#he tends to fall on the side of trust and compassion

[carefulfears]

things to say when trusting the last spy who walked up to your desk saved your life

[shybunnie20]

I think I may have already sent this request before but I can’t remember. Sorry if I already did I couldn’t remember. Please take your time and don’t rush yourself I can wait ❤️

Could you please write an Eddie Munson x reader. The reader is Eddie’s girlfriend. Please do angst and fluff.

The reader gets injured (bit) the same way Eleven does in season 3 and same wound except this takes place in season 4 episode 7 where Eddie, Nancy, Steve and Robin are fighting the bats. At the end of the fight one of the tentacles grabs and bites the readers leg and Eddie is the first one to grab onto the reader as she is lifted into the air by her leg the same way Eleven was. Eddie, Steve, Nancy, and Robin are all fighting to get the reader down and finally do but the reader is severely wounded and losing a lot of blood. Eddie carries the reader as they all rush to get to safety as they try to hide in the upside down and just like Eleven they have to cut her leg open to get what’s inside her leg out. Once they do the reader passes out from blood loss and Eddie carries her as they all rush to Eddie’s trailer to get out of the upside down. Once they get the gate open Eddie helps get the reader through the gate as she is still passed out. They are able to get her through the gate and are able to tend to her leg. When the reader wakes up Eddie is sitting right next to her holding her hand and tells reader he thought he lost her. Eddie and the reader comfort each other over the events that just happened and fall asleep cuddling each other.

Silenced Cries Under Cobalt Skies

Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

★My Masterlist

Author's Note: Thank you for your patience and for trusting me with your request. This isn't nearly as polished as I'd like it to be but I don't want to keep you waiting. I changed the demobat lore along with other details from Ep 7 to better fit the circumstances. This was my first time writing anything Upside Down related, I hope I did your vision justice!

Established relationship. No use of Y/N. Moderate angst with comfort. Loosely based on events from S3 and S4.

Word count: 5k

Warnings: GORE: descriptions of physical injury (of the reader), heartache, includes swearing.

This isn’t how you planned to spend your Wednesday night. Initially, you were going to pick up an extra shift at the arcade. Instead, you’re perched on the bench of a shabby rowboat with your boyfriend seated beside you.

On the opposite bench, Nancy is sandwiched between Steve and Robin. The three of them are staring fixedly at the compass’s twirling needle. Robin relays the discovery to Dustin and Steve gets to his feet. 

Nancy eyes Steve’s towering frame. “What are you doing?”

The boat bobs with the movement of Steve taking off his shoes, socks, and sweater. “I’m gonna go check it out.” 

You look between him and Nancy with a furrowed brow. “Have you lost your mind? You can’t-” 

“Unless any of you can top being a swim team co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years, then it’s gotta be me.” He reasons to no one in particular.

Eddie is unbothered and shows no interest in out-doing Steve’s courageousness. “No complaints from me. I do not wanna go down there.” He angles his flashlight over the gunwale but the beam fails to penetrate the onyx-hued water.

His comment is met with a single jab of your elbow into his side. Eddie groans and shoots you a scowl, “Ow, what the hell was that for?” He scans the disapproving glare that’s formed across the features of your face.

With preparative breathing exercises, Steve primes his lungs and observes the murkiness that awaits him. The heat radiating from his unclothed chest clashes with the evening air and it sends a shiver to his core.

“There’s no way you’re gonna be able to see anything.” Eddie wraps the flashlight in a plastic shopping bag that he pulled from his jacket pocket. “It won’t be waterproof but-” He secures it with a tight knot and holds the flashlight out to Steve. “It’ll do.”

“Thanks,” Steve exhales. He pauses before filling his lungs with a half-hearted prayer. “Wish me luck.” With that, he leaps with a pointed form and plunges beneath the surface of the lake. 

Droplets land on your arm and it gives you an idea of how frigid the water is. The four of you sit in utter silence. Unlike them, you’re oblivious to how the boat is rocking from the bouncing of your leg. “He’s taking forever. What if something bad happened?”

Eddie doesn’t dare face you because he knows exactly what kind of look his remark is going to earn him. “It’s been thirty seconds, I’m sure King Steve is just fine. You heard him, he’s a certified lifeguard.” He mockingly emphasizes with hand quotes as if to say “big whoop.”

Eddie is the only one who can’t grasp the gravity of what’s happening right now. He’s unable to wrap his head around what you’ve gone through with your friends over the past two years. He has a general idea because you’ve tried to explain everything to him before, but he couldn’t make sense of it. Dustin attempted to translate the circumstances through the lens of D&D but Eddie couldn’t piece it together.

He spends so much of his free time in fictional worlds that he creates. Each realm is accompanied by sketches of fantastical creatures with a myriad of thorough narratives. Despite seeing the forces at hand with his own eyes, he can’t fathom that this is reality.

Seconds tick by with the lapping waves of Lover’s Lake. It’s nearing two minutes since Steve left. Robin nudges your leg as a silent ask for you to sit still, but It’s difficult to stop fidgeting.

Eddie wraps his arms around you and guides you to his shoulder. He buries his nose in your hair and basks in the familiar scent of your shampoo. “You’re alright.”

You may be okay though he’s doubtful that Steve is. Eddie not only saw Chrissy and Patrick levitate, but he heard their limbs snap like twigs with every contortion. At this rate anything is possible.

In addition to the traumatic shit he’s witnessed, Eddie isn’t exactly in tip-top shape. He hasn’t gotten a good night's rest in days, nor has he had a proper meal. He’s beyond miserable, and yet, he’s prioritizing your needs. He can’t do much given the situation at hand, but Eddie is doing his best to help you feel safe.

Eddie’s supportive words duke it out with your perturbed thoughts. His attempt is insufficient but it calms your nerves a little. Much to your dismay, your heart rate spikes with each bated breath that you take.

Robin remains focused on the navigation device, watching it spin endlessly in reaction to the gate below. Nancy is counting the seconds on her wristwatch. They haven’t spoken since Steve took the dive. The chirping of the crickets and frogs off in the distance fails to saturate the quiet.

Because you’ve been asked not to bounce your leg, you opt for picking at the shredded denim of Eddie’s jeans instead. To distract yourself further, you zero in on the rise and fall of his chest beneath the tattered Hellfire Club tee. Your focus is disrupted by a harsh gasp and splashing.

Upon seeing that Steve is alive, your muscles are freed of tension but your stomach is in knots nonetheless. “Did you find it?”

“Yeah, it’s down there.” Steve pants as his lungs struggle to expand. His tight grip on the ridge of the boat causes it to dip. Nancy slicks back the soaked hair that’s plastered to his forehead and they share a look of unease.

Robin is less worried. “Is it a snack-sized gate?” She chirps curiously.

Steve tries to catch his breath. Beads fall from his hair and trickle down his face. “No, no. It’s pretty damn big.”

A beat passes while everyone digests his findings and it conjures varying images in all of your minds. Suddenly, Steve is tugged down. Though not hard enough to rip his hands from the rim of the boat, it’s enough to spook him. Steve peers over his shoulder and just as his eyes meet yours, he’s abruptly yanked under.

A cacophony of his name sounds off. You and Nancy lean over and look down as if you’d be able to see anything. Robin is appropriately panicked now.

Eddie shouts and points to where Steve disappeared. “What the hell was that, man?!”

Nancy doesn’t hesitate to forgo a discussion and jumps in after him. Robin is close behind, less gracefully but just as hastily. 

Eddie is too busy cussing to realize that you’re taking off your jacket. When he notices, his heart drops. “Woah woah woah, what do you think you’re doing? You’re not going down there.”

“Yes I am, he needs me!” You steady yourself near the ledge. With a deep breath, you mentally prepare for the drastic contrast between the sticky summer air and the cold lake. 

Eddie grabs your hand firmly. “Absolutely not! You’re staying here with me. We don’t even know what we’re messing with!” He attempts to draw you closer but you don’t budge.

You turn to face Eddie and your gaze trails from where your hands are joined until your glassy eyes meet his widened ones. “Whatever it is, it has Steve and it’ll kill him.”

Bewildered is the only way to describe the look on Eddie’s face. He doesn’t care about Steve, he cares about you. Eddie is so fucking exhausted and the tide of adrenaline is wearing him thin.

After everything you and your friends have been through, there’s an inseparable bond and you vowed to fend for them by all means necessary. For the number of times that Steve has saved your life, you owe him this much.

The tremble of Eddie’s grasp is unmistakable. You stroke his fingers with your thumb to comfort him. “Stay here and wait here for me. I love you.” You pack your lungs with as much air as they’ll allow and let go of his hand.

When you leap off of the boat, Eddie reaches to grab you but he doesn’t act fast enough. He paces with short strides to work up the courage to go after you. “God dammit, this is such bullshit!” After pulling an exaggerated inhale through his mouth, he jumps into the lake.

After climbing through the sticky crimson fissure at the bottom of the lake, you manage to recover in good time from holding your breath. You take in the new surroundings but you’re unable to ignore how irritated your eyes are from the mossy water.

Smoke-like fog hangs in the air with such humidity that it’s as though you’re still underwater. The air smells like rotten wood and white ash floats to the ground from the fire in the sky that roars behind the dense clouds. Another crack of blazed lightning strikes mere seconds after the last and is followed by booming thunder. The area is rather desolate, bearing little to dampen the thunder’s ferocity.

The distant echo of struggling gets your attention. Despite being nearly 50 feet away, you bolt to Robin and Nancy’s assistance. You snatch up an oar that you spot by the vine-wrapped boat. Robin stomps on the tail of the demobat that’s strangling Steve. Nancy bludgeons it with all of her might and you swat away the two that are flying overhead with the objective of getting a taste of Steve. 

Your shoulders pop with each swing of the oar. It’s as though the curse words that are tumbling from your lips are fueling you to whack the flesh-eating demons. Nancy and Robin are making equally as much noise with their grunting and shouting.

Meanwhile, Eddie floats above the gate. He’s stunned by the appearance of the glowing portal. He wasn’t sure what to expect but this wasn’t what he’d pictured. Though time is ticking and he doesn’t have long to inspect it because the tightness in his chest is rapidly worsening. He paddles forward and crawls through the gate.

One of the demobats swoops close enough that you’re able to snag it and impale it with the broken end of your oar. In doing so, you slam it to the ground and relish the way it’s squealing and flapping its wings.

Eddie heaves dramatically but in his defense, he can’t recall the last time he went swimming so his lungs are far from used to the pressure.

These creatures are damn hard to kill, but Nancy and Robin finally slay the demobat that had Steve in a chokehold. He stumbles to his knees and releases a heart-rending wheeze. You’re all relieved that Steve is unscathed. He’s beyond grateful to have fearless pals because he’d certainly be bat food by now if you hadn’t come to his rescue.

The environment is momentarily quiet so the four of you pause to catch your breath. The strenuous exertion produces a pang in your side. Just as your breathing is nearly restored, a slimy tail snakes around your throat like a noose. Before you can process it, you’re being hoisted up and slammed back down onto the cracked earth. A shriek escapes you before the tail tautens like a boa constrictor, effectively obstructing your airway. Eddie scrambles to his feet. He sprints faster than he’s ever run in his life.

Your friends’ reactions are delayed compared to Eddie’s due to being caught off guard but he has plenty of ground to cover. Of the three bats circling overhead, one of them descends from the sky and lands beside you. It latches onto your leg by sinking its razor-sharp teeth into the meat of your calf. A scream bubbles from your throat but it has nowhere to go.

With her blood-spattered oar, Nancy stabs at the demobat that’s choking you to death. The tail around your neck won’t let up. You claw at it but your fingernails are no match for the leathery skin. Simultaneously, you’re struggling to shake the other bat off by flailing but to no avail.

Steve grabs ahold of the tail belonging to the bat feasting on your leg. Although he’s far too weak to be of much help, Steve is giving it his all. Robin swings her oar to keep the last remaining creature at bay. Every time it flies closer to get a piece of you, Robin cracks it with the paddle as if she’s batting for a home run.

Your lungs are no longer receiving oxygen and deprivation of it causes black spots to bloom in your vision. It’s occurring to you that this is how you’re going to die. With that realization, the strength to flail and claw leaves your body, causing your limbs to go limp.

Eddie arrives just in time. He snags your abandoned weapon off the ground on his way to you. All of the pent-up fear and suffering from the last few days pours out of him in the form of a battle cry while he impales the head of the bat that has your neck. The demobat’s hellish grip releases and your airway is freed of the compression.

Steve and Nancy successfully detach the other bat from your leg, though it takes a bit of your flesh with it. Robin scans the area to make certain that the coast is clear. Luckily, the sky is free of any winged threats for the time being.

Before today, Eddie thought the idea of slaying monsters was thrilling but he feels differently now that he knows what it’s like.

Everyone surrounds you and Eddie falls to his knees. As he lifts your head, he can feel major swelling in the spot where your skull had hit the ground after being thrown down. “Baby, can you hear me?”

You lay stationary as your body acclimates to the renewed supply of oxygen. Your brain kicks into gear and your eyelids open a sliver. The low-lit environment looks smudged and out of focus. The rings around your throat are pronounced as blood fills the area. Now that you’re conscious, your vision is the first of your five senses to fully return. You see Eddie hovering over you. “Am I okay?” You ask breathily.

“Yeah, you’re okay. You’re gonna be just fine.” He reassures while stroking your cheekbone with his dirtied thumb. Eddie is struggling to catch his breath but he’s far more troubled by the state that you’re in.

“I wanna go home,” You whimper with a wobbly lower lip. You blink away the tears that are pooling at your lash line, afraid of losing sight of Eddie.

His heart cracks in half because he’s always been protective of you. Eddie’s biggest fear has come to fruition. For the duration of your relationship, a specific worry loomed over him. He constantly feared that something bad would happen to you for simply being associated with him and that’s exactly what happened. You got dragged into this mess to defend his name.

Screeching and yapping from behind the clouds indicates that another swarm of demobats is growing near. 

Steve urges, “We gotta get out of here. It’s not safe.” He surmises that the bats are being drawn by the scent of the fresh blood trickling from the punctures in your calf.

Eddie lifts you off of the ground bridal style and frowns at your grimace of pain. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” He shifts your position in his arms so that your head rests comfortably against his shoulder.

After trudging through the leafless woods for quite some time, the group collectively agrees that this spot should be out of harm’s way. Eddie gently sets you down and props you up against the trunk of a fallen tree. He remains crouched and cradles your face in his palms. Eddie takes note of the swelling that spans your head and neck. Just as he turns to disclose this to the others, he’s startled by an ear-splitting yelp.

You throw your head back and squeeze your eyes shut. Eddie scans your expression in puzzlement. “What is it, what’s wrong?”

Robin’s voice cracks, “Uh, guys?” She points at your leg.

Eddie peers over his shoulder and his eyes follow Robin’s finger. He failed to notice the damage done by the other demobat when all hell broke loose. He thinks he understands why you’re in so much discomfort until there’s movement beneath your skin. You scream in agony and it’s a noise that none of your friends have ever heard you make.

Eddie loses his balance and falls on his ass. “What the fuck?!” He looks to Steve and Nancy for an answer but they’re speechless. Their stares are locked on the bulge inside of your oozing gash.

A roar of thunder weaves through the bare woods that you find yourselves in the heart of. The invasive crawling causes you to writhe.

Nancy kneels on the other side of you. She inspects your wound with her bottom lip between her teeth. “We have to get it out.”

Steve scoffs, “How exactly are we gonna do that, Nance?”

Eddie reveals a pocket knife. He holds it out and Steve takes it. Steve flicks the blade out to see what he’s working with.

Robin is quick to shut down the proposal. “Nu-uh, no way. This isn’t Operation, you can’t dig that thing out of her!”

“We don’t have any other options.” Nancy looks at Robin and then at you. “It can’t stay in there.”

Robin turns her back to the amateur surgery that’s about to unfold. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

Both of Eddie’s hands caress your feverish cheeks. “Alright, sweetheart. I need you to sit still.”

“No-” you sob and fist at the material of your saturated shirt. “I can’t do it.”

While tracing the curvature of your jaw with the pad of his thumb, Eddie’s eyes look back and forth between yours. “We’ll get it out as quickly as we can. It’ll be over before you know it.” The sweetest sadness is swimming in your eyes and it makes his stomach churn. You’re so beautiful even when you’re shaking like a leaf.

“But I’m scared.” Your admission is laced with a quaking whine and your eyes have turned into puddles.

Eddie takes your hand and he interlocks his fingers with yours. “I know, baby. You gotta be my brave girl. I need you to do that for me.” With his free hand, he takes the skull handkerchief from his back pocket and folds it multiple times. Eddie taps on your chin, “Open, please.”

After hesitantly eyeing the cloth, you comply and open your mouth. “Bite down,” Eddie instructs and situates it between your teeth when you do so. Your mewl of protest is deadened.

“You’ve got this.” He kisses your forehead and strokes your hair with both hands. To block your line of sight, Eddie leans forward and tilts your head so you have nowhere else to look except at him. “Keep your eyes on me.”

The stillness of the creature is making Nancy and Steve nervous. She nudges Steve with her shoulder. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

Steve clears his throat and adjusts the small knife in his unsteady grip. He takes two incredibly deep breaths and mutters, “Here goes nothing.” Steve presses the tip of the blade into the raw and inflamed skin.

Your wailing is effectively muffled by the handkerchief and it saves your tongue from being bitten off. You reflexively try to yank your leg away but Nancy holds it securely in place. Blood starts to drip faster as Steve sinks the blade deeper, aiming for the subtle squirming.

The deeper he goes, the more difficult it becomes for you to sit still. Your shoulders fly forward but Eddie guides you to lay back. His hand is starting to tingle from how hard you’re squeezing it. Your brain is so overwhelmed by the misery that you don’t taste the lake water on the hankie.

“I’m so sorry,” Steve says under his breath. He’s fighting the urge to look away from the blood staining his hand.

All of the moaning and bawling drowns out the ravenous screeching coming from afar. Eddie is trying to remain calm but his voice wavers. “He’s almost done. Just a little longer, sweetheart.”

You’re praying to god that this is nearly over, you're not sure how much more you can take. Your pupils disappear behind your eyelids as the hot tears roll down your cheeks and settle coldly in your ears. The portion of the handkerchief that’s hanging out of your mouth catches the transparent stream running from your nose.

The tip of the knife hits an incredibly sore spot and you scream through the tears. Adrenaline is doing nothing to stunt the pain. Your teeth could shatter from how hard you’re biting down on the wad of material. Eddie’s heart is shattering with every sound you make but he’s doing his best to soothe you.

Nancy is having a tough time keeping your leg in place and her grip is borderline bruising. Steve is on the verge of giving up but he spots a black tail and promptly rips it out. The squealing creature is flung aside. As soon as it hits the ground, Robin stomps it to death.

Steve tosses the knife and applies pressure to your calf with two hands. “Shit! Nance, a little help here?”

Your elevated heart rate is causing blood to gush out of your profoundly opened wound. Nancy tears off the bottom of her sweater and ties it tightly around your leg as a makeshift bandage.

Eddie pets your hair with one hand and removes the handkerchief from your mouth with the other. “You did amazing,” Eddie’s voice is broken because he’s close to tears from watching you go through all of this. “You were so strong for me, princess. Thank you.”

An excruciating ache pierces your jaw but it pales in comparison to the rest of your body. Your friends’ voices liquefy and sound as if they’re calling to you from the end of a tunnel. 

Nancy applies firm pressure to your leg while Steve is preoccupied with talking Robin out of her rabies meltdown. 

The air is so muggy that it’s causing you to sweat. Your body is swarmed with shuddering from the wet clothes clinging to your skin as well as from the major blood loss. Suddenly, you feel drowsy. “Is it bad?” You crane your neck to look down at your leg but your vision has gone blurry.

Eddie guides your gaze back to his face. He doesn’t want you to know how bad of shape you’re in. “You’re not bleeding that much-” He glances over his shoulder and holds his breath from seeing the concerning amount of blood you’ve lost.

The cream-colored knit is now scarlet and the blood is transferring to Nancy’s hands. You’re unable to form another sentence due to consciousness slipping through your fingertips. You can sense Eddie’s touch but it feels the way a whisper sounds. Unable to fight the weariness any longer, your eyelids droop and your chin drops to your clavicle.

“Hey- stay with me.” Eddie taps your cheek three times. “Don’t fall asleep! C’mon, talk to me.”

Your lashes flutter once but you can’t keep your eyes open or hold your head up. The reply he receives from you is nothing more than unintelligible mumbling.

“We’re leaving right now,” Eddie announces while scooping you into his arms again. He kisses your forehead and speaks with his lips against your skin. “I’m taking you home, baby.”

Ten minutes have passed since taking off in the direction of the trailer park. You’re wading in and out of consciousness. Ruby rivulets continue to trickle down the curvature of your leg, over your ankle, and soak into your socks.

Eddie’s arms begin to quiver and his back muscles feel strained from carrying you. His loud panting is getting under everyone’s skin. 

Steve catches Eddie repeatedly adjusting you in his arms. “Dude, I can carry her if you’re getting tired.”

“No! I can do it.” There’s no chance that Eddie is going to jeopardize your safety by passing you to Steve. He’s going to tough it out because he can’t risk anything else happening to you.

Eddie’s clothes are drenched. The coarse wet denim vest rubs against the side of your face. His panting increases as he treks onward, though he tries to suppress it so that he can monitor your breathing.

Once you’ve all made it through the gate where Chrissy died, Eddie brings you to his bedroom. When he goes to lay you on his bed, his arms are so spent that they nearly give out.

Nancy and Robin guard the gaping hole in the ceiling by the front door. Eddie and Steve are standing in the hall just outside of the bedroom, but Eddie stays near the doorway so that he can keep an eye on you.

Steve sighs, “We need to get her to the hospital.”

Eddie shakes his head in disapproval. Not only is he being selfish but it’s extremely risky to deny you access to the medical attention that your injury requires. But after everything that’s happened, Eddie isn’t going to leave your side no matter what.

Steve rubs his forehead. “She’s in tough shape, she needs-”

“No! Are you crazy? I can’t go out there.” Eddie glances to check if you’ve woken but you haven’t moved nor made a peep.

“I’m not talking about you. I’ll take her and you can stay-”

“I said no, Steve!“ Eddie runs a hand through his curls. “I won’t let her out of my sight again, I could lose her.”

Eddie is distraught over what may no longer be. You had plans. You were going to turn the back of Eddie’s van into a liveable space and take a road trip you’ve both spent the past year saving up for.

He never mentioned it, but Eddie secretly daydreams of a youngster or two with his hair and your eyes running around the trailer. He’s never been someone who’s particularly fond of kids but the way that you love him makes him feel open to the idea. He’s thought about it enough that he knows what Star Wars or Lord of the Rings names he’d give them.

But if you don’t want children, that’s okay with him. All he wants is to be with you for as long as you’ll allow. The first day he saw you, that was it. You were the one he wanted until the very end and that hasn’t changed.

Steve sympathizes with Eddie’s apprehension. He crosses his arms and nods. “I’ll take a shot at patching her up. I learned a thing or two about first aid when I was a boy scout.”

Eddie is reluctant. He doesn’t want to trust anyone else with taking care of you but he has no clue how to help you himself. Your leg can’t be left as is. Because of this, Eddie agrees.

During the time that Steve spends rummaging through the bathroom and kitchen for supplies, Eddie struggles with your uncooperative limbs while he changes you out of your soggy clothes into dry ones. At the same time, he inspects you for other damage and he’s relieved that there’s nothing other than bruising and swelling.

You’re situated in the middle of his king-sized bed with your head resting on the pillows. Like a princess waiting to be awoken by true love’s kiss, your arms are positioned across your abdomen.

Eddie paces next to the bed, his patience is wearing thin.

“Okay, I think I found everything I need,” Steve says while double-checking the items.

Eddie stops in his tracks and examines everything that’s tucked under Steve’s arm. “Remind me why I’m trusting you to do this?”

Steve scoffs and uncaps the rubbing alcohol to sterilize the sewing needle. “Because to my knowledge, the most suturing you’ve ever done is putting weird patches on that vest. Relax, I know what I’m doing.” Under his breath, Steve adds, “I think.”

“Wow, you were a lifeguard, a boy scout, and captain of the swim team. What, were you a firefighter too? Or a secret agent?” Eddie cocks his head and crosses his arms. “You’re certainly not a one-trick pony.”

Already seated beside you, Steve rolls his eyes and threads the needle. Eddie sits on the other side and begins removing the tightly bound strip of Nancy’s sweater. He then places his hand on your thigh and rubs soothing shapes on your exposed skin. Even though you’re not awake, Eddie wants to comfort you regardless.

It’s impossible to not be nervous but Steve steadies his hand to the best of his ability. He works diligently and finishes by covering the area with an elastic bandage. Steve receives a look of appreciation from Eddie and he gives him a nod that translates to “don’t mention it.”

Steve has since left the room to give Eddie some privacy with you. Eddie gives a sponge bath to wash the sweat, lake water, and remnants of the Upside Down off of your skin. When he decides that you’re adequately clean, he lays down and watches over you. The past few days have been nothing short of a shit show and it feels incredible to finally be with you again. Feeling somewhat at peace for the first time in what seems like forever, Eddie drifts asleep.

It’s not long before you rouse. You’re immediately aware of the soreness racking your body. The rumble in your throat begins as a groan but swiftly turns into sobbing. The sound immediately alerts Eddie and he’s prepared to soothe you. “I know it hurts, I know. Breathe, baby. Deep breaths.” He takes you into his arms and you curl up to his chest.

You try to follow his guidance to breathe slowly but pain shoots through every inch of you with each expanse of your chest. Undoubtedly, your ribs are bruised from being thrown to the ground by the demobat. “I don’t feel good," You whine.

Eddie wipes away your tears although he’s crying too. ”Get some rest, sweetheart. You’re safe now. I’ll never let anything happen to you again, I promise.”

Reblogs are greatly appreciated! ♡

★My Masterlist

★Ko-fi ♡

tags: @nj01 @tlclick73

[real-jaune-isms]

How Robin Would Confess: A Lesson in Vocabulary

*Zoro is sitting on a bench in the gym, napping after completing a workout and being cooled by the breeze coming in through an open window. Robin suddenly emerges through the trapdoor with a book in hand and the noise rouses him to look over and see her. A smile and nod is all they need for her to sit on the opposite side of the room and start quietly reading while he returns to his rest. But after a few minutes she clears her throat to get his attention and he wakes up to listen to whatever she's going to say*

Robin: Zoro, do you know what sublime means?

Zoro: Well I don’t hear a word like that too often, but I’m pretty sure it means amazing and perfect. That about right?

Robin: More or less, that’s what it tends to mean these days, yes. But the true meaning is much deeper, and I think you might enjoy hearing it.

Zoro: I probably won’t have a reason to use it much, but sure go ahead. Robin: Sublime is a descriptor for something that is possessing the power and grandeur to induce awe and veneration in the mind of the beholder. It's something that possesses a wildness and power that transcends human ability to control or even comprehend. Zoro: *sitting up a little more straight* Is that so? Robin: *giggles at Zoro being just as interested as she thought he would be* Indeed. Things like standing on the edge of a canyon leaning as far as you dare over the edge and still not seeing the floor below, waking up in the middle of the night in the heart of a thunderstorm, or more apt for people like us, soaring straight up through the clouds on the Knock-Up Stream with the wind in our sails. Zoro: I think I getcha. So sublime is the word for an untamable force of nature whose grandeur brings you to your knees in awe and terror? Robin: Precisely! For instance, I think you're sublime~ Zoro: *is speechless and blushing, mouth agape* Bu-wu-huh?... Robin: Fuhuhuhu!~ You're so adorable, Zoro-kun~ *she gets up and crosses the room to sit next to him* We both know things between us have been growing steadily closer, more flirtatious, and it's taken some time to decide what that might end up meaning. I've wanted to tell you just how much you mean to me for a while now, and I simply couldn't find a better word for you than that so I wanted to be sure you knew what I meant by it. You are sublime, Zoro. And to put it a little more plainly... Zoro: *holds up a hand* I think I can guess what you wanna say, you don't have to say it. Robin: I'm afraid I insist. I had to gather my courage to come up here and say it, I want to see it through. And you deserve to hear someone tell you this. Zoro: Dammit, and I thought the cook was sappy... Robin: Roronoa Zoro... I love you~ Zoro: I know. Robin: *pouting* Would you please take this seriously?? You know what troubles I've had with opening my heart... Zoro: I do, yeah. Which is why I could tell it was for real when you started falling for me. It felt pretty significant, so I've been taking it seriously the whole time and trying to decide if I was good enough for that love. I've always trusted your judgement with big decisions though, so if I'm what you want then I must be doing something right. So, I know you love me. And I love you too, Robin~ Robin: *smiles brightly and wraps an arm around his before leaning over and giving him the kiss this romantic moment so rightly deserves* For the record, with the exception of keeping an internal compass, I think you do everything right, Zoro-kun~ Zoro: Hmph. Well I know how to find... this. Robin: *arching her back and gripping the cushion beneath them* Aahhhhh!~ W-Well... I can think o-of worse ways to christen a relationship~ *Anything further is silenced by another kiss, and from that point onward neither of them keep their hands idle*

[terrence-silver]

Do you have any headcanons on Gus Travis? I've just watched Black Point and I think I'm in love 💖

Him?

― Gus Travis has a major problem with jealousy. Why? Because outside of having a natural propensity for doubt (maybe due to the nature of his job, being a career criminal where you have to watch your back, against everyone, at all times) his wife betrayed him in the past and ran off with another man covertly acting as an informant and Gus' boss' money. Almost sounds like the typical entanglement in the life of someone on the wrong side of law enforcement hiding out in a small port town on the borders of Alaska and Washington state, but the event left Gus reeling, even less trusting and somehow, even more territorial and fidgety when it comes to love as a mere concept. In short notes, Gus Travis is as jaded as can be.

― Which means, despite seeming like the type who has had his share of easy sex, easy cash, easy profit, murky jobs, shady deals, Gus doesn't fall in love easily. Not before the event and certainly not after. He's a rough man, with a rough exterior, rough manners, a rough job and initially, he doesn't seem like the type to care for such things at all, but the opposite is very much true because internally, he's someone who tends to fall and fall hard which has left him messed up in the past. In his words, I treated her like a princess and gave her the world and this is how she repays me? He doesn't want that happening again and so, when he meets you, his first instinct is to be standoffish and stay away from you. Better yet, warn you to say away from him.

― Might have the typical gangbanger 'Do you know who I am?' or 'Do you know who you're dealing with?' vibe about him purely to push you away, even though he's quite as likely to contradict himself and be the one pursuing you. Gus overflows with clashing emotions where he isn't certain if he'd rather scare you away or lay his claim on you and make you his. Maybe just visit some nearby, shady portside pub and get himself someone who looks just like you; a whore, a hooker, a one night stand, anything, and get you out of his system through fucking someone else, not that that helps one bit at all and everyone either looks too much like you or not at all and he always comes back to craving the real deal, and he hasn't...well, he hasn't even laid a finger on you yet.

― Thing is, as I said above, Gus loves deeply. A surprising amount for someone who could only be labeled a bad boy and something of a thug in the most classical sense. The type of love that has him tattooing your name somewhere on his body --- maybe next to his heart, perhaps way before you even know it...or him --- wearing maching clothes, wearing matching rings and bracelets and necklaces. Where he dreams of buying a boat one day, sailing out with a bunch of cash, and naming it after you, as his muse, his lucky north, his compass. Where he sees you as his near overromanticized mythical being. His mermaid. His selkie. His siren. Interesting how someone otherwise so bitter and disappointed with love also has the amazing capacity of being borderline poetically idealistic.

― Of course, the nature of his career criminal leanings and rough and tough sailor and streetwise lifestyle might not exactly allow for him to express his idealistic side outright because there's a reputation to maintain and part of him doesn't want to. And yet, he still desperately does to the point his cravings are making him volatile. He fears being a fool in love again. He fears his men viewing him as a fool in love too. So, he might come off a bit hostile and passive aggressive; like someone who has a general distaste for you, which is far from true, his behaviour ranging anywhere from acosting you in public or god forbid, anyone you might be out on a date with, because he's fatally jealous. Gus can't handle himself or the gravitas of his feelings around you and he protects himself through what he feels is nessecary. Through being a bit of a bastard.

― It doesn't remain unnoticed though; just how much attention Gus Travis is giving you, even if this attention is masked through the guise of negative social interactions. It all becomes suspicious, though. The sheer quantity and volume of it. Him stalking you, catcalling you from his car, threatening to goddamn near shoot anyone else who dares, honking his horn at you, bullying you one minute and then flirting the next, harassing your friends and suitors out in bars or restaurants, having them scared away from you or outright beat up so they'd be afraid to stay in touch with you, being pushy, intrusive, threatening and petulant, having his men follow you around covertly and report back to him on your daily whereabouts, offering to lend you money so you'd be indebted to him, breaking into your place, kidnapping attempts. You name it!

― Ultimately, you will be his, and his grip on you will be tighter than any relationship he ever had before because he dreads losing you like he's lost meanigful people in the past and it has his possessive tendencies flaring up dramatically; he will correct the mistakes he made before you came along, he swears it. Realistically, he is difficult. Very difficult. He is difficult because he overcompensates. Overcalculates. Over-worries. He questions every interaction, every glance, ever action, imaginary or real, towards someone else from you or from you to someone else because the dread of you being whisked away from under him is acute, and so, most people never even discover Gus Travis even has anyone serious as you're his most fiercely guarded treasure. Hell, not even most of his men and crooks know. And if nobody knows you exist and you're merely abducted one day --- missing posters riddling your home town, only for you never to be found again, then nobody can coax you away from him in the future.

[ratsoh-writes]

Their types!

Sans: he likes gentle and intelligent people. Someone he can trust and be comfortable with, and one who’s clever enough to follow him when he’s talking about what he loves. Bonus points for people with good senses of humor!

Papyrus: he needs someone with passion! Someone who can enjoy life with him! Doesn’t matter what they’re passionate about, papyrus just loves seeing the sparkle in their eyes. Someone with good morals is a must too. Papyrus needs someone who can match him there

Star: he wants someone with a drive to improve in life and a touch of adventure! High energy people are preferred cause he can be a bit much for a partner who struggles to keep up with him. Star just wants someone he can call an equal, who can match him in positivity and drive

Honey: he’s attracted to responsibility. Well put together people and organized people catch his eye the easiest. He does tend to lean more towards outgoing and confident personalities but can fall just as easily for the shy types if he gets a glimpse of that responsibility he looks for. Bonus points for being good with kids

Red: he likes gentle and silly people. Someone who’s kind and soft but can also joke around. Don’t mistake kindness for being a doormat, they still need to be able to correct red if he’s being a butthead lol

Edge: he likes them soft and a bit innocent. Edge wants to be the knight in shining armor and so he needs a SO who’s willing to let him be a bit protective. Really affectionate people catch his attention fastest.

Mal: he loves sass, fiery tempers and lots of passion. Mal loves a good argument, it gets him going like nothing else. Of course nothing actually mean. It’s all in good fun, so someone who has a thick skin is perfect for him

Cash: he loves a good girl/boy. Someone with a strong moral compass. Someone who will help him be a better person, make him want to be. And a good sense of humor is a must for him.

Oak: he just wants someone who will take him seriously, who won’t treat him like he’s invalid or like a child. Oak knows his limits.

Willow: he wants someone he can care for and fuss over, but he needs someone who will do the same for him. Willow does great with someone’s who’s main love language is acts of service.

Charm: patience. That’s the biggest quality his partner has to have because charm will be the slowest of burns when it comes to actual commitment.

Sugar: with Winnie in the picture now, sugar is much more selective in who he dates. He has to think of his daughter first. So only someone who likes kids of course, but also someone who is kind and honest and open with him.

Lord: he’s attracted to strength and success. It comes from a desire to be protected. Any partner of lords would have to have a fair bit of patience though, and a gentle side. He’s a skittish guy and needs someone who is willing to wait for him to come out of his shell

Mutt: you have no idea what attracts him to you. Mutt has no type. Just “not a murderer” or “my brother doesn’t hate them” as requirements. Unfortunately this doesn’t mean mutt is easy to get close to. Nobody knows what makes him decide to like someone either

Wine: he likes someone who’s intelligent enough to be good conversation, but either naive enough to not notice his shady side, or just plain doesn’t care. He does have a soft spot for shy people. He likes to fluster them

Coffee: he’s only attracted to those he has a close friendship with, so getting with coffee is a real slow burn. He has no preference for personality but it helps liking some of the same things as him

Pop: he just wants someone he can be himself with. Pop is a weirdo and he knows it, so somebody nonjudgmental is key. Preferably someone a little goofy too

Rhythm: he loves a daring brave type of person. Someone who can sweep him off his feet. Adventurous interesting people catch his attention the easiest. Rhythm loves a good story

Pluto: he needs someone who will take him seriously, who won’t baby him. Pluto may be shy, adorable and cuddly, but he’s also a super genius and he really wants to be treated like the independent adult he is.

Jupiter: he loves a bit of sass in his partner, someone who will tell him off if he’s being dumb, which is pretty often lol. Jupiter is attracted to the strong independent type

G: he loves his lovers bossy and domineering lol. But also rather raunchy too. Someone with the good humor to mess around with him but also someone with the confidence and audacity to keep him humble lol

Green: he likes respect and gentlemanly manners in a SO. Someone who can match his class. But green has a secret bad side. Someone who’s adventurous is also appreciated

Peaches: he wants a family guy/gal. Someone who wants to settle and have a large family with him. Someone who loves the country is a must, and sweet and affectionate personalities are preferred, but he’s also crushed on more serious people before too

Rancher: he loves having the best of both words. Someone adventurous and a bit mischievous but also someone who can settle and is a hard worker. Rancher needs a person serious enough to be good for the long haul, but spicy enough to compliment when he’s feeling a bit crazy lol

Snipe: patience, brains, patience, a thick skin, patience loyalty and did I mention patience? Snipe is a paranoid guy and needs someone who won’t be run off by his need for reassurance

Bruiser: he needs a partner who’s tough enough to keep up with him but who lets him be free. Bruiser is a secretive kind of guy, so he needs someone who’d respect his privacy. Bruiser won’t hide anything dangerous from a long term partner, but even his soulmate he’d have a few secrets from.

Ace: he needs someone forgiving and a good communicator. Ace doesn’t think like other people do, but if he ever fell for someone he’d definitely try. So somebody with the patience to spell out their feelings is perfect for him

Slim: he likes someone he can be comfortable around. So safe and easy going people. And slim does prefer people he shares interests with. He can fall for shy ones but he crushes on sassy people faster

Butch: bold, passionate and affectionate is exactly what butch wants and needs. Someone who won’t let him walk all over them but will match his affections

Boss: he prefers a practical partner, someone who’s respectful and has a good head on their shoulders. Basically the opposite of his family lol. He needs an ally in his world of craziness. But he’s not all serious, someone who will entertain boss silly side is perfect

Rust: since the famine, rust has realized he has a strong desire for a family, so someone who’s open to children is a must. He likes affectionate and honest partners best, but prefers more relaxed personalities over wild hyper types most of the time

Noir: he’s a grump and has given up on his old dream of being the night in shining armor, but that doesn’t change his taste for softies. Noir likes cheerful bubbly and soft people best. His opposite basically

Lilac: he wants someone who won’t ever baby him or fuss over him. Lilac is a proud monster and hates any feeling of being trapped or smothered. He needs a partner who gives him his space while being a close companion

Basil: he just wants a little kindness in his life. Someone cuddly and sweet with him. Basil craves affection and stability in his partners

Gears: he’s a little diva and it shows in his taste in partners. Gears likes affectionate and generous people who will shower him in love and attention. Don’t worry cause gears gives just as much as his partner puts in a relationship!

Compass: he likes curious and adventurous people. Compass has a quiet protective nature, but also a sense of wonder. So someone who can be his travel companion is perfect. As long as they sometimes let him fuss over them.

Lush: he loves a humble and loyal partner. Lush is a spoiler and plenty have taken advantage of his wealth before. Someone who doesn’t take him for granted will have a loyal lover for life

Pepper: he’s a classy diva and likes a partner who’s good with their words and takes care of themself. But also someone who’s genuine with pepper, who likes him for his personality, not his earth and looks

Sparks: passion. That’s all he wants in a partner. Someone who just loves him as deeply as he loves them. And preferably someone who treats him good too but he doesn’t have the best track record for that bit. Luckily his friends have his back

Salt: he likes them sweet and awkward, bonus points for shy ones. Salt loves bringing them out of their shells and seeing the results.

Orion: he loves playful and adventurous people! Someone he can fun with. Orion hates being bored so needs a partner who’s always up to try something new

Atlas: he wants a bad boy/girl. He wants someone exciting, that will make him feel wild and attractive. Confidence is key for gaining atlas

Cider: he wants someone loyal who will integrate well into his family, so an adaptable personality is great to. And he definitely prefers more social extroverted people

Barley: he wants someone who will put him and their dreams first, social norms be damned. Barley wants a rebel, someone who will scandalize his family with him lol

Ram: ram is tired of the fight and just wants someone calm to settle down with. And someone who is willing to be the brains of his life. He’ll happily be the brawn, he knows how to play to his strengths. He likes nonjudgmental people who don’t look down on him for being less well read

Pitch: he kinda hates people so getting close to him takes time and a willingness to be quiet lol. Pitch likes intelligent and relaxed people. Someone who will give him the space he needs. But once you have his affection, you get a thoughtful and loyal partner

Moose: after loosing his first one, moose longs for a family again. He wants someone to settle with but wants to take it slow. Moose likes bubbly people with a bit of bite to them, and a protective streak

Maple: he prizes honesty and bluntness cause he’s oblivious as hell and needs that lol. Also someone who will be goofy with him. Maple just wants a bestie he sometimes kisses

Fisher: he likes his partners artsy and shy. Fisher likes people who are easily flustered and enjoys messing with them. But he also likes how small they seem. It makes him want to shower them in affection. He’s a caring soul

Jasper: he wants adventure and loyalty! Someone who will stick to his side wherever he goes. Jasper is social so an extroverted partner is best, but he can work with a more interpreters person too.

Finn: he’s spent his whole life sacrificing for others, it’s time someone takes care of him for a change. Finn is kind and will give anyone a chance, but he’d be truly happy with a partner who spoiled him like he deserves, and someone who sticks up for him. Finn is incredibly generous and would give his partner the world if he could

Sails: he loves them bossy and grumpy lol. Something about it really gets him going, but a small part of sails also knows he kinda needs that in his life. He’s been spoiled too much by his bro and he craves authority

Hook: he only crushes on sweethearts. Innocent kind and soft. And hook falls real easily. Bonus points for artists. Unfortunately having a job that has him living on the sea most of his life makes dating tricky. So his partner would either have to be ok with a somewhat long distance relationship, or join him on the ship

Captain: he wants an equal in almost every way. Captain prizes strength and intelligence, so his SO has to be impressive in at least one of those categories. Someone with a sharp tongue will catch his eye easier than more laid back people too

Quill: he likes loud and outgoing partners. Which is funny since he’s a huge shy introvert. He likes them because they take the spotlight off himself. He can ease back into the background and just be his partners happy support

Crow: he loves divas. Crow wants someone to spoil rotten. And he can’t help but find vanity endearing lol. As long as they treat him kindly in return he’s happy

Lens: he wants someone who will be honest with him, who won’t sugarcoat his faults. But also someone who will be kind with him. Lens gravitates towards more positive people. Having them in his life helps make his hard days a little less dark

Cricket: he values strength, honesty and someone with a good sense of humor or thick skin. You need it to be with cricket. He’s temperamental and isn’t the monster for people who take things too seriously. But if you stay loyal, you’ll have a partner for life

Tempo: he’s happy in his own little world so it’s tricky getting tempos attention. He loves art and music, so he’s attracted to someone who’s talented in one of those. Or someone who’s a huge fan of them. Tempo is strictly asexual, so he’s not good for a partner who wants anything more than a cuddle. And hes really open about that

Vibrato: he’s a bit naive and just too trusting, so vibrato needs a protector. And he does like that. He’s hoping to find his own knight in shining armor someday. Vibrato likes classy and bubbly people. Someone with a lot of cheer but dignity too.

[maria-rayro]

extra for extraordinary?

Hector sighs as he sits down next to Charles, shaking his head as he begins to tend to his wound. "My compassion for you is inconvenient, Charlie" he says, calmly looking at the man. Lonnit whimpers in pain, looking at him with broken eyes. Hector smiles faintly, glancing at Charles. "The only thing that comforts me is that you feel the same way about me."

Lonnit tries to shake his head. Munday looks at him with love in his eyes. "There's no point in denying what's going on inside you. You can't fight it. Trust me, I tried. I tried really hard" he reaches out and gently touches his cheek, stroking it.

Charles whimpers. "No, no… no," he shakes his head, tears streaming down his face. Hector watches this almost sympathetically. "I'm not you… I'm not going to be like you… I'd never…"

Hector purses his lips. His shoulders sag as he sighs heavily, removing his hand from the young man's face. "No one can be fully aware of another human being unless we love them. Through that love, we allow our beloved see their potential. Expressing this love, our beloved's potential comes true" he says, placing his hand on Charlie's chest, looking intently into his eyes. "I love you, Charlie. And this is how I express my love to you".

Charlie is shaking in pain and tears. "You're not letting me live because you love me, you're letting me live because you think I'll be just like you," he whispers, barely able to force himself to speak, barely conscious at all. "Because you think I'm just like you… why?"

Hector tilts his head to the side, staring intimately into Lonnit's bright eyes. "Because you were able to fall in love with me. Because I see that you still love me. Even after you saw my real face" he smiles. "Don't feel bad about it. We cannot control with respect to whom we fall in love".

"You will leave me. I will forget about you."

Hector smiles calmly. "You won't. I won't. I will always remember you, my love" he looks at Charlie's blood on his hand. "After all... how can I forget about someone so… extraordinary?"

[redstringraven]

oop forgot to say

25 & 16 was for nyxram

>:D aaa, thank you so much!!! appreciate it! 💜

edgy/misc OC ask meme

16) what is your OC's pain tolerance like?

i imagine it's disturbingly high... to what's, like, probably an unhealthy amount. triceratons are tanks as a whole already*--due to their size, thick skin, and high-temperature tolerance--and here you have one who likely finds more nostalgia in certain pains than she does foods, smells or music (she didn't even grow up with access to music, so). yeah, nyxram is definitely one of those people where like. if you shoot her, you better know it's going to kill her. otherwise all you'll have managed to do is irritate her at best and piss her off at worst. she's not going to go down unless she's either dead or her body just physically gives out on her. which, again: not easy to do with triceratons in general. ...nyx could be standing in the meeting room bleeding from her side and be more concerned with excusing herself so she doesn't stain the floor or equipment than, y'know. the fact she has an open wound in her side. *they're hella nerfed in-series imo, and i'm gonna blame that on zanramon because he's there; don't @ me (lh)

25) what is your favorite thing about your OC?

gosh... i have a few, but for brevity i think i'll say: i love that she's a morally-gray character and also that because of the background i've given her, it's given me an opportunity to play with different approaches to triceraton combat and weaponized tech. like, post-rebellion nyx struggles with falling into old habits or old ways of thinking; she finds herself eavesdropping on her squad or traximus when she's quietly seeking '''moral guidance'''. she's a person who grew up in extreme isolation with, essentially, two serial-killers-for-hire as parents/teachers, raised and forged to kill. she had enough of a compass to realize she wanted out of that life, but now that she's out? she's having to learn, relearn, and unlearn all sorts of things. and there're times she falters; close as they've gotten, she and traximus butt heads about plenty of things. trax often wants to do things right. nyx often wants to get them done. it can be a lot of fun to think about how she might have moments of pause and internal struggle when it comes to choosing to listen to traximus or a squad member over something and trust their judgement, or if she chooses to solve the problem in a way she knows "worked" for her in the past. she hasn't been 'fixed' or made 'right' now that the external conflict of the old republic and rebellion has passed. the internal conflict is still very much there, and it's an interesting thing to get to explore. as for the combat/tech elements, i'm still trying to re-design nyx's suit to better reflect her as an assassin while also leaning a bit more into a scifi greek/roman-inspired look instead of something more based in the triceraton soldier's uniform, personalized tech included. i also want her to have a very distinct way she holds herself when ""working"" that makes her appear even more alien compared to the postures of triceraton soldiers. like, the ones we see in-series hold themselves similarly to how soldiers as we know them might--straight posture, kinda stiff, upright, grounded footing, etc. but when i picture nyxram, i tend to see her with her weight more on her toes/balls of her feet, and her posture slightly hunched with a wider stance. ...more 'dinosaur' or bird-like elements to her gait, presence, and overall silhouette, making her intimidating in a new and different way. "i've never seen a triceraton move like that", other races might mutter. ...some triceratons, too.

[seeasunset]

what items can be found in your muse’s pockets?, habits and mannerisms, something your muse could never forgive.

HCs!

❖

What items can be found in your muse’s pockets?

➤ There is actually quite a few things found in his pockets.

A compass. He always carries a compass around on him wherever he goes. Although he could tell which way is north, east, west, and south, he still keeps it on him in case.

Small snacks. He is used to bringing in his own food to snack on if and when he grows far too busy to eat. This stems from not eating three meals a day. As someone who constantly moving in some way, he needs to keep himself filled. Not only with energy, but with the food. The snacks are mostly nutrient bars or made-shifted ones back in the days, dried fruits, or something healthy.

Poisons and antidotes. As someone who has a large range of knowledge on this subject, he tends to carry poisons on him to coat his weapons with. This includes any antidotes that can cure these poisons. Although he usually carries one or two of the same poisons constantly - and it's found all over his body too, given he might have to reach for some if he is found in a sticky situation - he is still found with some.

A map / phone. He always tries to carry a map with him. Not only to help out with mapping out where he is going, but in case he gets lost. Of course, in his modern day verse, he has his phone for that.

A journal. As someone who is a captain for the Nauts, he has to record stuff in said journal. So, he has to write down every single detail from morning before going to sleep. Hence why you may see him scribbling in his journal whenever he has the chance to do so.

Habits and mannerisms.

➤ It falls down to what's going on at the moment.

In general, Vasco is observant and he is always on alert. The moment something is happening, he is capable of launching himself into action. It doesn't matter if it's to draw his weapons for battle, bolting if needed to run, anything at all. That and he is used to scouting ahead. So, he may see a small detail others may miss or seeing something ahead that others may not see right off the bat.

Plus, he is used to observing people too, ready to study their behavior and body language. Unlike De Sardet, who may play diplomat, he is far from playing said things. Although Vasco is great with keeping up conversation and all that fun jazz, he doesn't have the same skills as someone like De Sardet or Petrus when it comes to politics stuff, though he tries his hardest to navigate his way through. He is not hopeless in those kind of situations.

If he is found in an embarrassing situation or he is being flustered or soft, you can see a different side of him. The way he'll fold his hands together in front of him, eyes darting away, rosey cheeks, those kind of stuff. He shows a much softer side than him. Apologies being thrown about when it comes to embarrassing stuff. When he wants to hang out with someone or something of the sort, he will be repeating himself. Such as "are you willing to still spend time with me?" or "do you have time to do this?" He doesn't want to take too much time out of someone's schedule, especially if he is aware how busy they are.

Something your muse could never forgive.

➤ Betraying his trust and love in someone.

Vasco doesn't play around when it comes to having his trust and love be misplaced and betrayed. If your muse and him built up a bond where y'all can trust each other completely, he puts a lot of faith in them. If they end up turning around and doing such betrayal, expect him to not come back running. Crossing paths may result in having him treat your muse with a cold shoulder.

This can be seen in the bad ending for Greedfall. His trust being broken and him swearing not to sail again because of that. I would go into details for that, but, there is some spoilers involved.

[elliepassmore]

City of Stardust review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: alternate worlds, secret societies, mystery, magic

The feeling the book gives off is wonderful and it reminds me of books such as Stardust or The Golden Compass in terms of feel. There's magic and a quest and traveling to different places and meeting different people, and there are two groups with diametrically opposed goals. All of if makes for an interesting story and I was on the edge of my seat rooting for Violet.

Fidelis is a city that has been torn asunder by a long ago event and now only exists with access to the normal human plane of existence instead of a multitude of worlds. The scholars there study how to manipulate godmetal, reveurite, and use special keys to travel between their world and the one they have access to. It's a really interesting premise, and I do wish we got to see more of Fidelis in the book. There are two narrators from the city, Aleksander and Penelope, but both are scholars and tend to be tied up in their work in the scholars' tower rather than walking around the city, so we don't see much of it.

The Everly family is tied up in this somehow, though they themselves are not scholars. Their family, however, is cursed, and one Everly from each generation vanishes. Marianne Everly, we learn at the start of the novel, is determined to find a way to escape this fate and also prevent it happening to her daughter. But vanishing without word or trace does leave its scars on the people left behind, and Violet grows up not truly believing in the curse, but knowing her mother is gone. The Everly storyline is what's at the center of the novel and there's a race to find Marianne Everly, and hopefully stop the curse, before it becomes Violet's turn to be taken, while on the flip side there are people working to try and ensure Violet fails and is taken. It's a very interesting epic adventure wrapped up in less than 400 pages.

Violet grows up a secret, and even once she's no longer a secret, she's still hidden. As a result, she longs for adventure and to get to see the world and meet the people in it. She's also a bit too trusting, which sometimes gets her in trouble (and sometimes more than once with the same person). But she's also stubborn and loves and protects fiercely. When she discovers the truth, she is angry, but she's determined to find a solution to the curse and protect not only herself but her uncles as well. Despite growing up sheltered, she's able to quickly follow the trail of her mother and gain allies along the way.

Aleksander grew up in Fidelis as an apprentice scholar. He's Penelope's assistant, and yet he lacks her cruelty, though he can be just as ambitious and determined. Despite having grown up with knowledge and worlds at his fingertips he is, in a way, more naive than Violet because he wants to believe that Penelope is good and thus is blind to the way her tasks for him wreak havoc and put others in danger. Like Violet, he makes the mistake of trusting the wrong person more than once, but in the end figures it out. Aleksander wants to belong more than anything, and he struggles through much of the novel with feelings of inadequacy and questions over his place in the world.

There is romance in this book but I'm not sure I believed it. At first, yes, but not after that. Circumstance and time get in the way and then there's trust issues and when things finally come together the characters have really barely known each other for long. It's a pretty minor part of the book though.

Penelope is quite obviously the bad guy from the moment she walks onto the page. She's cold as a star and slippery as a serpent, and she's very very good at manipulating people, though sometimes she does resort to brute force. She actually reminds me a bit of what would happen if Yvaine and Tristran from Stardust had an epic, nasty falling out and Yvaine then sought revenge.

I liked Violet's uncles as well. Gabriel is in and out of Violet's life but he exhibits the kind of doting care that a distant, rich uncle might. Ambrose is the one who really raised Violet. Despite not knowing what exactly he was doing, he still stepped into the role and became a good parental figure to Violet, protecting her and loving her while also raising her to be the person she is. This little trio of Everlys obviously have a lot of love for one another and I enjoyed their group interactions as well as their one-on-one interactions with each other.

Overall I enjoyed this book and found it to be very atmospheric. The storyline is interesting and had me hooked until the last page. It's the perfect book if you want an epic fantasy but don't want to commit to a long book.

[purgetrooperfox]

do. do you really think Kit fisto of all characters would turn to the dark side? 😬

okay so I assume you're here from this. a couple things

Kit's explicitly canon personality isn't all that complex. he's loyal to the Jedi Order, he cares deeply about his Padawan, he's quick to laugh and tends not to take things any more seriously than necessary, he's an excellent swordsman, he has a strict moral compass and low tolerance for those who violate it. these are the things we see in his episodes of TCW. anything I say about him beyond the bounds of canon is based on my own hcs

and also. I think Falling is a risk to any Force-sensitive in the gffa. based on how heavily it's emphasized that staying in the Light requires control and discipline and self-awareness and extensive training, and some people still don't manage it with all of that, the Dark is kind of depicted as this ever-present pitfall. I'd imagine the Jedi are taught that it's foolish to think themselves immune to Falling, and that part of why meditation is so central to their religion/philosophy/whatever is this need to check in with themselves. to sit down and honestly assess where they are, mentally and emotionally, so they can more consciously stay in the Light

so yes, I think Kit could go darkside

the Kit who lives in my head is a little bit dogmatic, unwavering in his faith both in the Force and the Order. he trusts that they're doing the most right thing they can for themselves and the galaxy. he goes along with fighting in the war because he believes they're doing more good than harm

his emotions run deep. he loves and cares and empathizes with his entire being. one of his struggles is to find a balance between emotionality and the Jedi practice of non-attachment (not the weird toxic definition of non-attachment on this site, the rational actual sensible approach that gets alluded to in the movies), particularly where it comes to close friends/family/partners. he hovers right on the brink of getting too emotionally wrapped up in them

[putting the rest under the cut bc long]

so without getting any further into the weeds about headcanons, I think finding out that the entire war was orchestred by Palpatine from the start, that Palpatine's the Sith Lord they've been looking for all this time, and that the Jedi were massacred by their own troops would put him right on the edge. particularly given the aforementioned dogma and borderline attachments. plus the strain of nearly dying and being pieced back together because someone in the Empire senses that he's on the brink of Falling. idk man it doesn't seem that hard to believe

it also leads nicely into his Fall revolving around grief and loss and fear of losing the few people he still has. he hates Sidious because of course he does, but he also hates himself for surviving. part of him hates the Order for failing. part of him blames the clones for all of it, even though he knows better. he blames himself for not recognizing Palpatine as a Sith

and because I have OC brainrot, it sets him up to project that guilt and anger and blame onto Nocte. blame for his attachment. a target for his possessiveness. someone to have. to cling to because he has no one else. nothing else. and he can't leave, he can't want to leave. so he fixes it so he doesn't. so he never will :)

[transmalewife]

Alright, let's talk about attachment

I can’t find clear information on when exactly the non-attachment rule was added to the code. It was either soon before or soon after the great sith war. Either way, for the VAST majority of the existence of the Jedi, it wasn’t a thing. Jedi got married and had families for over 20000 years, then added the non-attachment rule, which ultimately led to their destruction. And before anyone tries to tell me I believe they deserved to be genocided, I don’t. I have never actually seen anyone say that, but I see people argue against it constantly, and imply anyone who doesn’t think the Jedi were perfect and blameless thinks that. I don’t think they deserved to die, I think they needed to change. And Yoda says that himself, many times. The Jedi weren’t prepared for the return of the sith, or the war. They had separated from the military 1000 years before, and the galaxy was in relative peace all this time, so the order’s role changed to one that worked very well with their rules. Detachment meant they could be impartial when overseeing political disagreements, lack of possessions meant they would be focused on the mission at hand and not prone to taking bribes, and distancing themselves from the general population meant they were more or less uniform, and could be trusted not to side with someone for personal reasons.

All of this falls apart once they become an army again. Impartiality is a flaw when they have to defend one side at all cost and not even allow themselves to consider compromise. Lack of possessions and attachment to people means they are prone to taking unnecessary risks, because they have nothing to lose, and do things like send 14 year olds into battle, thinking of the “greater good” over the safety of children. And the order being a monolith, with set rules and philosophy distinct from the rest of the population meant the Jedi trusted Dooku long after they should have stopped, because he used to be a Jedi after all, surely he still follows the code.

Now, I am not saying non-attachment is always bad, I think it served a very specific purpose in the order, and to some extent worked for many years. However.

Humans are a social species. Human babies NEED physical contact and affection to develop physically. Children need a stable, strong, and supportive relationship to their caregiver to properly develop psychologically. And after last year I don’t think anyone will argue that adults don't need connection with other people just as much. And not just shallow interactions, but open affection and love. Love of any kind, because claiming that the Jedi only forbid romantic love is just untrue. I think people tend to forget that "Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is essential to a Jedi's life. So you might say, that we are encouraged to love." isn’t the actual doctrine, it’s a literal pick up line that Anakin uses on Padme.

Ahsoka and Obi-Wan both get criticized by other Jedi for their entirely platonic attachment to Anakin, and vice versa. Now, humans are the most common species in the galaxy, and in the Jedi order. Many other species are near-human, so it’s safe to assume at least some, if not most of them also need that companionship and affection to develop and live happy and stable lives. I do believe that non-attachment is a valid philosophy and chosen path in life if done carefully and within reason, I just don’t think we have a single major character that actually applies to. And chosen is an important word here. Jedi don’t get much of a choice. I’m not trying to start the baby-stealing debate here. I hear the argument of ‘force sensitives are dangerous if left untrained, and said training should start as early as possible’. I think finding a way to deal with that problem was an insanely complicated decision, and taking children into the temple as young as possible is not a bad solution. I don’t entirely agree with not letting them see their families later, (especially since in legends Obi-Wan was allowed to visit his family, which implies Anakin couldn’t go free his mother specifically because he was already too attached), but the idea is sound. I do also understand that no one is forcing Jedi to stay in the order and they can leave for whatever reason at any time. But that isn’t exactly a free choice either. Leaving the order means leaving the only home you remember, the only people you know to make your own way in the galaxy, and staying with those people means you can never fully love them. It’s a difficult solution to a complicated question, and for the most part, it worked (not always, and not exactly as intended, but I’ll come back to that.) Children grew up in the order, were trained to control themselves and the force, and became Jedi who were impartial, patient, and balanced. But everything falls apart when you introduce someone who wasn’t raised in the temple.

In The Rising Force, 13 year old Obi-Wan had barely been off Coruscant in his life. He describes himself as sheltered and unaware of all the pain in the galaxy, and says it was done on purpose, so younglings wouldn’t have to face the dark side before they were ready for it. But Anakin had seen nothing but darkness, pain and injustice before he joined the order. He was severely traumatized, and while the temple might have had some ways of dealing with trauma and PTSD in adults, they had no experience in treating the same in a child, because their children were kept safe and protected. The idea of letting go of your pain and fear only works if you know you have a safe place to come back to, if you’ve spent the first decade or so of your life in the most protected place in the galaxy. Anakin spent the first decade of his life as a slave. He couldn’t let go of his fear, because fear was what kept him alive. Fear is not irrational if you are constantly in danger, it’s what protects you, keeps you aware of the limits you can push before you get punished. And that mindset doesn’t fade just because you’re out of that situation, especially if your only family, the closest person to you, is still facing that danger every day.

I’ve seen people use every excuse possible to explain why Anakin didn’t see his mother again to avoid blaming the council, including, and I shit you not, “He just didn’t have her comm number”. But to me that seems disingenuous, when we see in his first meeting with the council that they already consider him too attached. It's one of the main reasons they don’t want him to be trained, so it seems logical that they wouldn’t allow him to see her once he became a padawan. I also want to mention that what Yoda says, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” Is just… blatant catastrophizing. Right? Like we can all see that the escalation is not rational there at all. Maybe it could apply to something else, but not to a child who just left his mother for the first time in his life and went from a tiny dustball in the middle of nowhere to the most populated planet in the galaxy, and is now being tested by a bunch of old people with the power to decide his future. Obviously he’s afraid, and obviously he’s not dealing with it the way Jedi younglings do. That, in and of itself doesn't doom him to fall. Also what Yoda misses there is that suffering leads to fear. This is a closed loop, and one that has defined Anakin’s entire childhood.

Let’s come back to how the system doesn’t always work. The way I see it, most of the characters we see are attached. Obi-Wan is considered one of the greatest Jedi of his time. Windu describes him as “our most cunning and insightful Master—and our most tenacious”. And yet, he was not insightful enough to look past his love for Anakin, his attachment, and see how close to falling he was. Ahsoka was so attached to Anakin she refused to listen to Maul on Mandalore, refused to even consider the posibility he could fall. She was arguably the person with the best shot at preventing the empire forming at that point, and she loved anakin so much she doomed him and the entire galaxy. Aayla admitted to thinking of Quinlan as her father, and also, apparently in legends had a long relationship with Kit. Even Mace didn’t follow the code when he decided to kill Palpatine, which directly led to his death and the empire. He also indirectly caused the war to start. According to wookiepedia “Windu viewed Dooku as the shatterpoint of the entire Separatist movement, which meant striking Dooku down would theoretically end the imminent clone war before it even began. However, Windu's prior attachments to Dooku clouded his judgment.” I’m not even going to mention Kanan and Ezra, who are obviously family.

So basically everyone is attached and lying about it. How has no one thought that maybe this isn’t the healthiest way to live and tried to change the code? Well, I have a theory, and it’s Yoda. He was 900 years old when he died, and was on the council for the vast majority of his life. I can’t find when exactly he became grand master, but it’s safe to assume he held some degree of power over the entire order for most of a millennium. At the end of TPM he tells Obi-Wan “Confer on you the level of Jedi knight, the council does. But agree with your taking this boy as your padawan learner, I do not.” Then he reverses that decision by himself. So either he has the power to veto the council’s word, or who gets trained is entirely up to him. Either way, not great, considering his lifespan is so much longer than most Jedi, and therefore his approach to life is vastly different. Humans need love and closeness to live. However, while we don’t know much about Yoda’s species, it probably isn’t a social one. You could count all the characters of this species on two (human) hands, and Yoda lived in complete isolation for 20 years on Dagobah, and only went a little bit insane. They are naturally rare, and therefore probably lead solitary lives in nature. Moreover, Yoda outlived every master who trained him, and almost every padawan he trained himself, (there’s a great post about that here) so even if he wasn’t naturally predisposed to non-attachment, he would have had to learn it to deal with all the loss he had to live through over the years.

A lot of people think that Anakin fell because he had attachments, which is not true. He fell because of how his attachments played out and/or ended. The most obvious example being Palpatine, who used Anakin’s trust and friendship to groom him for over a decade and actively undermine Anakin’s trust towards anyone else, especially the order. (more on that here). Obi-Wan refused to take on the role of a father figure that Anakin tried to shove him into, so he turned to someone who did accept it. It’s not Anakin’s fault that it turned out to be the worst person alive, nor can we expect him to notice when he’s known Palpatine since he was a child. Another failure of jedi non-attachment, because a loving parent or guardian would not let their child be used as a bargaining chip when the most powerful politician in the galaxy blackmailed the order into allowing him to meet Anakin regularly, but a distant teacher and detached knight thinking of the greater good might. The other attachments Anakin had were taken from him (Shmi and Ahsoka, the last orchestrated by Palpatine who was fully ready to give her the death penalty to make Anakin more unstable), or he was forced to lie and hide them, compromising his vows as a Jedi (Padme) or refused to choose Anakin over the order/their principles (Obi-Wan, and again Ahsoka, and to some extent Padme, but he’d already fallen then). All these people had every right to make the choices they made, but it wasn’t the act of loving them that made Anakin turn to the dark side, it was how those attachments played out.

I think everyone agrees that Yoda is as detached as a Jedi should, if not can, be, and that didn’t prevent Dooku from falling. We see that explored in more detail with Barriss and Luminara. Luminara is detached and distant, she’s fond of Barriss, but their relationship is not familial in the slightest, and she repeatedly shows her willingness to put the greater good and the mission before Barriss’ safety and even life. And yet Barriss still falls. A complex combination of events and choices caused each of those characters to fall, not the simple presence or absence of attachment.

And lastly, just as attachment can make you unstable if your relationship with that person is unstable, it can also make you stronger. There is a reason Anakin and Obi-Wan were the face of the army. Not only did their obvious attachment (the strongest between two jedi we are shown) make them more relatable to the public, but they, when working as a team, are shown repeatedly to be more or less undefeatable. They spend half of aotc flinging themselves off great heights because they know the other will be there to catch them. They know from years of experience that they have backup and they know each other well enough (or force bond communicate) that they can trust the other will be where he needs to be to help/save them. Contrast that to how Windu and Palpatine fight in rots once the window breaks- very carefully, clearly holding back to keep themselves safe. Neither of them has backup until Anakin arrives, but until the last second they can't be sure which one he will choose. Anakin and Obi-Wan fight the same way on Mustafar, especially when balancing on that thin bridge. No acrobatics, swinging arms to keep balance, keeping their distance, being almost uncharacteristically careful compared to how they treated heights in aotc, in tcw, and on the invisible hand in rots, because they both know the other won't catch them if they fall this time.

[beatleszeppelin]

You're A … Inexperienced Ch. 4

Chapter Summary: You spend every waking hour of the next day hoping for Daryl back, you don't know if you'll be mad, sad, scared or happy when he returns. But when you are notified of his return, and you find out he's hurt, things go a bit further, or should I say a base further?

Category: Friends to Lovers, Mild Smut, just a good ol’ time

Paring: Daryl x reader (second person)

Warnings/Includes: General Walking Dead grossness, Smut, swearing, use of weapons, non-graphic hunting, mention of past child abuse, (let me know if you see anything else)

Word count: 2.5k

Chapter 4: I trust you.

“Carol,” You yelled getting her attention.

She smiled back, a sympathetic look, but endearing and all knowing. “I heard what happened last night with you two.”

“Did he tell you?” The inquiry slipped immediately from your lips.

“On his way out he did,” the corners of her mouth pulled back into a smile, and she patted your shoulder.

“Out?”

“Went on a run, early this morning. Daryl stopped and talked to Carl and I on his way out the gates.”

“What did he say happened,” You begged, wanting to know the true reason he’s left you high and dry last night.

“Not very much, most was implied.” She held her arm out, guiding you to a near by table. You both sat together, and pried on the other’s interactions with the elusive conversationalist.

From what you gathered, he left this morning in a hurry, and he left mad. Mad at himself for fucking it up with you, whatever he thought it was. He didn’t tell anyone what he was doing in detail, but he didn’t take much water and nearly no food. He should be back today, based on Carol and Carl’s sleuthing.

But the day went on, and lunch and dinner came and went, and he didn’t make an appearance through the gates. You took the day off from whatever tasks you were supposed to do at the farm, with the animals, and crops, to instead take over a full day of gate work. You didn’t read a book, or draw stupid little pictures in the margins of other peoples papers that were left. You looked out, on guard, watching the shadows change on the road ahead.

Sometime after the shadows left, and the ground turned fully dark, your eyes fell heavy from the lack of sleep you had been allowed the night before. So you turned in. Sleep didn’t come easily, thinking of Daryl out there, mad at himself. He could have run away, he could have left for good. He could be out there hurt, or worse. The thoughts wracked your head, until you woke up the next morning, you don’t remember falling asleep, but you must have sometime early this morning.

You got up and dressed with no effort, for maximum efficiency. The first place you hit was the gate, it was a shift change, so you spoke with Carol on her way in.

“Do you know anything, has he come back yet?”

“You haven’t seen him yet?” she asked as if his whereabouts were seemingly obvious.

“No, I didn’t even know he was back, where is he?” You begged.

“He showed up at the gates late last night. He’s in the infirmary, he got hurt on his run yesterday,” She said, without too much concern, but it didn’t stop you from walking to him, but she did add, “he’s fine, by the way,” while you were still in ear shot.

You walked to him, but by the time you noticed you were running. You couldn’t tell what you were feeling as you braced yourself to see Daryl in whatever state he may be in. You were mad at him for leaving, but happy about his return. Sad that he felt the need to leave in the first place, and scared about his injuries.

You opened the door to the infirmary, walked into the rows of cells and stark white bed sheets that have so regularly been changed. Your quick lope took you to Daryl’s cell, the one that you heard Hershel’s voice and quite grumbles coming from. His monotonous pained breathing served as a compass, guiding you directly to him, without any consideration to which direction your feet were moving.

You stood on the other side of the bars, seeing into his room much like he must have seen into yours just a few nights ago. Hershel was tending to bandages wrapped around Daryl’s abdomen. There was no blood, though. His bare chest was wrapped up, around his ribcage and over his shoulder. He lay on his side, another wrap encasing his knee, was propped up with a throw pillow someone must have retrieved on a run.

As he lay there looking up to you, you stand in the doorway, sorting through the files in your head of possible things you could say to him.

“Welp, I’ll be back to see you later, and remember to take it easy on your body. No strenuous activity.” Hershel picked up and saw himself out, patting you on the back as he left.

Seconds long pause lingered over the heads of both of you, but was broken when you simply asked, “What the fuck?”

“‘m sorry,” he tucked his chin down to his chest.

“I really don’t care if you’re sorry right now, I just want to know what you did, and maybe why?” You said genuinely.

“Didn’t mean to hurt you, an’ when I did, just thought I should leave, always better out there.” He mumbled.

“What do you mean hurt me? You thought you hurt me. Look at you, laying here all wrapped up,” You couldn’t fathom him leaving because he thought he did something wrong, when what hurt you most was the fact that he had left in the first place.

“I knew what you’d wanted, but it didn’t happen, an’ I thought you’d be mad about it.”

“No, I wasn’t mad about whatever happened while you were in my cell, I was mad about everything that happened after. I didn’t want you to leave.” You paused for a breath, “I thought you left because of something I did, and it turns out you did. And what did you mean what I wanted?”

“Well,” He raised his chin, and his eyes kept darting in between your and the floor. “You wanted to fix me, but you can’t change the unchangeable.”

You felt disheartened, his words hurt, not because what he was saying was with mal intent, but because this is what he genuinely thought. He thought that you wanted to sleep with him to fix him, to some how change this broken man that sit before you, but he couldn’t be more wrong. He wasn’t broken, not to you, not to anyone here but himself. “I don’t want you to change; I just don’t want you to have only bad memories.”

“What if we try again, an I still don’t like it?” He said, voice breaking.

“We only try when, or if you want to. I’m always down.” You said, finally walking into the cell, and siting on the stool Hershel was on before.

“And what if I never want to…”

You cut him off, “have sex?”

He raised his head, and then nodded slowly.

“Then, we’ll never have sex, and I will be happy being with you, because you are my friend, and I love you.”

He reached out and grabbed your hand from you lap. And he simply held on to it.

“I do have one more thing to ask of you,” he looked, “how did you get hurt?” His face turned red again, he cleared his throat. “Was out, on my bike. Just riding. I was mad, at myself, at the world, so I was going fast, yeah?” You nodded. “I saw a walker, I tried to stop, but I’s on a patch of sand, and I slid, and fell off.”

You laughed and shook your head, then you pulled your hand out of his for a second, and he subconsciously reached out for it again feeling the emptiness. You grabbed the blanket from his bed, and draped it over his his body, stopping just before the curve his waist. You were scared to touch his bandages, not knowing how much pain he was in. You sat back down, and took his hand in yours, and his shoulders visibly dropped at the connection. “So what did Hershel say?”

He brushed his hair down into his face with one hand, you quickly undid this gesture by pushing all of his hair back behind his ears. “He said I’ve got a dislocated knee, from where the bike fell on me, and I slipped a rib, probably from sliding.” You smiled at him, sympathetically, causing him to bashfully add, “t’s nothin’ bad though.”

Days later, maybe a week, when Daryl could walk (with assistance), you took him out on a makeshift date. You planned where you would take him, a field, outside the walls, with a pond right next to it.

You drove his bike, he sat behind you holding on to your waist, one leg bent, with his foot flat on the pegs, the other straight out, as to not bend his hurt knee. You rode around for a while, you thought he needed it, before circling back to where you wanted to take him. “This is it,” you said as you arrived to a flat spot of land, encompassed by weeds that danced in the wind.

“What’re we to be doing here,” he asked hobbling off of the bike, he’s normally so comfortable on.

You pulled a blanket and some bread and jam out of the saddle bags on the bike, that he was still leaning on, as a crutch. You laid it down. And set the food on top. Then you walked back about ten feet to where Daryl leaned, and slowly eased his arm over your shoulder, seeing as to not hurt his ribs. Then you helped him walk over to where you planned to spend the day with him. You dropped his arm, and it hit his side with a wince.

He held his side, and not so gracefully slid his leg out from him, so it wouldn’t catch any weight on his way to the ground.

“What does it feel like?” You gestured to his leg once he had hit the earth.

He shrugged, “Dunno, like it’s tight when bent, an’ hurts anytime ya put weight on it. Can’t use crutches neither, cause those’d hit ma ribs.”

“You really fucked yourself up didn’t you?”

Breathily, he laughed.

You ate, breaking bread with your hands and passing the jam jar between you. The pond

was enchanting, just as the lake that you bathed in before was. This was safe, though. It was close to the fence, and you each had weapons at the ready.

“Been thinkin’,” Daryl said, with a mouth full of bread.

“Yeah, what about?” he caught your attention with his tone.

“Said, we could try again, right?”

“Right.” you replied, instantly knowing what he was talking about.

“What if, I know… What if the part that I don’t want ta… ‘s there anythin’ else?” He said chewing on his lip to mumble through the words.

“What?” You said scrunching your nose up.

“The whole putin’ yer,” he mumbled so you didn’t catch all of the words, “jus doesn’t feel right.”

“So you’re talking about trying stuff up until the second or third base, not going all the way?” You asked trying to understand.

“Yeah, somethin’ like that.”

You scooted over to him on the blanket, and held your hand up to cup his face. Once you did, and he eased into the touch, you ran your thumb over his cheek. Your fingers were spread, to make room for his ear, under his hair. You looked at his eyes, and he looked everywhere but yours. You leaned in, stoping for a second to whisper, “First base,” and then went in for a soft kiss. It wasn’t quick, but it didn’t last long before he bit your lip, the way he always does his own. Pulling back a little you said “Check.”

You unbuttoned your shirt, but left it on, billowing open in the light breeze. You let him have his fun, as you watched him, poke and prod you in likeness to a child studying a bug. He grew more and more comfortable with the actions, as he encompassed your body with his hands like a sightless person would use a walking stick.

As his hand fell down over your shoulder, your bra strap slipped down, causing him to freeze and wait for your cue. You just unhooked it, and slid the other strap down to match. He withdrew his hands, and started chewing on his thumb. “Would you like me to take it off, I mean it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”

He nodded, thumb still in place.

You slipped it off through your shirt sleeve, and watched him take his vest off, and lay it down on the ground. You then helped him pull his shirt off over his head, which you and Carol have been taking turns helping him do, since his accident.

“I would say second base has been accomplished, what about you?”

He sucked his bottom lip in between his teeth and mumbled an “mmm hmm.”

“Wanna try third or shall we wait for another day?”

“What exactly is third?” He asked.

“Hand stuff.” You said blatantly, awaiting his reaction.

He thought for a second, nodded, and said, “trust you.”

His words made your stomach bubble, it was excitement and it made you feel like you were about to throw up. You pushed those feelings down, and hooked your fingers in his belt, pulling him in for a kiss. This time, unlike previously, you didn’t lead it. His lips met yours and neither of you moved without the other.

You did however take the lead when you reached down and rested your hand on his leg. You slowly moved your hand up, and his breath hitched. “Are you okay, does something hurt?” you paused.

“Nah, just needed a sec, good now, though.”

Through his pants, you felt that he needed no time to get ready, so you got straight to work. You undid his button on his pants, unzipping as well. He halted all movement; focusing on breathing and staring at your hand slowly working itself up and down. He shut his eyes tight, and moved your hand.

“What, was that too much.” You asked, needing him to tell you what he wasn’t liking.

“It’s a lot, if you touch me ‘gain, I’m gonna…” his face was red and he grabbed his dick tightly.

“Open your eyes,” you coaxed.

“Can’t need to concentrate.” “If you need to, just do it. I’ll take it as a compliment.” You said moving his hand away. “May I?” You asked.

“I trust you.” He said barely above a whisper.

You finished him off in a matter of seconds, his pants were down mid-thigh, and you pulled his rag out to clean him up. He pressed his index and ring finger to the bridge of his nose, acting as a shield from his bright red face; he radiated chagrin.

As his heart pounded, and his breathing was still accelerated, he leaned on you, and whispered “I trust you, and I love you.”

And you could have spent the day there in that position, with him breathing heavily into your neck. And his arms were wrapped tightly around your waist. And although you got home later that day, and went to your separate sleeping quarters, that doesn’t mean this was the last time, it was only his first.

[fanficwriter284]

Not So Much A Fic But More Of a Strengths and Weaknesses List

Chucky:

-Ok let's start off with his strengths, the guy's physically strong. Younger he was an athlete, playing several sports. However, he does have an artistic side. To reduce stress, he drew in his notebook of things that brought joy to him. Mainly of which was Tiffany or just nature. He was always fascinated with the theme of natural selection. The apex predator is always on top, having nothing to fear. When he was younger his grandfather taught him how to play two instruments since his grandfather was a musician back in his prime, and that is actually how his grandparents met. (Story for another time). He taught young Chucky how to play the guitar and the grand piano. He could even play a bit of the accordion, to get further in touch with his German Roots. But doesn't play it as much. Chucky was always a fast learner, so he picked it up rather quickly. When the twins were babies, he would grab his guitar and play a soothing song, sometimes sing but was VERY RARE. As the twins got older and took a music class, they discover that their dad could actually play the piano, so they annoyed him a lot with several requests for songs. He was excellent at mathematics and helped Tiffany a lot in school.

Alright time to get into his weaknesses: Chucky is what you call a logical thinker, and this isn't necessarily a good thing. He tends to look at problems as math equations. Not at all consider the emotions of others and justifies his reasoning with facts, choosing the more logical approach. He is terrible at reading emotions and body language. You need to be straightforward with him, or he won't understand what's up with you. He'll kinda just stare at you confused. If one of his family members is crying or upset, he'll sit next to them awkwardly, but eventually, he got better at it, due to the help of Tiffany. He just doesn't know how to do emotions. He's also awful at showing his own. Growing up he had been taught by his father that it was weak o show emotion, and his dad would repeatedly beat him till Chucky's tears ran dry. He began to open up again when Mary adopted him but when she passed, he closed off again. He doesn't let people in and doesn't like getting help from others. He struggles with anxiety and it's prone to lashing out. He may seem perfect and ok on the surface but underneath he's a trainwreck.

Tiffany:

Tiffany's a strong woman, who can easily hold her own. She's one of the most empathetic Rays. She's sweet and kind-hearted and will normally leave people alone unless they piss her off. She encourages people to be themselves and is always there to catch you when you fall. She's helped Chucky through so much and taught him how to properly handle the feelings and emotions of others and himself. He's getting there. Whenever he has one of his breakdowns, she's always there right by his side, trying to calm him down. She's the one person he trusts with letting his wall down. She would NEVER look down on him because he would break the tough killer and shift into the emotionally damaged side he has.

Some Weaknesses:----

Tiffany can be a little too empathetic which can sometimes lead to her smothering someone of her family members. Sometimes she can get more focused on taking care of others than herself. But luckily her family loves her and helps her. But sometimes she'll let her emotions completely get the best of her and outweigh her better judgment. Tiffany can a bullheaded and stubborn can lead to dumb decisions. Once she had her mind set on something it was almost impossible to break.

Glen:

Ok, some strengths with Glen are that he's compassionate and very loving. He had a strong moral compass, knowing right from wrong. He'll partake in a kill once in a while and is very supportive of his family. He'll always be there to lend a hand and a shoulder for someone to cry on. He's great at literature and history and likes to educate himself before acting upon something. Math and science he's decent at but not his strong suit. He's very optimistic and always tends to look at the positive side of things.

Weaknesses-

Yes, Glen is known for being the most levelheaded, but he does have a darker side to him. Nobody who harms his family isn't making it out alive. He and Glenda get along for the most part, but he can push her buttons from time to time. Which usually ends up in a fight that their parents have to break up. If he's pissed off, he'll seek out someone who seems to have dark intentions and kill em, to blow off steam. He's not proud of it, but it gets the job done. Especially in his teen years. He's not the easy push people make him out to be, if ya push him too far he'll push you back.

Glenda:

Some strengths of Glenda are that she's very independent and self-assured. She doesn't need no one to tell her that she's gorgeous, she knows it. She's strong and confident in herself. Like her dad, she's a fast learner. Math and science are the number one thing she is amazing at. She's always got that upbeat and cocky attitude like her dad. She won't allow anyone to tell her how to live her life and won't let anyone pity themselves. She'll encourage and reassure those who seem to have low self-esteem. If anyone disrespects her or her family, she'll gladly kill em.

Some weakness of Glenda is that she doesn't always think things through all the way. Never thinking before she jumps. She'll pick fights for the fun of it at times. She and Glen can have an on-and-off sibling relationship, going from wanting to kill each other to gladly risking their lives for one another. Like her dad, she struggles to help people help her and can end up pushing them away.

[sweetstarling]

Obey me - Valentines Day Headcanons

Happy Valentines Day, Lovelies! I hope you had a wonderful day, As a gift to you from me, here are some Valentine’s Day Headcanons of all the characters!

Warning: Fluff/ A bit of NSFW

————————————————————————

.~𝕯𝖔𝖜𝖓 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕽𝖆𝖇𝖇𝖎𝖙 𝕳𝖔𝖑𝖊 𝖂𝖊 𝕲𝖔~

Lucifer:

🌹Prepares in advance: finishes any paperwork the day before, makes special reservations as well as try’s to keep everything in order in the house otherwise he’ll just steal you away after breakfast.

🌹This demon loves you more then anything, he’ll make sure to leave you roses and a card by your bed while you’re asleep, the roses a blood red (Love & Respect).

🌹He’ll tell you during breakfast about his reservations, the whole restaurant to yourselves as he wants nothing more then to be alone with you.

🌹He’s a gentleman, loving anything you gift him as it came from you.

🌹Will make sure you spend the night with him, making sure the time he spends with you at night is more gentle and sensual then normally. Keeping you close and comfortable as if he was afraid you would disappear.

.𝖄𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖔𝖘𝖙 𝖎𝖒𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖆𝖓𝖙 𝖇𝖊𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖎𝖓 𝖒𝖞 𝖑𝖎𝕱𝖊..

The lights from the chandelier luminated his features, his eyes glowing crimson not leaving his gaze from you. A small smile caressed his lips, a rare sight for the other; He made sure the building was empty, the only people occupying it were you two and the workers. A calm atmosphere, light classical music danced in the background as to Lucifers wishes.

Stay always by my side

Mammon:

✨Oh lord Diavolo, please have mercy on him. He tried to make you breakfast in bed, he even tried multiple times since 6am but it didn’t turn out very well.

✨Decided to leave you a card, with some hearts drawn in them with a small pack of expensive chocolates, a gold (Love & Compassion/Excesses) ribbon tied into a bow on it.

✨Will take you out for a walk in the park if the weathers right just to keep you away from his brothers, will definitely get ice cream for the both of you.

✨When you finally get back after an hour or so, he drags you into his room for a movie night, letting you pick the movie as he gets pizza for the both of you to eat whilst watching.

✨When you gift him something, he looks like he’s going to burst from happiness no matter how small the gift. He holds you tight at night, cuddling, just being thankful you’re with him.

..........𝕴 𝖍𝖔𝖕𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖑 𝖆𝖑𝖜𝖆𝖞𝖘 𝖇𝖊 𝖒𝖞 𝖍𝖚𝖒𝖆𝖓...........

The day was cool as the breeze crisp, you sat down on the bench the wind a calm whisper as Mammon sat down by you. Handing you your ice cream gently as he made himself comfortable, a light sigh left him as he took off his glasses not really bothering with them; His face held a bright glow to them as he couldn’t help himself but keep all your attention on him.

I want you to always be happy.

Leviathan:

☘️Likely had a reminder on his phone to go to sleep the night before just so he can spend the day playing and binge watching anime with you without being tired.

☘️Probably ends up over sleeping slightly from his lack of sleep but makes sure to hand you your gift at the breakfast table: A brand new manga that the main character reminded him of you with a couple of orange roses (Fasination & Enthusiasm)

☘️Takes you to his room after breakfast to play a few games, deliberately going easier on you at times so you win as he enjoys how happy you seem.

☘️Feels blessed to receive a gift from you as he still tends to feel inferior, you giving him a gift means a lot to him.

☘️You spend time in his bathtub, a few pillows and a blanket to keep you warm. Him surprising you with a few kisses as well as an anime playing in the background, a plate of different treats beside you.

.......................𝕴 𝕷𝖔𝖛𝖊 𝖄𝖔𝖚, 𝕸𝖞 𝕳𝖊𝖓𝖗𝖞......................

You stood by the large aquarium, the colours of the tv screen being illuminated onto the glass. Your gaze following the fish swim peacefully as you waited for Levi to return, a few footsteps echoed behind you then warm hands wrapped themselves around you waist. The hot breath of the third born warming your neck, his ocean eyes calm as a smile graces his lips.

You really came, my Henry

Satan:

🥀Has cooking duty that day which leads him to making your breakfast extra special, the food being catered to your favourite flavours.

🥀By your plate lays a single red rose,(‘You’re still the one’) as well as an emerald wrapped book layer beside it, the book being one of his favourites that he knew you would enjoy.

🥀He decides to go out with you to a simple but beautiful place, a cat cafe near by, a warm place filled with cats as you two enjoy a drink and a few of your favourite treats.

🥀Takes whatever you gift him with a smile of gratitude, his heart swelling with joy as he put the gift away to enjoy later.

🥀Decides to take a detour round a beautiful park filled with flowers before heading home, As at home he sat down on the bed with you calmly reading to you until you fall asleep.

................𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖒𝖊𝖆𝖇 𝖘𝖔 𝖒𝖚𝖈𝖍 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖊 𝖙𝖔 𝖒𝖊..............

The warmth of the room put you at ease as you lay in bed, the sound of Satan’s voice entering your ears like a sweet lullaby intending to put you to sleep. His voice barely above a whisper reading both to you and himself, the noise of him turning the pages were barely heard but brought comfort a noise of familiarity as you fell asleep.

May we always celebrate like this

Asmodeus:

💋He needs his beauty sleep and expects you to have yours too but that doesn’t mean he won’t leave a sparkly pink bag infront of your door in the morning: A cute personalised card with a picture of the both of you and a perfume he thought would suit you.

💋A nice light breakfast he’s prepared for the both of you in his room before a whole day ahead of you; A bit of badminton to keep the day fresh before lord of self care.

💋A warm hot in for the both of you as you lounge around enjoying a light conversation, the lights a cool shade as you enjoyed your time

💋A light but delicious dinner before heading back home, a few hundred photos being taken together on the way back some posted others for his eyes only.

💋You get welcomed into his room, pink (Appreciation and gratitude) rose petals scattering the floor leading into the grande bed and open invitation as Asmo wanted nothing more but to show you your worth.

......𝕮𝖔𝖚𝖐𝖉 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖉𝖔 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖊 𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊, 𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖗?.......

The warm water splashed onto you as Asmo carefully dipped into the water his eyes never leaving your form, a look of joy bloomed in his eyes as he settled and relaxed. The warmth of the water releasing any tension in your muscles, the air cool around you as the other smiled bringing himself to talk about any latest gossip

You’re so cute when you blush

Beelzebub:

🌼Decides to make breakfast for you and it turns out great too, he doesn’t get up too early leaving you enough time to get ready before eating with him.

🌼Decides to gift you some chocolates and light pink roses (Admiration & Sweetness). He loves the idea of getting to spend the whole days with you and plans to bake as well getting plenty of engrediants in advance.

🌼The baking turns into a mess quite quickly with flower everywhere, you two snacking on extra ingredients and just making a mess of the kitchen but the baked goods turn out great which leaves you to enjoy some treats and leave some for Belphie when he gets up.

🌼Decides to go into town with you to eat at a restaurant, him choosing a quiter more reserved place for the two of you so you’re both comfortable.

🌼Wants nothing more then to hug you tight at night, your warmth a constant reminder you’re by his side.

..............𝕴𝖒 𝖌𝖑𝖆𝖉 𝖜𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖙𝖔𝖌𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖑𝖎𝖐𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘..............

The soft fluffy whitness ambushed the whole kitchen not sparing you or Beel in the process, leaving everything to look like a winter wonderland. You laughed holding back a cough from all the flour on you as Beel took another piece of chocolate handing it to you as you both waited for the baked goods to be ready; His eyes glowing as he met your gaze.

You’ll never leave me, right?

Belphegor:

🌙Gets up, the tiredness still evident in his eyes as he headed to breakfast, your gift in his hands as he gave it you infront of the others: some warm blue pyjamas (trust &sensitivity) with a small card.

🌙takes you to the attic after breakfast, the place seemingly filled with more pillows and blankets. The place perfect for napping especially on such a day when he gets to steal you away.

🌙Spens quite a bit of time with you building a large pillow fort, blankets above you and fluffy pillows serving as walls. Belphie taking this as the perfect time to tickle you before settling back down to nap with you.

🌙Wants nothing more then to eat dinner with you in peace besides the company of Beel who’s great at cooking, the three of you eating in the twins room, the food seemingly twice as good as you were together.

🌙Decides to go stargazing with you, a blanket and pillow at hand for the both of you to be comfortable, the night sky illuminating his happiness.

.......𝕻𝖊𝖗𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖘 𝖜𝖊 𝖘𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 𝖙𝖆𝖐𝖊 𝖆 𝖓𝖆𝖕 𝖙𝖔𝖌𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗.......

You layed on the floor, a multiple blankets masked the carpet as you lay surrounded by an army of pillows of all colours and textures. The face of a particularly sleep demon lay beside you, his soft arms wrapping around you bringing you close. Him singing you to sleep quietly as you couldn’t help but smile.

You shine brighter then any star

Diavolo:

👑This Prince has a lot of ideas for what you two should do but not enough time for all of them, one things for sure that he invites you to the castle for breakfast then moves on from there.

👑Expect to walk into a room with just you and the Prince, even the watchful eyes of the devoted butler not being present. The table filled with all kinds of food to choose from, rose petals scattered on the table all following some kind of pattern.

👑The Prince gifting your the tradition red rose bouquet with a beautiful card and a box of chocolates, all of it placed nicely in a basket with a gold bow.

👑The Prince being desperate to be by your side the whole day, even letting you wear his crown for the day as his lust for information about the human world showed. Constant questions while you settled down to play chess.

👑The prince encouraged you to stay the night, the master bedroom occupying a large bed for the both of you; As he laid down cuddling you, he continued to talk to you regardless if you listened or not.

...............𝕿𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖙𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖊𝖙 𝖗𝖊𝖒𝖎𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖉 𝖒𝖊 𝖔𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚............

The prince sighed, considering his next move carefully, his eyes glimmered as he moved the pawn.Leaving you to decide your next move, The room was dimly lit but just enough light for you to see his the concentration on his face before a light chuckle left him, the breeze from the slightly open window playing with his hair.

Enjoying yourself, Are you?

Barbatos:

🍃The best at preparing everything for the special day, yet making sure not to try too hard as it’s meant to be a day that you both enjoy. He’s prepared a calm breakfast for the both of you with a bit of everything to try as well as some special brewed tea.

🍃This butler makes sure to spend all his time with you today that he might not be able to spend another day. His room is where you spend of the day, a small gift lay on his desk for you, a charm that reminded him of you alongside a lavender rose (Love at first sight).

🍃You spend the day taking a walk around the castle gardens, all the flowers just starting to bloom as well as a few activities at hand in his room.

🍃Dinner comes sooner then you expect, all of it made with adoration towards you, the food simple but luscious an ethereal flavour to them.

🍃Ends the day with you two falling asleep in each other’s arms, both deserving the rest in the silent room.

....𝕴'𝖑𝖑 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖓𝖉 𝖆𝖘 𝖒𝖚𝖈𝖍 𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊 𝖆𝖘 𝖎 𝖈𝖆𝖓 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖞𝖔𝖚...

A soft breeze played around leaving the warmth of the day to caress your skin, the heat from a hand in yours guiding you around the wonderland of flowers. A colourful atmosphere as you both truly felt at peace; The butler going at a slow pace for the both of you to relax and by all means not hurry.

You don’t mind if I steal you away?

Simeon:

❄️This Angel wants nothing more then to show his love to you in a way that praises you throughout. Meets you by the House Of Lamentation to go to a cafe for breakfast, the fresh smell of food surrounding the place.

❄️Gifts you a bouquet of red and white roses (Unity, Love, Innocence), the roses seem to glow when handed towards you a small smile gracing his lips.

❄️Plans going to the cinema with you, a movie that you both are sure to enjoy play as you shared some treats through out the movie, the place almost empty as you two enjoyed.

❄️Gifts you an Angel charm so that he can always be by your side no matter how far apart; The gift being delicacy wrapped in blue wrapping paper as he gifted it to you in his room.

❄️The night was spent with him giving you gentle kisses, and stories from his past that seemed humorous.

.............𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖙𝖋𝖚𝖑𝖞 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖈𝖎𝖔𝖚𝖘, 𝖒𝖞 𝖑𝖆𝖒𝖇............

The screen lightened up, the colourful images reflecting in both your eyes; A calm atmosphere surrounded the room with very few others leaving the two of you to enjoy the moment. The sound from the movie drained out from your mind as you left the warmth from Simeons hand caress your own holding lightly, a smile on his face as he continued to watch the film.

You’re ethereal in my eyes

Solomon:

🕊He plans the day carefully but decides not to warn you in advance; Leaving purgatory hall to visit you at the House Of Lametation with a gift at hand.

🕊He means well ignoring the brothers judgemental gazes as he gifted you a red rose and a photo book, It was filled with different kinds of memories both in Devildom and the human world.

🕊He guides you away from home and instead to take a trip to the human world, Decides to take you on a picnic in a field filled with daisys (innocence & purity).

🕊Enjoying the calmness of the picnic, he teaches you about magic and how he learned it though he never specifys how old he truly is he has many tales to tell.

🕊Returning back to purgatory hall, he invites you to spend the night with him, the room seemingly prepared as everything was organised and the bed flourished in more pillows then before.

....................𝕷𝖎𝖋𝖊 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖇𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖇𝖊𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚..................

The sun shone brightly, a clear sky above as there was only a simple breeze accompanying the both of you. A large basket lay on the blanket with multiple treats to share and a few spells to show and learn from the excited wizard; his voice continuesly being heard as he moved onto another memory of his own.

You showed me no bounds

[thevindicativevordan]

On Maxima

Every time DC wants to put Supes in a relationship with someone other than Lois, I always wonder why they don't just go with Maxima.

Especially since she's basically what they turn Diana into every time they try to hook the two of them up. Why not just go with the actual Superman Rogue/supporting character who is also a warrior-queen? Who is already almost as violent as she is horny, forcing Clark to try to get her to chill out, even as he's tempted to join her? If it isn't already clear, I like Maxima. Her character archetype, the supervillainess who tempts the hero with sex appeal, is one that's pretty damn popular for obvious reasons. Also for obvious reasons, this kind of character can provoke a backlash nowadays.

Personally I think she can still work just fine, she just needs some revamp. The basics of her character and backstory are still solid and offer storytelling potential. She's the Queen of the alien Empire of Almerac. Maxima is drawn to Superman because of his power. The real big fix is changing why she's attracted to his power, and why she came to Earth in the first place, shifting it away from eugenics to something else.

What I'd Do With Maxima

So I'm going to take some cues from the DCAU incarnation of Maxima in that the reason she seeks Superman out is because she's been deposed.

DCAU Maxima got deposed after she met Superman, but she lost her throne because her people judged her too self-absorbed and immature to lead them. Which she totally was, and changing that formed the crux of her character development over the course of the episode. I'd take a similar route with reworking comics Maxima's backstory.

Maxima has just taken the throne when the Interstellar Empire of Almerac comes under the assault of Mongul of Warworld. Crushing Almerac's defenses, Mongul gives the world an ultimatum: Turn over a selection of their greatest fighters to fight for Almerac's continued right to exist in Mongul's gladiator arenas or he'll reduce the entire planet to ashes. He also demands a sizeable portion of the population be turned over as slaves tasked with keeping Warworld running, and he wants Maxima to be among those slaves as a symbol of Mongul's authority over Almerac. Maxima angrily refuses, but her people don't trust in her leadership on account of her youth and immaturity, and Maxima is overthrown. She's handed over for transport to Warworld, but while en route she breaks free and seizes control of the transport. Alone and without allies, Maxima sets a course for Earth to seek out the one person she's heard is a match for the Lord of Warworld: Superman.

Only interested at first in his power, and planning to use and dispose of him afterwards, Maxima at first presents herself to Clark as a potential mate. Her hope is that will entice him to support her on what could be a suicide mission, and that offering power and wealth via marriage will cement his loyalty. Being betrayed by her subjects still stings her though she takes great pains to pretend otherwise. Superman turns down the marriage offer, but agrees to follow her to take down Mongul and free Almerac. The two travel back to Almerac which is in the midst of choosing who will fight on Warworld. Clark pretends to be a native of Almerac and is chosen as one of the champions. Initially planning to stay on Almerac and purge those who betrayed her while Clark fights on Warworld, Maxima chooses to give herself up to Mongul, after he announces that he will be vaporizing an entire continent as punishment for the Almeracans failure to turn her over to him. Amused at her compassion for those who betrayed her, Mongul adds Maxima to the roster of gladiators, and she departs with Clark to the arenas.

Over the course of a series of battles, Maxima and Clark butt heads, watch each other's backs, and gradually fall in love with each other. Maxima admires Clark's resolve, restraint, and maturity, traits she's forced to admit she lacked. She's skeptical of his idealism however, seeing it as a flaw that undermines his effectiveness, particularly when it comes to killing. Clark admires Maxima's passion, bravery, and refusal to settle for anything less than the best in anyone including herself. All traits that make him ponder if perhaps she does have it in her to be a good leader. He dislikes her arrogance and entitlement however, particularly when it comes to her royal right to rule. A frequent source of fights between the two is whether the common person should have any voice in government with Maxima scoffing at that and point at how the mob gave in to Mongul, with Clark countering that Almeracans had long felt unheard and cut off from their rulers. Obviously that they're both super hot doesn't hurt as part of why they end up sleeping together.

Ultimately through a series of events Superman and Maxima succeed in freeing Almerac and driving Mongul away. Then everything promptly goes to hell. Having fallen for Clark for real over the course of their adventure, Maxima repeats her offer to him of marriage, except genuinely this time.

The two have had sex a couple times already, and Clark is genuinely tempted at the prospect of sticking with Maxima. He's grown to enjoy her company (having sex tends to do that), he enjoys the freedom to be himself without having to hide his powers, the Almeracans embrace him as their champion, and as Maxima's consort he could take an active hand in shaping society. At the point in Clark's career where I'd want to do this story, he's growing out of his youthful rage, but he's still not at peace with his lot in life. Earth's inability to meaningfully change at the pace he wants frustrates him, and leaving behind the restrictions of life there does entice him. My point is that I think the appeal of Maxima to Superman should and can be more than just breeding little Clarks as has been the case in the past.

However Clark ultimately rejects the offer. He can't bring himself to cut ties with Earth, Maxima's unwillingness to cede some of her power to her people isn't something Clark can accept, and Clark is also concerned that taking up her offer would compromise his ability to be a hero. As you would expect, Maxima is pissed at his refusal, treating it as another stab in the back. Due to his help in freeing her people and reclaiming her throne, she spares his life but exiles him from Almerac, declaring him persona non grata throughout the Empire.

Unbeknownst to Clark, who leaves after it's made clear the Almeracans don't want a civil war, Maxima is pregnant with his child. The child allows her to avoid entering into a political marriage, maintaining her independence since she now has a heir. This daughter will be groomed in hidden to take over the Empire, which Maxima now has plans to expand. The humiliation Mongul visited upon Almerac has had a big impact on her mindset. Now she's focused on eliminating any potential threats to her people, and she wants to transform Almerac into the greatest Interstellar Empire in the Milky Way. Then it will never be at the mercy of a foreign power ever again.

For stories, Superman and Maxima are clearly going to clash given she's become an imperialist herself, no better than Mongul. You can tell stories about Clark foiling Maxima's attempts to conquer other worlds, or Earth itself. Maxima would occasionally dispatch assassins or go personally to attack Clark, for the purpose of preventing him from getting "soft". The public reason for this is that he's become a roadblock to her aims, and needs to be eliminated. Secretly, her goal is to constantly push him to be stronger because she wants him to meet his daughter one day. Not for any sentimental reasons mind you, Maxima wants Superman to teach their daughter to be his equal in ability and resourcefulness. After learning everything she can from Clark, said daughter will be charged with leading the invasion of Earth. Conquering Earth, and defeating Superman, will be the girl's rite of passage into cementing herself as Maxima's heir. The world of her father, Superman, is destined to be her own Throneworld as Almerac's is Maxima's.

Think you could have a lot of fun in giving Clark a "Damian" of his own to deal with. Personally I'd have it so that the "daughter" would be akin to the New 52 Maxima who I thought had some potential. You could have Maxima and Maxima Jr. argue about the morality of Almerac's expansion, with MJ ultimately taking her father's side which causes enormous problems for her mother since she can't disown her daughter without a replacement heir. I think that could be a fun family dynamic to explore.

Wondering where Maxima will show up next. Part of me was hoping Almerac was that part of underdeveloped Superman lore PKJ talked about fleshing out, but that seems to be either Warworld or the Phantom Zone. I still think Maxima and Almerac have a lot of potential to be major players in Superman's world, but it's going to take someone being interested in fleshing them out. Maybe the upcoming Superman cartoon will accomplish that? If not I'll just have to hope someone will down the line.

[shepherds-of-haven]

I'm obsessed with this dark!Shepherds AU?? Could you tell us more about it? Or in a head-to-head fight, which Shepherds would win against their evil counterparts or vice versa?

Hi there, good question! I haven’t really given that much thought to the dark!Shepherds AU, but I imagine (if we’re making it very similar to the Justice League scenario) something happens to make the majority of the Shepherds snap, and they turn against the Autarchy and instate a form of governance based solely on power and domination. They think they’re doing what’s right by preventing conflict and protecting the world from demons, just like the Justice Lords felt when they took over the world. That being said...

Dark!Blade: Dark!Blade isn’t all that different from teenage/young adult Blade, who was perfectly comfortable with the idea of assassinating and killing people for his cause, and because he firmly believed it would lead to the greater good. Dark!Blade would be like that, but even colder and more ruthless than his past self. He would rid himself of all personal attachments, such as friends, family, and romance, believing that such feelings made him weak and hesitant, and made himself vulnerable to his enemies in the way that the Autarch was made vulnerable through her sons. 

In a toe-to-toe combat situation, it’s hard to say who would win. Both have razor-sharp killing instincts and battle tactics, but I’m probably going to give it to Dark!Blade, because he would be willing to fight dirty (taking loved ones hostage, threatening kids or bystanders) and Blade would sacrifice himself willingly for others while Dark!Blade wouldn’t. So I’ll give it to him 90% of the time!

Dark!Trouble: I really can’t imagine a dark version of Trouble, not in the whole “bad Justice League” sense. I suppose he already walks a fine line between light and dark as it is; his relentless good, altruism, courage, and compassion make him a hero, but there’s that edge of temper, rage, and darkness (especially in his past--he was a criminal and killer-for-hire too, after all) that colors it as well. Like, now it’s fine for him to beat the everloving shit out of an asshole like Lazu Reen, but that could tip over to someone who’s not so black-and-white bad, too--he could turn that hatred towards an enemy who is more nuanced, like a politician who ultimately serves the people and does good, but who happened to make Trouble an enemy by personally slighting or hurting a friend, something like that. Trouble’s sense of loyalty tends to override his desire for justice in some ways, and I could see him supporting someone like Blade or MC to the end if they framed their endeavors in a way that could still be read as “good”. Like, yeah I had to kill this group of people, but it was for the greater good! And he’d be like “alright, I trust you!” He’s got your back even when the whole world turns against you, until there comes a point when he just can’t stand it anymore--but by then, he probably already did a lot of bad out of love of his friends.

If it were a death match between Dark!Trouble and our Trouble, I’m betting our Trouble would win, purely because Dark!Trouble’s desire to live would be just slightly lessened by the weight of all the deeds he committed. I don’t think he’s truly cut out to be bad, so our Trouble would probably win... 

Truthfully, though, if we’re following the Justice League formula, I could see Trouble being the one dying to trigger the domino effect that leads to the Shepherds turning bad. Like the Flash (I’m pretty sure it was Wally West in JL), in a way, he’s one of the hearts of the Order that bridges them to the civilian population and vice-versa. If he were killed, I could see them falling into the path of darkness (with a lot of other factors involved, too).

Dark!Shery: we already know that Dark!Shery and Shery are one in the same, lol. I don’t think Dark!Shery would be so much like the bad Justice League; I think what would be dark about her would be her indifference, her total passive indifference to their quest for domination “for the greater good” and their thirst for revenge. Dark!Shery is more just personally angry, aggressive, loud, forceful, and selfish, but I don’t see any world where she sets out for power or world domination. If anything, I see Dark!Shery (in that AU) being petty and mean, ripping lollipops out of kids’ hands because she feels like it and not batting an eye at seeing a beggar collapse in the street. 

That’s not to say drunk Dark!Shery is like that, I’m just taking her badness to an extreme in an AU where all of the Shepherds are bad!

In a fight, Dark!Shery would absolutely win, lol. She doesn’t have any better combat abilities than our Shery, but her sheer rage would be terrifying and would lend her crazy strength, lol.

Dark!Tallys: Tallys, too, already walks the edge of the path to darkness a little bit, I think. Obviously she’s chosen the good side, but in a different world where a demon promised her revenge for her fallen family and an opportunity to burn the Autarchy down, I think the younger her would have taken it. In a dark!AU where Trouble was killed or something, I think she would be like, “okay, fuck it” and give in to that doubtful, vengeful side of herself and just go apeshit on the world. She would be one of the people spearheading the plan to take over the world. She’d give lip service and say she was doing it for the greater good, but another part of her would revel in the blood and chaos. It wouldn’t heal the wound in her heart, though, and would only make her even more twisted and angry. 

In a head-to-head first, I’m going to give it to our Tallys 60% of the time. Part of the thing that makes Tallys so effective in battle is her ability to sever herself from her emotions and maintain a cool head; she can detach herself from personal feelings and analyze combat with cold clarity. I feel like dark!Tallys would be easy to taunt into a rage, or she would let her hatred and thirst for blood cloud her mind, so I feel like our Tallys would have the advantage most of the time!

Dark!Riel: I say this in complete seriousness: in a world where Riel decided to turn evil or fall to the dark side, everybody is already fucked. He would absolutely be the most effective and terrifying villain out of the entire cast. He will rip, slash, and burn entire countries with the easy ruthlessness of an accountant making budget cuts. He knows a dozen ways to starve, lay siege to, and lead public campaigns against the enemy. He would be the scariest Autarch the world has ever seen. If you think he’s mean to his enemies like Ebert now, wait until he has no moral code holding him back...

It’s difficult to imagine a battle between Dark!Riel and our Riel, but I’m going to guess the utter dispassionate cruelty and lack of compassion in Dark!Riel would win 90% of the time. Our Riel has a little less edge than Dark!Riel, so for that reason, I think he would lose. And so would the world...

Dark!Chase: I feel like Dark!Chase is very similar to our Chase, just colder, more ruthless, and bloodthirstier. He’d take genuine pleasure in torturing and killing his enemies, and I think he would cut out the flirtatious aspect of his personality in favor of a crueler and more sadistic sense of humor. He would also probably be batshit insane, like, somewhere on the Joker’s level but not obnoxious; in fact, quieter and calmer and deadlier, like you could never really know what he was thinking. People would be afraid to look into his eyes. I think it would take a lot more to push him to that point than the others, though; but once he tipped over that cliff into darkness, there’d be no going back or remorse for him. He’d love to kill his enemies with a kiss and a smile.

In a fight between our Chase and Dark!Chase, I feel like it would be 50/50. Dark!Chase would be more reckless, unpredictable, and have even less of a fear of death than our Chase does; our Chase would have the edge in terms of strategy. So yeah, I think it would be 50/50!

Dark!Red: I can’t even imagine what Dark!Red would be like, lol. I just can’t imagine him being truly evil or ruthless without feeling guilty about it. I guess I could only imagine it if, like, he messed around with some spell and it robbed him of the ability to feel love or empathy?? But even then, I feel like he doesn’t have any inclination to go around conquering the world or hurting people. He mostly just wants to chill and read his books. I feel like he’d be the only one out of the group (besides probably Trouble if he’s not already dead) to be like uhhh guys what’s going on here, this isn’t like us?? He’d probably defect and lead a small underground rebel force with Pan and Neon. OMG and he’d be the one to figure out worldwalking and travel to our Blest to get our Shepherds to fight his because they’d be the only ones to stand a chance at taking down the evil versions of themselves!!! OMG!!! IT ALL FITS WTF. 

Dark!Ayla: I could see Ayla Hulking out and becoming full of rage, but it’s difficult for me to imagine her doing something like supporting the death of innocents or using dirty-handed maneuvers to conquer the land. She’s also among the most independent of the Shepherds, so I feel like she’d be the most vocal of their opposition... it’s realllly hard for me to imagine her casually killing anybody except for scumbags who hurt other people, like murderers and kidnappers. In a war between different political factions or a bid to conquer the world, I just don’t think she has it in her--no matter how angry and aggrieved she was at whatever turned the rest of the others bad.

I think she would either be on the good side, such as supporting Red’s rebels, or vocal enough among the bad guys to have been killed as a dissenter; she might not be around by the time our Shepherds made it to the dark dimension. But if she was, I’m pretty sure our Ayla would win against her 80% of the time. Our Ayla still has the courage of her convictions and the scrappy desire to survive no matter what; dark!Ayla probably wouldn’t. 

Dark!Halek: Also hard for me to imagine Halek turning truly evil; I feel like, if something bad were to happen to turn the rest of the Order bad, Halek would give himself more to grief instead of rage and revenge. He most likely would remove himself from the situation rather than try to take over the world; they would probably have to go hunting for him in the wilderness, kind of like when Luke was a hermit on that blue milk island in Star Wars (spoilers I guess?). I guess dark!Halek would be sort of tired and indifferent Halek, not able to go up against his old allies; our Shepherds might regard him as a coward, but he wouldn’t be evil like the others. 

Our Halek would definitely beat that Halek in a fight, but they’d probably have no reason to fight in the first place!

Dark!Briony: did any of you ever watch the Flashpoint Paradox (another DC movie about the Justice League--well, the Flash--finding out about a really evil parallel universe)? There’s a scene in it where Dark!Wonder Woman--Queen of the Amazonians and waging a war against Aquaman and the Atlanteans--like, beheads Aquaman’s wife Queen Mera and holds her head up to Aquaman like “fuck you”. I won’t link the gif because all of the violence in that movie is pretty gruesome, but that’s how I feel Dark!Briony would initially be. Super strong, running through the enemy army like a knife through paper, annihilating whole forces and landscapes with just her fists, and not giving a shit just how many people she’s killing. I feel like there’s already a tenuous grasp on her emotions in our Briony; beneath the happy-go-lucky, sweet exterior, she feels so much and loves so much that there’s also the ability for her to snap. It wouldn’t take that much (a few more Nathes) to unhinge her and decide to hurt the world as much as it has hurt her. I think she would sort of black out into an all-consuming, heartbroken suicide run where she just decided to do everything in her power to create as much destruction as possible, to somehow soothe the destruction in her heart. 

When that wouldn’t work, I think she would come back to her senses a little and start to slowly realize how fucked up and evil the things she’s doing (and the people around her) have become. It would be slower than someone like Ayla or Red, but gradually I think she would start to nurse a secret doubt in her heart, and if someone like Red was still around, he’d be able to convince her to start working for the good guys in secret, as their mole within the dark!Shepherds. However, I feel like cleverer minds like Blade, Lavinet, Chase and Riel would find her out, and she’d probably be executed for her treason.

In a fight against Dark!Briony and our Briony, I feel like it would depend on what stage of her development she’s at. If it’s still full rage mode, Dark!Briony probably wins like 80-90% of the time!

Dark!Lavinet: I could see Lavinet turning evil, but it’s sort of hard to imagine because she takes her duty to serve the people so seriously--it’s difficult to imagine what would need to happen to make her forget that, or to make her think she knows what’s best for them, even if that means doing bad things. It would already be so easy for her to do that in our world that she’s very conscious of it, so it would take a lot for her to fall into darkness. However, it’s still possible, and I could totally see her agreeing to be installed as a figurehead Autarch in order to maintain order and peace, slowly becoming more callous and ruthless over time. She would totally execute the old guard loyal to the previous Autarch and make their heads roll publicly to instill fear and respect for her reign. She does have that streak of ruthlessness in her; in our world, it’s reserved only for her enemies, but in that world, she’d slowly start to view everyone as her enemy--even past friends!

In a fight between Dark!Lavinet and our Lavinet, I would guess that our Lavinet would win 90% of the time. In that AU, I feel like Dark!Lavinet would let others do the fighting for her, and she would get used to ruling and being behind the front lines; in a way, she’d lose her fighting edge, something our Lavinet still has in spades. So in a direct combat situation, I think our Lavinet would win! In a game of wits and politics, I’m not sure--I would give that one 60-40 in favor of Dark!Lavinet!