#he already admits he has a bad fashion sense

[kitsunebishake]

blaze it

(I have a total count of 3 braincells)

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[yuri-is-online]

Out With the Old (Heartsabyul, Savanaclaw, and Octavinelle x Yuu)

"Look I would get rid of this thing if I could afford a new sweatshirt." You drag the offensive article of clothing over your head completely missing the spark of curiosity and mischief in your companion's eye. "I've got a lot of bad memories associated with this."

"If it's that uncomfortable we can go look for a replacement instead of-"

"Oh no not like that, it's super comfy. I just don't like it because it technically belongs to my ex."

notes: they/them used for Yuu, some questionable behavior from Floyd and Jade because who else? This is meant to be crack. Second part can be found here (x)

Riddle- "THAT'S LITERALLY ILLEGAL???"

He is too focused on hyperventilating because it sounds like you just admitted to a crime in front of him to even think about offering you one of his sweaters. Trey and Cater have to break it down for him unpaid therapist style that no, you are not wearing stolen property (probably), borrowing clothes is just something people in relationships often do. He then further needs it explained that no, you are not still in a relationship and since you want to get rid of the shirt it sounds like things ended poorly. His friends want to try and suggest he should give you an article of his clothing to replace the offending one but he's so focused on getting you something that matches dress code that they decide to quit while they're ahead. Literally.

Trey- "You know you can always ask us if you need help, right?"

Vil's right about Trey's tendency to fuss and spoil people being a bit of a flaw; he's in tune enough with his emotions to know that he should not, for his own sake, give you one of his old sweatshirts without being honest about why he wants you to wear it. But he can't exactly deny his instincts when it comes to the people he cares about. You're cold and uncomfortable, what sort of guy would he be if he just left you all alone? Just please don't brush this off with a comment about how much of a big brother or mother hen he is; it is already going to be pure torture trying to look at you in his things in a Queen of Hearts honoring way. He doesn't need an added complex on top of it.

Cater- "Oh honey no."

Cater doesn't like keeping stuff his exes gave him either, but luckily for him he's never been in a position where that's literally only the stuff he had on him. Speaking of things, he buys a bunch of clothes off magicam he barley has time to take the tags off of before the trend goes stale. You guys should totally ditch what you were planning to do today and have a little fashion show in his room. It'll be cute and he can get a bunch of cammable shots! Just ignore the pop music club hoodie he refuses to take back because it looks "so much cuter on you." <3

Ace- "That's extremely lame prefect."

He isn't blind; you're cute and poor. Anyone would jump at the chance to let you steal a hoodie, besides Ace isn't insecure enough to be super jealous of someone you clearly hate. He knows you well enough to tell when you are silently wishing death on someone, it's all in the vocal tone. But damn if this new bit of information doesn't make things tricky. He already makes a big fuss about not needing to focus on dating right now, and with that iconic sweatshirt of yours technically belonging to an ex it's not like he can just slide you one of his without making it super obvious what he's doing. Looks like you're just going to have to take some extra teasing for a bit prefect, it's his preferred method of cope.

Deuce- "You've been here for how long and the Headmage hasn't given you any clothes?!?!"

Deuce is a good egg whose primary concern is almost always your well being. He tends to act before his common sense and emotions can catch up with his thought process, and that's exactly what happens here. The concept of you dating someone is just so... foreign to him. Not because he thinks your undesirable! It's just that you guys are always hanging out, you not being around makes him feel a bit funny inside, and not in a good way. He doesn't mention that to his mom when he texts her asking if she has any of his old clothes laying around, but she definitely knows what's on his mind. Why else would she have sent his old delinquent jacket?

Leona- "Well that explains why it smells like shit."

Let the record show that Leona is in fact, lying to you. Your clothes don't smell like anything other than you and maybe some of the musk floating around Ramshackle Dorm, but that doesn't stop you from pulling the fabric and taking a good sniff. To Leona, all this really suggests is that you've been over the person long enough that you don't care about keeping their scent around anymore. Sure, a tiny thought does worm it's ugly way into his inferiority complex that "oh they liked someone else" but his equally large ego immediately slams the emphasis on "liked" and starts thinking about how to get his scent on you. He doesn't really own too many jackets like the one you're wearing, but he does have some nice silk scarfs he could wrap you up in. Much classier than whatever trash you had previously been going out with.

Ruggie- "You wanna toss it my way then?"

Clothes are clothes are clothes, you don't see Ruggie acting like his uniform is still Leona's just because that's who originally bought it. If you are really bothered by the memories of your ex, he's willing to listen and make fun of them, assuming that will make you feel better, but this won't make him jealous. That emotion is reserved for when you share food with other people. He is dead serious about taking the sweatshirt if you don't want it, as far as he's concerned that shirt belongs to you, and he wouldn't mind having an excuse to blend your wardrobes a little bit. It would make you even closer to being a real member of his pack.

Jack- "You can just take mine."

Jack's strong sense of justice and firm moral code are definitely his only motivations for offering you one of his sweatshirts. Forcing a student to wear clothes they find uncomfortable and associate with negative memories just because they didn't have the foresight to pack something they did like for a school they didn't know they would be attending is beyond unfair. That's what he tells himself anyway, and it's not like he isn't upset on your behalf, but it's plain as day to anyone that he wants to prove that you can rely on him; he's not like that other person, he doesn't mind being alone together with you.

Azul- "If your finances really are in such dire straights you know I could-"

Revealing personal information in Azul's presence is asking to be offered a deal. Sure that little complaint might have been insignificant to you, but for Azul? He's having a full blown Sherlock style breakdown going on in his head trying to decide what his angle is. 1) The prefect has dated in the past and doesn't look on that experience favorably. Does this prevent them from dating again? Needs further analysis. 2) Giving articles of clothing is an acceptable form of human courtship, even if used. Or is it especially if used? 3) Can he convince you to burn this if he gets you a replacement or is that too petty? 4) More importantly does this mean you have a type? And how does he press for that information without appearing desperate?

Jade- "Oh? Well that sounds extremely annoying."

Jade Leech is first and foremost a messy bitch who lives for other people's misery. Sure, he is reasonably certain he's in love with you at this point, but that doesn't matter. You have a story that's filled with second hand embarrassment and a bone to pick besides he is nothing if not an enthusiastic audience. The thought of you wearing clothes that he owns wasn't something he would have thought of himself, merfolk don't typically wear them so dating customs that involve them are a bit foreign to him. He would much rather just bite you. Or give you some jewelry. both he wants to do both

Floyd- "PUT THAT THING BACK WHERE IT CAME FROM OR SO HELP ME"

The instant you say that sweatshirt is from an ex he is taking off whatever shirt he is currently wearing and trying to tug off yours. Yes, even if it is his basketball jersey, and yes even if he just got back from practice. Isn't the scent supposed to be the point? He knows you miss him when he's gone, and he can get you something nicer out of his closet later. Just remember to tell everyone, even and especially if they don't ask, who gave it to you. Floyd's... nice? Enough? To not immediately burn your sweatshirt but it's up for debate if that's because he's actually being nice or if he just wants a trophy.

[blue-isnt-here]

💙The Mutant Mayhem boys with an ftm boyfriend/crush💙

Leonardo

- Bless this guy's heart. With the way you nervously pulled him aside during a hangout at the lair, hands shaky and eyes escaping his own, Leo seriously thought you were going to break up with him.

- You could tell he was starting to panic and quickly de-escalated it, comforting your anxious, teary-eyed boyfriend by hugging him close.

- After calming down, he asked you what was really going on, and, well... you told him. Openly, with scattered giggles and stuttered words, as well as a few stray tears.

- Leo was quick to place his thumbs on your face and rub the tears away, listening closely as you told him everything.

- Proudly proclaims (when you're comfortable with it) about having you as his sweet, wonderful boyfriend.

- Constantly checks his internal alarm clock (as well as his phone) whenever he knows you're wearing a binder. Leo worries he's being too overprotective, but that thankful smile of yours whenever he does bring it up washes all the bad thoughts away.

- Reassures you whenever you're feeling down about yourself (best boy) and claims that he'd physically fight your dysphoria if he could.

- You're saved as "Prince💙" in his phone and his brothers never let him live it down.

- Totally relates to your insecurities of not being "manly enough" and so, you two hype each other up, in your own cringy, dorky lovestruck way.

- "You're so handsome!"

"No, you!"

- If you have a similar taste in clothes to him, get ready to be dogpiled by his brothers for the crimes of "dressing like bestbuy employees" and "looking like you're gonna sell them an insurance plan"

- With the way you laugh it off, Leonardo can't help but join you, adoring your new-found confidence and the loving look you gave him as you met his eyes.

- Cringefail boyfriends fr

Raphael

- He was kind of confused at first, but listened intently as you explained how you felt, occasionally taking your hand in his and toying with your fingers.

- Raphael never gave much thought to his orientation, even after falling in love with you and getting together. He may need some help understanding a few things, but he's thrilled to call you his boyfriend.

- Like... Nothing changed. You're just a boy to him now.

- You were a little nervous about him not making a big deal out of it, but it quickly turned into relief once he crushed cuddled you for the rest of the night, occasionally making some VERY crude gay jokes to make you laugh.

- Will not let up with the "no homo" jokes after you tell him. The both of you could literally be kissing and-

"I love you so much, Raph"

"Love ya too. No homo though right?"

- Loves it when you laugh and/or scoff at these jokes

- Since you're a guy, Raph figures he can tell you all about gross guy things like he does with his brothers. He's just that comfortable with you.

- If you're trying to put on muscle, he's all smiles and already dragging you to the training area. You're not getting out of this. (affectionate)

- Raphael actually has a pretty good fashion sense and would be really flattered if you asked him for advice. He'll never admit that though, obviously.

- One time, you came home with a pair of matching red and black jerseys, in yours and his respective sizes.

- Raph.exe stopped working

- Like... Face redder than his mask type of gay panic.

- Offered to steal testosterone for you more than once.

- Noogies you/threatens to shove you into lockers affectionately. When you confront him about his nerd/jock thing, he just malfunctions and denies it.

- Would beat up anyone who gives you trouble for your identity in a heartbeat. No one messes with his man.

Donatello

- It was late at night at the lair, during one of your hours-long gaming sessions with your best friend, Donnie. He laid in his tent, shifting side to side excitedly, relieved that you couldn't see how much of a mess you made him whenever he heard your voice.

- And yet Donnie made the effort to hide his feelings, because you two were friends. Wait, no. He was your BEST friend.

- ... Who had been crushing on you for ages now. Painfully so.

- Much like his older brother, Donnie misinterprets your anxious tone and stuttering as something different, thinking you were about to tell him you've always loved him and wanted to be together forever-

- "Donnie, I'm trans."

- A choked sound comes out through the other end of the call as Donnie faceplants into his pillows, face flushed in embarassment.

- "T-that's okay. I, um... Totally cool."

"You sure? You sound weird."

"*voice cracks* ..yEP!"

- Really supportive, but in a chill sorta way.

- Donnie is easily the most casual about it. Barely questions it - before you know it he's already complimenting you, telling you how well you pass.

- If you're self conscious about your voice, Don makes sure you know that he loves it and also jokes about his own, saying that you don't need a deep voice to be a man.

- "I mean... Look at me! I'm pretty much a falsetto and you like me anyways!"

- Donnie says that last part lightly, but he listens intently for your reaction, and is relieved when you laugh; he successfully cheered up his crush. Score.

- Compares you to various anime guys he thinks resemble you - given that you may not know much about the characters or Donnie's knowledge of them. His brothers, however, noticed a pattern - they're always the anime boy archetypes he seems to favor the most.

- And so they tease him, relentlessly, mercilessly, about his crush on you.

- "Donnie's got a tyyyypeeee!"

"Quit it, Mikey!"

"C'mon guys, maybe he wants to go see his boyfriend!"

"H-he's not! Shut up, Raph! You know what? I'm gonna go."

"What, you miss your senpai already?"

"WHAT THE HECK LEO!?"

Michelangelo

- You sort of came out to Mikey shortly after becoming his friend. Being a member of drama club, you were lucky enough to find yourself in a supportive environment and you were finally free to be yourself, much like the turtles.

- Mikey always tiptoed around the idea of what romance could be like and, well... you were just his type.

- You didn't mock him, or treat him like the weakest one of the group or anything. You took him seriously.

- And so Mikey was seriously obsessed with you.

- So much so that when your group was tasked with dressed rehearsals for the play you'd been practicing together, he can barely look in your general direction as you slip off the stage garments to reveal black underarmor.

- It was chill. You were just friends. Totally chill. Be cool. Mikey could do that, right?

- "W-wait, where are you going?"

- He was struggling with removing his shirt, the thin cotton getting caught on his shell. Mikey stood there, watching you step out of the changing rooms and into one of the bathroom stalls, face flushed and arms raised awkwardly as he fiddled with the shirt.

- "I just gotta get this binder off. S'been knocking the wind outta me!"

"O-Oh..."

- Unexpectedly, Mikey's kinda paranoid about you binding. It leads to some awkward questions, but he's genuinely worried and means well.

- Mikey gets very passive aggressive whenever someone misgenders you on purpose; you may have to hold him back a bit.

- Does his best to cheer you up when you feel down about yourself. This man will NOT rest until that handsome smile is back on your face.

- Tries to low-key sneak it into conversations that he likes guys. And that you're a guy. And that he REALLY likes guys. And-

- He's just a gay mess, forgive him.

[sleepingdeath-light]

fashion designer s/o hcs ; wally

requested by ; anonymous (27/05/23)

fandom(s) ; welcome home

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; wally darling

outline ; “Hello! Could I request Wally darling from welcome home with a Fashion designer! reader? (Headcanons)”

warning(s) ; none, just fluff!

the two of you are a match made in heaven: a traditional artist with a unique and distinct sense of style, and a fashion designer happy and able to adapt it

you have stacks upon stacks of sketchbooks at home, which you keep in a room alongside all of wally’s paintings for safe keeping

you’re always admiring and (when asked) offering suggestions about each other’s projects — colour corrections, fabric combinations, and so on

he is your main model for the first draft of any clothes you produce — whether you intend items for a male or female audience does not matter to him, he’s happy to help regardless

any articles of clothing that you design for him are kept clean, pressed and neat at all times — he’d hate to spoil such a lovely gift after all, so he takes great care to keep those items safe

he does wear them of course, he’d hate for your work to go to waste, and he’s always happy to show off your work — he’s just very meticulous about cleaning and ironing after the fact, that’s all

eternally praising your skill and talking to anyone and everyone about how amazing and talented his partner is — this genuine bragging is only made exponentially worse if they happen to compliment something that you’ve designed

the epitome of ‘proud boyfriend’ and he wears that title with pride

if your designs make it to the stage for shows then you can guarantee that he’s bought front row seats to support you

and if your clothes appear in magazines then he’s going to be buying each and every new entry

has painted and sketched these models in your designs, their bodies and faces indistinct as he focuses on your work specifically: the colour, the cut, the layering, the shapes and the textures of the fabrics

you and your passion inspire him immensely and he isn’t afraid to admit that, always being the first one with you to celebrate your achievements — but he’s also there to support you when you reach a creative block

sharing techniques and exercises that he uses to help you out, and if all else fails bringing you your favourite warm drink so you can cuddle up on the settee and vent out your frustrations

because he gets it and you get it and sometimes it’s nice to just be understood

wally is with you through the good and the bad, the highs and lows of your career, cheering you on from the sidelines and helping you find your feet when you stumble

attending every interview and show, witnessing your sketches come to life, standing by you as you come into your own in this competitive environment and helping you stay afloat even when you feel you’re drowning

that same smile always on his face no matter what — even if it does get a bit strained when you take his measurements for the 97th time (it’s only 8am let the poor man put his hair up already, he doesn’t want to be picking blue hair out of his teeth before breakfast)

doing whatever he can to support you because you’ve done the same for him — because that’s what you do for the people you love

and because, to wally, you really are the absolute most

[alfredosauce50]

I’ve barely seen any content on Kuro, which is a shame because a lot of people seem interested in him. After many months of requests and a decisive popularity vote, I’m going out on a limb and the feeling in my gut to present this absolute dish.

2p! Japan headcanons

He’s sharp, blunt, and even a little mean, but makes it a point to live a carefree life. He does whatever he wants with no regard for others. Everything comes naturally for him, and he doesn’t falter. Or does he?

Appearance

You’d have to kill him before he gets a bowl cut. He had one as a kid and has not looked back since. Instead, he likes his hair on the longer end so he can tie it in a bun or short ponytail. If not, he might rock a shaved updo tied at the top.

Kuro is on the shorter end—whatever 5’6” may be to you. He also goes out quite often, either to play at the batting cages or enjoy night life. For real baseball games, he has to run a lot under the sun, so he has an athletic build and a slight tan. Swimming is also something he enjoys, and in the hotter months when he frequents the beach, he picks up a crazy tan from his trunks.

He has a good sense of fashion. He might not go all out like a lot of young folks do, but he does dress smart. Some of his go-to’s are loose blouses, harem pants, and shirts with kimono sleeves cut at the elbow. Any longer and he’ll tell you it’s too much. He also has ear piercings and a lot of tattoos on his neck, arms, and back.

Personality

He’s a quiet extrovert. Kuro may not talk much, being such a private person, but he enjoys being in the company of friends. In fact, he keeps a tight circle for the sole purpose of hanging out. Anything more and it’ll feel as if he’s being pried into. Regardless, he does like his group, even if he won’t openly admit it (he always shows up).

He has an Osaka accent. It sounds much more casual than the Tokyo accent, and may even come off as rude. While most people call idiots ‘バカ,’ (baka) he calls them ‘アホ’ (aho). If he were to say ‘very,’ he would say ‘めっちゃ’ (meccha). “この水着はどう？めっちゃめっちゃ可愛いじゃん？” (How about this swimsuit? Isn’t it cute?) And he’s holding up the raciest bikini you’ve ever seen. Pro-tip: don’t bring him clothes shopping.

On top of being nonchalant, Kuro is very blunt. He won’t hesitate to tell you his opinion whether you asked for it or not. How the shirt doesn’t suit you, that you’re slow at washing up, or you’re bad at something. It’s only tolerable because he’s right 99% of the time, and he doesn’t mean anything by it. If you understand and respect that, you’ve already gotten past his biggest quirk.

“This chicken is kinda dry. Did you use flour instead of potato starch?” He crunches on a piece.

“That’s how fried chicken is usually made.”

“Not a fan.”

“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it.” You say, reaching out for his plate. He holds it away from you.

He keeps you on the edge. Kuro comes off as neutral most of the time, but can switch it up instantly. You had an inkling he was teasing you with his nonchalance (e.g. suggesting a sexy bikini for you to try) but you can never guess when he’s about to change. Just when you least expect it, he’ll have the slyest smirk on his face. “But you put in so much effort to make it for me. I’ll clean off the plate, even if it tastes bad.”

Kuro can be a little shit. Aside from making fun of you, he loves getting on your nerves. Purposely blocking your way, scrambling up your food when you’re trying to take a picture, and even lifting your skirt to see what’s underneath. One slap and an earful later, he’ll stop. He’s always testing your patience, but he knows you well enough to stay just under the threshold.

He’s very cynical. About people, things, and ideas. Again, it’s hard to hold it against him when he’s usually right. However, it gets particularly bad when there’s jealousy involved. Since he’s emotionally constipated, he’d rather say hurtful things than to admit he’s the one who’s hurt.

“He’s only being nice to you because he wants to get in your pants.” He remarks, lifting a cup to his mouth.

“I would ask if you’re speaking from experience, but you’re not really nice to me.” You walk to the door with your things, not sparing him so little as a glance. “So at least he’s doing something right.”

“Who said I’m trying to get in your pants?”

He’s not protective until the very last minute. Kuro trusts you to be responsible and to find your way without his help. The independence may be healthy, but he’s there when you need him—even if he has something to say about it. Essentially, he’s kind without his words matching his actions. Kuro will buy a whole basket of things for you if you’re short on money, but not without calling you dumb first. “Stop putting things back, dummy. I’m paying for everything.”

Interests

He’s a popular tattoo-artist. Kuro is excellent at drawing—his designs are unique, dark, and more on the explicit side, which his clients can’t seem to get enough of. Because he’s always booked out, he spends a great deal of time in his studio. He has surgeon hands, can concentrate for hours on end, and wears glasses while he works.

At home, he’s coming up with new designs for his portfolio. If you watch him work, he’s always ready to pop the question. “So, when will you let me do your tattoo? I can do anywhere you like.”

He’s a pervert. Aside from making suggestive or riqué comments (like wanting to tattoo you on questionable places on your body) he consumes a lot of adult content. Weirdly enough, he’s pretty subtle about it. The only person he openly talks about it with is Alfred. For that reason, you call them the ‘degenerate duo.’ Not that you need to be privy to their conversations to know how he is.

Kuro loves baseball. He has his own bat, glove, uniform and everything. Games are harder to organize when it requires so many players, but he’s more than happy to play a mini one with you. If not, he’ll go to the batting cages for a swing.

He’s a night owl. When he’s done with work for the day, he’ll take you out to town. The bars, izakayas, and arcades in Japan are fantastic. Now, it’s midnight when you both head out, and he’s not tired at all. One of these days, you might suspect Kuro is a part of the sleepless elite.

Psychology + romance

Being friends with him is already hard enough. He’s mean, sly and a total pervert. But when he’s not those things, he’s smart, kind, and knows how to have fun. If you make that trade and stay around, you’re well on your way to being a valued person in his life. And if you keep up with him, your chemistry will develop from there on out.

He can’t resist someone who can go toe-to-toe with him. If you can hold conversations with him, great. If you can bicker with him, even better. It’s not really conflict he’s looking for, but an equal. It’s comforting to be around someone who thinks like him, or at least, understands him. Being with you will be effortless, and he’ll find himself looking for you, again and again.

Kuro changes his habits for you. He could have the chance to do anything in the city, and yet, he’d give that up to do groceries with you. He’d rather pick out fruit and veg with you than go out with his friends. At that point, it’s pretty obvious he has a thing for you. He knows it, his friends know it, but it’s only you that stays oblivious. “These apples are better. Just weigh them as the cheaper ones so we can save some money.”

After all, how could he? He said so himself he wasn’t interested in getting with you. Kuro never lies, but here he is, lying to your face to protect himself. He can’t be vulnerable to save a life. Everything he ever says to you is a testament to that. Being blunt, being negative, and making fun of you is just how he avoids his feelings.

Because of his dishonesty, there will be rifts in the relationship; you start thinking he just simply doesn’t like you. And it can’t be mended by his other love languages. He could do everything in the world for you, but it feels substantial for how much shit he gives you. “I washed the clothes,” or “I made curry,” may as well be a nicer way of saying what he already has: I don’t like your food and you don’t know how to do the laundry.

The breaking point is when you both argue for the first time. Jealousy is a cruel mistress, and he just made a rude comment about the person you’re seeing--then how you have bad taste. Kuro regrets everything the second you start crying. His eyes go wide and his heart just sinks. The pain in your voice is jarring, and the way you look at him goes to show how he’s treated you.

“You’re always so mean to me,” You raise a hand to wipe away your tears, but it’s no use when they keep falling. “You never say anything nice about me. If you don’t like me, why do we even see each other?”

He’s too ashamed to say anything. The rest of the night is quiet, and you’re still upset because he hasn’t offered any closure. Just when you’re about to give up on him, he does the completely unexpected. While you’re getting ready for bed, he’s watching from the doorway with his arms folded. “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”

If you agree, nothing will happen—maybe except keeping you close enough so you don’t leave. After a night or two, he’ll give a proper apology for being unfair to you. But if you keep sleeping with him, it won’t be long before he gives in to your expectant stares and leans in. Only then does he give you the closure you’ve been waiting for: a slow and sensual kiss. He draws out every movement he makes just to feel your lips.

Kuro is an emotionally-intense lover. He feels very deeply, and can be quite sensitive. If you’re perceptive of him, he’ll return the favor tenfold. His affection is more of a constant thought than anything, but that’s what makes touching so intoxicating. Not a single brush goes unnoticed, and he relishes every hug he gives you.

[ystrike1]

Neyra's Dragon - By Ju yeon-u (7.5/10)

Marrying an immortal dragon and living forever sounds great, but in reality how great would that life be? Would an uneducated, powerless human girl really be able to rule a palace in the sky? The answer is no, but the obsessive dragon king doesn't care. He loves her so much that he makes her miserable.

Young, spoiled, dumb Neyra isn't well liked. Her father is very popular, but she is just his idiot daughter. She isn't special in any way. She's brash and she breaks rules without thinking, and she causes alot of trouble for her honorable family.

She isn't very likeable, but that's the point. Neyra is a wealthy teenage girl without a clue. As far as we know she has no friends as well, which makes sense.

When a sexy stalker appears in her bedroom she's mildly curious. He claims she is his destiny, but he'll wait until she's a little older. As soon as she's of age he plans to take her away.

When Neyra wakes up she thinks it was all a romantic dream.

It wasn’t. The stalker appears in town. He's weirdly handsome. He almost doesn't look human, and he dresses in old fashioned clothes. He also speaks very formally. He also seems to always know where she is.

Neyra is charmed by his obvious spying.

They go on a date, but it's...blah? Neyra admits that he doesn't do anything special. He's just nice, and handsome. His name is Haeryun, and he's in charge. He is the highest ranked dragon. His species and role are not only steeped in tradition, but his whims can change the world. We're dealing with god levels of power here, which is bad, but Neyra doesn't think so. She doesn't question why a natural disaster is flirting with her.

Neyra is a moron, so when he kisses her hair she's a goner. She sneaks out to meet him...alot. People notice, and then rumors fly. The noble lady Neyra is obviously, of course, spotted alone at night with a man. More than once. The evidence is clear. Her already weak reputation plummets, and her father admits that he is disappointed in her.

Neyra does a cowardly, pathetic thing. She turns away from her family. Her life. Her future. Everything. All for a man she just met recently, who freely admitted that he's not human. Neyra says she doesn't want to wait. She says take me now. She begs him. She wants him to wisk her away from her responsibilities as a noble daughter.

He does. He takes the bratty teenager upstairs to meet the other gods. He says she is his destined one, and everybody has to accept that. They do, but nobody likes her. Everyone adores Haeryun. He is without fault. She is his only flaw. His weak wife. His dumb wife. His only glaring weakness. The eternal hostage that is always under threat. The other sky monsters despise her. They cannot help it. If she dies or stubs her toe the greatest dragon will punish them all. Neyra has to endure, and she notices that Haeryun's unconditional love...is impossible to break. He doesn't even care if she loves him back. He just has to rule with her, because that is their destiny, and she is the only woman he will ever love. Her servants are embarrassed by her, because she is completely graceless, and she has no friends as queen too.

Haeryun is truly all she has, and when she becomes an adult she starts to hate him.

A full century passes. Haeryun is eternal and so is she. There is no escape. Neyra is gripped by existential horror. She has no children. Haeryun doesn't need an heir. He's forever. She has nothing to look forward to. Nothing to live for. Neyra's bond with him is a one and 1,000,000,000 anomaly and it has condemned her to eternal...nothing. She gets no respect, praise or love from anyone but her dragon. She is intimately aware of the fact that she is an unfit queen, but if she flees her escape will cause a rein of terror.

She is in a prison lined with silk, and manned by servants that gossip behind her back.

Neyra has one chance. A withered crone gives her something. An item that can turn back time. Neyra had time. A chance. Haeryun was going to wait until she was of age. She decides to go back to her childhood and find a way to break her bond with the dragon. She wants to be human.

Eternity is empty.

It's hell.

She'll do whatever it takes to escape.

(Awesome concept, but the art is mediocre. The male lead is especially plain in my opinion. He's a special kind of determined stalker, but the art is so bland its unforgivable. I can't give it a higher rating.)

[gay-dorito-dust]

Also to rephrase what i meant is wednesday x male reader who is like kiryu chan

I live for your energy my friend, I love being reminded of my love for the yakuza series (even the less favoured ones which I think was yakuza 3 I think…my man kiryu didn’t have much to do in that one other then fix peoples shit. Which shouldn’t be his job in the first place.) ichiban is my dumb baby boi, I love him so. He’s the epitome of ‘heart of gold, dumb of ass.’

You don’t have a sense of fashion, no need to worry cuz Wednesday doesn’t have much of one either but she could hold together an outfit for herself but for someone else, not so much. Which made you an eyesore for poor Enid who has to take away that faux gold suit away from you muttering, “no, just-no.”

Other then that, you were what some would consider the strong silent type who no one should fuck with unless they wanna be punched with a bin or even a vending machine. Your freakishly strong for a guy which was an advantage for Wednesday as it meant no one would bother her if her massive guard dog was nearby, staring them down with his resting bitch face. Spoiler: it’s just your face.

Your dream was to run an orphanage, so when parents weekend comes about, you go out of your way to take the younger students who’s parents were unfortunately not alive anymore out to Jericho for the day and buy them whatever they want until the weekend was over. You were the acting older brother figure for a majority of them that even after parents weekend they’d go out of their way to ask you for advice or go with them to Jericho.

Especially when Rave’n comes and they want your opinion but you direct their inquiries to Enid instead from the last time you were left with the responsibility of telling someone how they looked. Wednesday wouldn’t admit it but your tender side for children born from less fortunate beginnings did always warm her coal heart. While you may look like a man with no care, you held the biggest heart in your chest and would bare the weight of the sky if it meant seeing those kids smile.

You also have this random male student in a Leopard print blazer, an eyepatch and a metal baseball bat that is seemingly obsessed with you and would always be raring to fight you whilst hiding in the most estranged places ever…you once found him in your dorm, wearing Wednesday’s clothes and a really shitty wig put into pigtails…what a weird guy…he’s strong and quick you had to hand him that but you felt that you fight better alone.

You’re also quite protective over the people you hold dear; Wednesday, Enid, Thing, Ajax, Bianca,Kent, Divina, Xavier, Eugene, you swore you’d protect them all when the Hyde attacks started picking up. So whenever you found yourself in a situation where the hyped seems himself to be; the sleeves are up to your elbows and your blazer was already on the floor as you prepare to give the son of a bitch an ass beating he wouldn’t be forgetting anytime soon.

You also wondered why it was that Tyler conveniently got bad bruising on the exact places you punched the Hyde or how he’d often flinch whenever you brushed past him in the street. Wednesday knew and she found it funny to see Tyler scared to death of your inhuman strength. It was entertaining and she would often drag you to weathervane just to see Tyler hold his breath and bite his tongue in your presence.

Many also considered you a leader with your cool headedness and straightforward thinking but you never wanted to be one in the first place, it just didn’t feel right for you to take that position, no matter how many times you were offered it. It wasn’t apart of your plan to become a leader and it never will be.

You made yourself a legacy at Nevermore that many would remember even well after you’ve grown old but still able to pack a fucking punch.

Overall Wednesday was glad to have you as you respected her wishes and desires more so then others because you too wish to have days to yourself and you both knew that you’d always go back to each other when company is highly appreciated.

Also nobody tears up karaoke night like you do. It’s just me stating a well known fact.

[fionaswhvre]

I've seen a lot of people call Eddie ooc this season and while I appreciate everyone's opinions, here are my reasons about why it isn't true:

• Lighter version: First of all, Ryan Guzman already said in interviews that we're gonna see a lighter Eddie this season, because this is the first time we're seeing him without any trauma. So obviously he's gonna look and act different.. this is just a version we haven't seen before and we've got an explanation why.

•7×04: People saying this episode was very OOC of Eddie to not pay attention to Buck's needs- it was confirmed by Tim that the entire episode was in Buck's POV so he was seeing things that weren't there.

That being said, even if the episode wasn't from Buck's POV, I don't think it is very wrong of Eddie to make a new friend and for once, may not be in tune with Buck's every need. This is the first time we've seen him this chippy and relaxed and he is someone who's known for always taking care of others instead of himself. So maybe if for once he cannot see if his very much adult friend is jealous of his other adult friendship, that's not on him.

Also, it was established by the end that Eddie was feeling bad for making Buck feel left out, which is a very in character thing for him. He was the one who felt bad for missing out on how Buck was feeling.

• 7×05: There were a lot of weird things going on with Eddie this episode, I will admit. First was his asking Marisol to move in with him, when we haven't even seen them exchange words before this.

First, this very issue was addressed by Bobby. He said that he doesn't think Eddie seems to be in love enough with her for them to be living together. Now, Eddie would be considered OOC if he was acting this way and everyone in the show thought this was normal. But, when people in the universe are addressing that he's acting differently, then that means it is a deliberate writer's choice to show us that. They're voicing the audience through their characters.

We have never seen Eddie talk about sex this much before, but that could make sense if he's overcompensating for something. And given how much comphet his conversation with Bobby indicated, I do think that his sudden interest in sex can count as an overcompensation.

I know people wanted to see jealous Eddie when Buck told him about Tommy, but in that moment it wouldn't make sense for him to show any negative emotion when Buck was being so vulnerable. In a classic Eddie Diaz fashion, whatever he was feeling, he hid it well or is not ready to accept it himself, and he only wanted to be as supportive of Buck as he could.

The only thing throwing me off is how he said that he tends to move too fast. But in the same episode he said he could be a commitment phobe. So I think Eddie is himself confused about what he's feeling rn and Tim has said that he will be questioning these things soon.

[cookies-over-yonder]

trick or treat!

CO-WRITTEN BY @silverlistenstothings

Part 23 of The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Roommates

The teens go trick or treating!

✧*.♡.*✧

DnDads Halloween Week Day 7: Trick or Treating!

ao3

Taylor and Hermie are both sitting in the living room when the doorbell rings. Taylor instantly tries to get up to answer it, but he still has a bag of candy in his lap and ends up knocking his cane to the floor in his effort to grab it. Hermie stands up instead, returning his cane to its place against the couch as they do.

“I’ve got it,” Hermie says, sauntering over to the door with all the confidence they don’t really feel.

It’s not like the Cast’s arrival was a surprise; Taylor had been planning this all month. Hermie was even part of the group chat where it all went down, even if they very rarely decided to speak in it. It’s just that they aren’t necessarily looking forward to seeing them all at once. They still have a lot of mixed feelings about the lot of them, and with all five of them in the same place at the same time, Hermie was even more likely to be pushed to the side. For all the extra pressure of a one-on-one interaction, they greatly prefer it to being ignored. 

Regardless of their feelings, Hermie’s fate has been sealed for some time now, and they open the door with minimal hesitation.

Scary had given both Normal and Link a ride, meaning all three of them were waiting on the porch. Scary is dressed up in a black and red modern bastardization of Victorian fashion, all corsets and lace and a cape drawn around her shoulders. She's got glittering black lipstick, and red face paint at the edges of her mouth dripping down to her chin. She's wearing bluish blush on her cheeks to make her skin look ashen, but the bright red eyeshadow definitely makes her look a little more alive.

“Hermie, you look great!” Normal exclaims, drawing their attention. 

All and all, Normal doesn’t look all that different than usual in his Teeny mascot suit, but upon closer inspection, Hermie notices several patches of discoloured fabric. It looks like sections of the costume were cut out and replaced, stitches hidden and then gone over with dark, thick thread to create an exaggerated Frankenstein patchwork. The added colours clash in a way that manages to look purposeful, and it’s a perfect Halloween addition to the already-horrific Teeny. 

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” Hermie admits, reluctantly impressed by the handiwork. 

“Oh! Really? You think so? Hero helped me pick out fabric, but I did all the design and sewing myself!” Normal brags, bouncing on his feet. He excitedly shakes out the floppy mascot hand that isn’t holding Teeny’s head against his hip. 

“Can we come in?” Link interrupts, which Hermie is actually very grateful for, for once. He's wearing a hoodie and sweatpants in stark contrast to the others, but Hermie has been hearing all month about the costume Taylor's planned for the two of them, so they know what's coming.

“Scary’s the vampire here, you don’t have to ask permission,” Hermie says, stepping aside to allow them to pass. 

“Link!” Taylor cheers from the couch, and Link lights up immediately at the sound of his voice. 

“Taylor!” Link greets, matching his affection, if not necessarily his enthusiasm. 

“Gross,” Hermie mumbles, rolling their eyes as they return to the couch. 

“I guess we’re too old for it, but I still kinda wish we were going trick-or-treating,” Taylor sulks, continuing to mournfully sort through the bag of candy, snagging what he wants to keep and dumping the rest into a seasonally-appropriate bowl. Hermie leans over his shoulder, picking out some sour candies and stashing them in their own pockets. 

"I've actually never been trick-or-treating," Link says, and considering his parents, Hermie supposes that makes sense. 

"Me neither," they chime in absentmindedly.

It wasn’t a big concern for them after a couple of years of begging their parents and getting nothing but dismissive scoffs and annoyed looks for it. Once they were old enough to go out on their own, they figured they were too old for trick-or-treating anyways. Besides, in all the shows and movies they had their parents or friends accompanying them, and Hermie going out completely alone just seemed pathetic… and a bit scary, at the time. Which made it even more pathetic. 

" What!? " Taylor shouts, startling everyone, it seems. "Okay, new plan, we are going trick-or-treating now ."

“What?” Scary groans, and Hermie is inclined to agree.

“It’s not a big deal,” Hermie sighs. Really, they should have expected this reaction. “You said it yourself; we’re too old for it now.” 

“Well, it’s different now! We’re only getting older and you have to go trick-or-treating at least once!” Taylor insists. 

“I really don’t think I do, actually,” Hermie says. 

“I think it’d be fun! Nobody actually cares about how old we are, you know?” Normal joins in, smiling. 

“I do,” Scary argues. “So fucking lame.”

“I don’t know, it kinda does sound fun…” Link says, and Hermie knows it’s over. 

Hermie and Scary can both whine as much as they’d like, but they don’t stand a chance against the combined force of Taylor, Normal, and Link’s pleading. Hermie probably couldn’t say no to any of them individually, or anyone in general, because they’re pathetic. 

“Hermie!” Taylor demands when there’s no further complaints. “Go retrieve the trick-or-treating thingies!” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about or where they are,” Hermie sighs. 

“The bags! I should have enough for everyone, but they won’t match our costumes…” 

“Still don’t know where those are, and also I don’t want to.” Hermie slumps further into the couch, waving a hand dismissively. 

Taylor mumbles a couple of displeased nonsense noises, but stands up and heads towards the basement. 

“Everyone get your costumes ready! We’re doing this!” Taylor announces, pointing towards the others in the living room as he takes one backwards step down the stairs.

“Turn around, idiot!” Hermie calls.

Taylor makes a loud mocking noise, but obediently turns around anyways as he descends the stairs.  

“Do we have to do this?” Scary sighs once Taylor is out of sight. 

“I’d really rather not,” Hermie agrees, even as they straighten out the lapels of their suit and shift away the worst of their inhuman features.

“It’ll be fun! And we don’t have to stay out for long if it isn’t,” Normal says, returning the modified head of Teeny to its rightful place upon his shoulders. 

Hermie feels like they should continue to protest, something about Taylor’s stubborn streak and how likely it is that he’ll refuse to turn back before he’s satisfied, but they know it’s an argument they’ll end up losing, assuming anyone even pays attention to them for that long. 

Taylor scurries back up the stairs, several Halloween-themed bags in hand. He throws them down over the coffee table, radiating pride. 

“Take your pick! Except for you, Link, I need to do your makeup!”

Taylor grabs Link’s hand with the one not holding his cane and drags him upstairs towards their bathroom. Hermie sighs, letting Normal and Scary take their pick of bags before grabbing the one they figure Link would go for, just to be a jerk. 

Taylor and Link return after a while with makeup on and the last pieces of their costumes in place. Hermie’s head itches just looking at Taylor’s wig, but they aren’t at all surprised by his commitment to the costume. 

Taylor's wearing a long yellow raincoat with matching boots. His wig is a deep royal blue, gelled to hell and back to where it looks like pieces of rope or string, and he's wearing the dragonfly hairclip Hermie had seen him making a few days ago. His nails are a pale blue—Hermie painted them last night when his hands were trembling again.

His eyes have little crosses in them, and while the button contacts do complete the look, Hermie wonders how obscured his vision might be.He's wearing blue eyeshadow and black lipstick, which isn’t exactly canon-compliant, but it does look good and match the costume well enough. 

Link's wearing a long black coat and skeleton gloves. He's not wearing any fancy button contacts, but the dark eyeshadow circles under his eyes seem to be enough to tie together the costume.

“Ready? I’m ready! Let’s go!” Taylor cheers without waiting for a response, grabbing the last pair of bags off the table and dragging Link towards the entrance. 

“I was not planning on walking around in these heels,” Scary grumbles, but she follows anyway. 

“I would offer to swap shoes, but…” Normal trails off, frowning at Scary’s heels. They’re only three or so inches, but Hermie is inclined to agree. 

“Yeah, I’m not doing that,” Scary agrees. “It’s whatever.”

“Just let us know if you want to turn around, okay?” Normal offers, and Scary mumbles an agreement. 

The sun has only just set, but the street lights and ambient light pollution makes it easy enough to see by, even if not for Hermie’s infernal night vision. It’s just on the edge of being cold. Unfortunately everyone is wearing long sleeves at least, so that’s one less excuse to go home early. 

The first house they visit is barely decorated. A few pumpkins on the porch and some ghost string lights indicate that they are indeed celebrating the holiday, and the group walks up to the door, with Taylor in the lead. He rings the door, practically bouncing with excitement as he waits for someone to answer. 

It isn’t long before an older man opens the door with a bowl of candy in hand. He seems a little surprised by the sight of them, but extends the bowl without comment when Taylor says the line and the others echo it half-heartedly. Hermie lingers at the back of the group, refusing to partake. They do, however, sneak their hand into Normal’s bag and snag his bounty as they turn to leave. 

The next house is far more festive. There seems to be a graveyard theme with plastic bones scattered around at random and an out-of-place skull sitting on the porch. The motion sensors in the glowing eyes are so clearly visible that it’s hard to imagine anyone actually getting startled by it ‘suddenly’ moving. 

… except Hermie doesn’t have to imagine it, because Taylor ends up getting startled right in front of them. It’s not much more than a hitch of the breath and a bit of a jump, but it clearly got him. 

Link squeezes his hand comfortingly, offering Taylor a concerned smile. Hermie is about to step up to Taylor’s other side to bump their shoulders together and offer some light teasing, but Normal slides into place beside him instead. Hermie is all at once reminded of their place within this group, which is to say, they don’t have a place within it at all. 

When it’s just Hermie and Taylor, it’s easy enough to trick themself into thinking that Taylor actually likes them, but now they’re reminded once more of how easy they are to replace. Taylor only spends time with them because they just so happen to be there, and now that the others are around, his preferences are clear. 

And it’s not just Taylor either. They wouldn’t expect Scary or Link to be all that happy to see them, but now that he’s gotten over his initial excitement, it’s clear Normal couldn’t care less about them either. 

Oh, how they’ve missed this. They wonder if anyone would notice if Hermie just turned around and went back to the house. As Taylor turns up the sidewalk towards the next house, they’re almost tempted to try. 

And then one of the yard decorations lurches to life, mechanical arms flailing with a whirr far louder than the groans coming from the speaker hidden somewhere in its chest. Normal jumps, ducking behind Link and Taylor, but Taylor shrieks , lifting his cane as if about to strike as he curls into Link’s side.

Taylor is shaking as they leave that house, leaning into Link’s and clutching his arm even as he continues to joke around. If Hermie were a better person, they’d step in and turn this whole party around because Taylor clearly isn’t having much fun, but…

“Hey, are you okay?” Link murmurs, voice soft and gentle and soothing in a way Hermie has never been able to replicate. 

“Yeah, of course!” Taylor says, leaning a bit too hard into foolhardy confidence.

“You’re shaking,” Scary points out. 

“It’s cold!” 

“Not particularly,” Hermie mumbles, but it goes unheard or ignored. 

“We can head back if you want,” Link offers. If he’s seen through Taylor’s lie, he offers no sign of it one way or another. 

“No way!” Taylor insists, tugging Link away from the house and back down the street. “We haven’t even gotten to the house with the full-sized candy bars!”

There’s another few houses that are devoid of jumpscares, and some of Taylor’s nervousness almost seems to be fading. 

Almost . Even if Taylor isn’t visibly shaking anymore, Hermie can still see the tension in the set of his shoulders. He’s glancing around the streets at the other trick-or-treaters like any one of them could prove to be a threat. Considering they’re all very clearly children, Hermie likes their odds in the case of an attack. Not that there’s one coming, because they’re a bunch of children. 

Somewhere around four houses later, they come upon one with a pair of trees on either side of the path towards the entryway. Fake spiderwebs hang between the trees, a fuzzy black spider sitting in pride of place among the webs. There’s a few more plastic spiders scattered across the trees and lawn, with one sitting right beside the porch. The glow behind its red plastic eyes gives it away even from a distance, but Taylor still shrieks as it ‘suddenly’ scuttles to life. 

From further down the path, Hermie can see that it’s attached to a semicircle base that means it’s only moving a few inches one way or another, but from up close it must seem like it’s coming right towards you. Taylor, of course, does not react well to that perceived threat, and slams the base of his cane straight through its wire carapace before stumbling back a few steps. 

Hermie takes place beside it, kicking at its shattered remains. One leg still twitches through its mechanical death-throes until Hermie pins it underfoot and puts the poor thing out of its misery. 

“Sick,” Scary comments absently, trying to sound aloof even as she steps towards Taylor, visibly concerned. 

“Oh gosh, we’re gonna get in so much trouble,” Normal says, but his concern seems to be directed more towards Taylor than the owners of what is now a pile of spider-shaped scrap metal. “But hey, are you okay?” 

Taylor wheezes on a response, and ends up nodding his head when the words don’t manage to make it past his throat. 

“We can head back now,” Link says, gently insistent. 

“No um—“ Taylor takes in a sharp breath, letting it out a bit steadier. “Nonono, it’s fine I’m fine it’s totally fine.”

Nobody who’s actually fine ever says they’re fine that many times in a row at that speed, but Hermie supposes, as usual, they have no room to judge. 

Taylor continues onwards to the next house. Link glances over his shoulder towards Hermie, but Hermie looks away before anything can be communicated. 

They should stop. They should grab Taylor’s other hand and drag him home. They should sit down in the middle of the sidewalk and refuse to move any further. They should do something , anything, to get Taylor to turn around, or at least to stop rushing ahead before he can catch his breath. 

They don’t. Taylor leads the way up the sidewalk of the next house, and then the one after that. As they approach the third house, a rickety scarecrow decoration lurches from the lawn, scattering dead leaves across their feet. It actually was a well-hidden mechanism this time around, enough that even Hermie flinches, but Taylor…

"Fuck!" Taylor screams—immediately drawing in the disapproving looks of every parent in sight—and stumbles backward, only to fall into Link's arms, eyes wide and wild before he draws his hands up to his face. His breathing starts to become audibly shallow and strained, much to everyone's concern.

“Whoa, Taylor, you okay!?” Normal says, rushing to Taylor’s other side. His hands flutter anxiously, but all it does is make Taylor curl further into his hands. Scary stares at Taylor for a moment longer, before straightening up and glancing around; checking for threats, Hermie supposes. One of her signature scowls scares a curious child away from investigating the group of teens further. 

"Taylor, hey, hey, hey," Link turns Taylor so he's facing him, and carefully pries his hands away from his eyes, holding them tightly. "Breathe."

Taylor's eyes are shut tight, and his words are weak yet clipped. "I'm— I'm good ," he says between small gasps.

He's trembling violently now, a somewhat familiar sight to Hermie but no less alarming for it. It still feels strange to see Taylor falling into this kind of panic, especially out here on stage, but they don’t have time to dwell on it.

“I really don’t think you’re—“ Normal starts, only for Taylor to cut him off.

“I’m good!” he snaps. 

“Well, I’m not,” Hermie interjects, really leaning into the natural whine of their voice, “you have wildly overhyped this whole ‘trick-or-treating’ experience, and I’m tired, it’s cold out, and I’d like to go back to the house.” 

“But we—“ Taylor stutters. “You haven’t been having fun?”

Trying to change the topic. Classic Taylor.

“It’s been fine. I forgot how wonderful it is to be ignored by all of you at once.” 

Maybe a bit too harsh. Hermie hadn’t really been trying to incorporate themself, all too content to stew in their self-righteous anger rather than do anything about it. And it’s that same stewing that got them into this situation in the first place. They should have turned this metaphorical car around a long time ago. 

“Hey, can you not be a dick right now?” Scary snaps, stepping between Hermie and Taylor as if she expected them to take a lunge at him. 

Hermie could continue to be a dick— they’re very good at it— but that isn’t really their goal right now. They hold their hands up placatingly, meeting Scary’s eye and hoping she gets the point. 

“Since you asked so nicely…” Hermie says, trailing off deliberately. “I still want to go back to the house, though.” 

Scary blinks, posture loosening a bit. Good. They don’t particularly care what Scary thinks of them at this point— she’s already seen the worst of them, and for all the fun they’ve had together, they know it’s hopeless— it’s good to have her on their side.

“I’m with you there, actually,” Scary says, shrugging as she turns back to Taylor. 

“No! No, we should keep going! Let’s keep going!” Taylor says frantically. It could almost be mistaken for excitement. 

“I think Hermie has a point, actually—“ Link starts, sputtering to a stop when Taylor pulls himself out of his grip as if burnt. 

“No! I’m having fun, aren’t you guys having fun?” Taylor insists, turning on his heel and marching down the street away from them. 

“Well, yeah, I just…” Normal tries, voice fading out as Taylor storms off. 

“I’ll go get him,” Link offers, turning to follow Taylor. 

“Forget it,” Hermie scoffs, glaring at Taylor’s retreating back. “If he wants to work himself into a panic attack, he can go ahead. See if I care.”

“You don’t mean that,” Normal says, sounding hurt on Taylor’s behalf. “Besides, it’s not really that bad, is it?”

“Don’t act like you know anything about what I do and don’t mean,” Hermie snaps, fighting down the urge to lean into their more demonic traits in their anger. “You’re the last one I want to hear that shit from.”

Normal steps back as if struck, opening his mouth to respond before Scary beats him to it. 

“Just fucking go if you’re gonna be such a dick!” Scary snaps, stepping between Normal and Hermie. “If you hate us so much, why are you even here?”

Hermie snarls, refusing to be cowed. She does make a good point, but—

Someone screams. No, not just someone, Hermie knows exactly who that is. The defensive anger and spite drains out of them in an instant as they brush past Scary and Normal and head in the direction of the shout.

Taylor had turned the corner, apparently, down a dead end street that’s mostly yard and unnecessarily large houses. As soon as Hermie turns the corner to follow, they see the source of the issue. 

Their first thought is that this is stupid , which they immediately feel bad about. It’s a fairly elaborate decoration of wires and lights that turn on and off in a set sequence that plays out a simple scene. A brown horse rears up, and its rider’s head tumbles from his shoulders. It’s the sort of thing Hermie wouldn’t have looked twice at, except maybe to point out how poorly the darkness hides the unlit sections of the decoration.

It’s not doing much to hide Taylor either, who stands before the decoration with Link at his shoulder. He’s nearly frozen except for the way he’s shaking, and Hermie can see the way his shoulders hitch with each ragged breath even from here. 

He's got his hands clasped around his neck, and Link is saying something to him too soft for Hermie to hear, and it doesn't seem to have any effect, since Taylor is crumbling to the ground and curling in on himself in a second. Link sits with him, and Hermie recalls a certain time they left Link alone with an anxious Taylor.

Just as Hermie's about to approach, two sets of footsteps catch up to and rush past them.

" Taylor! " Normal shouts with worry, but his intentions ultimately backfire once more when Taylor flinches at the sound. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Taylor opens his mouth to respond and a few squeaky sounds escape him, nothing more.

Hermie steps closer, attempting to shoot Normal a stop overwhelming him look, but it goes unnoticed. Of course.

"Taylor, hey, it's okay, just take a deep breath," Link says, hands hovering cautiously in front of Taylor, whose breathing is only getting more strained and quick with time.

His eyes are wide and his gaze is fixed on the dead, yellowish grass beneath him.

Hermie has only really seen Taylor's anxiety spike at the house, and they're almost certain Taylor isn't familiar with it affecting him in public at all. And that's only making it worse.

Taylor draws his knees to his chest and buries his head in them with his hands still on his neck, and Hermie can hear the painfully familiar sound of strangled sobs between uncontrollable gasps. Focused on Taylor as they are, they don’t even notice the stranger approaching until their hand is on Hermie’s shoulder.

“Do you— is he okay?” the stranger asks. She’s an adult, an equally concerned-looking child in full costume trailing behind her but keeping their distance. If only their mother had the same common sense.

“He’s fine,” Hermie snaps, shrugging off her hand. “I mean— he’s not, obviously, but I can handle this.”

“Wh— Hermie, has this happened before? Is— is Taylor okay?” Normal fusses, glancing back and forth between Taylor and Hermie. 

“Yes, no, and you’re not helping,” Hermie says, probably a bit more sharply than necessary. “Back off.”

Hermie pays no further mind to Normal, instead kneeling down in front of Taylor. The amount of heat radiating off him would be enough cause for concern on its own. Hermie is almost worried about the grass below him catching fire, but that’s a situation that they’ll deal with when and if it comes up. 

For now, they cast a quick glare towards Link. He seems reluctant to back off, but eventually he does, standing back up and squeezing himself between Taylor and Normal. 

With that dealt with and Scary intercepting the woman from earlier, Hermie can focus their full attention on Taylor. Despite how much they want to flinch away from the heat, they reach out to put their hands on either of Taylor’s arms. Taylor shudders a bit at first, before curling forward to rest his head against Hermie’s shoulder. He whines, and Hermie can feel hot tears hitting their shoulder, and Taylor's fully hyperventilating now, and falling apart in their arms. Hermie doesn’t feel equipped to hold him together, but they don’t have any choice but to try anyway. 

(A small voice in the back of their mind tells them that they do have a choice, that they don’t have to be here, that Link and the others could handle this and it wouldn’t matter to them even if they didn’t, but they refuse to acknowledge it.)

“Hey, hey, Taylor,” Hermie says softly. Their voice never sounds like their own when they talk like this, but it helps to calm Taylor and that’s all that matters at the moment. “Can you hear me, Tay?”

Taylor nods feebly against their chest, and then shakes his head. A bit of a confusing response, but it is a response, so that’s a good sign if nothing else. They wrap their arms around Taylor properly, running one hand along his back while the other grabs one of the hands Taylor has still clawing at his own neck. 

Taylor squeezes their hand hard , and Hermie fights down a flinch. His nail length fluctuates with the way Hermie's seen him biting at them in the past, but right now they're long, and they might be piercing Hermie's skin, but that's no cause for concern when there's a bigger problem at hand.

"I'm right here, okay? Just focus on me," they say, and Taylor nods a second time, somehow smaller and weaker than before. “Do you remember how to— nevermind, just breathe with me, okay? In, two, three, four, five…”

Hermie squeezes Taylor’s hand feebly, taking in an exaggeratedly deep breath in time with their counting. Taylor tries to follow, but he ends up sucking in a breath for barely a second and holding it for another before letting it out, and he whines again, and there's a slight chance the grass may have caught fire now with the heat and the light in Hermie's peripheral, but Scary stomps it out in a second.

"You're okay, just keep breathing," Hermie hums in that same unfamiliar softness, bringing their free hand to take Taylor's other hand away from his neck. With the sharpness of his nails right now, it's no surprise when Hermie feels a little blood trickling down the back of his neck—they'll handle that later.

The hand wraps around and claws at their back, hugging Hermie tight and quite possibly staining their costume with blood.

If this weren't Halloween, there'd surely be even more panic in this yard from the unwanted witnesses.

"You're safe," Hermie says, though the increasing noise of worried adults makes them cringe. The relief came too soon, it seems.

"We've got it under control," Scary tells them, "Just—give us space. Now ."

Her voice is cutting and harsh, and the concerned chatter dies down immediately. Taylor flinches a little at the sound of her voice, and Hermie gently shushes him, running their hand along his back. 

“You’re alright, it’s okay, I’ve got you,” Hermie soothes. “Keep breathing, you’re okay…” 

Hermie keeps counting and breathing and soothing until at last, Taylor's breathing slows. His grip loosens ever so slightly, and with the pressure fading it leaves room for pain. Taylor’s got a hell of a grip, but it’s nothing Hermie can’t handle.  

"Any better?" they ask, gently carding their fingers through Taylor's… wig. Right. Hermie nearly forgot about that. 

God they hate the texture of synthetic hair. Luckily, It doesn’t seem to be doing much for Taylor either, so they lower their hand to rest it on his shoulder. 

"Uhh…mhm…" Taylor nods.

"We're gonna go back now, okay?" they say, and Taylor lifts his head the tiniest bit. His face is red and puffy beneath his running makeup, and his eyes are half lidded and teary.

"Ss.. suh…sorr…" he mumbles and scrunches his face up with a little squeak.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, it's okay, Taylor," Hermie hugs him tighter, sparing a glance to Link who's already knelt down beside them ready to pick Taylor up. "Let's go home."

"Taylor, I'm gonna pick you up, okay?" Link says, putting a hand on Taylor's back. Hermie sees his eyes widen when his gaze flickers to Taylor's neck, but he schools his expression fairly quickly.

"Mmhmm…" Taylor mumbles, pulling away from Hermie and turning to Link.

Link scoops him up, and Hermie feels a tug at their arm. They glance down and see Taylor's tail wrapped around their wrist.

Well. They suppose they'll be attached to Taylor the whole way home then. At least they have enough wiggle room to retrieve Taylor’s cane. 

Taylor curls up in Link's arms, pressing his face into Link's chest and whining quietly. Hermie follows close behind, closer than they would if they had their choice of position. As if their proximity to Link wasn’t enough, Normal squeezes in next to their other side, placing a hand on their shoulder.

“Hey— um, are you okay?” Normal asks quietly, leaned in close enough that Hermie can feel his breath on their ear. 

“What? Of course,” Hermie says. 

“There’s blood…”

“Not mine,” Hermie scoffs, even if they’re not entirely sure whether or not that’s the truth. Taylor had one hell of a grip on them. 

“Oh… then Taylor…?”

“I’ve got him,” Link cuts in, a soft murmur half-buried in Taylor’s hair. Taylor hums an agreement. 

“Okay! Good! Good…” Normal trails off, brows furrowed. 

Hermie glances at him, and it’s immediately obvious what’s bothering him; he didn’t end up helping at all. In fact, he was only making things worse until Link intercepted him. The part of Hermie that’s still all mushy from their comforting role wants to offer Normal some sort of reassurance, but they bite it back.  

“You were… that was nice. What you did. With Taylor,” Normal says, running his hand along the back of his neck. 

“Especially after you said you wouldn’t care if he worked himself up into a panic attack,” Scary mumbles. 

“Shut up,” Hermie snips half heartedly, glancing at Taylor. Taylor doesn’t seem to have heard her, which is relief. 

Most of the walk home is spent in silence, only occasionally interrupted by Taylor’s soft whines and Link’s soothing hums. Normal and Scary trail behind the three of them, exchanging hushed words that Hermie doesn’t care to make sense of.  

Once they reach the front porch, Taylor's tail unwraps from Hermie's wrist in favour of Link's leg, so Hermie doesn't have much trouble fishing the house key out of their pocket and unlocking the door. They swing it open, bowing with a wide sweeping motion towards the open doorway. 

“Thanks,” Link says softly, meeting Hermie’s eye when they look up. They can tell he’s talking about more than just the door. Theatrics unacknowledged and under-appreciated as usual, Hermie straightens up. 

“Whatever,” they say, with a shrug. Link nods, and carries Taylor inside.

"Are your pyjamas in your room?" Hermie hears Link ask, and the rest of their conversation is too distant to make out.

Scary follows, glaring over her shoulder like she’s worried a mob of concerned parents are going to follow them in. Luckily, none of the thinning crowd of parents and trick-or-treaters seem to care about them at all. Normal trails after her, meeting Hermie’s eyes for a brief moment and offering them a shy smile. Hermie rolls their eyes and shuts the door behind them. 

Link has disappeared upstairs with Taylor, with Normal and Scary left lingering in the living area. Hermie brushes past them into the kitchen, retrieving a pot from the cupboard and a jug of apple cider from the fridge. They quickly scan the label to double (triple) check for any allergens or anything else against the dietary restrictions of the group, but nothing has shown up since the last time they checked. 

“Normal,” they call, and they barely have to raise their voice before Normal is all-but-sprinting into the kitchen.

“Hey Hermie, what’s up?”

They pour the cider into the pot and place it on the stove, cranking up the heat. 

“Make sure this doesn’t explode while I get changed,” Hermie instructs, and they don’t elaborate before leaving the kitchen for their room.

“Yeah! Yeah, I can definitely do that!” Normal calls, and then quieter, “um, Scary?”

“It’s apple cider, doofus, it’s not gonna explode,” Scary says as Hermie heads upstairs. “Hermie was just trying to make you feel…”

And Hermie does not hear the conclusion of that sentence before they slam their door shut. That’s for the best, they decide; they don’t need to hear Scary dissect their character motivations. 

Because there weren’t any motivations beyond ‘I don’t want to burn the house down right now and I always exercise utmost kitchen safety’. 

It had nothing to do with giving Normal a task so he wouldn’t feel so useless. He was useless and Hermie couldn’t care less about how he felt. 

Whatever. Hermie strips out of their costume and their horns and tail fall back into place. Taylor’s claws have left crescent-moon cuts along the back of their hand, but they’re hardly even bleeding, so Hermie licks away the blood and calls it there. They change into their pyjamas, and keep an ear out for Link and Taylor leaving the other room before sneaking in and depositing Taylor’s cane on the hook beside his bed. They figure they’ll probably sleep in the basement tonight anyways, and if absolutely necessary Hermie can run back upstairs to retrieve it themself. 

Hermie allows themself a brief moment of peace backstage. God , they’re tired. They hadn’t realised until they had taken their bow. Almost every part of them is pulling them back towards their room, to lay down in bed and never interact with anyone ever again, but somehow, the voice of Normal calling them from downstairs is louder. 

They take a deep breath, and return to the stage. 

“What is it, Normal?” Hermie asks as they descend the stairs. 

“Um, is it supposed to be boiling?” Normal asks, pointing at the pot. Scary is conspicuously absent. 

“No, not really,” Hermie sighs, picking up the pace a bit. “Did you turn up the heat?”

“Um… n— yeah… I did,” Normal admits, and when Hermie doesn’t immediately respond, he continues. “It just— it wasn’t getting hot!”

“Because it’s a lot of liquid, it’ll take time for it all to heat up!” Hermie nudges Normal out of the way as they turn the heat off. “Go get a hot pad, they’re over in the drawer by the oven.”

Normal dutifully retrieves a hot pad, and places it on the counter by the stove. Hermie brings the sleeve of their pyjama shirt up over their hand to lift the pot and place it on the hot pad. Now that there’s no risk of it boiling over, Hermie breathes out a sigh and starts retrieving the necessary mugs from the cabinet.

“So… um… you said that that had happened before?” Normal says, quiet and cautious as if he thinks that speaking too loudly of it will make it happen again. 

“I was talking about the other thing,” Hermie denies without even thinking about it. 

“… no you weren’t,” Normal says slowly. “You said yes to my first question and no to the second one. And besides, you were… you were really good with him, like you knew what to do!”

“I’m fantastic at all theatrical arts, including improv.” 

“Hermie!” Normal snaps. “I'm worried, so can you stop being all— like that and just give it to me straight?”

“Doing things straight isn’t really my area of expertise,” Hermie quips, because Normal really walked right into that one. 

“Hermie!”

“Fine, god, yes, Taylor has had a panic attack before!” Hermie sighs, aggravated. “Despite what you seem to like to think, you’re not the only one who was traumatised by all that shit!” 

“I don’t—“ Normal shouts, before lowering his voice. “I don’t think that!”

“You thought it all just bounced off him, didn’t you? You all did.”

“Well, can you blame me?”

Hermie could. They were pretty damn good at blaming people for all sorts of things that weren’t actually their fault, but… god, they really just don’t have the energy. 

“I guess not,” Hermie sighs. “He’s a pretty good actor if you don’t know his tells.” 

“And you do…” Normal trails off. 

“Of course I do,” Hermie agrees. “Like recognizes like, and I live with the guy.” 

“Right, that makes sense…” Normal is quiet for a few moments while Hermie sets up the mugs across the counter and starts dividing the cider between them. 

“Do you think— like, is he okay? Just in general?”

“Are any of us?” Hermie shrugs, and Normal chuckles sadly.

“I guess that’s a good point…” Normal agrees. “… are you doing okay? As okay as any of us could be doing, I mean. Cm You never really respond to my texts, and I ask Taylor, but...”

“Unreliable narrator,” Hermie agrees, filling in the blanks. They do not continue. 

“Yeah… so…?”

“So what?”

“Hermie! Come on!”

Hermie laughs tiredly, “does it matter?” 

“Of course it does, Hermie! I’m worried about you!”

“Don’t be,” Hermie snaps, but there’s no real fire behind it. “I’m alive, despite my own and the universe’s best efforts.”

“You make it really hard not to be worried about you when you say stuff like that!” Normal says, taking a step towards Hermie. Hermie cuts him off by shoving a mug of cider into his hands. 

“Everyone else has managed. All of this,” Hermie gestures at themself, “is self contained. If you don’t like the performance, the exit is to your left.”

“I… jeez, Hermie—“ 

“Come on,” Hermie says, shoving another couple of mugs into his hands. Normal takes them, but the worried expression doesn’t leave his face. Hermie ignores it, and leads the way down to the basement. 

Link has already settled into place in the middle of the couch, with Taylor half on his lap and curled up against him. They're both in pyjamas, but Taylor's still got a full face of tear-smudged makeup on. Hermie sighs and rolls their eyes, setting down the mugs on the table. With their hands free, they unzip Taylor's go-bag and fish through it. Vaguely they register the noise of Scary descending the stairs to join them, but Hermie ignores it. 

They find the makeup wipes without much issue, pull a few out of the pack, sit beside Taylor and try to lift him up from where he's lying in Link's lap.

Taylor whines and turns away from Hermie, burying his face in Link's pyjama pants. Hermie thinks they can hear a small and muffled "nooo."

"Let me take your makeup off. Then you can lie back down without it getting everywhere."

Taylor whines again, and Link assists Hermie by gently lifting him up and tilting him toward them.

They take his glasses off and Link holds onto them, and then they wipe the makeup off as gently as possible while still getting all of it off. It's not unlike Taylor to forget or forgo this step when he's too drained or achey—at least he didn't leave his contacts in. Hermie probably has Link to thank for that. 

Taylor's face scrunches up as Hermie wipes the makeup off. Probably because the wipes are cold and wet and not the most comfortable thing when you're warm and cozy, but it's better than staining everything and fucking up your skin. Not that Hermie would care about the last part in particular, but still. 

“There you go,” Hermie mumbles as they wipe off the last of it. 

They bump their head gently against Taylor’s before pulling back… or at least attempting to. While Hermie was distracted, Taylor’s tail returned to its position around their wrist. 

“My spot is over there,” Hermie whines, tugging gently at Taylor’s tail but not making any real attempt to pull free. As they glance mournfully at their spot, they realise Scary and Normal are staring at them, looking two parts confused and one part surprised. Normal’s face flushes when they meet his eyes, and Hermie quickly looks away. 

Taylor whines something along the lines of ‘punishment for getting my face wet when I was comfy’, but none of it is actually words. Unwilling to make a further scene of it, they sigh and settle down beside Taylor, letting him bury his feet beneath their thighs. 

Normal and Scary linger in front of the couch for a while, before Scary elbows Normal and moves over to sit on Link’s other side, which leaves Normal to squeeze in between Hermie and the armrest. He’s being very careful not to touch them, and Hermie stretches just a bit to knock their legs together. His tension was palpable, and Hermie is very glad to feel it loosen as soon as they make contact. 

For their own sake, of course.

“Oh!” Link says softly from Hermie’s other side. “Do you have any more makeup wipes?” 

Hermie produces the last one from their pocket, and holds it out for Link. 

“You sure you don’t want me to do it?” Hermie teases, and Link immediately grimaces as he takes the wipe. 

“Yeah, no, I’m good. That’s weird.”

Hermie snorts and leaves it there. They retrieve the remote from its place on the back of the couch. Usually, they’d hand it to Taylor and let him take over, but considering the way he’s still barely even looking at the screen, he doesn’t really seem up to it. 

“Any suggestions?” Hermie says as they turn on the TV. Everyone replies with a chorus of vague, noncommittal mumbles. “Great.”

They open up Netflix and scroll through the list they prepared for the night, but most of their selections are actual horror movies, which don’t seem appropriate after the night’s events. Once they eliminate anything actually scary, they don’t have too much left to choose from, but The Nightmare Before Christmas seems like a safe bet. Hermie isn’t entirely sure if Taylor had inherited his father and sort-of-grandfather’s Christmas spirit, but it’s a fun movie either way. Nobody complains when they select it, so they hit play and settle in. 

The movie plays with little chatter from everyone. Taylor is curled up against Link's chest, and Hermie thinks he might be asleep.

But then they hear his breath hitch, and they look over immediately to see Link shifting Taylor to face him rather than stay buried in his pyjama shirt.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asks softly, bringing his thumb to wipe a tear off Taylor's cheek.

"'M sorry…" Taylor mumbles to Link.

"For what?"

As an answer, Taylor only whines, and his breathing picks up again, and more tears start sliding down his cheeks.

Scary's torn her gaze from the TV, and she's got it locked on Link hugging Taylor—the sympathy in her eyes is something Hermie's only caught glimpses of before.

Normal is looking directly at Hermie, concerned and expectant. They don’t love being relied upon, but at least it’s better than Normal rushing in himself and overwhelming Taylor again. They hold up a hand in a stay there gesture, before returning their attention to Taylor. 

Link is shushing and soothing Taylor as his sobs get louder, with one hand on his back and another in his hair, and Taylor mumbles something into his chest that's barely coherent, but Hermie pieces it together.

"...ruined Halloween…" he slurred between sobs.

So that's what he's sorry for.

Link's mouth is slightly agape, and judging by the look on his face, Hermie is almost certain he has no idea what Taylor just said.

"You didn't ruin Halloween," Hermie reassures, hoping they sound more sympathetic than exhausted. They certainly feel exhausted. 

Link glances up at Hermie, apparently surprised by their translation, before he nods quickly and squeezes Taylor gently. 

“Yeah! It’s fine! It may not have gone super great, but you still gave me the chance to go trick-or-treating!”

“‘s even worse!” Taylor sobs. “It was your first and maybe only time trick-or-treating and it was awful!” 

“I wouldn’t have done it at all if not for you!” Link tries, sending Hermie a frantic look.

Hermie grimaces, but leans over to press their side against Taylor’s. It also means they’re snuggled up against Link’s arms, which Hermie is sure both of them could do without, but for now they’re willing to call truce for the sake of Taylor. 

“Exactly. Besides, it’s not like you went out there with the intention of…” having a severe panic attack and almost starting a small suburban lawn fire, “all that. It’s not your fault.” 

“‘s stupid,” Taylor sniffles, tugging Hermie a bit closer with his tail. There’s not much force behind it, but Hermie takes the hint and turns towards Taylor, wrapping him fully in a hug. 

“No it’s not,” Link says.

“Hey, maybe, but the world's stupid and things happen,” Hermie says at the same time. 

“I shouldn’t have…” Taylor mumbles, weak and muffled. 

“None of us should have,” Hermie agrees, and hopes Taylor can make sense of the implication. 

Of course Taylor shouldn’t have had a panic attack over a series of cheap Halloween decorations, but he did, and it was the result of some eldritch generational trauma that none of them ever should have had to deal with in the first place. 

Taylor mumbles noncommittally, snuggling further into Link and Hermie’s embrace. Hermie settles more comfortably against the two of them, resigning themself to staying there for the rest of the night, potentially. 

After the first movie reaches its conclusion, Scary has leaned against Link’s other arm. It isn’t until Hermie is half asleep an hour or two later that Normal finally works up the courage to cuddle in against them. Despite how tempted they are to tease, Taylor’s breathing has finally steadied out beneath them and they aren’t about to risk waking him. They keep their eyes shut, and adjust their own position so Normal can fit more comfortably against them. 

They’re all bound to wake up sore and awkward tomorrow morning, but for now they’re cosy and comfortable, so Hermie, at least, is content to leave that problem for tomorrow.

[thethistlegirlwrites]

You Only Live Twice

Emma tries not to look too closely at the deep gash in her forearm as she unwinds the bandage around it.

It’s nothing. She’s had worse.

She’s had worse enough times, as a hunter, to know when it’s getting infected.

It’s not bad enough for blood.

She washes it out, smears on the expired but probably still viable antiseptic cream, wraps a fresh bandage around it, then rifles through the clothes hanging from the exposed pipe that doubles as a sort of makeshift closet for a long-sleeved dress that isn’t one of the ones she’s worn the past three days. 

She’s not going to give anyone anything to talk about. She can’t afford to.

She’s only had this club eight months. Any sign of weakness, any misstep, could land her in the same position as its former owner.

So could the hunter who shows up less than half an hour after opening.

He stands out in the crowd, between the silver-laced bullwhip coiled on his hip, the massive knife sheath hanging from his belt, and the vivid crimson scars on his neck. She descends the stairs from the balcony where she’s been keeping an eye on the club business (she usually mingles more, but last night someone brushed against her arm, and she hissed, and despite being able to pass it off as being insulted at the lack of apology given on her own turf, she doesn’t want to make it a habit).

By the time she reaches the main floor, the hunter in question is sitting at the bar. He’s got a glass in front of him, but he’s not actually drinking it. A trick she’s seen him use a hundred times. Makes him a customer, so the owner can’t ask him to actually order something or leave, but he won’t get in trouble for drinking on the job.

“Stoker.”

“Heard you were moving up in the world. The industrial grunge vibe is kind of cutting-edge fashion for an upscale place. Missing that warehouse you used to party in already? Myself, I’d get some steer horns on the wall, a little space in the middle of the floor for some line dancing, and a couple vintage Eastwood western posters on the walls, but that’s just me.” 

“I didn’t ask for an interior decoration consultation.”

“You sure? I think “A Fistful of Dollars” would look perfect over that corner table.”

Coven rivalry heating up due to outside agitation. And at least one of the vamps at that table is an instigator. She has to admit, she wasn’t a fan of his classic western team bonding movie nights, but it did offer them a whole coded language to use in the field. 

Apparently, he still thinks they’re some sort of team.

But she’s on a coven borderline, and if someone ties the vamps stirring up trouble to her bar, she’ll have a lot more to worry about than a wound that won’t heal and being seen talking to a hunter. 

“I never was much of a fan of that movie. Out of town gunslingers shouldn’t be poking their noses in a town’s affairs.”

She’ll take care of the problem. Which she’s pretty sure Stoker knew would happen. He’s not appealing to a sense of justice the human Emma used to have. He’s appealing to her new nature’s self preservation instincts. 

He’s always been smarter than he looks. 

She moves to get up, but he catches her wrist, just below the bandage on her arm.

She bares her teeth.

“I’d like to see the upstairs too. Might have some pointers for that.”

There’s plenty up there for a hunter to object to. Private soundproofed rooms for parties. Emma’s put her foot down hard on any hosting happening here, and all her employees are people she trusts to do the same, but the simple fact that she left those rooms in this building could be cause for a conscientious hunter to run her in to the agency. 

“I can ask, or I can come back with justifiable cause. We’ve raided this place back when it was Corbin’s. He had host parties going on on the balcony level. Looks to me like you’ve still got doors closed up there.”

“I’ve got nothing to hide.”

“I think you do.”

He’s not looking at the doors.

He’s looking at her cheek.

Damn that tic. She chews the inside of her cheek when she’s in pain, and it makes a dimple-like divot. He’d learned a long time ago to recognize that for what it was, around the same time he benched her for a busted ankle she was insisting was a sprain. 

Apparently, some of her human habits carried over into this version.

“Fine. I’ll let you put your mind at ease so my customers don’t need to be subjected to a raid team over nothing.” She makes him go first up the stairs. No matter how much they used to trust each other, no one with a stake is getting behind her in her blind spot.

“I’m going to need to inspect each of these rooms for any residual blood,” John says, pulling a spectrum light from his pocket. Emma steps back from the glow. UV is unpleasant to be around at the best of times. It’s making her genuinely nauseous right now. 

Checking the smaller rooms, which she’s now using mostly as storage space, takes very little time. But the big room, the one she still actually does rent out to vamps who want a little more exclusivity than mingling on the first floor, is going to take a little longer.

John steps inside, then motions to her to join him and close the door.

She does, and the thumping bass from downstairs dies off. It’s nothing more than a heartbeat in here, a faint echo of the one she can hear from her former partner’s chest.

“Show me.”

“I don’t answer to you anymore.”

“I know that.”

She shakes her head but rolls up her sleeve. The bandage is starting to turn brown and yellow. 

“Some scumbag objected to being thrown out for harassing my bartender. I’ve had worse.”

“You’ve had worse as a human. Have you been hurt as a vampire before?”

“How do you think I got this place? That Corbin just walked away?”

“Heard about a raid on a blood bank two days before you took over. Whoever pulled it off got away clean. Took only one bag of the most common types, left anything rare and the universal donor.” He frowns. “Almost like they were minimizing the damage they did. Even left just enough evidence to point out the flaw in security where they got in, but not enough to be IDed.”

“I’ve heard you talk confessions out of people too many times, Stoker.”

“Not my point. My point is, you had blood. That’s why you healed. Your body isn’t going to put itself back together on its own anymore. You’re a dead woman walking, Em.” He looks at her arm. “Dead bodies don’t have an immune system. They decay.”

“So what is this? Tricking me into doing something you can run me in for? If you can prove I’m drinking human blood, it’s at best six months in your holding cells detoxing. No way I keep the club if I’m away from it that long.”

“No way you keep it if you go into a coma while some bacteria eats away at your corpse either.”

He’s got a point, as much as she hates it.

“I told you. I don’t drink human blood anymore.”

“And I don’t smoke anymore. But if an undercover calls for it, I’m gonna light up a cigarette.”

“That’s different.”

“Maintaining a cover keeps me alive. Drinking a little genuine blood is going to do the same for you. If you don’t, I guarantee you, within a day or two you won’t be able to get out of your coffin. Infections spread a lot faster in a body that can’t fight them.”

She’d seen the burgundy streaks running up and down her arm away from the wound, as much as she’d tried to ignore them.

“Thanks for the advice. You’ve given it. Now get the hell out of my club.”

“You’re stubborn enough not to take it.” Stoker reaches for his knife. She tenses, until he shrugs the shoulder of his leather jacket down his other arm and then makes a neat slice along the inside of his forearm.

Blood wells up, bright, tangy, tempting. Overpowering.

“Well, you better do something, or this is going to get all over the floor and my spectrum light is gonna turn it into a Christmas tree.”

“Blackmailer.”

“Mule-headed idiot.”

She missed that insult.

She dives forward and catches the first falling drop of blood in her palm a fraction of a second before it hits the ground.

She keeps her hands cupped below his arm as she cleans up the overflow of blood, but in moments it’s a manageable trickle. She can feel her arm putting itself back together, an agonizing ache somewhere between being burned and having glass shards pulled out of her skin one at a time, but she can also feel her body forcing out the infection.

She hadn’t realized how awful she was feeling until she isn’t anymore.

A hand holding a white sterile compress slips between her tongue and his skin, and she almost snarls and bites down on it, but she forces herself back with all her re-acquired strength. 

She’s left enough indelible marks on Stoker’s skin.

“That should hold you. You’ll get a delivery tomorrow night. A little congratulations on the new place gift from an old friend. Make sure to chill it well, it’s best served that way.”

When they leave the room together, it looks like the whole club is holding the collective breath most of them no longer actually need to take. And when Stoker opens the door, then turns to yell back, “You got away with it this time, Cole, but someday, we’re going to nail you, mark my word,” before vanishing into the night, there’s a moment’s silence and then a collective cheer.

Emma descends the stairs with her accustomed grace, simply nodding at the congratulations on surviving her first surprise inspection by hunters.

“I have nothing to hide,” she says to those who ask what cleaning service she’s getting in.

It’s true until the next night, five minutes before opening, when an unmarked van parks at the back door and rings the delivery bell. 

Carlos has to call Emma back personally to sign for the damn thing. Someone sent it certified delivery.

She waits until the club opens and her staff are busy filling orders and watching the crowd before she opens it in the privacy of her personal office.

Inside is a cold-storage pack, and inside that are two bags of shelf-stabilized blood, stamped with the O- type marker and a string of ID numbers. 

SJ 79110806007.

Only John Stoker would have been issued a double-oh-seven ID number by sheer luck of the draw.

Next time he shows up, she’s going to have a poster of “You Only Live Twice” hanging over the end of the bar.

It’ll clash with the aesthetic a little, but the sentiment fits just fine.

(You can read this story and others from this universe on my WorldAnvil here!)

@catwingsathena @nade2308 @the-one-and-only-valkyrie @telltaleclerk @ettawritesnstudies  @writeouswriter

[katyon2020]

‼️‼️TW: Mentions of suicide, gaslighting and rat monching; and discussions of toxic love styles, financial abuse, desperation and codependency ‼️‼️

In my opinion, when you look past the shock imagery, the second MV mostly just confirmed the theory most people had about Mahiru.

She was a college student who fell in love with another man, but her love style was horribly toxic and she eventually drove him to suicide. Doesn't change my previous verdict on her at all apart from Kotoko being fucking insane. However, there was a single lyric that was already ticking me off even before the premier and now that we have the context, gives off some veeery uncomfortable implications about a character that's supposed to be a ''bubbly, air head''..........

''Clothes Food Shelter+Love and miss you''

See, before the premier me and bunch of other people theorised that this was implying she was financially dependent on her bf except there were a few problems with this theory, Mahiru does not seem financially bad off. In the 1st MV there is ZERO indications that she has to at least work her ass off to make ends meet, it wouldn't explain giant wardrobe of cute outfits she sporta in the 1st MV that COULDN'T have been cheap, hell, I think she even admits her parents already regularly send her money at one point! There's no reason for you to be sent money from your and not be able support yourself. These two statements are straight up contradictory. There's something else going in here.

And now that the MV is out we see that this line is sung alongside ''My lethal weapon: ''This is how to be in love with you'''' which wss basically a song about how yes her behaviour is over-bearing and stressful but it okay cause that's how ''love'' works. (Essentially admitting it was almost a gaslight song for him) And you have a concept that paints Mahiru in a really ugly light.

The bf was the financially dependent one and Mahiru was using that as one of the ways to keep him metaphorically chained to her.

And it makes sense when you take in other clues:

Firstly, like I mentioned the 1st MV shows off Mahiru in a variety of fashionable outfits that would not make sense for someone who is supposed to be financially struggling. Compare that to the bf who not only has ONE SINGULAR outfit throughout the entire thing but it looks rugged and dirty and something that would not look out of place if you WERE told he was homeless. And if you think that's me overthinking things, in-universe these MVs are extracted from their BRAINS and we already know what a giant fashionista Mahiru is, clothes are obviously going to be something that matter a lot to her!

Second, in the 1st MV, it's mentioned that they went camping at one point, what if they got lost at one point? This would explain the infamous rat scene 🐀as it would have served as the only food and it brings a whole new angle to that scene as I think I can safely assume the bf would refuse to eat a fucking rat under normal circumstances and only did it out of desperation. Which would explain their dynamic perfectly: Mahiru thinks she is feeding him to true love while he only accepts it out of desperation.

So yeah, I am sincerely sorry to all the mappi apologists as I painted your best girl in a really bad light but seriously, I want to present my speculations and let the fandom make up its own damn mind.

[gaykarstaagforever]

The 1990s comics "Rob Liefeld Revolution", along with the speculation boom that created AND immediately destroyed it, produced a lot of poorly-aged comic book jank. We know this.

What many of us do not know is that it also inspired a similar sea-change in that market that is always eager to rip off whatever is currently making the most money: Christian book stores.

Which brings us to Eternal Studios 1993 Archangels: The Saga.

(Just a note: this ENTIRE book is printed on slippy magazine-cover paper. I took these pictures in a room barely lit by a distant lightbulb and STILL couldn't get rid of the glare. Never before have I worked so hard on something so utterly pointless, and I post comics content on Tumblr dot com. God bless my phone for doing its best to make any of these even bearable.)

This "saga" apparently lastest exactly 9 issues, before the company, Eternal Studios of Houston, Texas (because of course) went bust. Or so I assume. I haven't found any information on them online, and I Googled for way longer than I'm willing to admit.

Archangels: The Short Saga is the story of a group of men who are given metal armor and vague superpowers by God to fight demons, or something. This is just the first issue and I've never seen any of the others, and this is just the origin story of one of the guys, so I don't know. And I won't be finding out, because a) the Internet doesn't know what this is, and 2) any of the physical copies of these cost between $30 and $60 online. Because Evangelical Christianity is an eternal grift, ever since it was started by an unemployed man who claimed to be a wizard, but then suspiciously didn't use any of his powers to stop himself from getting tortured to death. And then his 12 unemployed friends decided they REALLY didn't want to go back to work.

This comic fits well into the religion invented by those people, in that whatever their God is doing here, it doesn't make a lot of sense. He already has an army of angels who battle demons. Why does He need to empower human men to do it, too?

The art here is...well. Given the era, it is fine. It is a step above the typical Liefeld, in that basic human anatomy is understood and replicated. The most distracting thing is the mid-90s digital coloring, which absolutely loves that lensflare.

See?

Also, and I want to be clear here, "good" and "bad" assessments of art are, to me, vaguely technical determinations. Like, art can be good, but a book can still be stupid and boring. Conversely, art can be bad, but can still be used in a way that is rad as hell:

And if the 90s - in comics, and in general - are notable for one thing besides Nirvana and Friends, it is how radical to the MAX everything was. We were not doing subtle nuance in 1993.

I got this book as a gift in like 1997 (it is a 1996 "second printing"), and I loved these splash pages. I was about 5 years into comics at that point, but with limited access in my area and under the yoke of the Assemblies of God church, so this was edgy and cool to me at 15. I had many bad Christian comics at that time, and this wasn't one of them. So kudos on that...?

It isn't even badly written. It is vaguely preachy, but specifically about how drunk driving is bad, and I'm not about to argue that point, even if you're only saying that because JESUS.

The blue-and-orange metal suit man from the above screamy splash page becomes that because he is the shotgun passenger in this car (I think). He gets killed in this crash, and the Angel of Death harvests all the souls except his, because God needs him to be Metal Angel Superman. Because of...protests? And gang crime?

Evangelical Christians who live in the suburbs conceive of evil as exactly two things, icky hippie protests and urban gang violence. This was true in 1993, and is true now.

They also only know about "wild parties" from tracts Jack Chick published in the 1960s. Note how these cool 90s young people are smoking cigars and drinking brandy from Old Fashioned glasses.

Overall, as an intro to a series, this is fine. Weird metal He-Men are fighting the Devil in the name of God, and there have certainly been worse ideas, and worse introductions to them. But it also hardly encourages anyone to want more of whatever this is. Like, it's an American Evangelical Christian comic: even if there ARE any fight scenes, everything will end with some speech about how Jesus is better than pills and gangs, and some brawny white man in a polo shirt will do the Sinner's Prayer, then probably marry his best (blonde) girl. They all have one note, even if they're playing that note during the heady days of the 90s comics wasteland.

There is exactly one short video on YouTube about this book, and the guy is way too generous. Have you ever read this? Are you, along with me and that guy, one of the 10 people who remember this comic?

Those ten people include the three guys who made it.

God, that fucking slippy paper.

Paying premium prices for this shit is probably why they went bust.

[pyr0man1c]

I need to keep ranting about obey me characters and if they’d like ASOUE.

The original Satan and Barbatos one here

There will be spoilers for A series of unfortunate events!!

In order:

Lucifer wouldn’t particularly enjoy it but he can recognize the story, plot, and style and if he enjoys anything in it. Probably likes the dark academia look of the series.

I feel like his favorite character would be Lemony Snicket, Lucifer likes the tone and scene Lemony sets, his words, and also how he’s constantly telling the watcher to “look away” from the tragic tale and find something better and more enjoyable.

Mammon would really like it, not that he thinks it’s bad just that it’s not his thing. If he had to say something he likes it would probably be how rich the Squalors are how the plot is well written and shows characters and how they grow(I would say “development” but mammon doesn’t know that word yet)

Mammon would say his favorite character is Sir(form the Miserable Mill episode) but it’s actually something like Jerome, or Jacque.

Jerome not only the riches but also how he stood up against someone he loved (Esme) for some kids he barely knew and because he didn’t want to take her manipulation anymore, he likes the bravery and selflessness he had.

Jacque because Mammon just likes Jacques personality (and how he practically insulted a child) and got killed trying to save the Quagmire triplets and Baudelaire’s.

It’s not Levi’s his thing, he prefers his anime and not “normie shows”. (😔) he would probably hear about the mystery in it and be like,

“Omg!!! Reminds me of [insert very long obscure mystery anime name]”

At least he has something to enjoy with that..ig???

I honestly think Levi like Montgomery Montgomery. The guys has hundreds of REPTILES. Who would love that?? LEVI. THE SNAKE DUDE!!!

I feel like Monty’s energy and how uplifting he is would completely mild out Levi’s insecure and self destructive energy. (They’re both too focused on reptiles to care about feeling bad)

I already covered Satan but I have something else, I link my first one!

I already said Satan would like Klaus..but I also think he’d like Olivia Caliban. She’s a librarian, smart, makes literary references, he’d love her character, so much!!

Speaking about personality wise, she likes how she sacrificed herself to be eaten by fucking lions. LIONS. SHES A FUCKING BADASS.

(He’d probably like the quagmires too, went fucking crazy when they revealed Quigley was still alive)

He was so invested when she and Jacque started having romance and absolutely heartbroken when he died.

Asmo would find it too sad, he can’t ruin his perfect makeup!! (Also it’s just tragic) He wouldn’t really enjoy it the style is too dark, at least some of them have good fashion sense he can admit that.

Hands down..Asmo would like Esme. Not because of her actions against the Baudelaire’s that’s just bad, he likes her fashion and obsession with looks, he’d watch it and be like “this isn’t..omg, girl slay haha babe that’s so pretty” He understands the “pinstripes are in, and those nasty outfits you’re wearing? Are out.” “you’re so right girl”

I feel like he’d hate Carmelita because she’s just a bitch.

Beelzebub is probably mixed, he doesn’t hate it but he doesn’t necessarily like it, I’m having a hard time here okay

This one is easy, his favorite character is Larry your Waiter. Duh, the guy is a waiter and can make some bomb ass root beer floats I mean did you SEE the root beer floats in that one episode??? Fucking delicious.

Belphegor could care less, yeah it’s cool but I wanna go to bed?? He’d watch it if he had too and wouldn’t complain at least it’s kinda cool.

I cant think of anyone he’d like, he’s probably jealous of that scene of Jerome just fucking conked out on the couch tho.

Diavolo thinks it’s interesting, he’d find it sad but thinks it’s very good and well written, would watch if he felt like it.

His favorite would probably be Justice Strauss, her energy matches his, energetic and caring, 10/10.

Or Charles and Phil from the lucky smells lucky mill.

Barbatos i already talked about with Satan

I honestly think Simeon would be interested and I think he’d like it, despite the tragedy its well written and interesting, he’d watch it.

His favorites would probably be Strauss and Monty, they’re both just so caring, kind, and comforting! (Monty’s cake also looked delicious as hell he wants it)

I feel like he’d like the Baudelaire’s and Quagmires too, all of them, their so devoted, forgiving and caring he thinks their such good kids.

I think Luke wouldn’t be allowed to watch it, Simeon doesn’t really want him to, Luke was upset until Solomon was like “okay watch it then” and Luke was so sad after like..Solomon..wtf..☹️

Luke likes the beginning of the reptile room with meeting Monty that was very nice, and when the Baudelaire’s met Strauss. Happy moments guys happy moments..

If Luke had favorites it would be Sunny and Strauss, Sunny is into cooking and baking and he is too, he also loves Strauss motherly energy, very nice.

He had nightmares of Count Olaf for a week.

Solomon feeds off the tragedy..he loves it..so why wouldn’t he love this sad story. Him and Satan agree it’s a great series, 10/10.

His favorites are any character who is fucking psycho Monty and Olivia, he likes the reef he Monty does, I mean, Solomon is a sorcerer who likes research, he likes Monty. He likes Olivia’s book smarts and how she can just be like “oh you need a book on [very specific weird thing]? I got it.”

Bonus!

All of them agree that the Baudelaire’s and Quagmire tripletes, they’re respectful, kind, caring, smart, and overall good kids.

End notes

Guys mid way through this I found out that Sir and Charles are a gay couple, and then Charles was with fucking Jerome my suspicion was true.(now I remember it being hinted but omg)

This was meant to be more serious and it was in the beginning with Lucifer and Mammon but it devolved into my rambling, I’m sorry for that😭

If it looks like I favored Mammon with how long his is I don’t, I just had a lot more for him because his felt easier and I wanted to get that out.

There are character in ASOUE I wish I included but I haven’t watched the series for a bit so either:

I don’t remember the characters.

I don’t remember/know enough about them.

[silkythewriter]

Match up for Black Butler and/or Sally face?

Im nonbinary (masc, he/they) and pan, 5'1 ginger with a really bad buzzcut. I mostly wear baggy clothes and hoodies but like to dress formally every now and then. My main intrests consist of reading, collecting stuff and drawing. Sometimes I get to engaged in my art and end up staying up really late and sitting at the same spot for like 2+ hours. I can tend to be really stubborn and hate admitting that other people are right. Im mostly anti-social when with strangers and have a hard time talking to others , but when im with friends im complely different and basicly the weird energetic one in the friend group. I'm really bad at dealing with stress and dark thoughts. My love language is gift giving and I tend to go all out for gifts for my loved ones. I prefer compliments and words of assurance over gifts.

I hope that was okay!! It's like 3 in the morning and im really bad at writing so theres probably a few spelling errors and thing that dont make sense ;-;

Summary: match up for black butler and sally face!! :D.

Small warning!: AHHH TYSMM this is gonna be my second match up and as you’ve seen I’m not the greatest but not the worst at them so I hope you enjoy!

Small note!: I do art aswell!!! I enjoy it but only as a hobby cause I know how difficult it is, I love drawing random characters for fun! That’s all i wanted to say! I hope you Enjoy

Fandom!: Black butler/sally face

Daily song suggestion!:

Black butler: you got

Grelle!

Your guy’s personality is very…. Different to say the least, ovo💧But somehow complete each other in a way!

They love when your in the mood to dress formally! And trust me they go all out, they probably have a walk-in closet of sorts so definitely has a whole section for you! They just find you so breathtaking and absolutely loves fashioning you up! <3

Considering that they are roughly around 5’9 or 5’8 makes them taller then you, they love Tessin about the height difference but it’s all for just laughs and giggles, if they do end hurting your feelings by accident though they would think they’ve committed the worst act possible so expect a lot of apologizes and big acts of service like cooking you meal!(if they don’t end up burning the whole place down💧 (*-3-*)

Once they figure out you do art they’ll literally beg for you to draw them, like they’ll keep asking to you cave and do it and inc you do they’ll make sure to keep it with them forever, probably carry’s it around in their wallet or pocket! Someone times they just randomly takes it out and stares at it is it weird? A bit but you’ll have to get use to it because they do it a lot 🤷‍♀️

They hate admitting that their in the wrong and are quite stubborn themselves so trust me when you guys get into fights it takes a bit for someone to say sorry, you’ll be the one that’ll mostly have to do it though cause trust me they can hold a grudge

On another note though! Whenever someone tries disagreeing with you or say your in the wrong wrong their all already behind you and defending you even if you the one in the wrong they’ll keep fighting with the person till they back down or leave 💀

They’re love language is mainly acts of service or physical touch but they also adores any compliments!, they basically drowns you with compliments daily all ranging form you looking absolutely ravishing today to how beautiful you draw and much more!, also they absolutely love when you buy them gifts cause you always know what they want! <3

They’ve seen how long you spend perfecting your art so sometimes they force you to take a break or get some beauty sleep with them, or sometimes they just watch you do your thing while they admire you from afar cause they genuinely think you look absolutely gorgeous when your focus they find pretty adorable to be honest,

They aren’t not the most social butterfly but definitely doesn’t mind chatting away with strangers when their in a human disguise, but they do know how uncomfortable you get sometimes so they almost always find a way or excuse to pull you away from a uncomfortable social interaction, but they absolutely love seeing you happy around your friends and how energetic you get! But they do have to admit sometimes they can get jealous by that’s besides the point ( ｰ̀εｰ́ )

Even if it does or doesn’t fit him he always steals your baggy clothes mainly shirts and hoodies, he just loves the scent they give off of you and also they’re very comfy so can’t blame them v(-ㅂ-)v they most definitely has a pile of stolen hoodies of yours that they wear when they moss you or when your gone

Extra<3: they love when you brush your Fingers through their hair or let them message your scalp, they love how close you guys have to get to do it, they just find it comforting oh! Also they are very clingy so I wish you luck with that -v-💧overall they love you and you guys go perfect with each other even if your different!

Sally face: you got

Sal!

Now he is almost exactly like you to be honest but there are some key differences!

He isn’t very social himself so he understands your pain and discomfort really, sometimes things get really awkward when he has to talk to people cause of his mask so he can understand why it’s pretty uncomfortable, he’ll try his best to help you but honestly he’d just get Larry to distract them while you guys sneak away

He has some baggy clothes but not many, but he’d gladly let you borrow them if you really wanted it, he doesn’t mind to be honest though they do probably have some soda stains and some cat hair 💀

Loves spending time with you as you worked on some art and drawing , he doesn’t mind pulling an all nighter with you! But he does force you to bed sometimes for your own heath benefit

He doesn’t mind you being stubborn and won’t force you to ambit anything but sometimes it does take him awhile to figure out how to calm Situations down whenever you get in a fight or argue with someone. He does force you to apologize sometimes so that might be a down side -v-💧

Your always invited to hang out with sal and the others but do expect a lot of teasing from them after they realized you were together. They’d always tease you both about how sal is always following you around like a shadow. He honestly doesn’t mean to he just enjoys being around you :(

He enojoys any gifts you give him or anything at all it can be a small bottle cap and he’d treat it as if it was a 10k ring so trust me anything you give to him he’d enjoy greatly, he even has a little box full of stuff you got him! He enjoys looking through it whenever you guys are together and discussing how you got it and the day you gave it cause he really treasures those moments together as cheesy as it sounds! But it’s true!

About the dark thoughts and stress he isn’t all that good either at dealing with it due to all the trauma he endured at such a young age so he understands where your coming form and understands how dark some days get, so whenever you need him to vent or just for comfort he’s there with you! Or if you just want some space for yourself he’ll make sure to check up on you but keep his distance and makes sure no one else bothers you, your very important to him so he’ll do anything to make sure your okay ˉ̞̭(′͈∨‵͈♡)˄̻ ̊

To be honest he’s not the best at giving compliments and such but he tries his best! Any art work you have digital or physical hed try complimenting it and also tries seeing if he can keep some of your old pieces of work you have cause he genuinely loves them!

After a while like I’d say 3 to 4 years of dating he’s show you his face is it a long time? Yes but please keep in mind how he views his face negatively and has some insecurity’s about it so if your patient and willing to stay around for long he’d trust you enough to show you!

Extra!: even if you don’t know how to he’ll make you do his pigtails and even if their messy he isn’t taking them off cause it’s from you! So he now enjoys it 30x more <3.

[subskz]

when you said you’d be posting part 5 shortly i wasn’t fully expecting to wake up to her. either way, i’ve read her and come with notes 😼

first, i have to begrudgingly admit, i was either tearing up or full on crying the whole time. thank you for that🤩

starting it up with a minho breakthrough moment… i love him. he’s so stupid but so minho. him admitting he was wrong, talking things out while still holding that same silly air lino always seems to have about him. i could practically hear his laugh when you wrote it in 💔🔨 he’s so beautiful. brb i need to stare at him for a second.

CHANGBIN 😭😭😭😭 💔🔨 gilc. i’ll say it til the day i die. he’s so…. 😖😖😖 this section made my tears fall fr. i understood the reader so well. i also have a tendency to assume people will react poorly/negatively to news, so i just avoid telling them altogether. pain, suffering 😪 so glad changbin reacted in his normal binnie way and brought light to the scene. i fucking love him

…………………. you know what’s next. once again, the way you write chan is fucking astounding. down to his silly little habits that make him unbelievably endearing. the sweater paws making a comeback? him rubbing his nose the same time reader tugs their ear?? they’re disgusting, i want what they have. chan hitting us with “i’m sorry” literally shut the fuck up!! fucking opened the flood gates, i didn’t stop crying for the rest of this scene. you wrote it so well. they finally had a conversation and it seems to have worked!! “five fingers, one for each of the days you’d spent apart” literally just shoot me next time 😭💔🔨

and the smut…. delicious 😛 starting it up with reader thinking about wanting to give him a bath, to wash his hair for him?? same queen, they get it. and then the body worship??!?? the PRAISE?!?!??! you really know the way to my heart. everything about this was perfect, immaculate, splendid, magnificent! when he giggled and hid behind his hands? nauseating. he’s perfect! 🤩

thank you once again for putting so much time and love into this series! you really hit it out of the park with this and it’s my new favorite ever. the way you wrote everyone was so endearing and so true to the way they present themselves irl and i’m amazed. so thank you 💖💖💖

last question, it’s very important! 😡 …..was berry included in the family that came in for his graduation??😇 -🐾

HAHA im gonna miss this trend of you waking up to find a new bb update! and of course the delight of getting to read ur wonderfully thoughtful notes ㅠ they’ve made me smile so much u have no idea!

TEARING UP/CRYING THE WHOLE TIME??? this was not what i had in mind when i said i’d make it up to you i’m very sorry for another installment of tears 😭 i hope some of them were at least out of happiness this time! and i hope u feel much better now that the dust has settled <3

starting it off w our favorite piece of work…lino thought he was clever he really did…but if there’s one thing that can interfere w his razor sharp intuition it’s the cosmically intertwined fates of channie n the reader hehe. i’m so glad u felt it stayed true to him! that’s the highest compliment to me esp when it comes to minho ♡ he is so beautiful…in true kitty fashion he gets away w his menace behavior bc he is simply too pretty

GILC!!!! 🥰 i just have to say it’s made me so happy how much u seem to have enjoyed binnie throughout bb bc he was my absolute favorite to write! it’s heartwarming to know the fun i had w him was also shared w u ^_^ he is truly the only one among these fools w a good head on his shoulders lmao i so badly wanted to give him a fully fleshed out scene w the reader reconciling w him but it was just…already so long 😭 and i completely understand ur connection to the reader in that sense i think it’s a very human trait! when u wanna ensure the happiness of ur loved ones ofc it’d be scary to be the bearer of bad news, esp if ur at the center of it </3 but a true friend like binnie cares abt ur happiness just as much! even if it means bearing the weight of some unpleasant things sometimes~

our channie ㅠㅠㅠㅠ this whole series was essentially a love letter of sorts to him and everyone out there who is like him, so to know that u liked channie’s portrayal and felt bb could capture even a fraction of how lovable he is in reality…that’s really everything to me ㅠ i’m so glad u caught that lil moment too HAHA they have left irreversible marks on each other! and yes…channie wears those sweater paws to feel safe but nothing is safer than when they are holding hands…they are disgusting -_-; that scene was probably the most difficult out of the entire series to write (along w the breakup scene LOL) so it’s a huge relief that u feel that way, thank you so much!! things aren’t perfect but the first step towards smth better has at least been made!

i was hoping that as an outspoken member of the bang christopher chan praise club you would enjoy that scene hehehe it was really the bare minimum of all the love and adoration and pleasure he deserves as u always say 💗💗💗 i’m so glad it was to ur liking!! channie hiding behind his hands is forever a weakness of mine…i think i’ll find a way to incorporate it into everything i write somehow

i wish i could put into words how giddy each msg you’ve sent over the course of this series has made me and how much you’ve encouraged me w your interest and positive energy!! i truly can’t thank you enough, it’s been such a joy to read ur thoughts and i’m just so grateful that you were here every step of the way! thank you from the bottom of my heart <3

the most important question of all…you KNOW she was!! i dont care how difficult it is to travel overseas w a dog, berry was absolutely there to cheer channie on w the rest of his family 🥰

[bonesandthebees]

Oh shit I thought I would have more time for the Glass analysis, I say like I haven’t gone days without doing them. Anyway, guess I’m going to speed run this last bit and accept I won’t get around to doing the rest of this. (Also, full disclosure, I will probably analysis the new fic first, 1. Because I’m very excited about it, and 2. Because it’s only the start of the fic so there’s less to analysis whereas Glass now has end of Stars vibes where it feels like I could analyse every line and see how much growth has happened.)

Anyway, where was I? Right, so Phil gives Wilbur the choice to tell him except he doesn’t want Wilbur to tell him unless he wants to. Which is the word that trips Wilbur up because he never really wants to talk about the visions, and he can’t say or admit that he wants to tell Phil, because he does want to be rid of that responsibility, he does want to tell him, he made that decision, but not for the reasons Phil wants it to be.

So in true Glass!Wilbur fashion, he pushes past the opportunity for growth, aka the thing that makes him uncomfortable, to tell Phil anyway, which the man isn’t happy about but he drops the topic anyway. And Phil not only listened to the vision, he asked what Wilbur’s opinion was [“Do you think we should back out then?”] and Wilbur expects it to be some kind of joke or jab at his fear like Schlatt would have done, but no, Phil is genuine. And I’d like to think there’s a high chance he would back out if Wilbur said yes (getting a bad vision from the Pythia would probably be enough to get Eret to lay off too).

But the thing is, Wilbur doesn’t say yes, because he’s so out of practice giving his own opinion that he doesn’t know what to do, hadn’t thought about it. He wanted to tell Phil to be rid of that responsibility. Tell someone else about the vision and they’ll know what to do. But then he actually gets listened to and asked for his opinion like he always should have been (and boy that contrast must be kind of healing) and he has no opinion to give because he didn’t think to formulate one.

And Phil still kinda assumes Wilbur is against it, or is maybe more fishing for his opinion with the above question, testing how far his locality goes because they already have that plan to send him back and they need to know if they can trust him, they need to know if his loyalty will stick in a situation like that. And now that I think about it, Phil’s side of the conversation feels very different when you know what he wants to ask of Wilbur. He you know what he ‘needs’ him for, not that he’s really intending to take advantage of him, it’s just that they need him for the plan to work, or that it would be easier that any alternatives.

Wilbur can say no, which actually now that ‘want’ conversation makes sense because Phil doesn’t want him to say yes to a plan he feels uncomfortable with just because he feels like he owes it to them. He doesn’t want Wilbur to say yes out of obligation. But he does want him to say yes, he’d just prefer it if it was because he WANTS to. So he’s trying to push him into admitting/confirming that, either to test Wilbur’s mindset and know how he would respond to being asked to be part of that plan, or to see if he can even ask at all, or maybe for his own conscious to feel less bad about having to ask this of him.

(1/?)

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finally have time to answer this lets gooooo

that's perfectly understandable if you wanna do analysis on the new fic first once you get around to it and tbh I'm so excited to hear peoples thoughts I'm certainly not gonna be complaining either way

yupp that one word, want, is what trips wilbur up the most. because his responsibility is to share his visions, and from there he's used to it being taken out of his hands. schlatt never listened to his advice anyway, so he's not used to being outright asked for it. and he doesn't know what to do in the wake of a vision like that, hence why he wanted phil to just decide.

not to mention, he's in such an insecure place with his relationship with clara and his own experience as pythia, he's not trusting his ability to interpret visions correctly anymore. he can't make a decision about what to do regarding the vision because he doesn't know if he's interpreting anything the right way anymore, since no matter what he does it never seems to help.

oh yeah the convo is meant to read a bit different once you know what phil's thinking about the entire time. he's not trying to take advantage of him, but also... it's a tricky situation and phil knows full well he has the advantage given wilbur's current emotional state. like, phil wants to make sure it's something wilbur wants to do, but he's not doing it in a completely moral way and he knows it.