀👀

His eyes studied your face as if he wanted to see what you were really thinking before he took a deep breath. “Did you like him then?” this reminds me of the dinner scene!! bestie anthony is probably just trying to judge if she fell in love those few seconds of talking to monsieur allard before so rudely interrupting them to STOP her from falling in love

“Ah that’s the reason?” he asked with a small chuckle. “You want compliments?” yes omg anthony WHAT is so hard to understand about that?? the fact that you won't do it doesn't mean others won't 🙄🙄 should have been earlier if you wanted to be original

“The same reason as you I’m afraid,” he taunted. “He complimented you.” oh anthony just PROPOSE to her already you're once again not fooling anyone!! you don't get to be jealous because someone else was nice to her in your place!! allard was just picking up YOUR slack!!

“Yes you are,” you insisted. “Teasing me is one thing but making fun of me—” oh honey if there's one thing he ISN'T doing it's that-

“I’m not,” he repeated. “I’m not making fun of you. I was merely surprised.” ANTHONY ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? this man is just as non-proficient in matters of love as elias i can definitely see why they're friends 🙄🙄

“Not bad for a rake,” you commented. “At least I suppose it isn’t. For a moment you almost had me believe you meant it.” cherie honey no- for once he IS being clear about his intentions and you react like THIS

“Y/N, of course I—” EXACTLY WHAT I SAID!! anyway anthony can't possibly be surprised about this reaction after his previous conversations about love with her

“I wish you a more pleasant mood for the rest of the evening,” you cut him off and dropped a curtsy, then made your way to the crowd without so much as sparing him a glance. YESS GO OFF QUEEN SLAY PUT HIM IN HIS PLACE!! also please forgive him soon i cannot stand the pining even though anthony definitely deserves at the time

“Yes,” you said. “I am. I will just step outside for some fresh air.” and then monsieur allard will join her?? 👀👀 yes i am already obsessed with him and want to see more of him!! let him call on her and bring her flowers!! cherie deserves to be properly wooed and anthony should see what he's doing wrong and missing out on!!

also the conversation with the duke was perfectly timed- not only because of her reminding of her mother and france and then monsieur allard but also the fact that she is so much like her (stubborn!!) mother, like she refuses to change the views of love that she has set in her mind but also she refuses to believe that anthony could possibly want to love and compliment her after his earlier comments!! like bestie please people CAN change- maybe this is another parallel between anthony/cherie and the duke/duchess?? either way i cannot WAIT to see what will happen next!! have a wonderful day <33

OMG MEREL LOVE AAAA-

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH?! 😱😍❤

He's definitely the important suitor I was talking about😏 He will be around, much to Anthony's displeasure 😈 He took one look at him and decided he didn't like him 😂

Lucie totally knows how to handle Cherie's moods and endless questions😂

oh cherie my darling innocent love i can PROMISE you that he has dreamed of far worse than this <33 Oh for sure, ONE HUNDRED PERCENT HE DID😈 Cherie is clueless but Anthony had some...interesting dreams 😈

I LOVE SIBLING BANTER 😂😍

Monsieur Allard has paid her more compliments in minutes than Anthony has in a month 😂

bestie anthony is probably just trying to judge if she fell in love those few seconds of talking to monsieur allard exactlyyyy! Anthony is so sure that it will take her like a minute to fall in love, he already decided she's a loose cannon when it comes to love 😂

you don't get to be jealous because someone else was nice to her in your place! YES!❤

Cherie and Anthony have a huge communication problem, and it will actually cause so many problems lol😂

Oh Cherie totally danced with Monsieur Allard, that wasn't their last conversation for the night and Anthony could only watch 😈 And he will be veery flirty with her 😈

maybe this is another parallel between anthony/cherie and the duke/duchess? I love this idea so much and yes! The second generations love story and partners have so many parallels between the duke and the duchess's marriage/relationship and we will see that a lot! ❤❤

Honey you've made my day with this, thank you so much! ❤❤❤

[ahiijny]

my initial thoughts on Everything Everywhere All at Once

tl;dr banger film go watch

anyway spoilers below, be warned!

ok so my family wanted to go see a film and this was the only title I recognized from the list so I chose this one!

I did have a bit of foreknowledge about the film going into it:

some ppl I follow seemed to really like it

apparently it's really weird?

starring some Chinese actors

I saw that one fanny pack clip from the post with the scene analysis

also the lady apparently gets hot dogs for fingers at some point (???)

something something parallel universes

okay! so we ate some dinner and went out to catch the 10:05pm show

after like 15 minutes of ads, it finally started!

They're speaking Mandarin, woooo!!! I thought my mom would appreciate this (I was watching with my mom and two brothers; my sister was at a friend's place so she wasn't there. She should watch it tho it's gooood)

I did notice a slight accent in the Mandarin. My mom pointed out that most of the actors have Cantonese names, so this is probably why. The speaking was really good though, way more fluent than I could possibly hope to achieve lol

Also Evelyn and Waymond did that thing where they switched between Chinese and English a lot. i.e. speaking a bunch of sentences and then just randomly switching to the other language. And also some sentences are completely in Chinese, except for a couple of specific English words (e.g. "laundromat") substituted in. My parents do that a lot too!!! It was fairly common with Chinese friends who actually knew Chinese, too. e.g. "妈，我现在在mall了" c:

For some reason I thought they were owners of a restaurant. But oh okay, it's a laundromat, that makes sense too

Gay let’s goooooo

Okay when Evelyn mixed up the pronouns for Becky I was like “omg mormy this you” because my mom actually does that a lot!!! In Chinese he (他) and she (她) are both pronounced “ta” and so my mom sometimes (not often, just occasionally!) accidentally calls my brothers “she” or my sister “he”. And she always goes on the exact same line about “it sounds the same in Chinese” too! it’s her fr fr

When the granddad was like "your Chinese gets worse every day" to Joy I felt so called out lmaooooo. 我的中文很差 she’s me fr 😭😭😭😭😭

btw 公公 (gong gong) or the more formal 外公 (wai gong) mean maternal grandfather, but these are more commonly used in the South. Where my parents are from, I’m more familiar with 老爷 (lao ye) and 老奶 (lao nai) to refer to my mother’s parents.

Also interesting that the granddad speaks Cantonese but Evelyn and Waymond speak Mandarin.

That old guy with the gray hair in the laundromat is wayyyy too touchy feely with Evelyn kinda sussy if you ask me (maybe im just being paranoid)

Calling that lady big nose kinda r00d doncha think o.o

When he was going on about the “Alphaverse” in the elevator my thoughts immediately went to a different kinda of verse involving specific greek letters but dont worry about that

The broom closet ending is my favourite

Wait are they committing tax fraud???

tbh I side with Evenlyn here taxes are way more important than whatever mumbo jumbo universe stuff this AU Waymond is talking about (help)

That’s uh. That’s an interesting shaped trophy. Huh. Huh. 👀 (”Anal” get it haha)

Oh, the fanny pack scene. Okay from the clip on the tumblr I got the impression that these security guards were some villainous force about to apprehend our heroes and Waymond did a MVP to save their asses. But no actually this is completely our MCs fault Evelyn lowkey (highkey) punched an old lady in the face completely unprovoked and then Waymond somehow escalated the situation and made it worse instead of just deescalating and apologizing lmaoooo. You couldn’t have picked a worse time to jump in here???  help

(insert curse of balal joke here) COMMUNICATION PLS

Okay the verse jumping thing is pretty cooool, and the low-probability thing to activate a different life branching line thingy is also cool! The branching is cool, the fancy phone app thing is cool, I actually really love graph theory! like. Thinking about all the different branches your life could have taken. I wanna see more of this!!!

Okay and the thing where Alpha Waymond is actually still in a truck in the Alphaverse while trying to do things in this verse kinda gave me the Matrix vibes very cool very cool

//srs ok but fr the talk about divorce in the van um. it kinda hit hard? irl my parents are kinda going through a rough phase and it doesn’t seem to be getting better and I hope really hope they don’t divorce but um. yeah. kinda almost started crying, barely held myself back

IS THAT A FUCKING DILDO

“You have the most potential because you are the greatest failure out of all possible Evelyns” wow um. you couldn’t have phrased that a bit better lmao

WHY DO YOU HAVE A GUN

wtf do not swing ur doggo around like that he is not a weapon

I am trying not to cry while watching a grown woman trying to stop two grown men from jamming butt plugs up their asses (this makes sense in context) dsgfhdsghgfhgdhjjoij

When everything splintered even more they showed so many different Evelyns I was like ‘holy hell how long did it take to get all these different costumes’ and each individual one only showed for like a single frame. wow

They almost got me with the fakeout “the end” and premature end credits but I watched Chronicles of the Going Home Club and also I know this movie has three parts you won’t get me that easily

I love the rocks scene. Very avant-garde, and a nice little resting point in the middle of such a breakneck pace movie.

“Most universes are like this.” No life, just sand, just rocks. Daaaam.

The everything bagel. The dark circle (like on the tax papers as well). I feel like this is a metaphor for a certain thing 😥 ono. If it’s that, then this is suddenly even more heavy.

I have no idea what Waymond is saying to keep getting Evelyn off the hook with the tax people but honestly MVP. even non-Alphaverse Waymond is really a great person

Okay but running after the truck like that is just inefficient, you’ve got 2 sets of legs, but you’re wasting a good chunk of energy on unnecessarily hoisting an entire adult body off the ground. I know this is funny and all but also it’s inefficient and you’ll never get your raccoon friend back like this pls optimize more sdljkjgldgjdh

I am told that the piano keys pressed by the feet do not actually correspond with the musical notes heard

Okay but the “this is awkward” by Joy just makes it more real and this is actually really feels but im really glad they made up

GIRLFRIEND. (in Cantonese). YES.

(btw I don’t know any Cantonese so I have no idea how their pronunciation is so I’m just going to assume it’s great)

Wow part 3 is short

Okay, overall, I really enjoyed watching this movie! A solid 9.1/10!

When they said “everything” in the title, they really meant it lol. I really went through the full gamut of emotions while watching this movie, sometimes all at once! More mood whiplash than Symphogear episode 1! (some people may think this is a bad thing but honestly I don’t mind it lol)

The parallel universe stuff also really reminds me of Qualia the Purple, which was similarly mind-screwy. I love that series too.

It’s not perfect, because there are a lot of frustrating parts of the movie that could’ve been avoided if Alphaverse Waymond just explained things better, or if people actually communicated properly! Also I got severe secondhand cringe/embarrassment/social anxiety just seeing that whole situation in the IRS office and how they kept digging themselves into a deeper grave by assaulting various peoples. Imagine if the multiverse people suddenly dropped all contact and now mainverse Evelyn and Waymond have to explain all this to the authorities??? im horrified just by the thought of it fjlsjgfldjgkdflg

Also the Alphaverse Waymond explanations are interesting but honestly he could not have picked a worse time lmao. The whole time he was explaining stuff in the broom closet my mind was honestly going “ok this is interesting but the taxes pls tell me they’re going to figure out the taxes???” (as you may be able to tell I’m a boring adult dsfkjlgfdgjfg)

This is like me watching Squid Game and going “oh no, but what about the (illegal) organs” bc the TASK you know what I mean??? isjgdofidjf

And the whole thing about how Gong Gong was planning on killing his granddaughter. “she can’t be reasoned with” no you didn’t try hard enough try harder. This is probably a relevant allegory in and of itself; a breakdown in communications.

Closing Thoughts

Okay but nitpicks aside I actually did overall quite enjoy this film. I can see how this might be the film for everyone, though. My interests are very specific and this ended up hitting all the right buttons for me, but this might not be the case for everyone.

My older brother enjoyed it somewhat, gave it a 8/10. He seemed particularly interested in the bagel stuff, and kept prompting discussions about it afterwards lol. My mom didn’t like it as much. She did really enjoy the mother-daughter and other family stuff because that was real and relatable, but she didn’t seem to be as into the sci-fi or fighting stuff. She did find the scenes with the tax lady funny though, because she said she does have to do the taxes every year. When I asked her for a rating, she said it was half/half, gave it a 5/10. My little brother said he didn’t really like it, gave it a 3.3/10 at best. (But that’s fine, he didn’t like Symphogear either, so I guess our tastes just don’t really align that much 😅)

We did see the Shang-Chi movie last year, so I asked my family for their ratings on this movie as well for comparison (since also Chinese actors and relatable ABC stuff). My brothers gave this one a 7/10, but for my mom it was a 4/10.

When the sci-fi verse jumping stuff started coming in in the elevator scene, I thought it would shift from a more personal-scoped story to a broader, universe-threatening type of story. But I do like that it ended up circling on itself and ended up still being a family-scoped kind of story. No need to introduce like. Extra organizations or governments or random extradimensional threads. It works better when everything wraps around to still be related to the family.

This is maybe the reason why I also enjoyed Ryuusei no Rockman 1 more than Ryuusei no Rockman 2. in the first game, many of the newly created antagonists are directly related to Subaru’s close friends and adjacent neighbourhood, so it feels, closer, more personal of a story. The second game had various randos from foreign lands as antagonists, so I felt kinda less emotionally invested in the second game.

Y’know what I mean?

This is also a trap I hope Squid Game doesn’t fall into when season 2 comes out. Sure there’s this ORGANIZATION and BOSSES and CONSPIRACIES going on or whatever, but tbh it’s the family dynamics and interpersonal relationships that really drew me in in the first place, because those aspects were more relatable for me. I’m not as invested in this front man or these rich people doing rich and powerful people things, it’s just not as interesting to me. But maybe that’s just me.

Anyway enough rambling, I liked this movie, it is an EXPERIENCE. Definitely would rewatch. Graph theory verse jumping mechanics are super interesting, might explore these in some fanworks someday c:

Peace.

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

COSMIC - S3:E3; Chapter Three, The Case Of The Missing Lifeguard - [Pt. 5]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

𝘌𝘭 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘔𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘋&𝘋. 𝘋𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦.

⚠️: Castle Byers scene. Meaning lots of angst, self destructive thinking, and misguided self punishing

📝: Started making it... had a break down [fr tho]... ¯\_( ツ)_/¯ bon appetite! 👩‍🍳 [edit: told ya 💀]

🔑: underlined and bold means they're talking in Russian

||𝟑𝐑𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

Warm rain spits from the angry blanket of clouds, falling through the sky and drenching Mike and Lucas to the bone despite their rain gear. Mud splashed up onto their ankles and drenching their socks as their bikes skid up the Byers driveway. Without a thought, they throw their bikes into the ground before racing up onto Will's porch.

It had taken far longer than they cared to admit to decide to go and find Will. To make things right.

Mike was realizing far too late just how right Will was. He didn't even recognize himself anymore. El had become such an important piece of his life, but he hadnt realized until now just how much he let his feelings screw up all the wonderful things he had in his life to begin with. He missed how things used to be. With the party. With Y/n.

With Will.

All the anger he feels towards himself is channeled into his fist banging on Will's front door.

"Will!" He cries. "Will, I'm sorry, man, alright? I was being a total asshole. I've been a total asshole. Please, can you just come outside and we'll talk?"

No answer but the thundering clouds rolling over their heads. He pounds on the door again.

"Will!"

Lucas hurries to the window, cupping his palms against the glass and peering inside. He knocks on the window, doing his best to peer around the curtains and furniture obscuring his sight.

"Hey, Will! Come on, man! We're sorry!" He knocks again, growing nervous. "Will!"

||𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

'Sorry, man. Curfew,'

'For the last time, Will! No!'

-'What, so I should be locked up all day, too?'

-'Maybe!'

Huffing, I throw the wrinkling comic book into the old mattress. Nothing was working. Nothing was enough to distract me. I was too angry.

I looked down at the withered cover of the comic book I had just thrown, my chest sinking further. Dustin's X-MEN 134, he gave it to me after that night at the hospital.

Thinking about it now, I can't even remember the last time all seven of us hung out as a party. I don't count Dustin's welcome home. Mike and El couldn't be bothered to pretend to care, and Lucas and Max kept ganging up on Dustin. Dustin was understandably upset and not wanting anything to do with us, leaving just me and Y/n. And now, not even her.

How did everything get so messed up?

What was I doing wrong?

I looked around the walls of Castle Byers, a lump forming in my throat. Everywhere I looked, I was painfully reminded of the truth.

My friends don't want me anymore.

I keep telling myself that's bullshit, but the more I do the more it feels like a lie.

They're moving on without me.

Friends don't just forget you, I reasoned. They don't just abandon you.

Then why were they doing just that?

Maybe they weren't my real friends. Friend's don't do what they did.

Everything hurts. I've been telling myself I'm fine, that I'm overreacting but I don't think I am anymore. I'm just tired. I'm tried of feeling like this. I'm tired of being pushed aside, especially when I need them most.

They didn't use to be like this, I tell myself. But somehow that just hurts more.

I had people that cared about me, who were willing to risk their lives to save me. Twice.

And now they don't give me a second thought.

I was shaking now, but I don't think it's from the rain. The storm had finally reached me, seeping through the walls and dampening my clothes and hair.

Another painful realization hits me; Castle Byers looked just like it had the night I built it with Jonathan.

Even though this night was so much like the night Castle Byers was constructed, it couldn't feel more different. More unfamiliar.

My teary eyes find my first D&D manual, propped up against the wooden walls, soaked and forgotten like me. I'm painfully reminded of the night all this started.

I remember it as clear as if it were yesterday, and yet it feels light-years away.

'Something is coming. Something hungry for blood.'

《•••》

"What is it?" I ask, edging further off my seat.

This time it's Dustin who cuts in, "What if it's the Demogorgon?"

Oh, great, I think, throwing myself back in my seat with an anxious huff. We're not ready to face a Demogorgon!

Beside me, Y/n draws in an equally anxious breath.

"Oh, Jesus, we're so screwed if it's the Demogorgon." Dustin rambles on.

"It's not the Demogorgon." Lucas says, assuring us all.

《•••》

My eyes trail to one of my favorite drawings; Will The Wise and Y/C/N. The one I had made when Y/n was first constructing her character. The one that hung in my room for so long, always cheering me up. The one that gave my mom the idea to help me communicate my now memories.

The one that Y/n always threatened to steal for her room as often and as recently as her last visit. The memory of her warm touch lingering on my cheeks burned as bright as the blush raging over me that night so long ago.

'Wait a minute... Did you guys hear that?'

《•••》

The anticipated silence in the basement left by Mike grew louder as he leaned in.

"Boom..." His voice grows louder. "Boom," Louder.

"BOOM!" Mike bellows, slamming his hands against the flat surface, rattling the table and all its contents.

The sudden noise was enough to make me and my friends jump, as was the sudden hand grabbing for my own.

All the more startled, I look down to see Y/n's hand grasping my arm like a lifeline. I feel my skin flush, my cheeks surely reddened as I catch her eye. She looked flustered, smiling a small smile before retracting her hand and returning to the game, unknowingly leaving me in a dizzying blush.

•••

"Will, your action!"

"Fireball!" I cry, throwing the dice to the board with a satisfying rattle.

"FOURTEEN!"

My friends erupt into cheers, all around me as we celebrate together.

"BOOM!"

"Direct hit!" Mike cries, beaming proudly at me across the table. "Will the Wise's fireball hits the Thessalhydra!"

Our excited shouts fill the basement, each and every one of us victorious. My smile can't get any wider when I feel Y/n's hands grip my shoulder and begin shaking me excitedly. We both laugh, feeling on top of the world with our cheering friends by our side.

《•••》

Pained, I look away only to find the proof right in front of my eyes. My three favorite pictures; all of them, my friends and me — happy — staring back up at me.

Our photo from the science fair, encased in the popsicle frame Mike had made bearing all of our characters' names along the side. I brought it here, I brought all my favorite pictures here, to Castle Byers — to my safe place — cause that's where I knew I would need their comfort the most.

But as I look at them now, all I feel is bitterness and pain. I'm reminded of just how much everything has changed.

The science fair was a reminder of the good thing I had before that night. Before everything started.

Y/n and me, at the Snow Ball. My arm wrapped around her, the two of us grinning nervously. It wasn't just the night Y/n and I had first kissed, it was also the first night I felt like the Party had gotten bigger. All of us, Max and El included had been happy. Everyone was laughing and getting along, the happiest we had ever been — the strongest. But now I see it was really the beginning of the end.

It had been coming for so long and I didn't even see it.

And Halloween. Last Halloween, everything had been perfect. For just one. Single. Stupid. Moment.

Shakily, I pick up the photo Jonathan had taken of all of us in our costumes. We were all smiling.

We were all happy.

'Who you gonna call?'

《•••》

I beam as I see my friends pulling up, looking just as excited as I felt.

"Ghostbusters!" I finish, watching as they look me over, happily surprised.

"Hey, Spengler!"

"Egon! Looking sharp!" Y/n grinned, pulling me into a quick hug.

"Janine!" I beam. "Venkman!"

《•••》

As I look at it now, my eyes and throat stinging as Mike's voice echoes louder than ever in my mind.

'I mean, what did you think, really?'

What was I thinking?

'That we were just gonna sit in my basement all day, playing games for the rest of our lives?'

How could I have been so naive?

'it's not my fault you can't move on!'

How could I have been so... so...

"Stupid." I tell myself, my voice splitting in my throat. "So stupid!"

My hands trembling violently with rage and my own sobs, I tear the photo in two.

I was stupid. Stupid to believe I was as big of a priority to them as they were to me.

I rip the drawing off the walls, tearing it to pieces.

Stupid to ever think they'd still cared about me.

I rip and tear and crumple up every meaningful piece of them in an act of defiance.

They won't care. I think bitterly. They won't miss these, they probably won't even notice. Not like I would have.

I grab my bat.

How could I be so fucking stupid?!

Why was I hanging on to all this stuff anyway? Why was I clinging so tightly to something that was already gone?

Because I've been stupid. I'm just some stupid kid that won't grow up.

I storm out of the tent.

I'm just some stupid kid who can't grow up. They made that perfectly clear.

I stand in the pouring rain now, heart thundering in my chest as I stare at the piece of my childhood I couldn't let go of.

So. Stupid.

And I start swinging.

I swing and I swing, with an anger and frustration I've never felt so intensely until now. It's been building my whole life and I didn't realize it. Every swing is simultaneously the best and the worst I've ever felt. Every slur I've heard from my dad, from Troy, is channeled into the bat. Every ounce of frustration and fear I felt since I came back from the Upside Down that nobody understood. Every laugh, every jeer, every single moment I've felt alone is channeled into the destruction of the one place on this earth I ever felt safe.

But it holds up and in the back of my mind, I hear Jonathan again.

'And it took so long cause you were so bad at hammering'

And I start kicking, and I start ripping the walls apart until it's a crumpled heap and I stop.

The sight of Castle Byers in ruins breaks me even harder.

I didn't want it gone, but I did it anyway. That part of me that was angry at myself, told me to keep going. Cause that's what I deserved for believing things could stay the same even though deep down I knew that wasn't true.

I finally stop when I see the castle in ruins.

Exhausted, I collapse to the ground beside the wreckage.

As I sob, stewing in the pain and overwhelming grief I felt I was drowning in, the rain pours heavily over me, soaking me to the bone.

Just as it had the night it had been built.

And now, Castle Byers was gone.

||𝟑𝐑𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐎𝐕||

When blue meets yellow in the west.

8:41 pm. It was almost time.

The yellow and blue clock hands were illuminated by a flash of lightning, streaking through the mall's skylight. Starcourt had long since closed, and the real activity was just beginning.

Stationed at the loading docks near the back, standing under the worst storm Hawkins had seen in years were two guards. They watched through the downpour as the scheduled truck backed its way under the concrete cover.

And perched on the roof, just out of sight sat Dustin, Steve, and Robin, scouting from under their rain slickers.

"Look for Imperial Panda and Kauffman Shoes," she reminds them.

Steve wipes away at the rain dripping into his eyes, squinting even further to get a clear picture Dustin already has.

A man in a bright yellow raincoat emerges from a hidden side door, a trolley cart full of packages marked with a familiar insignia.

"They're with that whistling guy!" Dustin says suddenly, motioning out from behind the only pair of binoculars.

"What do you think's in there?" Steve wonders, eyeing the Lynx logo on the back of their many yellow jackets.

"Guns? Bombs?"

"Chemical weapons?" Robin tries.

"Whatever it is," Dustin says, now cautiously studying the heavily armed guards. He had to admit to himself, they really weren't trying very hard not to be obvious. "they're armed to the teeth."

"Great," comes Steve's sarcastic voice, once again rubbing at his eyes, silently wishing he had brought a coat with a hood. "That's great."

A soft clink that would have been obnoxiously loud had it not been for the noise of the storm brings their attention to another guard. Having pressed a glowing button on a small control panel, two large metal doors swung open to reveal another room.

"Hey!" Robin says, squinting through the rain as she tries to get a glimpse without the binoculars. "What's in there?"

"It's just more boxes,"

"Let me check it out," Steve says, grabbing for the binoculars.

Huffing, Dustin fought to keep his grip on the binoculars. "No, I'm still looking!"

"Lemme see it!"

"Hang on!"

Steve's grip had loosened with the slick of rain, sending the binoculars knocking into the cement. The issue had already been forgotten when they saw the guards' attention had been stolen. Simultaneously, the three of them dove to the ground in a panic.

The guards began to pace, grip on their firearms tightening as they gaze out into the night. Seeing nothing but empty roofs and angry skies above them, they unknowingly miss the trio huddled against the roof wall.

Just out of sight to the right of Dustin, Steve and Robin sat panting as they try to calm their racing hearts. Way too close a call. And neither of them had realized what they had done until their eyes landed on their entertained hands. Just as quickly as they notice, they break apart, embarrassed.

Down below, the guards were now on high alert. One of them, unable to shake the feeling of being watched, stalked into the rain with his eyes deadset on an open spot on the roof. He was certain he heard the noise come from that direction.

"Stay here!" He orders to the other. "Watch the door!"

Reluctantly, his partner complies and inches back towards the doors.

When he finally reaches the top of the stairwell, he hesitates only a moment before he throws the roof door open, gun cocked.

But he was met only with steady claps of thunder and an empty roof.

Had he been wrong?

Or had he just missed whoever had been here?

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Clothes drenched, their shoes sloshing underneath their feet like sponges, Steve, Robin, and Dustin slip out from the shadows and make their way throughout the back halls behind the scenes of Starcourt.

"Well, I think we sound your Russians," Robin quips.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Black Trans Travel Fund:

For The Gworls:

"The Black Trans Travel Fund is a grassroots, Black Trans led Collective, providing Black Transgender Women with financial and material resources needed to remove barriers to self-determining and accessing safer travel options"

Trans Women Of Color Collective Fund

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

"Founded by a Black transgender woman and a Black nonbinary person, For The Gworls raises money to help provide funds for rent and gender affirming surgeries for Black transgender people across the country."

Taglist:

@dickkwad @iblesstherainsdown-in-africa @miscellaneoustoasts @happyandlonely-blog @peeperparkour ​ @ba-responds @bibliophilesquared @blogforhoes ​ @witch-of-all-things-soft @shawkneecaps @whothefuckstolemykeds @daughter-of-the-stars11 ​ @stranger-things4 @kpopanimegirl ​ @nightbu-g @lozzybowe @gizmofishersupremacy @spiderbitch69420

❥ Let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from the taglist! ❥

[amjustagirl]

Nikkiiii !!! i've said this before but i'll rephrase in case it becomes more comprehensible, YOUR BRAIN IS VERY SEXY.

in all seriousness, the fact that you like your characters only proves that you aim to write good and enjoyable pieces instead of writing for the sake of posting, no matter how uninspired and unfaithful to the characters the work might be.

and that is precisely why you're one of my favourite authors here AND IT'S NOT UP FOR DISCUSSION !! you have authenticity and it shows. so no, it is not shameless to enjoy your characters when they're beautifully written !!

my trip it's ,,, i don't know how to describe it, im currently camping in the middle of a forest, on a god forsaken island, on the other side of greece so it's uhhh interesting? i come here every year to enjoy the nature, mediate, reflect on myself, and set goals for self improvement before i go back to a year of intense studying 🤧

almost everyone comes here for the same reason, a small community is set up every may and people come and go until september. i'll be hitchhiking my way to natural hotsprings and waterfalls for ten days, so i'd say that this is bliss! but this kind of more primal, i guess you could say, situation isn't for everyone so i'll just say that my trip is interesting instead :>

no no no girl you're doing amazing !!

even in irl situations most dialogues we have aren't exactly the profound type but isn't that okay? to talk about seemingly unimportant things i mean, it's like 'love knows not it's depth'. the same way negative things that get swept under the rug end up pilling and can even dissolve a previously good relationship, conversations about 'nothing seemingly substantial' can grow into the substance of a relationship when shared between the right people, me thinks.

and now that i've said me thinks, i forgot to mention something very important earlier, MIYA KAIYO SUPREMACY ME THINKS !!!

kaiyo and atsumu though 🥰🥰

truth be told reader chan and i both share the anxiety and overthinking thingies, so i can't wait to read the next chapters and witness at least SOMEONE making some progress and shake these off, even if it's just with hot mr. Perfect Shinksuke

ahhhh i mean isn't it natural that he did ????

take care love ♡ i admire you for even trying to skate tbh, just give me a cup of coffee and a book and let me vibe, i can't get behind more athletic activities :(

pretty much already replied this even though i wasn't asked to lol, i'm doing well !! im enjoying my vacation but i also want the days to pass faster because i'll be moving out of town next month and it's exciting !! you find me in my usual paradoxical mindset tbh

ellie!!! thank you bb!! yeah i feel like an indulgent parent to my characters sometimes - i love them so much, but then i wonder whether my love for them is misplaced HAHAHA. and yeah no it's a matter of personal honour to never publish works that i'm personally not happy with (hence why the osamu installment of storm chaser is still in limbo LOL).

oh on another note - yeah it's something i struggle with, writing reader insert characters with strong personalities of their own. i can't ever write blank slate characters (or unrealistic characters for that matter, yknow the characters that sit around the house all day and wait and cry when their hq bfs come home late fr work) but sometimes i wonder if ppl don't want me to write personalities into my characters cos it makes it harder to relate to them? idk. something i grapple with from time to time.

HAHA it's actly so much fun writing both kaiyo and the reader in this fic cos they're pretty different but yet they're such good friends and continually support each other! personally i feel like the reader here is a lot more relatable - she's a bit like yachi in the overthinking department, and she's obviously anxious despite being v competent in her own right. also, *waggles my eyebrows about her progress w dear shin-chan*

omg greece....you know i grew up reading the corfu trilogy by gerald durrell and i've had a hankering to just spend a whole month kicking back and enjoying the greece countryside so im exceedingly jealous but happy that you're enjoying yourself, bb!!! i love the food i love the culture (even tho i just spent a couple of days on santorini and athens) and when travel reopens i defo wanna explore more of greece! in the meantime, take care and rest and recuperate!!! it's so exciting to hear you have so many things lined up ahead!!!