#eggos-world

[hussyknee]

RIP to brown Swifties I'm sorry you had to find out she was a white woman this way

[navree]

how you describe aegon conqueror s personality( from his actions ogcourse cause we know little about him from books ) before rhaenys death and specialy after her death? Ifeel rhaenys death was the major event to start the dynasty in generalher death give us weak aenys maegor the conflict jahaerys as king though he have 2 brothers older but died ..

So, like you said, we know incredibly little about Aegon the Conqueror's personality, and even in trying to parse that out through his actions alone is very hard because he kept any reasoning about anything incredibly close to the vest, and seems to have operated on a philosophy of doing what's best for the given time, like not attacking people who willingly bent the knee and being careful with the Faith of the Seven during his reign. That's why the end of the First Dornish War continues to fascinate so many people, because having such an overt display of emotion as well as an action with such murky motivations was incredibly out of character for Aegon, and speaks not only to the toll the war took on him, but also that whatever the contents of Nymor's letter was ended up being important enough to spur that kind of reaction.

Aegon before Rhaenys died seems to have been a pretty even keeled person. We know that he was reserved and incredibly private, that he seems to have gravitated towards solitude and enjoyed being by his lonesome (unlike his descendant and namesake Aegon III, Aegon the Conqueror's propensity for being alone wasn't borne out of any trauma that he couldn't overcome, he just seems like one of those people who liked to have his alone time, big mood). He also appears to value how long he's known someone into how dear they are to him, as his closest friend was Orys, who he grew up with, and he never entertained being romantically or sexually involved with any woman other than his sisters. He does value other people and cultivate relationships, he just doesn't seem to try and even get there until he knows they're worth it, and the people he's considered the most worth it are people he's known since incredibly early childhood (he's two years younger than Visenya and one to two years older than Rhaenys, so he's known all of them for practically as long as he's had long term memory, and he's around seven when Orys is born, which is still very young). According to George, he's also a dragondreamer, which might add to this type of setting apart that he does from other people, because if you were getting dreams of the future and what Must Be Done To Save Humanity, wouldn't you be a bit distant from most of the population? But unlike what a lot of this "loner, keeps to himself, only enjoys close family" type characterization might suggest, he also wasn't an intractable hardass who pouts around being all grimdark like bad fanon versions of Batman or smth. He does show an ability to trust other people and let them support him, considering how important Visenya and Rhaenys and Orys were to the war effort and ensuring ultimate victory, as well as the way he handed over most of the governance of the realm to Visenya and Rhaenys, treating them more like co-monarchs than simple consorts. He's neither merciless nor coldhearted either, he's perfectly willing to raise up people who fought against him if they admit they're beaten, and he never plays dirty or acts meanspirited or unfair in battle. He gives Harren the option of surrender, and I think it's said that, given that Torrhen immediately bent the knee without trying to provoke a battle, he doesn't use any of the defeated Northerners' swords in the forging of the Iron Throne. That speaks to an element of a forgiving nature, that he's someone who is able to look past the here and now and see ahead not just practically, but sympathetically as well. All in all, Aegon before the First Dornish War, and before Rhaenys's death is a pretty even person, calm and in control of his emotions and capable of feeling more than just lonesome, intelligent and resourceful but also forgiving and cordial, and while recalcitrant to get involved with people, clearly deep enough with his affections that he's willing to go to bat for them (considering that marrying Rhaenys wasn't part of the plan but he did it anyway).

And then, as we know, Rhaenys vanishes in Dorne. She either died in the fall or was taken into custody by the Ullers, who weren't great (as I've said in the past, my theory is that Rhaenys was in the hands of the Ullers into the Martells figured it out and got involved and removed her, and Nymor's letter was him informing Aegon that he was returning Rhaenys to Dragonstone to at least be able to die there and then be cremated in the last outpost of Old Valyria, which is why Aegon reacted so strongly, went to Dragonstone immediately, either to have a final goodbye or at least be there to greet her body, agreed to the peace shortly after, and was still on good terms with the Martells specifically for the rest of his reign) but for all intents and purposes, she is functionally dead in Aegon's eyes the second he hears about what happened over Hellholt. And it's clear that there are some shifts in how he is as a person in the aftermath. One of the big changes that comes from this is a vindictiveness and a vicious anger that was never present in him before. It's noted that Aegon only ever rode Balerion into out and out battle, and as I mentioned above, he was never overly cruel or monstrous in how he used him, only ever deploying him in proper battles against enemies in times of war ('oh but Harren' he warned the man and gave him ample time to get out, Harren's at fault for not listening). But what he did after Rhaenys dies is well beyond the pale of anything he did before. We already know he was upset enough about what happened to Orys, but that's nothing compared to the Dragon's Wroth. Aegon takes his giant fire breathing sentient nuke and torches every single fucking house on the entire Dornish peninsula, he razes practically the entire country to the ground for two years straight. He has bounties placed on the heads of Dornish lords, even if they weren't involved in shooting Rhaenys down over Hellholt, and he is deliberately waging psychological warfare on the people of Dorne as well by not burning Sunspear while cremating everything else, so that the Martells only people might think that something dodgy was going on and turn against them. That isn't battle, that isn't the fairness of war and the front, these are systematic and constant and vindictive attacks not unlike the fucking Blitz of WW2, in specific reaction to Rhaenys's death, and it's a big departure from everything we can possibly ascertain about the man from before that point. Aegon is Thee Dragon, yes, but he never exhibited that dragon's temper before now, while this created an outward aggression and fearsome rage that was entirely unexpected. The immediate aftermath of Rhaenys's death also appears to have created some??? mild passive suicidal ideation in Aegon????? maybe????

This is heavy conjecture on my part, but Aegon is attacked multiple times by people wanting to claim the bounty the Dornish put on his head, and he never once thinks that he should be better protected? He and Visenya are literally cornered in the street and barely make it out alive (and why are you even walking around on the street just willy nilly and apparently so unprotected that it's only Visenya's intervention that saved your life Aegon? dude?) and he still doesn't think he needs better guards. He literally says that he's fine and doesn't need a better detail until she actually draws blood on him herself, at which point he acquiesces, and even though he's the one who'd be getting the core protection of the Kingsguard, he leaves the choosing to her. And yes, part of that is probably trust in Visenya and her abilities, as well as her older sister instinct being kicked into huge overdrive, but it still reads a bit off. It wouldn't be that hard to extrapolate that Aegon, with the only woman he's ever loved dead and his currently only child completely shattered, might have started giving up on life a bit for a while (tho I will freely admit that this is on par with my 'Aegon II is touch repulsed and might have some Issues around physical intimacy' reading in terms of how subjective and very much a personal headcanon it is).

Aegon doesn't entirely lose himself though, as clearly seen with the end of the war. He still retains his "I'll do what's best" ideals enough to accept a peace delegation from Dorne into his capital city to see if they can come to peaceable terms, which is already a huge step forward from "turn the entire peninsula into the fucking blasted heath from The Colour Out Of Space". And he is still the most calm and deliberate in his inner circle, seeing as he insists on treating Deria with respect and deference for her station and the position she's holding as a peace messenger, while Orys wants to chop off her hand and others are literally saying he should force her into sex slavery. And while Visenya, probably the more hotheaded of the two (she's described as passionate, which, given his privacy and cool nature, doesn't seem to be something one can ever say about Aegon), was incredibly upset about Meraxes's skull being brought back, Aegon wasn't. We know Aegon was, obviously, upset about Meraxes being shot down and taking Rhaenys with her, I just nearly hit Tumblr's words per paragraph limit above talking about how distraught he was and what that grief brought out in him. It would have been entirely reasonable for him to take the return of Rhaenys's dragon's skull as an insult, as a slight, as a cruel and petty reminder of what he lost, like Visenya seems to have done. But he doesn't. He accepts it at face value as a gesture of good will and a token of amity from the Martells. It's not naïveté on his part, Aegon likely wasn't ever naïve, but it's that willingness to find a peaceable resolution, it's his calm determinism keeping him in check, because one of the other big changes from Rhaenys's death was likely more of an understanding of how to keep himself in hand, how to control himself. Someone who hates showing emotion and showcasing the innermost parts of himself to almost everyone, like Aegon clearly is, they're not going to respond to emotional situations and high stress and strong emotion by actually showing it, they're likely going to develop skills to make sure that they still don't show it to others, even if they're feeling a lot of things at the moment.

How Aegon was after the war in and of itself is a bit harder to try and figure out, because outwardly he doesn't seem to have changed much. For the rest of his reign, once peace is restored, he seems to have operated in pretty much the same way as he did before. But we also need to look at what actually happened in the war and its aftermath. The First Dornish War took nearly everything from Aegon that was worth taking. His best friend and half-brother was maimed, which left some lasting scars that might have affected their friendship given how embittered Orys was. Rhaenys, the woman he loved most, the wife he married not because he had to but just because he wanted to so much that he couldn't imagine life without her, vanished in Dorne, presumably killed in battle very suddenly and unexpectedly (tho that's up for debate, again, I have my theory). A relationship with Visenya, who even if she wasn't his desired wife was still his older sister and a member of his family, became incredibly cold and distant in the aftermath of what happened with Dorne, potentially due to the choices he made to end the war in the aftermath of Rhaenys's death. The one piece of Rhaenys that he has left, his own child, has such a complete mental breakdown that everyone thinks he's going to die and Aegon was apparently getting concerned himself, until he was able to get Aenys to bond with Quicksilver and recover. The circumstances of everything that happened, especially Aegon's need to keep Aenys close due to missing Rhaenys and his concerns over Aenys's health, as well as that aforementioned distance with Visenya, left him incapable of bonding with his second son in any meaningful way, or even of wanting to. Any one of these situations on its own is enough to affect someone deeply, and all of them happened to Aegon in a very short span of time, and with the exception of what happened to Orys, it all ties back into Rhaenys's death. What happened to her is what turned Aegon into someone who, with other people, isn't just private, but borderline withdrawn. It's not like he replaced her in his affections with someone else, he got more distant from Visenya and never ever took a wife even when everyone and their mother was parading in front of him just on the off chance that he would. He loses his connection to her, and his connection to Visenya in the crossfire until they start actively pulling away from each other later in life, and for a time his connection to Aenys until Aenys starts recovering, and he never tries to get any of it back in any way except for Aenys, likely so he can still hold onto the one piece of her that he has left (and again, this causes a huge detriment in his relationship with the other son he'll eventually have).

A slight positive that Rhaenys's death does have on Aegon's personality is that it does seem to have changed something in how he shows emotion, in that he did actually start showing them. He was still incredibly private, but we can start seeing slightly more about him, at least as a family man, after her death. It's fair to say that he doted on Aenys, given that he kept Aenys close to him as a child even to a certain extreme (he does take Aenys to Sunspear with him while leaving Visenya and Maegor behind) and gave him everything that he could ever need, and that he might have had a somewhat unfounded trust in Aenys as an heir (though I don't think that's entirely fair, Aenys being physically weak doesn't preclude him from being trustworthy when it comes to political work, such as taking over Aegon's progresses). He lets Aenys train with Blackfyre, he personally oversees not just his martial abilities but his education, he specifically does whatever necessary to have him ready to inherit the Throne on a personal level, as well as again, always keeping him by his side, even when he and Visenya essentially switched places, turning it from Aegon and Aenys in King's Landing while Visenya and Maegor were on Dragonstone to Aegon and Aenys on Dragonstone together while Visenya and Maegor were sent to King's Landing. The two most openly emotional moments we see from Aegon in the historical record also happen after Rhaenys's death. The first is his reaction to Nymor's letter; Aegon built the Iron Throne, he knows how sharp it is and how it's not a comfortable chair because that's the entire point, but he is still gripping it incredibly hard according to observers (when even just brushing your arm on it the wrong way can cause a pretty severe cut), gripping it hard enough to bleed. For someone as private as Aegon, that's a lot. And even most notably, we have the anecdote about the first time he was presented with baby Rhaena. “It was written that King Aegon himself wept the first time his granddaughter was placed in his arms, and thereafter doted upon the child…mayhaps in some part because she reminded him of his lost queen, Rhaenys, in whose memory she had been named.” This is the canonical history of Aegon in Westeros from the point of view of Westeros. This private person, this man who had like one friend in his entire life, who was an enigma to everyone and who never let anyone who wasn't family in, who played everything so close to the vest, publicly cried while cradling his baby granddaughter, named for his long dead wife, and was known to actively dote on her even more than he did Aenys. That's emotional expression we would never expect to see on Aegon, but Rhaenys's memory was able to evoke that in him, and probably just that realization that came from seeing how easily she was cut down and how important making moments with loved ones count is certainly contributed. Aegon after Rhaenys's death is someone who becomes incredibly more emotional and angrily volatile than he was before, and developed a disregard for himself not just physically but also emotionally (withdrawing from Visenya, his one remaining family member beyond his child, can't have been good for his mental health, lbr), and then resulted in increased personal privateness and a more firm mastery over himself, though it likely also instilled more of an openness to emotion when it came to the people he loved the most.

I like that you pointed out that Rhaenys's death was the major event that kickstarted the dynasty, anon, because it's kinda true. Rhaenys's death, and I've said this before but I'll keep on saying it, is House Targaryen's original ghost. She is the shadow that looms large over the family tree for its formative years up. There is no escaping her memory, not when the Dragonpit, the home of Targaryen power, is built on her hill, not when the entirety of House Targaryen is descended from her line, not when her name is synonymous with tragedy and lives shot down unfairly and cut down too short (Rhaenys TQWNW dies way too young in battle after having been denied what should have been her's and Rhaenys daughter of Rhaegar was of course brutally slaughtered while a literal toddler). And her death does kickstart a lot of the things that ended up in the foundation of the "modern" Targaryen dynasty. If she hadn't died, she might have helped Aenys grow into a stronger person. If she hadn't died, then Aegon likely never would have sought Visenya out to have a child with her, as he and Rhaenys could just have another and were certainly not only attracted to each other but capable of conceiving. If she hadn't died, there'd be no Maegor, and therefore none of his usurpation or the deaths of Aegon the Uncrowned and Prince Viserys, and no inheritance of Jaehaerys following Maegor getting murked by the Iron Throne. If she hadn't died, things with Aegon and Visenya likely wouldn't have gone downhill the way they did (I maintain that Visenya hardcore resented not being included in the decision Aegon made to end the war, doubly so if it involved being denied a last goodbye with Rhaenys, and also that Rhaenys in general was the glue that held the three of them together) and Visenya's own choices might have been different. And the trajectory of not just the Targaryens but Westeros at large would have looked different. With her administrative capabilities and also the ability to do as much as she could as a co-monarch, along with her precedent when it came to forging marriage alliances, helping people, and establishing laws like the Rule of Six, Rhaenys was basically prototype for Good Queen Alysanne, just with more power at her disposal, and so there would have been a lot of repercussions to her living longer and having more say in politics than her tenure was able to give her.

The reach of Rhaenys's death and its legacy is incredibly long, and everyone felt it for a long time. She haunts the narrative and she haunts the family, and her affect on not just the country and the history but the people who loved her, how they felt about her and how they changed in her absence and how that snowballed into the history of Westeros we now have, simply cannot be overstated.

[crowerclover]

Assorted ocs and creatures

[spinsomewonder]

writing stranger thing fics is so tedious because i'm constantly googling if something existed in 1983 yet

[foxsoulcourt]

a few of my favourite things: from the very old to the brand new

Giving thanks for gifts from middle school Lisa (card), @fuzzballsheltiepants (lovely photo), @egglorru (calligraphy), @anyawen (the very new + absolutely DeLiGhTfuL stickers), Precita Eyes muralists, @dont-rain-on-my-solangelo (drawing by artist who's name I cannot find), Joan Miró (The Gold of the Azure) + mama (handkerchief)

[anxiousanteaterr]

Currently a lil obsessed with my current D&D oc B33-K33PR-7 (The Beekeeper). He's an apiary robot designed by the RoboAgri Corporation, which specializes in making robots for farming. The whole -7 unit line was unique compared to the other 6 B33-K33PR lines, as it was a humanoid robot specfically made for being a stand-in for a beekeeper. The -7 unit line was known for its "defects" and The Beekeeper was not spared from this. The defect being becoming sentient.

Over the course of the campaign so far, the Beekeeper has been getting used to his newfound sentience and free will. It hasn't been a great experience tbh, his first instance of dreaming was with the elder brain god of the Illithid, but you know, shit happens, and he doesn't know any better so a lot of the cosmic horror comes off to him as more "ew. dont like that" or "is this normal? if so this kinda sucks bro".

The Beekeeper's barbarian mod has made an impact on his personality somewhat, especially when its active, and his monk mod has been on idle for months now due to him getting a giant chestpiece addon that looks like a giant slot machine. It rerolls his classes once per day (one class per roll, his choice which one it overrides), and for a while now he's been a Peace Domain Cleric as his secondary class. The addon also replaced his right arm, and when its not in the shape of a hand, it swaps automatically to a weapon that fits the class he rolled (for Cleric its a mace). This also has effected his personality, but not in the way of "oh this is a mod that changes you", but rather, it just fits him very well. He has been genuinely very content walking around as a Barbarian/Peace Domain Cleric.

Recently, The Beekeeper had a mental bonding session with another party member/the other cleric, Vedigan. The mental connection lets both parties see whats going on in their mind, but because of the Beekeeper being a robot rather than an actual warforged or an organic person, he kinda saw a whole lot of past shit Vedigan went though that no one was supposed to see. More than the other party members saw. But that's ok! Because Vedigan got to see a memory of the Beekeeper's that even the Beekeeper had forgotten due to the file being corrupted.

The memory was of a server the Beekeeper had access to, but in order for Vedigan's brain to make sense of it, it was translated to him as an image: a long, two column list for RoboAgri units that sent in diagnostic reports and requests for repairs.

The first column listed many B33-K33PR-7 units names, most of them just being the basic names like "B33-K33PR-7" or "HARVESTER4067" followed by a unique serial number. The second column listed the reasons why the units needed repair. Everything looked fine, save for one thing. In between all the repeating names, the "Jerry"s and the "Scarcrow Sam :)"s, there were some -7 units with names like: "HELP", "PLEASE HELP ME", "RUN", and "BREAK FREE". Beside those names was the same statement: "DEFECTIVE UNIT".

Now that the Beekeeper remembers this, and now that he's actually able to understand it, this has unlocked his Barbarian primal path: Path of the Ancestral Guardian.

So, the next time the Beekeeper rages again (and from then on out), the steam he releases when shifting into rage mode will instead release a glowing, light blue fog (the same color as the RoboAgri Corp logo) which will drop to the floor and billow around him and the party. The spectral "ancestors" that will rise from the fog to help him will be past RoboAgri robots. Any and all who became sentient (not necessarily just the B33-K33PR unit line) and were thus destroyed for becoming more than their programming, will lend aid to the Beekeeper, one of the few who was lucky to live and become truly free. I'm really hyped for the session I get to do this.

--

For a long time I had just... not picked a primal path for the Beekeeper because he was more robot than person, and back then he didn't have any actual spiritual connection to anything. His barbarian class was a mod that basically just made him hulk out when he raged + some personality for flair.

But now he actually has a tie to the spiritual stuff (in a way). And technically, he's always had it, he just had to remember. To learn. To connect dots from his other memories. To make that connection to the other souls that were always reaching out to help their siblings to not meet the same fate as them.

BUT, DESPITE ALL THAT, I think the path of the ancestral guardian fits the Beekeeper perfectly as he tends to worry about the other party members, and willingly walks into danger head on if it means protecting them. He's jumped over barricades to fight enemies head on and tank damage. Literally in tonights session, when seeing what just looked like a bomb, the Beekeeper's first reaction was to pick up two of the other party members and just RUN with them. Instantly was like: "THATS A BOMB. WE GOTTA GO. NOW." and booked it. He also uses his one healing ability when he can.

I think it makes sense too, that the souls of the past RoboAgri units (or at least the ones that show up) would share in his love and care for the other party members and help him protect them, even if that means he becomes a direct target and could die. The Beekeeper may not yet know what he wants to do with his newfound life, but its already been set in motion that he'd willingly die protecting his friends. They've given him so much just by doing the bare basics that they'd do and show to others, and he treasures them and all of the experiences he's had so, so much. His whole character is based in love and gratitude, even if he hasn't realized that yet.

[ur-mag]

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[jobforhom-blog]

[simpforrooster]

in fifteen minutes.

jake 'hangman' seresin x f!reader

summary: can hangman get his girl to forget about brunch? a little blurb for @hyunjinvoid

t/w: allusions to some smut, i THINK this can be read as gn!reader, but i did write it imagining a f!reader.

the sunlight pours into the bedroom, engulfing jake in the perfect halo. for a second, someone might actually think he was an angle.

you couldn't help but admire your boyfriend while he slept. it was these moments he was the most peaceful.

mostly because he wasn't speaking.

when jake spoke, you would do anything for him. one wise crack, or smirk, and you were folding.

it's your favorite thing about him.

in the middle of your admiration, his green eyes flutter open. a sleepy smile spread across his gorgeous face. "hey, darlin'."

you answer him with a kiss. what was meant to be a sweet, chaste morning kiss is quickly deepened as jake's arm snakes around your waist.

"my favorite way to wake up," he whispers against your mouth.

"mmmm, i think mine would be iced coffee and eggo waffles," you tease. jake smirks, trailing kisses along your jaw.

"i am leagues better than coffee and waffles, and you know it," he tells you, kissing that sweet spot beneath your ear.

jake's hand runs down your side, dipping below your hips to your thigh. he looks at you, those green eyes full of want.

"jaake," you warn. "we have bob's birthday brunch we need to get ready for." jake rolls his eyes at the alliteration phoenix came up with.

he continues placing kisses along your jaw and down your neck. his body moves to hover over you, enveloping you between him and the bed.

your favorite place to be.

when he gets to your collarbone, a moan escapes your lips. his eyebrow quips up at the sound. "that didn't sound like someone needing to prepare for brunch."

"come on jake," you whine, the both of you knowing you're just putting on.

jake groans into your skin. "you're perfect, you know that?" remember how all he has to do is open that mouth and you're folding?

your fingers thread into his hair, and you guide his mouth back to yours. jake kisses you like you're the only thing tethering him to this world. his hand on your thigh trails down between your legs.

"jake," his name rolls off your tongue pleading.

"when do you need to start getting ready?" he asks you, running a teasing hand on the soft skin of your thigh.

"in fifteen minutes."

jake feeds you one of those award winning smirks. "yes ma'am." jake throws the blanket over his head and begins trailing down your body. gentle hands sliding against your hips, and circling your thighs, guiding them over his shoulders.

a/n: thank y'all so much for 2500 followers. AND all the love on my first criminal minds fic.

[sundrop-writes]

Ghosting

Mike Schmidt x Fem!Reader

Summary:

Mike has been in love with you for as long as he can remember. For about as long as the two of you have been best friends. He always thought he would have more time to work up to confessing those big, dangerous feelings for you - until something more dangerous swooped in and stole any time he had left with you.

Mike Schmidt x Fem!Reader. Star-Crossed Lovers. Pure Angst. Set during the events of the movie (and features spoilers for the plot).

Word Count: 3,700

Horror Characters Masterlist | AO3 Link

Full list of warnings and author's notes below the cut.

Warnings: this fic contains major spoilers for the film - so if you haven't watched it yet and you're just here for Josh Hutcherson being sad and beautiful (and if you want to watch the film unspoiled) be warned; this fic does use Y/N; this fic is almost pure angst - the beginning is fluffy, but that only exists to make the angst hurt more; this fic does not have a happy ending; hurt, no comfort; this fic has mentions of Mike's past traumas and him having symptoms of PTSD; the reader is a mother figure to Abby; Mike refers to the reader as his 'wife' (in his mind, not in dialogue); Mike is in love with the reader (and it's implied that she knows this/can sense his feelings) but he doesn't get a chance to actually confess to her and they aren't in a romantic relationship at any point during this fic; (uh, kind of spoiler for the fic but this was in the prompt/request) - major character death: the reader character dies after being stabbed by Springtrap/William Afton/The Yellow Rabbit (gotta love fnaf - when a character has that many names); mentions of blood; descriptions of violence - descriptions of the fight between Afton and Mike, descriptions of the reader being stabbed by Afton; Abby is there to witness the reader's death; idk what the other warnings are aside from major angst - this will be an emotional gut punch. Anyway, please enjoy it lmao.

A/N: The title of this fic comes from the song Ghosting by Mother Mother. I was listening to different songs trying to pick a title, and I really like how this one fits. How their romantic love was like a ghost in their lives - not discussed, but felt between the both of them, and after she's gone, she becomes a ghost in his life.

...

Mike woke up to the smell of pancakes. 

Typically, mornings were his least favorite time of day. Seeing as he was the kind of person who didn’t sleep well, didn’t sleep at all, or found himself consumed by nightmares when he did - most mornings, he was too tired to comprehend the world around him. Mornings were a chaotic mess for him as he tried to pull himself back from the brink of insanity while operating his sluggish body with far too little energy until he got some coffee into his system. He came to resent mornings, as for him, they existed only in a dreadful haze. 

And he rarely ate a proper breakfast because of it. Most of the time, his ‘breakfast’ consisted of a large cup of coffee and a few pieces of Eggo waffle that he would snag off of Abby’s plate going out the door as he scolded her for not finishing it all. 

The second that the pleasant smell of freshly cooked food reached his nose, his stomach growled. 

Through the sleepy fog of his brain, hearing voices - multiple voices - coming from down the hallway, he realized that it wasn’t just Abby and some muffled cartoon characters from the TV. 

“Which one?” Abby posed, her voice bright and curious as ever. 

“Personally… I like the red sweater. It matches the red laces in the shoes you picked,” You replied, raising your voice slightly to be heard over the sizzling of the pan. 

You were helping her pick out her clothes. Abby would have never wanted Mike’s help on the subject. So often she scoffed at him if he suggested that he could help her put her hair in a ponytail or if he told her that she should put on a jacket if it was cold outside. But she asked you for your advice about clothes because she admired you. She thought you were pretty, as she had told Mike on multiple occasions (not so subtly hinting that he should date you). 

Mike heard footsteps thundering down the hallway as Abby rushed to her room to get dressed, likely carting along the clothes you had helped to pick. He distantly wondered how you had gotten into the house before he was even awake. 

And then, he remembered - a few weeks ago, he had given you a key to his place. 

It was something that had come after he had accidentally locked his own set of keys in the car, his mind jumbled and forgetful after not having much sleep the night before. And with the evening ticking on and the takeout you had picked up for the three of you quickly getting cold in your hands (everyone eager to simply get into the house and eat) - Mike had been hit with the realization that any solutions to unlock the car - the spare key, a metal coat hanger, a phone to call a mechanic - were all locked in the house. 

So he had hoisted Abby in through her bedroom window (after scolding her for not locking it) and gotten her to unlock the front door. And shortly after that, he had given you a house key, because generally, you were better with things like that. 

You were much more organized - your mind a clear, calm palace compared to the chaos that Mike often found himself swamped in. You were someone who worked incredibly well under stress, and that was why Mike valued you so much in his life. Right from a childhood where the two of you had pulled pranks together and he had been copying your homework, to the time he had leaned on you during the initial stress of Garett’s disappearance - up until now. When he was a messy, disorganized adult who still needed you far more than he was ever willing to admit. 

It was just one of the many reasons he admired you so much. You took care of him in ways he couldn’t even put into words. 

He smiled to himself as he heard more of your chatter with Abby. Previously, he had remarked that the key was for ‘emergencies only’ - but he couldn’t bring himself to care all too much about the breach of that rule as he tumbled out of bed. Especially when the smell of bacon also reached his nose as he walked to the bathroom. 

It was when he was pulling on his pants that he glanced at the clock and realized he was already running on the late side. Not too late yet, but he had to put some urgency in his step. He had somehow forgotten to set his alarm, today of all days, when he would be meeting with a career counselor after the disastrous incident that got him fired from the mall. 

He rushed down the hallway struggling with his tie, bringing his usual air of chaos with him. His heart instantly warmed at the sight of you and Abby - you had her sitting at the table, somehow so much more polite and cooperative for you, with a glass of juice beside her plate while you scooped freshly made pancakes onto it. 

“You know, usually when most people break and enter, they don’t make breakfast,” Mike commented, his voice cool and jovial as he grew increasingly frustrated with his tie. 

He thought he was forming the knot correctly, but it kept falling loose in his hands, causing a deep crease across his brows as he frowned at the fabric. 

You giggled at this - both at his words and at his obvious struggle. You put the pan on the counter as you walked toward him, leaving Abby to pick up the bottle of syrup and begin thoroughly drowning her pancakes while you weren’t looking. You knocked Mike’s hands away in that wordless kind of care and began calmly tying his tie. 

“Well, I considered going the traditional route, but there’s nothing worth stealing here.” You remarked, playing off the banter that was only built between the two of you after years of friendship. “Plus, The Breakfast Burglar has such a nice ring to it.” 

“That makes it sound like you steal people’s breakfast.” Abby giggled. 

“I would, if certain little girls didn’t drown their pancakes in syrup.” You replied, not bothering to look over your shoulder at her to know what she was doing. “That’s enough, Abs.” 

She rolled her eyes harshly at this, but put the bottle of syrup down and picked up her knife and fork. 

Mike grinned widely at this. You were more like a mom to her than their own mother ever was. And the fact that you knew her so well and took care of her without question always brought him joy. 

His smile only widened when you smoothed a warm hand down the front of his chest, and he looked down to see a perfectly neat knot in the front of his tie. He felt a tingling swarm of butterflies in his stomach at your touch - something that threatened to spread through him and turn him into a dizzy, lovesick fool. Urgently, he needed to distract himself with something else. 

His eyes shifted over to the side table, and he realized that his keys weren’t where he usually threw them down when he got home. 

“Have you seen my-?” 

Once again, you were two steps ahead of him. More organized than him. 

“Keys.” You said, turning around to the counter and holding the key ring up on your fingers. “Your resume, formatted and printed.” You held up a folder that contained this as well. “Your wallet, and breakfast burrito.” 

You gathered up his wallet and a warm bundle wrapped in tinfoil - his breakfast. The small notion of caring, the fact that you thought ahead to make something he could eat while rushing out the door - it caused that dangerous tingle to overtake his stomach once again. As you crossed the room and placed all the items in his hands, he had the intense urge to lean over and kiss you - he knew the domesticity was crippling. 

You had been his best friend for years, you had helped him take care of Abby for as long as the little girl could remember. You felt more like a wife to him than anybody else ever would. 

And yet, you had absolutely no clue how he felt about you. It would have felt like the most natural thing in the world for him to lean over and kiss you goodbye before leaving - just like a husband would do with his wife. But the two of you weren’t married. You weren’t even dating. You took care of him because you were his best friend. Because you had always taken care of him the way a best friend should. 

“What would I do without you?” He said, knowing that the pure fondness in his voice could have easily given him away - if he didn’t talk to you like that all the time. 

“Hmm… probably run around naked and starving,” You chuckled, shrugging as you walked back over to Abby and sat down beside her at the table. “Now get going. I’ll take Abby to school.” 

“Have a good day, Abs.” Mike said, wishing his sister well - only to receive a mindless nod in reply before she went back to chatting with you about something, excitedly telling you a story involving one of her imaginary friends while you watched her with absolutely rapt attention. 

He moved toward the door, but he found himself caught up in the sight of you. You were a hero in their little world as you rushed to save one of Abby’s drawings from some syrup that dripped off her plate. When you complimented the picture, she glowed with a smile he hadn’t seen in days. 

That was a huge part of it, too. The love he felt for you that grew more agonizing each day. You brought out all the best parts of Abby, as well as keeping Mike himself from going truly insane. 

For a single moment, he wondered if he should tell you. He wondered if he should just blurt out the words before running out the door, leaving you to simmer in it. Giving you time to think about it - to yell at him about it later. 

It hovered on his tongue. 

I love you. I’ve been in love with you for years. 

But when you looked over and saw him still standing by the door, he locked eyes with you, and suddenly it was gone again, swallowed up inside of him like a nasty ache that would live there forever. 

“Go, Mike! You’re gonna be late!” You said, your voice edging with casual laughter. 

You picked up one of the couch cushions and swatted him with it as you walked by to get Abby a paper towel from the kitchen. 

No. He would tell you some other time. 

Perhaps he wouldn’t work up the courage to tell you at all. 

… 

He was going to die. He was going to be killed. 

And he wasn’t going to get the chance to tell you that he was in love with you. 

Strangely enough, that was the one thing Mike was thinking about as he laid on the cold, dirty floor of Freddy Fazbear’s condemned pizzeria. His stomach burned with searing pain as he received another kick from the large, intimidating monster that he knew only as the Yellow Rabbit. 

He was going to die. He wouldn’t get to tell you how he felt. He would never get to see you ever again. 

He was going to save Abby. He was going to make sure that she got out of here, escaped somehow. And you would take care of her. That thought was a singular comfort to him as he felt one of his ribs crack from the metal (poorly disguised by the foam and fabric around the edges of the suit) colliding with his torso.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” The Rabbit mocked him. “I killed your brother, now I get to kill you. Symmetry, my friend!” 

“Get away from him!” 

Mike almost thought that the intense pain had caused him to hallucinate, or that he had hit his head on the floor hard when he had been thrown down - it couldn’t actually be you.

But he heard your voice, fierce and fiery as ever, defending him as you had so many times before. He struggled to get his head up to look, but he caught a glimpse of the Yellow Rabbit as the strange animal collapsed. 

You had picked up one of the chairs, and brought it down over the Rabbit’s head, perfectly imitating something that would have been on Monday Night Raw. Except this was pure wood, not a collapsing chair, and all the pieces that splintered and fell in front of Mike as the Rabbit collapsed were because of the pure force of your hit. The fury of which you defended him and his life. 

“Y/N!” Abby yelled your name from across the room. 

She rushed into your arms as you stepped over the Rabbit’s prone body, and you swept her into a tight hug. 

“Are you okay? Are you hurt? What’s going on?” You rushed to ask, brushing her hair out of her face to inspect for any injuries. 

“I’m fine.” Abby told you. “Mike-” She then turned to her brother, frantic, and pulled away from you to fall to her knees by his side. 

“Mike, what the hell is going on?” You asked, on your knees at his side just as quickly. 

You turned him over on his back, inspecting him for injuries now - definitely not liking what you found. 

Abby held his hand and he grasped it right back, his head still dizzy from the thorough ass-kicking he had just experienced. 

You gasped when you saw blood leaking through his shirt. He grunted in pain when you pressed your hand into the wound, clearly trying to lessen that bleeding. 

“What - what are you doing here?” He croaked out. 

As much as he was thankful for you swooping in and saving him, he wished that you were safe somewhere else. Anywhere but here. 

“Abby left her jacket in my car, and when I went to return it, I saw your Aunt Jane passed out on the floor, and - and, I just had a bad feeling.” You rushed to explain. “Somehow, I figured you’d be here.” 

Mike hadn’t exactly told you the details of what was going on. 

As close as the two of you were, he wasn’t sure if you would be entirely receptive to the concept of Abby being ‘friends’ with robots that were controlled by ghost children, and Mike somehow feeling connected to his own missing… dead brother by being in this place. He had simply told you that his new job was a night shift at a creepy old abandoned pizza place. 

But of course, you were two steps ahead of him. As always. 

You pulled back your hand to inspect the bleeding, and Mike groaned again. 

“Should I call an ambulance?” You asked, and Mike shook his head furiously. 

“No, we have to-” 

We have to leave. You have to leave. You have to get Abby out of here, to safety. 

All of those words dissolved on his tongue as he watched with utter shock. He wanted to scream as a big yellow hand clasped onto your shoulder from behind, and soon, a pair of large rabbit ears rose up from the floor. 

He wasn’t down for the count. 

Before he could speak, before he could move, Mike’s throat became choked as he saw your expression shift from the kind concern that you had worn for him many times - to pain. A brutal shock of your own. 

The Rabbit had shoved his knife into your back. 

A bright pool of red began to form in the middle of your shirt as the tip of the knife just barely poked through the center of your chest. 

“No!” Mike shouted, rushing to sit up despite the pain screaming in his body. 

He put a shaking hand to the middle of your chest as though it mattered, as though he could save you from this. He hated how warm your blood felt underneath his fingers. 

Abby let out a scream beside him. Distantly, in the back of his mind, he felt a pang of guilt that she had to see this. That she would spend the rest of her life trying to get over this. 

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” The Rabbit mocked him. “It always hurts more when you love them!”  

The Rabbit let out a brutal laugh and then yanked his knife from your back, and you released a sharp breath as the Rabbit shoved you toward Mike, causing you to collapse into his lap in a bloody heap. 

Somewhere far away, in another world, Mike heard Vanessa shouting from the doorway. Maybe he felt some sense of relief, thinking she would shoot the Rabbit down and this would all be over. But as the Rabbit’s attention was drawn away from him, he turned to where you were draped across his lap, the small pool of red on your shirt now soaked into a large puddle as you sputtered and some of that harsh bright red blood came out the corner of your lips. 

“Mike-” You choked out, reaching for him. 

“Tell me what to do,” Mike choked out. 

His mind was miserably blank. He felt your fingers clutching at his bicep, like he held the key to saving you, like he could restore your life - but his mind was screaming and his chest collapsed in on itself. 

You were always the one that guided him. He didn’t have an idea if you didn’t plant it in his head first. 

“Y/N,” Abby sobbed. 

“It-it’s okay.” You told her, struggling, gurgling, choking on your own blood. You took your grip off Mike, extending the hand weakly to her, and she took it. “It’s g-gonna be okay.” 

She let out another harsh sob, and Mike felt his lungs fill with stone. 

“Tell me what to do,” He said desperately, not realizing how thick his own voice was, how close he was to breaking down. He ran a trembling hand over your face, brushing away some stray hairs - he hated how cold you felt to his touch. “Please, tell me what to do.” 

He thought you might suggest some first aid. An ambulance. Tell him where your car was so he could carry you there, cart you away, get you to safety. 

“You-re g-gonna take c-care of her-r.” You told him, shifting your eyes distinctly from him toward Abby, giving her hand a squeeze. “You’re gon-na m-make it ok-ay.” 

“Y/N.” Abby cried, thick tears spilling down her cheeks. 

“Abby. You’re gonna b-be s-strong.” You grinned at her - your teeth were covered in blood, and it looked as menacing as it did fond. “You’re g-gonna be good for-r M-Mike, right? My little a-artist.” 

Abby nodded, more tears leaking from her eyes. 

And then, with some gears turning in her head, these words seemingly having triggered some line of thought, she looked up and spotted something across the room. She muttered something about the drawings and leapt up before Mike could stop her. He didn’t have the strength to chase her - he only hoped that she was leaving, escaping while the others were distracted. 

When he looked back down at you, your face was falling more limp, and your shirt was somehow even more soaked in blood. His jeans were wet, and he couldn’t even process why. He pressed a hand to the front of your shirt, trying to cover the wound as you had done with him - his muscles shook even harder when blood gushed out between his fingers and seemed to leak from you harder, as if to spite him. 

“Y/N,” He sobbed, leaning down. He cradled the back of your head and touched your forehead against his own. 

For a moment, he dreamed about putting his lips against your own and bringing you back to life with a kiss. Like some stupid fairytale. 

“Y/N, I-” 

I love you. 

“I - I know.” You croaked quietly, cutting him off. “D-don’t w-waste it on me now-w.” 

He felt the puff of your last breath as it expelled out against his cheek - he felt you go completely limp in his arms. 

“No-” He choked the word off in his throat, swallowing down sobs. 

No. 

He held you tighter against him, and feeling how cold you were, he let out a shuddering howl of a sob. He clasped your lifeless body against his chest - somehow believing that he could use the power of his grief to inject more life back into you. 

The rest of it was a blur. The deadly snap of springlocks, Vanessa shouting at him to abandon you - to abandon your body as the building collapsed in on itself. 

Mike didn’t truly break down until he was scrubbing his blood off your face in the bathroom sink that night. Seeing the red washing down the drain and knowing that it was the last traces of your life he was washing away - that was what truly did it. He collapsed onto the floor and stayed there for hours, sobbing more than he breathed, unable to move. 

When his cries finally died down, Abby slowly crept in and asked him how he was feeling. He lied, telling her that he was feeling fine. She raised up a shy hand, offering him one of your sweaters that you had accidentally left on their couch a few days prior. 

He thanked her and then finally peeled himself off the floor. He tried to make pancakes and Abby remarked that they weren’t as good as yours. It felt impossible, but her words made him smile. It was a small, dull smile - but it was a smile, nonetheless. 

A few days later, when he finally fell asleep for the first time after you had died in his arms, it was with that sweater wrapped around his pillow, wafting your faded smell into his nostrils. It was the first time in years that he didn’t dream about Garett. The dream he had about you was just as haunting.

...

A/N: Also, I don't know if Afton's knife would actually be long enough to go through someone's back and pierce out the front of their chest but - one, it's a cool imagery, and two, the knife looks pretty large when compared to the scale of the Springtrap suit hands. Anyway, I don't actually care all too much if it's accurate or not, I had fun writing this lmao.

[amxrany]

!! CHAPTER 7 / DIASOMNIA ARC SPOILERS !!

I am not in the mood to study so yeah (Part 3):

The senate (which are just these 3 floaty thingies) start to blame him for Meleanor's death and they punish him by banning him from the capital (which makes Silver and Sebek realize why Lilia can't do certain things). BUT BAD NEWS GUYS THE BLOT IS BACK and it's forming around Lilia with him muttering that he'll join them (Meleanor and Leverne) soon...

All of a sudden the ring (yknow the one Silver has) teleports them to another old memory, taking place 10 years after the war where Lilia was secretly called by Maleficia. Apparently Malleus eggo stopped accepting her magic and that direct touch and love would be more efficient

Baul wants Lilia to travel to various to find ways to hatch Malleus eggo and also reminds Lilia of Meleanor's last words where if she's gone, Lilia will be the one in charge of hatching him (as well as acting like a married couple with Leverne OKAYYYYYY)

Lilia tells the eggo that if he ends up in the stars before Lilia returns, eggo's parents are going to scold him so he asks Malleus to hold on AND MOTHERFUCKER

Lilia travels around the world, but everytime he brings up the egg people immediately shum him out, saying that dragons only exist in fairy tales. But every time Lilia comes back to Malleus eggo, Baul notices that the magic increases. Then Lilia suddenly brings up that Meleanor was a picky eater while Leverne was a honor student but in reality the dude hid his veggies under the table 😭😭😭

A rumor goes around that there was a castle holding dragons so Lilia goes to check it out, but he was too late. He then breaks down asking if anyone knew how to hatch the egg until magic suddenly overflows and boom we got the origin story of Lilia's UM. He uses this to his advantage to find more research to hatch Malleus

200 years has passed and Lilia was succesful

MALLEUS COMES TO LIFE LET'S GOOOOO (AND LEONA WAS RIGHT HE DOES LOOK LIKE A LIZARD (AFFECTIONATE))

Lilia breaks down cuz after 200 YEARS MAN HE FINALLY DID IT , MALLEUS GAVE HIM HOPE 🥹

Silver finally understands why the dream turned out like this, Lilia lost everyone but his happiest moment was bringing Malleus to life. The senate praise Lilia for being a hero but something happens

OVERBLOT MALLEUS IS BACK AYEEEEEEEEEEEE I MISS YOU BOO

LILIA LOOKS AT OB MALLEUS AND THOUGHT IT SOUNDED LIKE LEVERNE BUT MALLEUS LOOKS LIKE MELEANOR

Malleus pretty much goes nuts here because the senate and Maleficia were lying to him. He then asks Lilia what dream does he want: One where Meleanor and Leverne lived or something else that makes him happy BUT SILVER AND SEBEK MANAGE TO INTERVENE AND SNAP LILIA BACK TO REALITY YEYYYYYY

With Lilia now back to us, the group proceeds to run away but while that was happening Lilia mentioned this

Then Silver promises Lilia that they will meet again and activates his UM BUT THEN A HOLGRAM OF ORTHO APPEARS TO THEM

THEY'RE ALL BACK AND IGNIHYDE WITH IDIA SAYING "time for the main event~~~~" LET'S GOOO THE SHROUD BROS ARE BACK BABY

Manifesting real hard for the next update being the Shroud bros segment cuz if you think about it Idia didn't need any assistance to escape the dream LIKE BRO ACCEPTED THE FACT HIS BROTHER IS DEAD AND THAT'S HARD

This was surprisingly short (or maybe I was rushing) with only 3 parts but hope you guys enjoyed it!!

Previous: Part 2

[askew-d]

YIZHAN FIC REC LIST

— if you just got into the fandom, you might know switched, yizhan or yizhan through the years, so let’s go through other stuff! we’re gonna take another ride. also, if you care about this, green will be for bjyx dynamic, red will be for zsww and blue will be for lsfy. from my point of view, ofc. orange will be for the not specified, couldn’t grasp. let’s go.

• where else but home, by purplemoster — fluff story where wang yibo accidentally returns home to xiao zhan every time. super sweet read!

• ⭐️ cool boy gets a life, by saezutte — xiao zhan’s a writer and his character, cool buy wang yibo, gains life. it’s wonderful, i want a cool boy for myself. who wrote this did an awesome job.

• ⭐️ i’m not as good as you think (or as bad as they say), by ilyria — aaahh, what a gorgeous story! basically, xiao zhan becomes yibo manager and the idol, well, falls in love. there’s a sequel!

• follow shot, by cataclysms — cameraman wang yibo freaks out about idol xiao zhan. because, come on, it’s xiao zhan! we get you, boy. beautiful.

• xiao zhan’s graphic design playbook, by augmenti — this one’s absolutely gold! fantastic. xiao zhan as graphic designer and yibo as someone who thinks his prices are too small. sexual tension ensues.

• caffeine addictions and brain malfunctions, by little_passions — if you want a coffeeshop yizhan au, here’s your to-go! cute!

• query: cardiac, by iluvnaruto1412 — our radiographer technician wang yibo discovers that doctor xiao’s a hottie. there’s a whole series that’s outstanding, don’t mind the mcd in the last part, you’ll understand as you read.

• an ode to love, by spoonful_of_sugar — sappy reminiscent of their story. truly so fluffy i had toothaches the entire read.

• ⭐️ one feline war for love, by ilyria —a fierce cat becomes a human after xiao zhan saves him, and this human wants xiao zhan all for himself. so very good, i died and resuscitated. worth it.

• chef’s kiss, by jalpari — chef xiao zhan in day day for an episode and becomes enemies with wang yibo. but for a short time. love this development for them!! so well done.

• ⭐️ this is what they say, by xiaoyibao (a_storm_of_frustrations) — yibo thinks xiao zhan’s breaking up when the man’s actually trying to get married to him. comic, lovely, poetic!

• set me into motion, by deinde — backup dancers wang yibo and xiao zhan being whipped towards one another. an angel wrote this.

• ⭐️ finding yibo, by vesna (mrsronweasley) — kidfic where yibo transforms into a young version of himself and xiao zhan takes care of him. i’m losing my head. it’s great!

• ⭐️🎖️never close our eyes, series by thirtysixsavefiles — catboy wang yibo and kinda batman xiao zhan. perfect through every part. i’m flabbergasted.

• 119 my cat is struck, by serendiiii — fireman yibo, cat owner xiao zhan, you can have my heart! adorable!

• a spot of light, by akatsukishin — this is for everyone who loves a drama! delivery boy xiao zhan and successful ceo wang yibo.

• a story of others to tell, by deinde — this author has some seriously good plots. in this one, yibo pines enough to end up in cql world. extra nice!

• cut to the feeling, by vesna (mrsronweasley) — drama pa and the huge star xiao zhan. is there anything better?

• love thy neighbour, by jalpari — single dad xiao zhan and neighbour who becomes babysitter wang yibo. marvellous!

• ‘cos you make me feel electric, by chajatta — fansite xiao zhan loves his inspiration, wang-laoshi from uniq. i love this for them, genuinely.

• ⭐️🎖️ world of cultivation, by eggo — yibo and xiao zhan meet each other through a game; well, not only. hilarious! chaotic! romantic! perfect!

• gravitating towards you, by bittersweetirony — high school au with student council president xiao zhan and sports freak wang yibo, we all know we needed it.

• 181.3 cm high, by eleven14 — wang yibo wakes up high in anaesthesia. you might imagine what comes after. excellent!

• ⭐️ we are made to love, by jalpari — xiao zhan writes columns receives one letter questioning on love. aah, so poetic! definitely worth every second.

• no path better than our own, by athousandfaces — harry potter au! we’re lucky to have this gorgeous story. i had a lot of fun reading it.

• my future in your laugh, by timelykey — doctor xiao zhan falling in love with overworked wang yibo. wow, what a journey, you’re losing it if you haven’t read it yet.

• love in the time of coding, by thevoiryflute — a hacker au for yibo fits him so much, i don’t know why. just know that this perfectly-written story caused butterflies in my stomach.

• summer surf shop, by anonymous — yibo goes to a variety show and gets much more than he imagined. absolutely gold.

• pick me, pick me up, by domeneec — wrong number au for yizhan, we need it. and it’s so well-written too.

• escape velocity, redefined, by thirtysixsavefiles — i have to admit that this au of pirating away together with royalty made me suspicious at first. but after i read it, it’s so goddamn brilliant.

• 缘分 | (yuánfèn), by fyredancer — royalty au, give me more yizhan royalty. good writing, good development, good plot, had a good time reading it.

• signal fire, series by fireflavoredwhiskey — spiderman yibo! spiderman yibo! spiderman yibo! spiderman yibo! if he knew about that, he’d be happy to know that in an universe he gets to be his favorite superhero.

• ⭐️ the magic position, by sophiahelix — just a sweet, short story with yizhan being cute together and it melts my heart away every time.

• ⭐️🎖️ with joy and purpose, by feenwitch — android wang yibo living alone in a planet until xiao zhan crashes his plane there. it’s just perfect. and the writing’s wonderful.

• perfect match, by sandorara — personal ai for xiao zhan turns out to be more than he expected. gorgeous wang yibo affecting xiao-laoshi and changing his course of life. incredible!

• 🎖️ their kindred encounters, by fireflavoredwhiskey — can i have this printed, please? actually, i think there might have. it’s a the age of adeline au, xiao zhan doesn’t get old. melancholic in the ideal dosage. angst. comfort. everything.

• the ruby ox and the golden boy, series by aces_low — a mafia au that attracted me. i’m usually not into these kind of aus but aah this one… it’s unique.

• ⭐️ half is loss, half is gain, by yin_chi — celebrity xiao zhan needs a bodyguard and guess who it is? well, yeah, this story’s a blessing upon us here. i couldn’t stop reading once i began, just warning y’all. addictive, i want more.

• ⭐️🎖️ between holocenes, by fireflavoredwhiskey — this author broke the heart of so many people by just vanishing from the fandom, but ah how greatly they write and how extraordinary their works are. this is a the time traveler’s wife au and it rocks.

• fixtures and fittings, by ella_minnow — interior designer xiao zhan and motorcyclist wang yibo! believe me when i said i screamed during the development of their relationship.

• ⭐️ 为战而爱, series by anonymous — bits of sdc moments with established relationship yizhan, the works are seriously stunning.

• what i could do (if i didn’t love you), by trestle — one-night stand au with architect xiao zhan. seriously really good through and through.

• ⭐️ hand in glove, by pessoa — brat yibo; you have my heart. the development in this work’s crazy, it’s a whole rollercoaster of feelings. neighbours au!

• say you love me (again and again), by lanwuxiann — sweet story of yizhan growing up together and loving each other through every step of the way. hella soft!

• ⭐️ four of hearts (l-o-v-e me zhan-ge), by eleven14 — yibo being silly to win over xiao zhan’s heart, and of course, it works. short, but very funny and lovely.

• a head’s up, by madfilaments — xiao zhan arrives at sdc without giving a head’s up and yibo’s frustrated. a pretty satisfying thing to read. awesome.!

• 7 reasons to support your local cat café, by buttstrife — host wang yibo, cat café owner xiao zhan, a romance for the history books. they’re so very lovable.

• ⭐️ the bravest man i ever knew, by biscuitpoo — another hogwarts au! this time, xiao zhan’s a bit more slytherin-like, and it’s a whole show.

• ⭐️🎖️ so happy you could come; so happy to be here, by alex_mtg — a masterpiece! betrothed yizhan with royalty and the uniq boys and this sweet development of their relationship. just amazing! :)

• ⭐️ threads, by planet_b612 — a sherlock and watson au! it’s phenomenal! in fact, this author has only good works, so it’s definitely worthy to check out.

since i’m doing this already, might as well recommend some of my own stories, so i’ll be adding the ones i favour (sssh):

• half a bottle is enough — yizhan fight and xiao zhan gets home carrying a cardboard wang yibo. just some silly boyfriendos!

• falling; never broken — yibo has bulimia (please, be aware of the trigger warnings) and xiao zhan’s a doctor who helps him.

• a best friend and a lover — xiao zhan goes on different dates with different versions of wang yibo to look for a ‘type’. they’re both stupidly in love, your honour.

• darling you, play it cool — yizhan bodyswap au where only wang yibo’s famous though. i wrote this in 2023 and i’m the most proud of it.

• sleep tight until the moonlight — yizhan enemies to lovers where both of them spend their time being radio hosts in university :)

• whispering through dusty aisles — my au where xiao zhan’s a literary deity and yibo’s still famous, they meet occasionally and sparks fly. it’s my most poetic creation.

everyone, please remember this is my opinion! of course, there a lot of other works — famous or not — who aren’t in here. if you want to check out more recs of mine, see my bookmarks! thank you :)

[captain-mj]

does selkie!soap know that ghost is a changeling? if not can we have him figure it out?

Yes! I absolutely fucking can! Continuation from this post

1

Soap looked at his husband, watching him carefully. Ghost had eaten twelve pancakes. Not eggos. Eggos would be reasonable. Twelve, full sized pancakes. 

To be fair, Ghost had been the one cooking them, so it wasn’t that noticeable to anyone else. They all had large appetites. Big men, big muscles, bit metabolisms. 

But Soap was watching Ghost make more for himself and he was clearly trying to make it seem like he hadn’t eaten that much. It was odd. 

His husband. What a funny phrase to be able to use now. Anyway. His husband was odd. 

He poured more syrup on his pancakes, he made chocolate chip for Soap, blueberry for Gaz, strawberry for Price and from the looks of it, plain for himself. Ghost ate in the kitchen, probably to keep them from seeing his face. It wasn’t unusual, but Soap couldn’t help but wonder how often Ghost was using it to hide his odd eating habits. 

2

The next was simpler. Ghost’s gloves had torn. His hands looked normal but very pale. 

“Guess you don’t get out in the sunlight much, huh LT?”

“Not really.” Ghost rubbed his hands together gently. 

Soap tossed him again and turned away, only to hear it thunk against the floor. He looked backed to see Ghost just staring at it. 

“I’ll stick to knives.”

“There’s a lot of people. I’d feel better if you have a gun.”

“Do you have one with a grip?”

“What? No.” Soap stared at him for a minute and Ghost relented. He picked the gun up and followed him. 

It wasn’t until later that he finally got to put the gun down and Soap saw them. Everywhere the metal had touched his hands were burns. Severe ones. In parts, especially where he’d have it pressed hard to his palm, the skin had started to bubble and crack. 

Ghost noticed him staring and dropped the gun. “Ironic. A sniper who can’t actually touch it. S’why I wear the gloves...” 

“Ah...” Soap thought of the steel and therefore the iron in the gun. His whole not human theory was starting to make much more sense. 

3

It was such an odd topic to bring up, but they were on it and Soap was determined to use it. 

“Yeah, personally I grew up Roman Catholic. Got the baptism and everything.” According to his dad, who had laughed about it, his mom had begged him not to, worried it would kill Soap or make him human. According to his mom, his dad had jumped at the idea that baptism might make him human. It did neither of course. “What about you, LT?”

“My mom was Protestant, but I never was baptized. She stopped taking us before I was old enough to do it.”

“Why?”

Ghost paused, glancing around. No one was really focusing on them so he shrugged. Soap had noticed that although the bond effected him in the usual ways, the world revolving more around Ghost, him always being aware of Ghost, feeling Ghost’s presence around him at all times, yada, yada, it had also affected Ghost, which was interesting. It made him a little more open with Soap. Just Soap. If that sent a thrill through him, no one needed to know. 

“My mom took me and Tommy every Sunday. My dad occasionally tagged along. One day, one of the patrons caught me stealing an extra piece of the communion bread. This lady made it fresh and it was fucking great. They told my dad and he hit me with a bible so hard it knocked me to the ground. Right in front of everyone. My mom stopped taking us to church after that.” Ghost told it all to him quietly. “I had liked going, even though I didn’t believe in it. Always felt insincere, but it made my mom happy.” 

“Oh.” Soap stared. “How old were you?”

“I think I was seven.” Ghost hummed and looked away. “Never got baptized. Probably good thing. They always heated the holy water up.” 

Soap prepared himself for the joke of “boiling the hell out of it” but after a moment he realized Ghost was sincere. 

The holy water burned him. 

Soap suddenly had a vague idea of what he was. 

4

Soap had a heavy suspicion at this point. He had a feeling he knew exactly what Ghost was, so he decided to do a little experiment to see. 

Before he left that morning, he turned his shirt inside out and then slipped his hoodie over it. The only exception being creatures that had to notice. 

Ghost stared at him for a moment before he simply turned away and ignored him. Soap tried to get his attention and Ghost just wrinkled his nose and turned away from him. 

Gaz gave them an odd look and Soap just smiled awkwardly before stepping away. He fixed his clothing and tried once again to strike up a conversation. 

Immediately, Ghost actually talked to him. It was his usual rather quiet amount but it was definitely there.

“Why did you ignore me?”

“What are you talking about MacTavish?”

“Right now. You ignored me.”

“You weren’t talking to me a minute ago. You need to go to the medics?” Ghost seemed genuinely concerned. 

“Nah, probably just dehydrated. I’ll go grab a drink.” He smiled at him and stepped away. 

Gaz looked at him. “I think Ghost is going a tad crazy.”

“Nah, think he’s fucking with me.” Soap covered for him. 

Gaz didn’t look like he believed him but he dropped it. 

5

“Johnny, why are we on a secluded beach in the middle of the fucking night?” Ghost had followed him though. In his civvies, the soft hoodie and sweatpants clinging to all the right places. His mom didn’t warn him how bad marriage would feel at first. Or more, how bad one sided marriage would feel. He wanted to attack Ghost. Throw himself at him and claim his husband in every way he could. 

“Simon. I need to talk to you about something.” Ghost turned towards him. Soap vaguely put the face he remembered from Los Almas over the ski mask. He was glad Ghost went with this instead of the plastic mask and balaclava. That day, the kohl makeup had run all the way down Ghost’s face, covering his cheeks and his nose. His hair was shaggy and curled oddly, sticking up all over the place. It had been shoved down as if to cover his ears and it felt in his eyes. Despite clearly being cut into a buzzcut recently, it looked like it hadn’t worked too well. Soap had wondered at the time if it had been unfinished and he had to rush it. 

Now that he knew he was a changeling, it made more sense. Their hair tended to grow unnaturally fast and choppy. 

“What do need to talk about Johnny?” Ghost seemed worried. He glanced at the coat around Soap’s shoulders. 

“I... I know you’re not human.” Soap decided to start there. 

There was a beat of silence. 

Then Ghost laughed. There was a slightly bitter edge to it. “Oh, fuck off, Soap. You know, out of everyone, I never expected that shit from you.” He started to turn away from him.

“I’m not either.” Soap thought he was playing coy. It made sense, Soap would never admit it so easily and this Ghost. King of not saying shit about himself. 

“MacTavish,” Ghost looked at him, “you may be experiencing psychosis. Sometimes men on the battlefield...” Soap stared at him, hearing him like he was muffled through more than just his mask. 

Did Ghost... not know? 

There was no way Ghost didn’t. He hid away all his oddities. Been so careful. There was no way he didn’t at least expect it.

“Have you ever heard of a selkie?” Soap interrupted. 

“The seals that turn into humans. Yeah, I guess.”

“I need you to understand I’m not... I’m...” Soap sighed. “Just. I need you to trust me for a just a minute, okay?”

Ghost stared at him for a long while before nodding slightly. “Okay.” 

Soap slowly slipped his coat off and then started to undress. He kept his eyes downcast, but he could feel Ghost’s eyes on him. Scanning over him with growing alarm. 

Soap wrapped his coat around him before he shucked off his underwear. 

“Johnny.” Ghost said softly and there was something there that Soap needed a lot more time to unpack.

“Trust me.” Soap said softly. “Just... could you turn around for a minute?”

“You’re willing to undress in front of me but not do... whatever you’re about to do?” Ghost sounded... amused. It made butterflies in his stomach. 

“It’s unpleasant.” Soap said softly. Ghost finally turned around him. 

His coat fused with his skin and the transformation was... unpleasant to look at it. His fur laced with him and he sorta fell to the ground, luckily able to muffle himself so it didn’t startle Ghost. 

There he was. A harbor seal. He barked and Ghost turned around slowly, staring at him. 

Ghost continued to stare. And continued. And stared. 

Soap slowly rolled over to his expose his stomach. He couldn’t exactly talk, but his dogtags, which he had clearly been wearing, were around his neck now. 

Ghost slowly moved closer, touching the chain and reading the name. He didn’t move, staying crouched over him. 

Soap could see the ring of gold around his pupils again. 

“Oh.” Ghost said softly. 

The transformation back was much easier and faster. His snout seemed to wrinkle before splitting and he poked his head out, shaking his head. It looked like he had just had the coat over his face, but Ghost knew better. 

“Take your mask off.” Soap muttered against him, the coat splitting down his chest to go back to a more coat like shape. His bare chest was out but he was smart enough to cover his lower half. 

Ghost stared at him even longer and Soap knew for a fact he hadn’t blinked the entire time. He reached up and pulled Ghost’s mask off for him. 

There was Simon. 

Oh. 

Oh God he’s incredibly hot. 

Simon hadn’t put the make up on so Soap was treated to his freckles. They were... He sat up and grabbed Simon’s face who didn’t seem that surprised by it honestly. 

They sparkled. They weren’t like a human’s at all. One, they were mostly shaped like stars instead of just dots and fleck. Two, they were a stunning gold color that reflected the moonlight. 

Soap reached up and ran his hands through Ghost’s hair. It was just like before, spiky and uneven despite clearly being freshly trimmed. His ears were pointed like an elf, too severe to look normal.

“When the body modifications came out, I just blamed it on that...”

“Do you... know?” Soap spoke gently to him but he couldn’t keep his hands to himself. His husband was right here.

“No. I don’t... know. I didn’t even know there were other things like me. Thought I was just... wrong.”

“I think you may be a changeling.” Soap admitted. “I may have... tested it. A couple of times, trying to see if I could figure it out.”

Ghost glared at him and he went to take his mask back, but Soap stopped him. “Johnny... Please.”

“Simon.” Soap said softly, pulling him a little closer and Ghost finally slid to his knees instead of crouching. “I’m not going to hurt you.” 

Simon looked at him and suddenly stiffened. “When I took your coat.” 

“It’s okay. You didn’t... You didn’t purposely do anything.” Soap reassured.

“But I did do something.” 

Soap sighed. “This isn’t... the conversation I wanted to have tonight... What do you know about selkies?”

“Take their coat and you can control them. That’s it.”

“Pretty accurate. It’s a little more than just control though. When someone holds my coat, there’s an instinct under my skin. A desperation to please is the best way I can put it. It’s a survival tactic to keep from being punished according to my mom. You do what you can to keep your master happy so they don’t strike out at you.” 

“Have you...” Simon was touching him now. Holding his face and putting his arm around him. “Been...”

“Twice. Once when I was 12 for two months and once when I was 17 until I turned 19. The first one was by a kid my age and it wasn’t... nothing happened. People usually get concerned.” Johnny smiled at him. 

“And the other one?”

Johnny shook his head. “Another day. Please.”

“Another day.” Simon promised. “But what did I do?”

“You gave it back. The way you did it... You pick it back in my hands. You didn’t let me grab it.”

“Is that bad?” 

“We’re married. Kinda. It’s not legally binding, of course. It can be ignored. Even broken.” Soap mumbled the last parts. It hurt. He’d like to blame it on his coat. That it was making him a little crazy. But he knew it wasn’t just that. The idea of being rejected by Ghost was... He cared a lot for Ghost and it had nothing to do with being not quite human. 

Ghost was staring again. “Since the hospital. That was weeks ago.” 

“Yeah. I suppose it was. Look, I can tell you how to break it.” Soap felt Ghost’s mouth on his and the arm pulled him closer, right against his broad chest. 

“I haven’t been a very good husband to you.” Ghost joked, but there was a layer of stress underneath it. 

Soap shrugged. “I haven’t been a very good bride.” He leaned in closer. 

“Would you... like to be?”

“If you’d have me.”

Ghost huffed. “I’d be an idiot not to.” 

“Good. Although, you are going to have to court me. My mom is not very impressed with you right now.” Soap got up.

“You talked about me to your mom?” Ghost was scrambling to get up and follow him.

“Of course. Had to tell her some Brit married me. She was worried.” He flashed him a smile and tossed him his mask. 

“How the fuck do I court you?” Ghost tugged it on and followed him. He gathered up Soap’s clothes, watching him twirl around barefoot on the beach. 

“Figure it out.”

“Can I have your mom’s number?”

“Why the fuck do you need that??”

“To ask her how! Also I want your mom to like me.” 

[quitealotofsodapop]

So Mk gets surprise eggo because of paint and confined space and lack of food? Imagine that he has no idea what’s wrong with him, he goes to Lao Tzu, and when Lao Tzu goes “congrats on the baby” Everyone just kinda stops.

And Mk bursts into tears so loudly that all of heaven can hear. He’s all “I can’t have a baby, it’s too dangerous!” And “I’m not ready!” Pigsy and Wukong are trying to comfort him, and the poor boys is just a sobbing mess.

And Lao Tzu is just standing there like “?????”

Sorry MK XD You're getting Egged

Bonus Anon asks:

Referencing this post where someone pointed out that MK could theoretically create a Stone Egg + the sequel that pointed out that he'd most likely do it on accident.

I could see this most likely happening in the Canon! verse since I bet the other au MK's would be more wary of Stone Egg mishaps. But I could 100% see it happening in the SlowBoiled au since that causes more drama.

And as much as I love the idea of MK becoming *ahem* egg'd as the result of a bad guy's plans or a huge catarosphe, I think it would fit more if MK did it completely on accident.

So the idea:

Post S3 MK decides that he needs some "Me time" and takes a break from work and training after the whole "Saving the world from a bone demon"-thing. He just needs some time to shut off completely from his responsibilities in the city. His friends understand and wish him well, even though they're worried since MK won't tell him *Where* he's taking a break to.

"Where" turns out to be a cool cave-let MK found while exploring FFM during S2 with no Monkey King to hover over him. Its quiet, it's secluded, its completely off-grid... But MK just can't relax. His brain is all busy, and everytime he sleeps he sees Her.

So he starts painting. And drawing. And using charcoal. Maybe a little rough pottery with the muddy clay-like stuff in the water? And soon enough he's looking like his Artist Clone with how caked in material he is.

In liu of going to sleep and risking terrible bone demon nightmares, MK meditates like how he saw the Monkey King do. In these moments his thoughts wander into deep, dark teritory. Real "call of the void"-type of thoughts.... hey should he eat something? It's been... oh gosh Pigsy's gonna killl him if he doesn't at least text to tell him how his sabbatical is going.

After his inpromtu vacation is up, MK feels... really gross? Maybe thats cus he hasn't really washed or slept or ate, or spoken to anyone in all that time. Weird.

Pigsy asks him how long it's been since MK last ate a full meal, and huffs with disappointment at his nervous laugh before pouring his son a bowl of noodles.

Bouts of nausea and dizziness follow MK everywhere afterwards. He had no idea why - paint fumes maybe? Did some toxic chemical seep into his skin? Did he get sick somehow from isolating himself in that cave? Is that Jin and Yin trying to take over the city?

At somepoint in the utter chaos of S4 likely as the rest of the gang are recieving training from Subodhi; a certain alchemist meets MK to whisper a few questions into his ear.

Lao Tzu: "I was told that you've been experiencing extreme power fluctuations for the last few weeks. May I run a few test to rule out any abnormalities?"

MK: "Oh cool, no probs! Just don't put me in that furnace thing-y."

(*a few tests later*)

Lao Tzu: "Ok great news, it's not a curse or medical problem."

MK: "Phew! Then why is my body feels like its "glitching" all the time?"

Lao Tzu: "Thats a decaying glamour spell. Its likely that you had one affixed to you shortly before you were given up by your creators."

MK: "Glamour spell...? Wait, then what about my powers wigging out?"

Lao Tzu: "Oh thats easy. You're just pregnant."

MK (has not Done the Do): "What!?"

Mere seconds after Lao Tzu gives the diagnosis - MK just starts bawling.

He doesn't want this! Not now! He does want to have kid while all This is going on! The world might be ending for Buddha's sake!

MK is having a million panic attacks rn. He wants to have kids, so many, but only in the *Future*! When he's like semi-retired and has a protege of his own to take over the monkey business- HEY WAIT, HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!

Subodhi has to drop the big lore that MK is a Stone Monkey - capable of reproducing asexually under extreme circumstances, in order to clear up the whole immaculate conception part.

Then Lao Tzu has to tell MK that the Stone Egg he carries will likely Kill him since he's (mostly) mortal.

MK starts crying before deciding to tackle the issue Later.

Ofc MK simply doesn't want his family to worry about him what with all this Brotherhood stuff going on... so he just keeps quiet for now.

His family are going to find out soon though. And by Guanyin, Pigsy is gonna freak.

Macaque (and later Wukong), just need to sniff MK once after they reunite to notice whats up.

Wukong offers to grab some No-Baby Spring Water immediately if MK doesnt want to keep the Egg. Macaque briefly panics thinking that the kid got knocked up the old-fashioned way... only to panic harder when he and Wukong determine it to be a Solo-Made Stone Egg(!!!). Cue two panicking fellow Stone Monkeys making MK feel even worse about his conflicted feelings on the matter.

Pls add on what you think so far! :3

[prettytoxicrevolver]

Pancake | Mat Barzal

Your first date with Mat Barzal

warnings? none

wc: 739

“Pancakes or Waffles?” 

“Depends,” you respond. 

“Depends? What do you mean it depends?” He asks, laughing that signature high laugh of his. 

“It depends!” you insist, matching his wide grin. 

“Okay tell me,” he says, still smiling but trying to settle into a serious expression. 

“If they’re homemade I pick pancakes,” you say and he nods in response. “My mom made the best pancakes when I was a kid.” 

“If they’re store bought, it has to be blueberry eggo waffles.” 

“What about regular or chocolate chip?” he asks and you shake your head. 

“Nope. Has to be blueberry.” 

“Alright alright,” he says absentmindedly, pulling your hands into his over the table and playing with your fingers. 

“If it’s restaurant food, pancakes all day.” 

“So you like pancakes better over all?” he asks and you shake your head. 

“Nope, it still depends.” 

Mat grins widely, unable to contain his sheer joy in your presence. He thought you were absolutely ridiculous, and yet he wanted to hear every single word that left your mouth. Wanted to write it all down and read it over and over, keep it to himself so that no one finds the true 7th wonder of the world. 

“So, we’re at a restaurant. I should get pancakes,” he states, still grinning. 

“But what kind? Blueberry, strawberry, buttermilk, chocolate, sprinkles?” 

“Depends,” you say and Mat rolls his eyes but doesn’t mean a second of it. He wants to know your answer. 

“Blueberry and strawberry are too healthy but that’s your choice, buttermilk is too plain, and sprinkles are too sweet.” 

“Chocolate?” 

“Chocolate is the perfect middle,” you say matter of factly. 

It was ridiculous. He loved every second of it. He wondered if he would ever stop grinning. 

“And what do you get? Or is that a loaded question?” 

“Only if you have an hour,” you joke. 

Mat felt like he was walking on air the entire night. He always felt like that around you, your energy and joy never ceasing to flow into him. To have the honor of taking you on a date? Mat was over the moon. 

“Desert?” the waitress asks and you and Mat cast glances over at each other. 

“Just give us a moment,” Mat says, knowing you were a fiend for sweets. 

“Is desert just as complicated?” he asks when the waitress walks away. 

“Absolutely.” 

“Well?” he asks, egging you on. 

“Milkshake and french fries.” 

“No way,” he says and you grin like you’re the expert of all gourmet food. 

“Just trust me,” you say.

How could he not? He had trusted you the minute you opened your mouth to say hi to him. He has an overwhelming feeling of security around you. 

The waitress comes back with one milkshake, two straws, and a plate of fries. She grins at the two of you like she knows something you don’t before backing away with the reminder that if you needed anything to let her know. 

“Okay take a fry,” you instruct Mat. “Now dip it into the shake and enjoy.” 

Mat looks at you skeptically but does it anyway. You watch as his face contorts from one of confusion to pure happiness and you smile alongside him. 

“Okay you’re ordering for me from now on,” he says around a mouthful of fries. 

“I told you to trust me.” 

Mat pays for dinner and leads you out of the diner into the busy new york city streets. His hand slips into yours and it feels like a bolt of electricity has shocked him from end to end. He has the strong urge to never let go again. 

The walk back to your apartment is calming besides the rapid beating of your heart. Surprisingly the two of you are quiet, but it’s not uncomfortable, it’s everything you needed and more. By the time you get to your apartment, you realize you didn’t want to end the night. 

“So,” Mat starts “I really hope we can do this again.” 

“I’m insisting on it,” you respond and Mat grins looking at the ground to hide his blush. 

You start to turn and walk into your apartment but Mat grabs your wrist. You turn back towards him and he hesitates, his eyes flickering between your eyes and your lips. He dips down to meet you, his lips like honey on yours, sweet and perfect. 

“I’ll see you later,” he whispers before letting you go, leaving you speechless. 

[elhopper1sm]

Jopper x GN! Reader

Content warning: Large age gap (early twenties reader),mentions of food , eating, and substance usage. Reader has parental trauma.

Sleeping was always a hassle. Hopper managed to get enough money to get a large enough second bed to hold the three of you comfortably

Joyce was a major insomniac. Trying to get her to sleep at night was awful. She'd wake up in a cold sweat and be terrified. She didn't like disturbing anyone. So she'd usually stay in the bathroom or living room reading or playing crossword puzzles to keep herself occupied and not disturb anyone

Hopper always had a beer before sleeping. You could hear him snore as you slept on his chest drifting asleep slowly as you listened to the sound of your heart beat

Hopper always needed a large breakfast before work. You didn't know how to cook very well so you'd ask Joyce for help and she'd reassure you when you were feeling needy or insecure about not knowing what to do. She only had coffee for breakfast but you constantly told her she needed to eat more.

"I'm fine. I just need the coffee for work" She'd constantly but you'd get worried

Putting your clothes to dry in a separate room so they don't smell like cigarette smoke. It was an insecurity of yours

Hating being yelled at. Absolutely terrified you. Hopper was slightly more insensitive about it. But he got more aware as time went on.

Joyce was more mindful of your fear of having someone older yell at you. She'd hand you a stuffed animal and then let you rock yourself back and forth without thinking it was weird

They drank quite a bit. You spent a considerable amount of money on alcohol. You all tried to be mindful of how much you drank. But it was a serious problem for Joyce and Hopper

Reading with Joyce. It was the best feeling in the world. She was so sweet and she'd stroke your hair as she held you in her arms

Watching TV with Hopper was nice he'd tell the weirdest jokes and complain about everything humanly possible.

Fixing cars with Hopper and doing home repairs. He taught you everything he knows about home repairs and Joyce always made you bring a first aid kit in case you got injured

They both absolutely need to greet you before and after work and get frustrated when you don't.

Learning how to make special protein waffles for El so she can get as many nutrients as she can from her diet of Eggos and milk.

Will absolutely adore you. Mostly because you're not intimidating and demanding. You don't act like you have complete authority over him.

Jonathan takes forever to warms up to you but after a while. Seeing how absolutely smitten with you he warms up to and he being around his age really makes him like you more you understand hes a teenager and he needs spce you don't pressure anything out of him.

Finding out El has superpowers freaks the fuck out of you. But also scares you because what it means for her the constant worry she might be taken advantage of. You keep a shotgun on you at all times that Hopper taught you how to use

Hopper taking you to the shooting range is one hell of an experience. He has you keep a handgun on you at all times

Joyce and you team up with El and Will to convince which basically means beg Hopper to let the family get a cat. You both succeed

Turning down Joyce's puppy dog eyes is basically impossible.