#he’s very much teenage yearning even as an adult

[cherryview]

yeah absolutely! sometimes it’s hard to picture what seven will be like once there is that resolution. i remember seeing amy say that they’re deliberately not including what seven is like after that in povs and stuff to avoid spoiling what it’ll look like…

but i think the unknown aspect makes it really cool! it’ll be nice to see both mc and seven navigating the mix of guilt and care and all while trying not to get too in their heads and make things messy for the band n performances…

v curious about which 5sos song you mean if you remember! my brain goes to try hard but i think that’s just because i like their old stuff too much. will def add whichever it is to my seven playlist ✅

it was heartbreak girl!!! but out of my limit would be really good too… maybe more so for rowan though maybe…

[paddockbunny]

List B + [Necklace]+ Fernando Alonso

“I want to wear his initial on a chain round my neck not because he owns me but cuz he really knows me, which is more than they can say”

The Present

Summary : You thought you would have to spend your special day alone. So when your boyfriend surprises you more than once, you have to show him how much it means to you. Rating : 18+ Pairing : Fernando Alonso x Reader Word Count : 2,221 ONE SHOT Trigger Warnings : 18+, NSFW, adult language, PinV sex, unprotected sex, implied age gap but not explicitly stated Images : curated from Pintrest

List : List B. Prompt : Necklace - sender fastens a necklace around receiver’s neck, leaning in close to do so.

You had spent the whole day out doing things to avoid the fact you were spending your birthday alone. Fernando’s flight had been cancelled so he hadn’t been able to get home this morning like the pair of you expected. The next flight home hadn’t been until this afternoon either which meant he wouldn’t be home for another 12 hours yet.

You poured yourself a glass of your favourite wine and decided to go run a bath. If you were going to be home alone on what was supposed to be your special day, then you were at least going to have a nice relaxing time doing things you loved. After turning on the faucet, sprinkling in some soothing bath salts and lavender scented bubble bath you let the water run so the temperature of the water was nice at hot. While the roll top bath (the very one Fernando had actually installed for you on your last birthday as a surprise) began to slowly fill you went back through to fetch a fresh silk chemise from the drawer in the bedroom. You never wore anything to bed, not usually. There wasn’t much point when sleeping beside Fernando. Other than the fact the pair of you had sex like teenagers, he tended to run hot so cuddling into him was like holding on to a furnace. Tonight however, as you were solo, you decided to fling something on to feel a little special.

While rubbing your coconut scented body lotion into your calves you phone pinged on the marble counter top. The screen illuminated with Fernando’s name and you grabbed it quickly.

Good news, should arrive home earlier than planned. I’m sorry it’s still a day late corazón x

Ok, mi amor. Just hurry home x

I promise I will make it up to you x

Just being here will be enough x

You ached to feel Fernando’s arms around you. You longed to feel his hands on your skin or running through your hair. You desperately yearned to have him here kissing you because nobody kissed as good as Fernando did.

Grabbing your phone and your nearly empty glass of wine you padded from the bathroom, through the bedroom and out down the stairs to go refill your glass. You had the whole evening to kill and no idea on how to do it. But wine was a very good start at least. You turned down the corridor and toward the kitchen but something caught your eye. Fernando’s car was sitting in the driveway.“Surprise!”

A scream loud enough to wake the dead left your body but the sudden shock and alarm was immediately replaced by utter excitement and sheer happiness. “Corazón….” Fernando’s arms went around you tightly as you practically leapt into them. “How did you get here?” You asked when it dawned on you that he had to have already landed at the airport when he was texting you after you got out of the bath. He knew all along he was going to come surprise you. “Max.” Of course. The champion has a jet. It was very kind of him to offer the boyfriend you were tightly holding on to a lift home so he could make it home in time. Which, as he pulled back and gently caressed your cheek he wished you a happy birthday before placing his lips to yours tenderly. Fuelled by genuine shock, pure happiness and a little bit of lust your hands pushed through his hair and hungrily leaned into the kiss. Fernando took your hint and you felt his grip on your sides tighten. You groaned straight into his mouth when his tongue danced along yours. “Wait…wait…” Fernando stopped you, halted your actions when your hand travelled down toward his jeans. “Don’t you want your present?” “That IS my present.” You glanced down to where you were heading before he stopped you. The action o only made him laugh as his hands left your body and he turned to go to his bag. Watching him you wondered what he could have possibly brought you back from a race weekend. The thought of some silly little gift from the airport passed through your brain before wondering if it was going to be more of a gaffe gift and he was going to give you some Aston Martin merch. But your eyes couldn’t help but widen when you saw the distinct shape of a jewellery box.

Fernando turned and apologised for having not wrapped your gift but as he held it out for you to take you couldn’t care less if it were covered in some pointless paper. You took the black velvet from his hands and into your own as is eyes remained on yours. His smile broadened and he encouraged you to open the lid to your gift. Excitement buzzed throughout your body but you controlled it long enough to slowly push up the lid on the square box. And you had to try even harder to control it once you finally saw exactly what was inside.

“Fer” The diamonds shone bright in the darkness of the room. A single row of stunning multi cut diamonds set in silver. It was the most exquisite thing you had ever seen and nowhere near what he should have been spending on you but he loved spoiling you. Words failed to come to your head. You couldn’t think of a single way to say thank-you for a gift that took your breath away even though you tried. Your fingers ghosted across the ice like gems.

“Let me put it on you.” He took the box, lifted the line of diamonds from its home and motioned for you to turn around so he could place them upon your neck. You did as Fernando wished. You turned, lifting your hair out of the way for him as you did so. The precious stones delicately slid across your skin as they were placed upon your neck. Fernando’s hot breath caressed the sensitive flesh behind your ear as he clipped the clasp in place. Your throat tightened as a lump formed in it. You felt rather emotional knowing such a work of art now belonged to you. Then you felt Fernando’s lips press against your bare shoulder and you realised how you could thank him.

You turned, hands going back to his shoulders, as you looked into his eyes. God, how you loved Fernando’s eyes. They were the colour of freshly brewed coffee and the way the soft glowing light hit them they practically shone. Eyes locked together, you stepped backward away from him. One step, two, three, enough so that he could see all of you as you pulled down the straps of your chemise. It met no resistance as it fell straight down to the floor and pooled at your feet. Fernando broke eye contact to slowly cast his gaze upon your naked body before him. “Make love to me in them, Fer”

Fernando didn’t need to be told twice. Within seconds of your request he had you in his arms and his mouth upon yours. His kiss was feverish and hungry. Triple headers were tough on your man but they were equally as tough on you. You craved him and you knew how badly he craved you. The second Fernando tugged on your hair and your body crumpled against him you felt just how badly he needed you. So it was no surprise when his hands trailed down your sides, down your butt and to your thighs. He lifted you up, clean off the floor, and pulled both your legs around his waist in a display of pure strength. What was even more impressive was how he effortlessly carried you upstairs to your bedroom without even breaking the feverish kiss the pair of you were locked in.

When you were finally there, Fernando let go of you and dumped you straight on to the bed behind you, just like he had done so many times before. The small delighted squeal that left your lips only served to encourage him. He pulled off his dark green team polo and chucked it away from himself. His tanned skin looked like caramel and you so desperately wanted a taste. You sat up and reached your hands out to help him remove the dark trousers but he playfully swatted your hands away. “You never let me remove yours” He mockingly scoffed but you knew he was only trying to be mischievous. Fernando rid himself of the remainder of his clothing promptly. There wasn’t any time for patience. Not now. Not when you were naked before him and growing increasingly more and more hungry by the second. You laid back and pulled your legs up slightly and let them fall apart. You knew how much Fernando loved seeing how wet you got for him. He loved seeing your slick wet folds awaiting him. And he was cocky about the fact he did’t even need to touch you, you were always so wet for him. He made a guttural moan when he saw you eagerly awaiting him. And you practically mimicked it right back when he was finally free and you saw how hard he was for you.

Fernando’s hands made their way up your legs as he crawled on top of your body. His lips colliding with different parts of your skin as he went. He kissed your hip softly, ghosted his tongue up your stomach, enveloped the soft peak of your nipple in his mouth as you arched your back in delight. “These diamonds are beautiful. But not as beautiful as you.” He tells you lazily as he settles between your thighs. You didn’t have time to answer him. He ran himself up and down your folds before he finally gave you what you wanted most, himself.

Fernando buried himself inside you. Every beautiful thrust was more powerful than the last and you never failed to adore the delicious fullness you felt while he fucked you. But tonight he wasn’t fucking you. No tonight he was taking his time. Every roll of his hips was deliberate. He made sure to make you feel his love and how much he adored you. Your fingers wound through his dark hair and you brought his full lips to yours. Moaning straight into them as he angled himself just right. Hitting the sweet spot inside you repeatedly. His name fell from your lips as your own collided as it flowed from him.

You were close to the edge. Dangerously close to tipping straight into the land of pure pleasure. Fernando always took you there. He knew every single sign that you were ready for the high and used it to his advantage. He spoke words into your ear; “I love you”, “let go for me”, “I can feel how close you are”

And he wasn’t wrong. Only moments later Fernando took you there. You felt like you were flying you were that euphoric. The orgasm was deep, powerful. It was almost as if your body was exploding for him. Fernando kept his pace up as you tightened and pulsed around him. His body practically begged yours to release him. His breathy, low, mumbled moans gave away how close he was himself. You clutched on to his strong muscular shoulders as finally, you felt him come undone inside of you.

You stayed connected, entwined even after he pulled out and rolled off to the bed beside you. His hand splayed over your stomach first before working up to rest on your chest. Watching him you realised he was staring at the gift he had given you. The one that led you here, to bed, in a orgasmic basked high

“What are you thinking?” You asked plainly before smoothing out his hair. God you loved his hair. It was so full and soft. It felt like silk under your fingertips. But you loved how little strands had begun to lighten, turn grey. It always reminded you of how safe you felt with him. He was a man, a real man, who loved nothing more than taking care of you. You were nearly lost in the thought of how much you loved being in love with Fernando when he finally admitted what was on his mind. “What you will let me do to you if I buy you the matching earrings.” His words made you laugh. They couldn’t not. The juxtaposition between you lying half in his arms thinking about how much you were in love with him and him hungry for more, still thinking about sex with you, pretty much summed the pair of you up. It was why you worked.

“Well, I haven’t thanked you yet for managing to get home today and surprising me.” You ran your fingertip along the diamonds that sat upon your neck so delicately before pushing him backward so he was flat on the mattress. He laughed smugly as his hands ran up and down your thighs after you straddled him. He had made love to you. But now, you were going to fuck him, exactly how he liked.

[cerealboxlore]

you know those posts where cap’s seen as a dad figure? what if one of the reasons why the other superheroes think that way is because when league members bring up there kids or need cap to cover for them when their kids need them cap is just super understanding, empathetic and gets oddly proud of them for being with there for their kids

the actual reason why he’s like that is because billy just really values those things as an orphan and is proud to work with such great people

Whenever someone mentions or even breathes the implication of Cap being mistaken as a dad or seen as a father figure, I lose my marbles, because, oh cheese and crackers, I just can't express enough how much I adore this headcanon! I'm doin' a little happy dance :D

Billy Batson is someone who has always yearned and wished to be a part of a family again since his experience was cut short due to tragedy and made sour thanks to his uncle Ebeneezer being crusty dusty, so it's easy to see him respecting those who appreciate the family they have. He had to grow up and mature far faster than any kid his age, and compared to most adults, Billy is actually more mature and responsible than they are, unfortunately. It's reasonable to see that this would be reflected in Captain Marvel; someone who's immature at times, but ultimately a good-natured person with a golden heart and good intentions, who others can depend on anytime and anywhere (much to the sacrifice of his personal life).

Billy has been in enough foster homes at a young age to know the difference between a good parent and a rotten one, so seeing members of the league prioritize their family members and kids would make him really happy. He's the type to take on any shift or mission in the place of another member if they had something important to do with their family. What you said about him being very proud and empathetic towards parents in the league made me realize that Billy would have loved to have parents like them had his own not perished. In a way, he's not just proud of them, but a little bit envious.

This also brings up another headcanon of mine, where Captain Marvel is the unofficial designated babysitter of the league when emergencies come up. Because despite not knowing who he is/his secret identity, people trust him enough to let him know theirs. Like, it all starts with the Captain in the watchtower break room drinking apple juice, and is suddenly bombarded with a group of children or sidekicks being thrown at him by the other heroes, saying that the Captain was in charge while they were away before teleporting away.

All these kids and teenagers that he suddenly has to help look after, and while Captain Marvel is calm on the outside, Billy Batson is freaking out on the inside. Some of those kids are older than he is, and there's some hilarity to it. Shenanigans ensue in the Captain Marvel: Adventures in Babysitting day, but it all turns out okay in the end. As a kid, Billy would know how to talk to them and keep them busy with fun/educational stuff. Might even teach them a thing or two about good morals, manners, archeology, or ancient magic stuff.

I imagine some of those kids would want to be babysat by him again, and Billy would welcome it (with warning ahead of time). Captain Marvel is just someone people like being around with his good dad vibes. Some of them even ask if he has kids of his own, but are met with an empty room immediately as the man zooms off whenever people ask him questions about family.

Gosh I went rambling again, but I loved this ask!

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

❤️ Loved By You ❤️

Summary; Eddie's ghost haunts Hawkins, Lovers Lake, The Hideout, the benches in the woods near Hawkins High, and especially the Trailer Park.

All your life you've heard of the poor souls who died in Hawkin's earthquake of 86.

Most passed on, Eddie wasn't so lucky he's been stuck in limbo for thirty-four years, fading in and out as time passes, trying to find companionship but failing.

That's until he meets you.

Love transcends death and happy endings can happen even when all hope seems lost.

Warnings: Angst with a happy ending. 18+, minors dni. Soulmate au

I don't give anyone permission to copy, repost or reuse my work.

If you enjoyed this pls consider reblogging, etc. It's much appreciated. ❤️

I hope you all enjoy it, it's a long fic and I hope you all love it as much as I do. ❤️✨

❤️

All your life you had heard about the great earthquake of 1986 that happened in Hawkins.

Every year the town held a vigil for those that died, your best friend's parents Nancy Wheeler and Steve Harrington held a special service along with Dustin Henderson and Robin Buckley for one person in particular.

Eddie Munson. The ghost of Hawkins, an urban legend whose name was whispered about by adults and whose legend was infamous.

Once accused of killing three high school students from Hawkins High, those of whom were in his (third) senior class.

Until Jim Hopper, Hawkin's most famous sheriff for a whole lot of things, the most amazing being coming back from the dead- or escaping the prison he was held at in Russia.

Anyway, Jim had cleared Eddie of any wrongdoing after his death, in fact, according to Dustin, and many others he had died a hero, helping save others during the earthquake.

Dustin told a lot of stories about Eddie, you'd heard a few when you hung out with Alice, it was bittersweet though because you could see how much pain it caused Dustin to talk about Eddie but he said he had to talk about him because he never wanted Eddie's memory to be forgotten.

You wondered what Dustin thought of the Urban Legend regarding Eddie's ghost. Over the years many people claimed to see Eddie, some were stoned, drunk or a little bit of both.

Others were curious, trying to find out if the tales of Eddie's ghost were true. Double dares to go deep into the woods and call out his name, mentions of the faint sounds of a guitar playing when everything was silent at The Hideout, the cave in Lovers Lake was a hot spot for activity too.

Some part of you yearned to know if it was true, even though the logical part of your brain dismissed it as nothing more than an urban legend.

Plus, you had seen how upset the rumours made Dustin, how much he hated that his friend was used as a laugh for dumb teenagers and even some adults looking for a scare.

Unfortunately, as much as you didn't want to entertain the rumours, some people were all for finding out if the ghost of Eddie Munson was real or not.

❤️❤️

Todd Carver was your ex and to say he was a dick was an understatement. You had dated him for two months and grew tired of his arrogant and boastful demeanour.

Graduation was fast approaching and you wanted more out of life than Todd and his asshole tendencies.

It was just your luck he was still part of your friend group however you did your best to avoid him.

He had been trying to get you to date him again but you just weren't interested.

You hear him goading someone and your stomach fills with anger when you notice its Dustin's son Ben.

He was exactly like his dad, you were very protective of him and follow Todd as he and his friends Calvin and Sam push Ben into the woods.

You can hear their laughter and it infuriates you.

"Come on dude, call out for Munson, didn't your daddy give you Eddie for a middle name? Talk about morbid man"

"Shut up" Ben snaps and you hear those morons laugh again as they tease Ben.

"Leave him alone!" you march up to Todd and he snorts.

"Come on Babe, we're just messing around" you glare at him. Steve said he was like his Uncle Jason in miniature, he didn't like to speak ill of the dead but apparently, Jason was an asshole, Todd was just like him.

"It's not funny Todd, Get lost asshole" Todd snorts.

"What? we just wanna know if Eddie Munson's ghost is real or not? What's wrong with that?" he replies innocently but his eyes are full of malice.

He imitates a ghost and at that exact moment, a branch falls and hits Todd, leaves fall on him and his eyes widen in shock and a small hint of fear.

"It's Munson! Let's get out of here" he rushes away with Calvin and Sam at his heels.

Ben smiles, relaxing as he watches them go.

"Thanks for helping me" You ruffle his hair and tell him to get back for his last lesson.

As he heads away you turn to look at the fallen branch and leaves and frown curiously. There's no wind? Was it an old branch or something else? Something spookier?

Then there's a voice behind you and you freeze on the spot.

"God, that Todd dude was a dick right?" when you turn around he's standing near the benches, arms folded across his chest.

His hair is wild, dark brown and long. Big brown eyes filled with annoyance, some of his tattoos visible and he's wearing a Hellfire t-shirt and jeans just like you saw in the pictures Dustin has on his mantelpiece.

What the fuck.

"He's related to Carver? Can spot that asshole smirk anywhere" Eddie grins at you.

"Shit, you're really... I thought you were a myth or some urban legend passed around by stoned guys and campfire tales" he snorts.

"I'm as real as it gets princess... The smile falls away from his lips, still very much dead though, which is shit"

You sit down on the bench feeling a little bit dizzy, you can barely believe what's happening.

"The branch" you ask faintly and he smiles, it's heart melting, all dimples and a hint of cheekiness.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Just that dick Carver. You dated that douchebag? Could do a lot better princess" you stare at him still processing everything.

"How did you know that?" he shrugs and sits beside you, the temperature drops a little.

"I'm a ghost, I hear all kinds of shit. Disappear for weeks on end, then come back again. It's confusing being stuck in this limbo world"

"I'm sorry" you reply feeling his sadness so acutely that it takes your breath away for a second.

"It's kay, not your fault. It's nice sticking around sometimes, even if I can't do much. Haunt the dickheads that come out here sometimes though the bullying little shits, keep track of Hellfire Club which is cool, amazing how massive it is now" he looks so proud.

"I know Dustin, Steve, Nancy, Robin. They've told me all about you. You died a hero" he gets up and smiles faintly.

"Decided to stop running, sometimes I wonder if it was sheer stupidity more than bravery"

"Bravery, not stupidity" you assure him and there comes that dimpled grin again. It makes you feel out of sorts, tingly.

"Must have been an awful earthquake" you sympathise and Eddie nods wincing.

"Yeah, was more concentrated on dying at that point though" this confuses you and you say so.

"It wasn't the earthquake that killed you?" he stares at you puzzled.

"No, it was the bats that killed me' he points to the tattoo of the bats on his arm. Ironic right?"

Wait... What?

"Bats?" his eyes widen.

"Shit you don't know?" he cringes and then turns on his heel and disappears. You call him back, curiosity piqued.

What the heck didn't you know? What was going on? More importantly, you just talked to Eddie Munson.

It's a thought that should terrify you but it doesn't and you find yourself anxious for the chance to speak to him again.

❤️

Eddie must be as curious about you as you are about him because he appears again at the edge of the woods while you are talking to your friends.

Anticipation fills you and you want to talk to him so badly, quickly.

You're a little breathless as you catch up to him and sit on the bench.

"Can you tell me what you meant about the bats, please? If you're okay to talk about it. I understand if you don't. The memories must be awful" he pauses for a few seconds then nods.

"Okay, I'll tell you but be warned. This shit is crazy. You might not believe me" you pay him rapt attention.

"Try me" and with that he begins to tell you everything.

You just talk a lot, he opens up about what really happened in Hawkins in 1986 you're stunned and have so many questions.

Demobats, Vecna, The Upside Down, The Mindflayer, The earthquake that rocked Hawkin's was caused by Vecna killing four people, their friend Max was the last death and it literally opened the gates to hell, where The Upside Down bled into Hawkins.

There was a massive group in Hawkins including Dustin, Nancy, her brother Mike, Steve, Robin and a super powers girl named El that fought against the monsters.

The evil was defeated but Max passed away and that caused a huge fracture in the group as well as Eddie's death.

"Sucked watching all the shit going down, doing my best to help when I could. When I wasn't vanishing for months at a fucking time" Eddie murmurs and his tone hurts your heart.

"Thank you for telling me Eddie. I really appreciate it" he offers you a warm smile and sighs as he looks to the darkening sky.

"You should get home, it's been hours" the darkened sky surprises you and you swear.

"Shit. Dad is going to be so pissed" You gather your things and Eddie clears his throat.

"Can I see you tomorrow sweetheart?" your heart melts at his hopeful expression and you find yourself aching to see him too.

"Count on it" you assure him. He sticks around to make sure you get to your car safely, he's gentlemanly and it's so sweet that you are smiling all the way home.

❤️

Even though you are still stunned about talking to a ghost you enjoy talking to Eddie, you talk a lot about many things and even though he disappears sometimes he always comes back.

The time between his disappearances begins to shorten as he mentions to you one day.

It's the first time he appeared outside your window you were just in your nightie and it was kinda cute watching Eddie stammer out his apology and turn around while you pulled on your robe.

If he could blush you're sure he would.

"Come in" you call to him and it's still pretty cool watching him go through things. He's beaming, something has made him happy and it makes you smile too.

That cute grin of his is infectious.

"The disappearances are shortening princess. It's like an hour now compared to hours or even weeks before we met"

It's amazing this is happening because you miss Eddie like crazy when he isn't around.

"This is amazing" You reach out without thinking and grab his hand, you except to feel cold, nothing at all.

Instead there is only a tiny chill as your fingers interlace through his and he is gazing at you in shock.

"You can feel me?" he whimpers and you nod tightening your grip on his hand as he squeezes your hand back, both of you are at a loss on what to say but it's also so wonderful what happened that you're both grinning at each other in a happy bubble.

❤️

Betty stares at you curiously as you doodle in your notebook, you don't mean to but you're doodling Eddie's name in little hearts.

Fuck. Over the weeks and weeks you had been getting to know each other, his form more solid with each passing day you're feelings are deep and growing by the day.

The truth was you were in love with Eddie.

"You've been lost in thought, daydreaming and smiling to yourself. What's going on? Are you in love with someone?" she asks excitedly.

Your heart speeds up but then comes crushing heartache and tears spill down your cheeks.

"It doesn't matter. It can't ever happen" she looks so confused as she rushes to comfort you.

"I don't understand honey" she wouldn't be able to.

How could you explain that you were head over heels in love with a ghost?

💕

It was a quiet night. Just you and Eddie. His body so close to yours, you bridge the tiny gap between the two of you and lay your head on his chest.

He feels so solid so real and for a few precious seconds you forget that you don't hear his heart beating. That it can never beat. All that matters is that Eddie is here with you.

That's until your doorbell rings and you groan getting up, you can hear that its Todd before you even see him and feel pissed. What the hell did he want?

You open the door just wanting to get this over with.

"Babe! It's been weeks and weeks. Graduation is next Friday! I've been super patient but when are you going to take me back?" you gape at him.

"Uh, how about the first of never? We broke up for good Todd because you're an arrogant bully" he looks stunned for a second.

"This is bullshit! You've met someone else haven't you" There's a shadow upstairs near your room, it's Eddie.

He's protective and you know he won't take Todd shouting at you lightly. However you're well versed in dealing with this dumbass.

"It's none of your business. Go away, Todd. You and I are never going to happen again" he scowls and reaches towards you to grab your arm.

"What are you doing! Let go!" his eyes darken and your heart sinks but then he comes to when you wrench your arm away and he snorts.

Then the next second he's literally flying out the door and lands right on his ass outside. You slam the door shut and head back upstairs knowing Eddie is annoyed.

He is quiet as you head into your room, still fuming that Todd thought you would ever want him back.

"Of all the arrogant, conceited assholes" you huff and you turn to Eddie who is resting on your bed his face blank.

"Eddie?" he gets up, he looks so tense and you move closer to him and gently take his hand.

"Eddie?" he turns to you and he looks forlorn, it makes your heart ache so deeply when he hurts, you hurt.

"What's wrong? Is this about Todd? I don't want him back. You know that right? He's such a douchebag and... He turns away and when he turns back to you his gaze is cold.

"Yeah, he's a dickhead but not every guy you meet will be. You'll find someone special, look at you. You're amazing, sweet, kind, beautiful" his words warm your heart and yet you still feel anxious.

"I don't want some guy. I... You're all I think about Eddie" It's the first time you've admitted out loud even though it's been obvious between you two for a while now.

He shakes his head, his eyes shining but his face set and angry.

"You can't sweetheart. I'm not even here, not really. You can feel me and I can feel you, yeah but it doesn't change the fact that I don't even have a fucking heartbeat"

"It doesn't change the fact that you have no future with me"

There's silence and he begins to fade.

"Please don't go" you beg and he smiles sadly.

"I can't be selfish sweetheart, you deserve someone real, someone who can be with you properly, that can't happen while I'm hanging around. Goodbye princess, thank you for making me happy for the first time in thirty five years" his hand gently strokes over your cheek.

"No, no" you beg but he disappears completely and he doesn't come back, not even for your heartbreaking calls.

Even if it breaks the heart that no longer beats inside of him, he knows he has to stay away.

❤️

It's been a week since Eddie left, sometimes you think that you catch a glimpse of him out of the corner of your eye, smell his cologne when you wake up in the night but it's all just wishful thinking you realise.

You can't even explain to anyone why you're heartbroken, you feel so alone.

Graduation passes by and while you're happy that you and your friends will be together at the newly built Hawkins academy, there is still a heaviness in your heart that is left by Eddie's absence.

For a second you swear you see Eddie at the edge of the forest but he's gone the next second and you're sure much to your disappointment that you imagined it.

He really wasn't coming back. The thought broke your heart all over again.

❤️

The next night you find yourself wandering around Lovers Lake. All your friends are here and it's a massive party for all seniors.

As they party you head off on your own and find the cave that Eddie supposedly haunts, you just want to feel close to him for a little while.

The tears you've been holding in since yesterday fall and you cry it all out, all the heart ache and pain.

"Please don't cry," you think you imagine Eddie's voice but when you look up he's watching you, he looks agonised.

"What are you doing here, I thought you were staying away?" you wipe your eyes and stand up shakily. He swallows and moves closer to you.

"It's hell. Like a physical constant ache, it never goes away, the longing to be with you. When I'm not with you I'm in agony. Didn't know being dead could hurt this much. Hurt even worse than when I died"

Your whole body shakes with tears.

"I feel the same way, it feels like I can't breathe Eddie, it hurts so badly" he reaches out to you and his hand rests on your cheek.

"How can I stick around though? I'm just keeping you from moving on, finding someone who...who can really be with you" he spits out the words, the devastation in his eyes breaks your heart.

"This isn't fair. Life sucks ass you know that?" this brings a smile to his face and you cuddle into him, then you peer up at him.

"I love you Eddie, I'm in love with you" his expression changes, it's like happiness radiates from him and it fills your heart with joy.

"I love you too sweetheart, I'm so in love with you" his lips meet yours and you kiss passionately, pouring all of your love for each other into the kiss.

The kiss is incredible, perfect. You kiss for what seems like hours until you slowly part, Eddie's lips press to your forehead.

Then something weird happens, and Eddie's eyes widen. He stares at you for a second and whispers "Princess"

Then he's just gone.

❤️

Eddie expects to disappear and then re appear within an hour or so.

Instead of an hour it's barely a minute and something feels wrong. One minute he's in The Upside Down and he's bones and dust, the next minute, as if by magic he can feel his body coming back together, bones forming once more, skeleton then his body piecing itself back together, he opens his eyes and he can hear the most wonderful sound that he's heard in thirty five years.

The sound of his own heartbeat. He can't even comprehend how this happened. How he is alive once more.

Maybe magic did exist? If those creatures, the demobats, MindFlayer, Vecna and another dimension under Hawkins then who's to say that magic wasn't real?

A miracle had happened that's for sure. Tears burn in his eyes and he knows so much has changed over the years, his friends are grown up, his uncle an old man.

And yet he was given a second chance, another chance at life and he wasn't going to waste a single second.

At first he's unsteady on his feet, he cuts himself some slack. Shit he's been dead for so long.

Somehow though he gets out of the cold desolate world of the destroyed Upside Down.

He crawls his way out of hell and into the light.

❤️

It's a couple of hours later, you're at home and the sun is beginning to rise. Bird sing fills the air as sunlight fills your room.

That perfect kiss with Eddie fills your mind. Was it a goodbye kiss? Something didn't feel right when he disappeared and it's troubling you what it is.

"Princess" you peer up and Eddie is at your window, you race over to open it and he comes in.

"I thought you were gone" tears blur your vision and you throw your arms around him.

It takes a second for you to realise that he's warm, so warm, Eddie smiles through tears as he says something to you.

He's beaming, absolutely radiant,his whole body is solid and through your haze of tears you hear the words he's been saying to you.

"Princess, listen" he places your hand on his chest and you lean in close.

Thump, thump, thump.

You can feel the steady thump of his heart beat. It's the most beautiful sound you've ever heard.

"How?" you're barely able to gasp out and he shakes his head, he has no idea either.

"After our kiss, I woke up in that place, everything was desolote and there was barely any sign of an exit but I crawled my way out of where my Uncle's trailer used to be" he closes his eyes.

"I was down there in the upside down but then I got to the surface, I could feel the sunlight, hear birds singing and could feel my heart racing, by some fucking miracle I was brought back"

"I've been given a second chance to have a new life, connect with Dustin and the others, spend my life with you if you'll have me, you're the woman I want to spend my life with" you kiss him elated.

"Yes, yes, yes. I'll be by your side through all of it Eddie". His eyes darken in a delicious way that makes your whole body tingle.

"There's so many people I want to see but first I really want to spend the morning making love to my girl. Does that sound good to you Princess?"

"Yes", you manage to say as his arms wrap around you pulling you close to him.

For the first time you make love, feeling Eddie's body close to you, the way he makes you feel is everything.

Mind-blowing orgasms sweep over you both but the absolute best part is when you cuddle into his arms sleepy, when you wake up he's dozing peacefully, there's a smile on his face and you sigh content as you rest your head against his chest.

His heartbeat lulls you back to sleep once more, a smile on your face as you slumber.

❤️✨

[valla-chan]

The more I think about The Ring / Ringu 's story, the more I realize that the reason why it seems bizarre to treat Sadako/Samara as the villain is because... It sort of is.

This post contains spoilers for the Japanese movie, the American remake, and the original book of "The Ring/Ringu".

In the American version, Samara is implied to be a demon child; some sort of abomination brought into the world by irresponsible parents who wanted a child but we're not able to conceive. (See the queer undertone?) Her parents had no special abilities in any way.

Samara herself was being tested for ESP (extrasensory perception) at a psych ward, due to her deliberately "wanting to hurt people" seemingly for no obvious reason other than her being evil, maybe with a bit of parental neglect sprinkled in that has the undertones of it being "understandable" under the unique circumstances. It always felt like a sort of overly reductive view of the character, and a bit unfitting as to why she would create the tape seemingly as a cry for help, but then revealed at the end, ah, no, she is indeed just evil, look at her angry face!

This does not satisfy me.

In the original Japanese version of the movie, Sadako's mom is the one being tested for ESP. Sadako— who is shown to be a strange looking, moppish, unkept girl even in her oldest memories here (unlike in the American version where she is portrayed very much like a very deadpan but otherwise normal child)— uses her own ESP to kill a heckler in the crowd who is becoming critical and standoffish with her mom and the ESP doctor, Dr Ikuma. It is explained at some point that she is a demon child creating by her mother yearning for the sea too much. She is killed by Dr Ikuma after studying her, rather than her parents.

This one seemed to touch on something interesting, but it's nowhere near as interesting as the information the book provides on the matter.

Ikuma is her father.

Sadako and her mother's relationship and plot is a fair bit different from in the films, based on what I've gathered online, but it boils down to the same ideas. Her mother had ESP, Ikuma encouraged her to show off her powers, and in the process discovered that Sadako's were even more powerful, and proceeded to study her. This is where things begin to really diverge.

Ikuma gets sick from trying to unlock his own powers leaving Sadako to grow up away from her family. And she does grow up, unlike in the films. She grows to 19 years old before returning to Ikuma in his mental ward after a heartbreak and deaths caused by her powers. There, she is raped by a different doctor, who discovers she is intersex (with the present of both male and female genitalia), and is so disgusted that he throws her down the well. Sadako, in her remaining days, developed the smallpox that this doctor unknowingly carried, amplifying her death curse into a physical virus.

Okay can we talk about the fact that she is intersex.

Like holy shit what. NONE of the media of her other than book seems to find that worth mentioning. NONE of the other media finds her adult or teenage life worth mentioning. ALL of the other media treats her as an inherent evil. Even in the books, it is mentioned that she wants to be reborn normal, but is unable to because she is intersex. Not because she is cursed or has ESP, but because she is intersex!

An actual queer character, with an actual struggle, trying to live her life to her fullest despite everything in her life taking her away from the people who cared for her. The HIV parallel to the smallpox the doctor gives her. The fact that her last dying effort is to tell the world her story, and curse the world that wronged her with having to experience her pain. And what becomes of this in the later Movie versions???

Saying outright that she is a demon child.

Implying that it's better that she died, and that her story would be better forgotten.

Her parents shown as irresponsible and secretive for adopting a child they were never 'meant to' be able to conceive.

Portraying her as a faceless monster even as a child, or as a demented and unlovable freak.

Portraying her with ungrateful, evil intent even while alive.

Portraying her viral potential as something inherent to her as a freak, rather than as something that someone else unknowingly inflicted onto her that she must bear.

...

Portraying her the exact way that real queer/ND people are treated all their lives, through all of modern history, childhood to adulthood, all in an effort to create something from her character that doesn't have to discuss her intersexuality. Even her parents, turned from people destroyed by the societal reception and health issues from their ESP, into people who bring the devil to Earth for the crime of wanting a child when they cannot have one.

All leading right back to exactly what created the curse in the original. The trauma of queerness. All erased and paved over in order to create a more palatable villain out of a child who couldn't help it. Showing through the obfuscations created to hide it, if you know how to see through it. It's not even to say the book doesn't have those themes, but it is obvious that great care went into scrubbing this element from her character in the popular culture, while amplifying its effects on her.

No wonder it feels bizarre to treat her character how the movies do. They removed the central element that explains everything.

And no wonder we relate to villains so much. So much of the time they are us.

So much of the time their motivations are to tell their own stories, to have others understand their pain, to show the world how it treats people like them. And as soon as those ideas are marketed to a mass audience, the victim becomes the villain, and the point is buried under enough layers to make the people who would have thrown her down that well feel good about being part of the society that destroyed her in the first place.

I hope we remember that when we see a real queer person being demonized for relating to a reprehensible character.

[mysteriousooze]

Any Valerie Gray headcanons?

Ohohoho now where did I put that soapbox...

Valerie eventually has to come to terms with her own ghostly nature. She has been imbued and empowered by nanobots and ectoplasm, and even when she isn't using any of it, she is different now

Technus is capable of mind controlling Valerie. Fortunately, he is stupid. He doesn't think to do so for a very long time, and it's obvious the moment he does

They never actually figure out how to prevent technus from controlling her. But thankfully he never gets good at it. Instead, he learns to fear being beaten like a pinata by teenagers

Eventually, the GIW is able to pick Valerie up on their sensors due to her super suit living under her skin

Valerie is not a halfa. She doesn't have ghost powers. To any ecologists, she seems highly contaminated and likely overshadowed.

Any attempt or even success in removing the ectoplasm and nanobots from her system will kill her.

Valerie was that kid who never missed a day of school even if she had the flu and everyone would have been safer if she had stayed home. Being sick just makes her stubbornly determined to persevere.

(Valerie stays home from school the day she realizes the anti-ecto acts apply to herself)

If Valerie were to ever come into contact with blood blossoms, she would feel pain within her entire body, followed by muscle spasms as if being jolted with electricity, and—with prolonged exposure—sores would open on her skin and start leaking ectoplasm.

Blood blossoms alone wouldn't kill her, unlike Danny. But they would weaken her immune system enough that something else likely would.

Valerie eventually develops a sort of sixth sense for electromagnetic fields

If Danny transforms into a human and keeps a lid on his powers, he can hide from the GIWs sensors. Valerie can never hide.

Valerie's eyes are opened to her own behavior toward ghosts after the GIW treat her as subhuman.

It's not Danny who saves her. It's Sam Manson.

Valerie's dad and Sam's parents work with the teen girls as they spearhead the ecto rights movement. Valerie becomes a figurehead. She hates it, but she hates the GIW more

Eventually when Valerie joins team Phantom, she learns that Tucker has been able to track her location using her nanobots this whole time

The more she learns about Danny's weird friends, the more she comes to respect them

Hey friendship with Sam is frightening to behold. The bond over the destruction of their enemies

She doesn't touch romance with a ten-foot pole, and is thankful nobody brings up feelings. Team Phantom have flashes of rage or betrayal or yearning, usually followed by an awkward silence. But mostly it's because they're low-key being hunted by the government

(Publicly, the government isn't hunting them at all. They strike indirectly, or when ghosts can take the blame. They place substitute teachers in Casper High, which is always badly understaffed. It's a strange cold war.)

Valerie never has the problems with controlling her nanobots that Danny did his powers, but sometimes her reflexes get the better of her.

Valerie would rather get angry than cry

She almost shot her dad once when he tried to wake her up from a nightmare. She bawled for two hours while he held her

Valerie sees herself as an adult after becoming a ghost hunter. She occasionally doesn't see Youngblood bc of this

She's honestly such a daddy's girl tho it's kind of embarrassing. If Young blood tried to sneak up on her while she was with him, he would immediately be spotted

Valerie never becomes one of the popular kids again, but rises above it all. She's the kind of powerhouse of a girl that kids part like the red sea to get out of her way

She doesn't become a leader so much as a linchpin of teenage civil disobedience

She knows everyone in Casper High. She has their phone numbers. She has their secrets. And she knows most have been trained with Fenton Blasters and are willing to use them

With a single mass text that the GIW is cornering Phantom, a flood of teenagers takes to the streets for their hero

Valerie isn't the leader of a teenage militia. But isn't not NOT a leader iykyk

Valerie eventually develops an affinity for controlling technology

Technus decides that she is his daughter

It's like a much less dangerous version of the relationship between Danny and Vlad

He still wants to take over the world but also considers himself to be a good father who does not fight his daughter

Team Phantom can recruit him as an ally

As an unrepentant daddy's girl, Valerie is filled with unquenchable rage at the presumption of this undead weirdo

Technus might have tried challenging Valerie's dad if team Phantom didn't keep gaslighting him that he couldn't tell humans apart "omg Technus that's not even her dad. He has a completely different eye color"

Valerie accidentally activates the nanobots inside of Jazz. They can't do all of the things that Valerie's does, but between the two of them, they figure out how to strengthen her, as well as make her immune to overshadowing

Nanobot buddies:)

Tucker is a mite envious

Dani is the little sister Valerie always yearned for; she feels like a partner in crime and like her baby girl all at once.

Jazz is the big sister she never wanted

Danny will never feel like a brother tho lol

Valerie and Danny have solidarity in helping each other avoid therapy with Jazz

All of their parents (except her own dad) trust Valerie implicitly for some reason. "Well if Valerie's there then whatever you're doing is okay" kind of deal

It baffles, outrages, and amuses the trio, bc Valerie is just as bad if not worse

Valerie is a force of nature

Valerie will continue to hone her ghost hunting abilities. Not bc she hates ghosts; to protect the ghosts closest to her heart

Bc Vlad Masters is the real monster, and he is escalating. Someday, someone will have to put him down. And he's already in her sights.

[foxy-the-otaku]

This thought came to me, like, two hours ago but my monke brain can't process stuff without activating the brain worms so here we go:

Out of the three other protagonists in BBTAG (Ruby excluded for obvious reasons), I think Hyde would be one of the best victims to the Curious Cat.

Hear me out (Also spoilers for Volume 9)

First of all, what is CC's objective? Find a human body to possess and leave the Ever After. Simple.

But it's shown throughout the volume that he can't possess just anyone, they need to be without drive, with a weak will, "empty".

Now comes my argument. First on why the others wouldn't work.

First is the easiest to argue. Yu Narukami is the worst possible choice and probably the best equipped to go against the Cat, solely because seeing through the lies of others, accepting the truth and yourself and, most of all, staying true to yourself, is his whole shtick. He already had his character arc. He's already confident and happy with himself. Literally nothing the Ever After or the Cat could offer would tempt him.

Now, this is where I fumble the bag a bit because I don't know almost shit about Blazblue. In fact, I'd be thankful if someone were to prove me wrong or right, but I think Ragna wouldn't fall for the Cat's antics specifically because he comes from a world where Hazama exists, or, more importantly, there is already too many people after him already. That, and Ragna is an adult who, even though he has his issues, isn't as deep in the rabbit hole of vengeance as Neo was.

Now, Hyde. First, let me defend the boy by saying he wouldn't be an easy victim that would be possessed from day one. He, like Ragna, has a lot of people after his ass, and even though he is far nicer and naive than the Bloodedge, he isn't stupid.

The difference is that Hyde can be worn down rather easily.

From the very first time his character is introduced, Hyde makes it very clear he doesn't want any in the supernatural biz. He wants to be normal, he wants to be the mundane teenager who lives a mundane life. His whole reason for helping Linne, Vatista and so on, and being involved with the Hollow Night is that he is a genuinely good person with an incredible amount of bad luck. The Cat wouldn't even need to do much, the Ever After is a place that would naturally grate him, being the too foreign, to mystical place that loves prodding at people's wounds. Hell, the Herbalist could (unintentionally) break his spirit depending on the state he finds Hyde in, just with that weird fog thing he does.

Hyde yearns for the mundane, for stability, and slowly this is being ripped from him.

This is the perfect argument, "You want to be what you can never return to.", it's just a step to the side from Ruby's "I don't want to be me anymore." conclusion.

Anyways, what do y'all think

[shortpplfedup]

Ah yes, the messiness of teenagers just trying to navigate life, this is the good stuff I wanted to see. The theme this week is 'love' and we see Neung, Palm, Ben, Chopper and Maggie all taking tentative-to-bold steps toward the objects of their respective affections, with varying levels of success. Not an adult to be seen this week, it's all emotions and flirting and yearning and longing and kissing and jealousy, a delicious feelings stew. We're moving out of act 1 into act 2 of the story now. All the characters and the conflicts are established, and all the unknowns are obvious.

Neung and Ben are kissing and flirting, but Palm is still the one Neung's thinking of sitting in the bath. I can see that Neung is trying to 'love the one you're with', because as much as he can't stop thinking about Palm, he's pretty sure he can't have him. Ben is someone he can have, someone who will treat him like a living, breathing human with needs and desires and foibles and not a doll to be kept in a glass case on a shelf for fear it breaks. Ben is possible. Ben is simple. And yet...Palm's glances and touches linger a bit too long, Palm leans in to talk a bit too close, Palm goes cold with him after he kisses Ben. But Palm won't say it, won't ask for it, and Neung doesn't know how to get past that wall...

...because how does he compete with this? Maggie is bright and pretty and nice and determined and most importantly she's a girl, and if that's what Palm likes there's no point letting his heart get entangled.

Palm however...

Well let's just say this isn't the face of a man who is interested in what's on offer. 'Maggie's nice to me so I'm nice to her' he tells Neung, thinking that he's politely and clearly saying he's not interested in her. But to Neung that's as clear as mud. Because Maggie gets Palm's smiles and attention and all he gets is Khun Neung khrap. Palm both wants and doesn't want Neung to see how he feels about him. Sometimes he can't help himself, so a lingering touch of his hand, a stolen glance at his lips...he'll allow himself that much and no more. He doesn't even allow himself jealousy, as much as he is burning with it when he sees Ben kiss Neung. 'I don't have a right to be mad at you' he tells him, and there are so many LAYERS to that statement.

But Neung is sure as shit mad with Palm, and fuelled with enough liquid courage, he decides it's time to let him know it. Neung's little drunken tirade was UGLY, it was cruel, it was demeaning, and it was designed to hit every single sore spot Palm possesses. Neung wanted to make Palm lose it, to make him show that Neung affects him like he affects Neung. The more Palm tried to calm things, the more he refused to fight back, the meaner and crueler the things coming out of Neung's mouth. Because he might have Ben, but Palm is who he truly wants, and he doesn't know how to bridge the divide between them, so he chooses violence.

On an opposite corner of the pentagon, I wish I could make GIF's because watching Chopper's heart break in real time was a masterstroke of subtle acting by Perth. You can pinpoint the exact moment it sinks in that Ben likes his cousin, and what that means for his own feelings for Ben. You get the sense that Chopper is painfully aware of having missed his own chance to confess. His entreaty to Ben to express himself before it's too late is tinged with regret, with an understanding of what it means to let someone you love slip away because you're scared to say it. And there is a moment where it's pretty clear that Ben understands exactly what Chopper is saying and why he's saying it to him.

In the end, Ben takes Chopper's advice, and that's why he's the only one who gets what he wants. Closed mouths don't get fed, and Ben was the only person in this mess of a love pentagon to open his and say what he felt. I still don't know what to make of Ben, he still feels very much like he's hiding things, but from the preview that may be because he has an overbearing and homophobic dad, and no more nefarious reason. All in all, I'm loving the way this triangle (pentagon) is being written and acted by all involved, and I'm ready to see what the hell happens next.

Stray Bullets

I feel like Palm's 2 week suspension was completely brushed past, I might have liked a montage or something there to underline the passage of time.

Phum is not going to take what happened lying down, and the fact that he didn't show up once after the beginning of the ep has me anxious.

Chanon not going to the school wasn't surprising, but the lack of adults in this ep means we don't even know if he's aware of what happened. I assume he noticed that Palm isn't with Neung on the school run, but it feels like Chanon would be the type to berate Palm about embarrassing him and being ungrateful to Thanya. It feels like something is missing.

Neung's little loom over Ben at the dance party was kinda hot, NGL.

This doesn't feel like an act break so much as an act shift, but the story feels like it's about to move into a different gear somehow.

[chartreuseian]

*throws a handful of stars in your inbox* ⭐⭐⭐ (Go crazy!)

Ahhh!! Thank you 😍

OK, number 1. I'm going to go with this currently unpublished little moment from A Lesson in Family because I think you'll like it!

“Once upon a time I sort of wondered if you and I might find ourselves dealing with this particular question,” she said quietly, hand settling low on her belly. “As did I,” he acknowledged with a chuckle. “Though I can only imagine what kind of hellion might have sprung from us.” Helen laughed softly then too. “They’d be wild,” she allowed. “Completely unreasonable too, I have no doubt.” “Perhaps they might have inherited only our good graces and very best manners.” He toyed with her toe, tickling the soul of her foot. “You never know.” Helen laughed more loudly then, tugging her foot away from his teasing fingers. “Or perhaps she’d have all your charms,” he continued, trailing his hand up the inside of her leg. “And my cunning.” “Your charms,” she countered, “and my cunning.” John laughed openly at that, letting his head fall back as his fingers fell off of her skin. “Far more terrifying,” he agreed. “Probably for the best, then?” Helen smiled warmly at him before leaning over to deposit her mug on the coffee table. She scooted closer, laying her legs across his lap as she leaned into his chest. John wrapped an arm around her shoulder before letting his head rest atop hers. It was strange to think that, in a different life, they might never have ended up like this. What would his world look like if Helen had married him? Or if she’d married James? Hell, if she’d married Nikola? It felt like the weight of their history was unfurling around them, and a thousand possible lifetimes along with it. Bringing a hand up to stroke the long, dark curls of her hair, John pressed a kiss to her head. “Congratulations,” he whispered, tightening his arm around her shoulders for the briefest of moments. There was a shudder of breath before she pressed even closer into his embrace, head burrowing against his chest. “Thank you,” was the whispered reply.

So, this is set in the nebulous 'modern times' after Helen has found out, quite unexpectedly, that she's pregnant. And John ends up being the first person she tells, so they have this cute little moment where he sort of wonders at all the 'what ifs' of their life (the premise of the series is that Helen, John, James and Nikola have been together in various ways since about 1880 so while much of the world they live in is the same, there are obviously some big changes).

One of the only things about this series that I didn't love was that I couldn't find a way to have Ashley be a part of it (for a whole host of reasons, including but not limited to Helen being extra vampy which impacts on her fertility and John mostly ending up with James) so this little moment was my nod to her.

John's relationship with Helen's daughter is also something I'm keen to explore. I think he's her favourite and he dotes on her (when she's choosing an alias as an adult to sneak around behind her parents' backs she uses 'Druitt' as her last name) but I'm fascinated by the idea that at some point she has to learn about his history as the Ripper which is probably a lot for a teenager to wrap her head around, even one being raised by immortals.

John's also the one who ends up naming her:

“Dawn?” Nikola offered. “For the dawning of a new chapter?” James pulled a face, and Helen opened her mouth to protest but John beat them both. “Aurora.” They all grew silent and Nikola watched as John smiled down at the baby sleeping so very peacefully in his arms. Shifting her slightly, he bent his head towards her before he spoke again. “Thy cheek begins to redden through the gloom, Thy sweet eyes brighten slowly close to mine, Ere yet they blind the stars, and the wild team Which love thee, yearning for thy yoke, arise, And shake the darkness from their loosened manes, And beat the twilight into flakes of fire.” The baby (Aurora, Nikola knew then) shifted at the deep timbre of his voice, but other than a small fist pressing firmly to her cheek as he spoke didn’t move. John looked up then, smiling softly.

Part of this story also deals with why John and James didn't adopt Henry (which is a whole other rant) so it felt important that John got to have this slightly different relationship with Aurora.

I... I got carried away there, didn't I? 😅

Let's go with the latest chapter of 'Mr & Mrs' (in celebration of me FINISHING the final chapter for this monstrosity this morning).

So, Nikola is being all morose and guilty because he's done a bad thing and 'forgotten' to explain to his parents why he's coming home and just who he is bringing with him. It wasn't originally part of the plan, but this is the last sort of 'arc' for this story and I needed a reason for things to be awkward for them because they've been a bit too happy (and need to get better at talking it out rather than just screwing, yah know?) so this was where we ended up. I don't love it, but I also think it fits with this version of Nikola who is so unsure of his place in the world, and when I consider it alongside the fact that the real Nikola Tesla was the only surviving son and actively shunned the life he was supposed to live, it feels fitting to me.

It will, of course, spiral out of his control which was fun in that it gives me the chance to play with the idea of Helen being truly hurt by the thought that he's ashamed of her. In many ways it cuts to some of her deepest fears and so she is more upset by it that she might otherwise be.

In the long run I think it's good for them because it forces them to understand each other a little more and when they finish up their time there, they've both grown up a little because of it.

(and, unshockingly, it leads to some very steamy make up Adults Cuddles which I'm certain we could all predict is where this would end up given it's me and this story)

Sorry (not really) for the rambles!!

[ciaran]

mechverse?? do you have mech pilot ocs? may i hear about them?

yes! mechverse / comatose machine is a verse centered around mech pilots set on another planet. the planet is incredibly large, far larger than our own, and one of its most prominent life forms are known to the humans as Omicron, fantastically large aliens that are very, very hostile to humans. the humans occupy a very small portion of land on the planet, leaving the rest to the Omicron and the natural fauna and flora of the planet, because Omicron seek out and attack human settlements - making it dangerous for humans to strike out and live in undefended areas. in order to counter the threat of them, huge mechs piloted by teenagers, connected by a fluid known as lambranide, fight the Omicron.

currently we have 3(4) main characters:

willow/will: he's a young prodigy, talented at managing the software and ground control parts of fighting. he loves fashion and video games and mechs, and finds it very difficult to talk to people or make friends with them. he's essentially on his own and has been for years: he was abused by the previous director of the base he works on, and this has made him suspicious of adults. although he cares about the pilots, he feels too alienated from them to fully exercise this care, and is often the target of bullying from them. and he's very much in love with leo. he's obsessive with the handful of interests he has (kawaii things, fashion, video games, mechs, and leo) and will go to great lengths for them, but he can be bitter, jealous, and spiteful when provoked.

asphalios/leo: he's the oldest pilot on base, at the decrepit age of 18. his older brother was also a pilot, and he resented him for many reasons, until he died piloting and his father immediately drafted leo into the pilot program. he was also abused by the same director who abused will; it's how they first got to know each other. despite the fact that they killed him together, though, he has little love lost for will. leo is not a great offensive pilot, but he's an excellent tank/defender/support, diverting aggro for the other pilots he's working with so that they can score kills. as such, his kill score is very low, but he's one of the most valuable pilots on the base. being older than most, the other pilots also look up to him outside the field for the attention and care they can't receive from their families anymore. however, long-term piloting has taken a toll on leo's body, and he's chronically sick & in pain. despite this, he forces himself to maintain a calm, supportive outlook at odds with the constant crisis he's having on the inside.

alexander/alex & xan: alex is a prodigal young pilot with so many issues. he's obsessed with his kill count, with battle, and with fame, and finds it impossible to connect with anyone, even the other pilots. he's reckless and a little bit stupid, putting himself in risky situations that can have terrible outcomes for him without regard for the consequences, and in some cases because the consequences are liable to be catastrophic. he thinks piloting is amazing and easy and the best thing ever, but he's desperately afraid of people finding out that he doesn't remember a fucking thing about his own missions, because;

his alter, xan, is the one actually piloting. xan hates it, though, and finds it agonizing to kill the omicron. he does it because he doesn't have a choice and he knows it, and because when he's on the field, the path to success presents itself clearly to xan, but he hates it to the core. xan is incredible at connecting with his mech, because he's unafraid of - or eager, in fact, for the depthless surrender that syncing demands. xan is ruined by the fact that he can't do anything but pilot and he hates that thing. he's more socially perceptive than alex but keeps the majority of his observations to himself, and doesn't front unless he has to. not even alex is aware of xan's existence. xan yearns for invisibility and oblivion, freedom from pain and desire and death, but he continues to exist despite his best efforts.

mechverse / CM is a WIP, which means these characters are less than a month old and will probably change a lot over time. these aren't even all the characters we're going to have, though we don't yet know what the future holds :3

as always, these ocs are made in collaboration with my dear friend @checkers-dance

[here-lies-golden-kamuy]

Your stuff got me thinking: how would boutaro fare if he actually got the huge family that he wanted? Because wanting a ton of kids and having a ton of kids are two very different things. I personally think he’d do fine

Hey anon, thanks for your ask! I love the fact that my Boutarou HCs are centered on him being a person outside of the gold hunt and I’m living for it! Honestly this ask made me think of more content than I had originally planned, so thanks anon 🥺💖 I personally love it when people give me the space to churn my brain for Golden Kamuy, so please expect more content (in line with February I guess hehe….) 

Like before, since Boutarou hasn’t come out (👀 /j) in the anime as per this ask, I’ll be putting my thoughts under the cut! (I had too much fun with this ask and there’s a lot under the cut, I’m so sorry). I hope you enjoy, anon! <3 

Boutarou the Pirate as a Parent Headcanons

Generally, I think he’d be a good dad! I totally resonate with your idea: it is different to want something than already having it in the palm of your hands. But for Boutarou, I think he’d be a relatively good father because of how long he’s yearned for it and how long he’s planned for it. Again, this is something he’s yearned since his entire family died. He’s had lots of time to really…think about it. He’s passionate about the things he desires, but he’s also…a man that’s grounded with reality. What I mean is, part of his big life goal (maybe even his life purpose at this point) is to have a family: I absolutely see him being logical about things and plan this specific dream out. If he’s willing to do a lot of things for it (aka do crime to achieve this goal), then I’m sure that he’s utterly committed to the idea of having the best family in the entire fucking world. 

Based on his personality, he seems to be a devoted type of man to his dreams; if his dream includes a family, then that means he’s devoted to growing and nurturing that. When Sugimoto and company interacts with him, one can see his passion for life and his dreams, but it’s also veiled behind a calmer visage. I feel like he’d lose the calm exterior and be full on passionate with his trusted partner and his family. He’s absolutely the type to get emotional and even shed a few tears when his partner says that their pregnant/are ready to adopt a new child. 

I feel like he’s a sentimental type underneath that cool exterior. The type of person who would name his children by meaningful names. He’d absolutely name the kids after his lost family (with consent to his partner, of course); it’s his way of connecting his past, present, and future. If his children start to exceed the number of his lost family members, he’d probably ask his partner for name suggestions. He’d be fond of naming them after things that remind him of his partner, his partner’s own family, and himself. 

Very protective, attentive, and responsible of his children! I can see him to be a parent that promotes free thinking and exploration. He’d allow his children to explore and find their way in the world (especially on their island paradise) but with adult supervision. I also see him trying to connect with each child — all of his children are precious to him, of course he’d dedicate time out of his busy schedule as ruler for his family. I feel like his kids would playfully fight for their time with their dad! 

Jumping from the previous point, I think that Boutarou’s the type to still want parental responsibility, on top of being the ruler of their island kingdom. Hence, I can see him making certain daily tasks to be important for family bonding: dinnertime and bedtime for the kids. Boutarou would be home by dinnertime, everyday, no questions asked. He’s happy when he sees his family greet him home and welcome him back: he’s content with washing up for dinner and watching his partner and their brood prepare the meal. Until his kids reach teenage years, he will absolutely tell them stories as a bedtime ritual. They’ll be in one family room where he tells tales of his past (though he changes the name of the “hero”), including the gold hunt. Once story time is over, he’ll kiss each of his children’s foreheads and greet them goodnight as they return to their respective rooms. Boutarou will then shower his beloved partner with love and attention (can’t forget about the wife /gender neutral). 

The kids absolutely love him, and they absolutely hate it when he’s mad at them. Boutarou doesn’t seem to be the type to have a short fuse — he strikes me as someone with a lot of patience. It would take a lot for him to get angry. But his anger doesn’t manifest in shouting or hurtful words, his anger is quiet but somber. Imagine knowing that someone’s angry at you, but they’re not showing it; you just feel the vibe is different, and it makes you absolutely shit yourselves. Yeah, that’s Boutarou. I feel like it really comes out when one of his kids was in danger of seriously harming themselves. He’s still calm and collected when he expresses his anger, but knowing you’ve angered (and disappointed) him makes his family (yes, including his partner) immediately guilty. 

One of the things that makes him angriest is lying. He doesn’t tolerate it with anyone of his subjects, his partner, no less from his kids. He also hates it when his children point fingers at each other when it comes to blaming for an accident or mistake (they learn early on not to do it). I think Boutarou’s scary aura when he’s mad goes full-blown when it comes to lying and pointing the blame. Aside from that, he’s a good parent and he tries modeling good and morally upright behavior to his children — his days of being a convict and a “bad man” are long over. Each day spent with his family and island washes away the years of loneliness and bloodshed. Yes, he’s absolutely committed to protecting his dream with his life. 

[bsd-cherish-official]

So, it’s October 20th — a date that as far as this blog and especially Cherish’s author and first artist is concerned, is practically some sort of international holiday.

I wanted to have something much more substantial than these two tiny rough sketches out by the time the date rolled around, but as you all know, I’ve been quite busy with all the Cherish content I’ve been wanting to release for this month, so this is the best I can do for the moment, until I have the time to more properly clean them up and color them.

There’s a whole lot that I could say on a day like this — a lot of thoughts in my head just itching to find their way out onto the post, but I think that saying some of it would be a bit premature without first lining up all my proverbial ducks in a row, and I want to keep this post mostly lighthearted, anyway.

So…for now let me say this.

In the past I’ve made posts talking about how just precious and irreplaceable of a character BSD Arthur is, of his sweetness, of his kindness, of his gentleness and selflessness, and how dearly I love him and am glad he came to exist through the series.

All of this could not be more true, and I think that my intense interest and love and respect for him as a character still — all these five years and seven plus months later from the day I learned of him — should speak volumes about just how unique and incredible of character he is, despite his confinement to mostly only two light novels in official canon.

He is a wellspring from which my blog was primarily born and on which it still runs today, with no sign of drying up — a topic I could continue to talk of for ages.

…And yet, I would also be remiss not to mention the real life 19th Century poet of the same name upon which he was heavily and inseparably based, and to which we owe the entirety of his existence.

I had said once in passing that I wished a happy birthday to the tragic disaster of a human being that was him, but in hindsight, I don’t think that such words carry even half the weight that I wish to evoke when I say that I want to celebrate his birthday, too.

I know that a lot of people when they talk about BSD will wish the irl namesakes of their favorite characters a happy birthday, and I feel like my well wishes in the past also came off in this same way as many of them mean it: “Here’s an obligatory celebration of your existence because without you, this character couldn’t have been”…but the thing is, that in no way sums up how I feel about the situation at all.

Maybe, in the early days of my research into the author, it might have been like that, but it is not anymore. And it is not just as a poet, but most especially as a human being, that I wish to see and partake in Arthur’s birthday celebrated.

My lengthy and dedicated research over the years has taught me that at heart and in truth he was actually not this heartless, needlessly cold, absurdly cruel and gratuitously offensive, irredeemable little shit “everyone would hate if we met him today” that we see sensationalized in the various forms of media and clickbait articles, but rather, just a deeply troubled teenager who from a very young age continuously suffered through some of the worst shit imaginable, surrounded by terrible people and circumstances in a time where he quite frankly didn’t belong and in which the odds of his chances at finding genuine happiness and peace were almost nil from birth. Yes, he made many mistakes and sometimes did things that were definitely not quite right — he was absolutely as flawed a human being as you or I, but not more flawed, not evil. Once he broke free from the people who made his life hell, he became a perfectly decent and average — though withdrawn, emotionally devastated, and creatively burnt out and defeated — adult.

And it is to him — the tortured soul who yearned for more than the unlucky cards he was dealt, who dared to dream but whose dreams burnt up in the atmosphere and left him just a shadow quietly navigating the world he didn’t want to live in until his premature death — that I reach out to today, and on every day and every time that I write Cherish.

If I could reach out to the past and just give him a hug, tell him that he and his works are loved and heard and remembered by people that will not be born for decades — even centuries — after he has passed, and that he is not alone, then I would in a heartbeat. But since I cannot, all of this will just have to be enough.

Happy Birthday, Arthur Rimbaud. Both you and your BSD self. I’m so far beyond glad that you were born.

[vynpop]

Love & Other Words

By Christina Lauren

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis

"Macy Sorensen is settling into an ambitious if emotionally tepid routine: work hard as a new pediatrics resident, plan her wedding to an older, financially secure man, keep her head down and heart tucked away. But when she runs into Elliot Petropoulos-the first and only love of her life-the careful bubble she's constructed begins to dissolve. Once upon a time, Elliot was Macy's entire world-growing from gangly, bookish friend into the man who coaxed her heart open again...only to break it on the very night he declared his love for her.

Told in alternating time lines between then and now, teenage Elliot and Macy grow from friends to much more-spending weekends and lazy summers together in a house outside San Francisco devouring books, sharing favorite words, and talking through their growing pains and triumphs. As adults, they have become strangers to one another until their chance reunion. Although their memories are obscured by the agony of what happened that night so many years ago, Elliot will come to understand the truth behind Macy's decade-long silence, and will have to overcome the past and himself to revive her faith in the possibility of an all-consuming love."

Review

This book has me yearning for an all-consuming love that has taken over Elliot and Macy. Seeing these two adorable souls become friends and then into something more left my heart so happy. Elliot couldn't get enough of Macy and his entire life he searched for her in everyone and everything. Just as Macy did for him. My emotions were all over the place and even now I find myself tearing up. When a book has me laughing, screaming, and crying you know it's a good book.

"Min lille blomst."

This will never NOT make me cry. NEVER!

BookTok did not fail me this time. So, there's that.

Elliot and Macy have this witty and sweet dynamic and you can instantly feel Macy light up as Elliot returns into her life. In a way, I'm jealous of Macy. She found someone who loves her endlessly and as many of us can agree...a love like that...is hard to find outside the fictional world.

This will be one of the top reads for me this year and I will be picking this book up again, and again, and again.

[edge-oftheworld]

Apple Music interview

“[There’s an] eerily similar melancholy,” Luke Hemmings tells Apple Music, comparing his sophomore album, boy, to his 2021 debut, When Facing the Things We Turn Away From. “And that really propelled the emotion of boy and these seven songs. A lot of the stuff I write is very existential and trying to understand who I am and why I am. At this time, I was very disorientated and maybe a bit emotionally lost, even though life was moving forward in a really great way.”

The two albums were conceived and recorded in vastly different circumstances. His debut came together in isolation under the cloak of COVID lockdowns, while boy was written as he toured the world with 5 Seconds of Summer, the Sydney band the singer/guitarist co-founded as a 15-year-old in 2011. Still, the pair have much in common: turns out you can feel just as alone spending months traversing the globe as you can sitting in your house waiting for the world to open up.

Part of the reason for that disorientation was the dawning realisation that he was entering his late twenties, leading Hemmings to reflect deeply on his youth while considering a potential future as a father. “You want to be the most fully realised version of yourself before stepping into that sort of role, which is a work in progress,” he explains.

Taking inspiration from artists such as Damon Albarn, Beach House, LCD Soundsystem and Richard Ashcroft, boy exhibits a dreamlike quality, one that bathes in melancholy without ever sinking into depression—witness the way in which opener “I’m Still Your Boy” builds from a whispered acoustic beginning into a grandiose and uplifting climax; or the sad-happy mélange of synths and dance beats that propel “Close My Eyes”. Here, Hemmings takes Apple Music through boy, track by track.

“I’m Still Your Boy” “This song really encompasses the ache I wanted to get across and the growing pains it took to become a fully realised adult version of myself. It’s only until I started thinking of having children of my own that I began reflecting on the struggles I had myself as a teenager who grew up in the public eye. This song is about understanding my youth that was marred with trauma amidst beauty, whilst trying to become a good man. ‘I’m Still Your Boy’ walks on the high wire between boyhood and adulthood, looking both ways.”

“Shakes” “‘Shakes’ was written on a dreary evening in between long periods of travel and touring, so it easily came from an incredibly melancholy place. A feeling of yearning to be back home, of feeling lonely and emotionally desperate and depleted. There is a longing for love and self-acceptance in the lyrics, and I hope it to be a song that anyone listening [to] can find themselves in and attach their own story.”

“Benny” “This song is named after my brother, Ben, but in its entirety, it represents all of my loved ones and the guilt I feel being away from my family and living on the periphery of their world. It represents the mornings I wake up in a panic, anxious and worried that today will be the day I get bad news. News that would make my dreams of making music seem infantile and pointless. I’d do anything for the people I love.”

“Close My Eyes” “I wrote ‘Close My Eyes’ as I headed into my late twenties and felt an unavoidable wave of fear and anxiety towards the inevitable death of my youth. I found myself unable to sleep because every time I tried, it was as if a film of my life was projected onto the back of my eyelids—the mistakes, successes, everything that could have been and everything that was. I was sonically trying to tap into 2000s indie rock bands like LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture.”

“Garden Life” “I had the idea for ‘Garden Life’ when I couldn’t sleep in a hotel room somewhere in the world, sometime around 3am. The next morning, I went for a walk and wrote the lyrics on a park bench, watching life pass me by. It’s really just an existential love song to my happiest and safest place. The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve realised that sometimes the most beautiful and visceral memories in life are not the most grand and obvious ones, they can be simple and powerful. It’s not always the fireworks on New Year’s Eve. Sometimes it’s a Friday night sitting on the couch listening to your favourite person laugh.”

“Close Enough to Feel You” “This song was inspired by sounds from Cocteau Twins and my bloody valentine, who I listened to heavily during the making of boy. The beauty in ‘Close Enough to Feel You’ is all in the details, both sonically and lyrically. Sometimes when you suffer a big emotional loss, something so mundane and otherwise unnoticed can become earth-shattering. A glimpse of a photo out of the corner of your eye, a stain on the carpet, an old sweater, sends you into the foetal position. This song is about the willingness and desire to live in that pain in order to feel close to who or what you lost, rather than moving on.”

“Promises” “‘Promises’ was the song written for the EP that finally made me feel like I was really onto something. It started with merely a drum beat, which I find ironic as I’m not a drummer. But I think maybe it’s that naïveté that led to this song being created. It’s about a time in my life when I saw the world through grey-coloured glasses. I was a pessimist, struggling with depression and my mental health, who fell in love and started to see colour for the first time.”

[ravenpureforever]

Sooo… I started watching the Eclipse and just oh my god,,,,

And it’s weird because I usually hate darker school dramas and click out by the second episode but I’m actually really intrigued and invested and I was trying to place why and then I realized-

It’s because of how genuine they are about being a teenager, particularly a queer teenager at that.

It’s because none of the students truly have any power. They’re doing these things, but it’s made clear time and time again that the adults are the ones truly hurting them. There is no all powerful student council running the show here, the enemies are genuinely just regular adults with authority over them who don’t understand them. 

Akk and Kan are prefects, but they’re actually very limited in what they’re able to do, he’s taking orders and trying to do what he thinks is right within those orders. Ayan is investigating and wants to expose corruption, but his mom his absent and he’s all alone and grieving and there are no mentions of any of his old friends, he’s being target by the teachers, he’s not suddenly popular and causing a transformation over night, he’s isolated and angry and trying to achieve his sense of justice. Thua clearly doesn’t feel safe at home, but he has no power, he has no protective friends willing to fight the world for him (Kan is scared himself, and this is simply a fact not a fault or criticism) and is simply trying to find a relative safety within the hidden corners. Wat loves something that no one else, not even his friends, can appreciate, and is being shoved towards a future he does not want because it is stable, because it is safe It’s funny and I love the chemistry and it’s such a fascinating plot and I’m having a blast watching it and yet there are times where I feel like I’m being cut into, like my soul is being bared to the world as I remember being that scared, angry queer teenager.

The Eclipse is something so deeply personal to me with the experiences of being a queer teen.

It just feels so genuine and honest with its characters and the acting and portrayals are done so well-

It’s the fear and the anger and the mutual I don’t want to be silenced but I am absolutely petrified of what could happen if I am seen so I keep my head down for me

I want to burn the world to the ground and never stop screaming. I want to bury myself in my bed and blankets and never emerge. I joke and laugh and everyone thinks I’m straight and cis and my soul is suffocating but I’m too scared to ever let anyone suspect anything about me. I know what I am and I can not hide but I will bury it so deep so I can pretend it is not there. Anger is going to eat me alive if fear doesn’t suffocate me first. I want to be brave, but what is courage when it threatens my own survival, when it means risking everything and everyone I love? It’s seeing other queer kids, loud and proud and open and being utterly terrified of them, being utterly terrified for them because I could never do that, how can they do that, how can they be so sure of their own existence, so unafraid in a world that wants them dead?

I’m watching different aspects of my own queer experience interact as actual complex characters and oh my god I want to cry

The tension between Ayan and Akk kills me every time, I adore Ayan, of course I do, he’s a mouthy chaotic gremlin brat and I very much have a type Ayan is consumed by his grief and rage and he is so blinded by vengeance he’s only going to end up burning himself in the end and Akk experiencing gay panic every five minutes gives me life Akk being torn between the different parts of himself, his heart’s desire and the heavy weight of expectations threatening to break him

The yearning with Kan and Thua stabs at me, the two cowards trying to survive even as it’s slowly crushing the-

Kinnporsche was a cinematic masterpiece and complete and utter game changer for me, it will be forever the greatest show of all time for me. Ingredients was something simple and sweet. My Engineer was…something that had a magical, compelling romance amidst chaos. Cutie Pie was fun and sweet and dramatic and heartfelt and a marriage equality and very fun and enjoyable to watch. But there’s something so achingly vulnerable about The Eclipse.

It’s funny and I love the chemistry and it’s such a fascinating plot and I’m having a blast watching it and yet there are times where I feel like I’m being cut into, like my soul is being bared to the world as I remember being that scared, angry queer teenager.

I just wanted to watch a fun Thai BL not like actual feelings cutting me down to the fiber making up my very being as I watch a surprisingly intense and psychological drama that’s making me reflect on my own past,,,, yeah

Can’t wait to see where it goes!

[cangrellesteponme]

Hello. I just discovered your blog, and I wanted to ask you something regarding Devils and Realist. Mind you, I have never read the manga nor watched the anime. Is Dantelion a teenager or an adult? I'm asking because I've seen people ship him with William, who's 17, and from what I can gather, William seems to be a reincarnation of Dantelion's past master. I just hope that this isn't a Seb*ciel situation is all I'm saying.

Hi anon, welcome to hell, aka my blog.

I'm going to be honest with you there, it's questionable at best. I cannot give you a definitive answer on "is this ship morally acceptable?", but I want you to be able to figure that out for yourself, so I'm going to give you all of the facts as I know them. With minimal spoilers.

(However I can very easily say that this is not a Seb*ciel situation. We're not talking about p*dobait written by someone who depicts children in gross and undefendable ways at every single occasion. We're also not talking about content that can and has been used to groom children. So if your concern is about real life influences and consequences, don't worry- this is inconsequential compared to the disgusting sins of Kuro.)

So, what do we know about Dantalion/William?

Starting with the "this is weird!!" parts:

William is 17 at the beginning of the manga, and Dantalion thinks he's Solomon immediately. At that point it has already been implied (and guessed by William himself) that D and S were lovers. We never see Dantalion in his human (don't quote me on that the lore is messy) youth, and though his human form is supposedly of an appropriate age for the setting (17-18) it's barely different from his true form (yeah, the millennia-old one, which does canonically look youthful, but also if he's as scary as canon says he is I'm going to assume it's youthful as in under 30). Demons sort of canonically care more about age than physical appearance (I'm making this assumption based on Lamia. Dantalion seems to be the only one who minds.) which... complicates things. William is canonically a completely separate person (and soul) from Solomon, so yes that's a 17-18 year old, 100%.

Now the "I mean... I guess it works?" parts:

William turns 18 in the manga, and the most popular (and heavily supported by canon, with things like "Your soul should know") interpretation is that Dantalion only really likes William near the very end of the manga. You could even argue the only somewhat romantic thing between them happens in the very last chapter (but that's only if you don't count the countless moments when Dantalion misses Solomon so much William just has to witness his intense yearning). None of the romance is confirmed, the only person who's canonically attracted to Dantalion is Gilles (I refuse to add Lamia. It's depicted both too childishly and too politically to matter.) but even that is arguably not true and that's... a whole other issue I'm not going to get into right now. Makai Ouji is not a romance, the main plot is political intrigue with lots of occult BS.

And finally the "this could go either way but it needs to be considered and interpreted because it's relevant" parts:

This manga (and anime) is very queerphobic (this is not up for debate. dare question my words and I will get angry.) in many (unintentional, I think) ways and its "unapologetic" depictions of "in your face" queerness are bad (Gilles. he's so bad he makes Grelle look like good trans rep. and I love him but this is terrible.), but also it does not shy away from representing unhealthy relationships that could very much seem queer (Michael and Uriel are just one example among many). But it has always depicted Dantalion and William as healthy. (Which gave me whiplash reading the manga because Dantalion and Solomon were mutually destructive. The contrast is baffling.) All of the canon romances are m/f (Gilles/Dantalion is one-sided and only seen a few times. and again, could not be an actual thing). Lots of romantic tropes and typical subplots apply to Dantalion/William.

And my very simplified opinion (for your own peace of mind, or need to unfollow/block me):

ngl I'm just here to see Dantalion yearn for Solomon, some dead guy who never treated him right. Dantalion/William? whatever I don't fucking care I don't ship it. if you ask me (sorry if you don't get that reference), shipping them is like shipping inukag, but I was an inukyo bitch. (like sure, I could like the alive, currently canon version... but why the fuck would I? also similar age gap) I think the romantic moments are peak romance because the angst is spicy as hell. and Dantalion says the cutest shit (again, "Your soul should know" fucking haunts me, this dude wants Solomon to be there so fucking bad it's lovely and sad). but as I've said, it's technically not canon? like, even the gayest interpretation of Makai Ouji is that these hoes still don't date. honestly if Dantalion/William really bothers you it's still readable, just skip the very last page of the manga and you'll be fine? even the end isn't that bad. if you want to avoid questionable/triggering things in Makai Ouji this ship isn't what you should be worried about. worry about the homophobia, transphobia, (we're talking Kuro levels and above) issues of consent (but it is depicted as bad. there's just a lot going on.), weird amount of whiteness????, and other things. but again, it's readable, the anime is worse than the manga tho (it's really not that bad still).