#he's so tired of these zombies LMFAO

[general-kalani]

"If I hear one more fucking Suicider moan 'help me' I'm going to fucking help them into the afterlife permanently with no fucking regrets."

[chelseeebe]

‘til the world caves in: something in the orange

mdni 18+. smut. exfamous!steve x female reader. zombie apocalypse au! mentions of guns and violence throughout. no use of y/n!

a/n: this is my new iteration of the apocalypse au! i dabbled with it before but actually rlly like this one, matter of fact, most of the chapters are written already lmfao:) the famous part rlly is just there for this oneee specific scene i had in mind for a later part but it’s something different i guess

nobody cares who you are in the apocalypse. well, maybe except for you.

life before the outbreak had been weird enough for steve, his band had just started their rise to fame when all this shit went down.

it wasn’t exactly where he wanted to be at 19 but money and fame weren’t anything he was gonna say no to.

and then news broke that people had started eating each other’s faces and now he was no longer this up and coming star, rather just some guy trying to stay alive with some girl he’d met fleeing new york.

six years was more than enough time for them to become best friends, travelling through various camps and groups of people before they ended up somewhere in the middle of indiana.

steve’s never been here before and he wishes he wasn’t here now.

there’s nothing for miles and now robin’s leg is fucked, he thinks it might be the end.

the buttfuck town of hawkins indiana would be their demise.

they’d collapsed on the fence of some building, too dehydrated and tired to care. accepting a certain death as robin cries softly next to him, their fingers entwined as death awaits.

they were pretty delirious when they were picked up by some group. a tall man with a thick moustache and a lady with a sweet voice, helping them across town to their compound.

he’s not entirely sure what had happened when they’d arrived, he’d been bustled into a room and remembers collapsing on the bed with a pounding in his head before blacking out.

-

turns out he was out for days, waking up in the dark confines of a tiny box room with nothing else around him. admittedly, the lack of robin in his immediate vicinity scared the shit out of him.

all he can remember is that her leg was infected and her head was starting to hurt which was never a good sign.

a small, curly haired lady bursts into the room, startled to see him standing, “oh! you’re awake! great,” she smiles.

“where am i?” he asks, like a petrified child.

“you’re in hawkins,” she nods, “you were in a pretty bad state when we found you.”

nothing had ever felt so befuddling, jolting him back into survival mode as he realises his bag was nowhere to be found.

“where’s robin? we need to.. we have to go,” steve rushes, fearing the worst.

“she’s good, i think she was in the cafeteria.. we can go and get some food if you’d like?” the kind lady offers, pity in her eyes.

he nods, sceptical as he follows her out of the room and through the massive doors. there’s laughter from the other side, amazed at the sight of the light bulbs glowing white. electricity. nothing like the candles and flashlights they’d been using for years.

robin jumps up from the table the second he walks through, hobbling over with a few grunts and groans.

“you’re awake! oh my god steve, i’ve been so worried,” she frets, throwing her arms around his neck, trying to ignore the stares from the strangers in the room.

“you’re okay? i thought..” he exhales, not wanting to finish his sentence. “i don’t know.. fuck,” now robin was here and alive and in his arms, the overwhelming feeling of ten people gawping at him sinks in.

there’s nothing familiar about this place, it’s nothing like the places they’d stayed in, it feels like before.

“come get some food,” robin ushers, placing her hand on his back and very slowly walking to the table, “it’s nice here,” she leans in to whisper, “everyone’s super nice, they even have electricity!” she marvels, helping him to the empty seat.

she pushes her plate towards him, beans and some sort of meat. he hadn’t had a substantial meal in what felt like months, living off of foraged cans and jerky.

the crowd seems to back off at this point, leaving him and robin to eat. to try and digest this place despite feeling like he was in some crazy dream.

“we found some stragglers, out at the old school,” he hears a voice from behind, talking about himself and robin, “they were in pretty bad shape.”

steve doesn’t look around, continuing to eat his portion of robin’s dinner instead.

turns out he didn’t have to, as you arrive at his table, shotgun still strapped to your back and a thick layer of dirt all over your face.

“you the new guys?” you ask, looking between him and robin.

“yeah,” answering for the both of them, “robin,” extending her hand to meet yours.

you shake it, with a small, wary smile before turning your attention to steve, eyes narrowed as if you’re trying to place him.

“i remember you,” smiling with the side of your mouth, sizing him up. “steve harrington,” saying his name with such conviction, “newest member of in motion, weren’t you?”

he’s surprised that anyone would even care to remember him or the shitty boy band he was coerced into, “i mean, i was.. doesn’t really matter now though, right?”

you hum and he’s not sure whether it’s positive or not, “i used to be a fan,” steve couldn’t fathom someone like you ever being a fan of the shitty corporate pop he used to make. “maybe you can perform for us some day.”

it’s the first time in years that anyone has recognised him from before. unsure of how it makes him feel.

-

steve had presumed that he and robin were doing pretty well, they were alive weren’t they?

he’d found out that actually, neither of the two knew a single thing about proper, adequate survival skills and had gotten by with some grace of god.

he could shoot a gun, at least he thought he could. they typically just aimed and shot and hoped for the best rather than all of this.

you kick his feet further apart, barking shoulder width into his ear for the umpteenth time. it’s pretty hard to focus when you’re standing right behind him with your soft lips brushing against his ear every few seconds.

robin takes to it like a duck on water, keeping her arms straight and the gun in line with her eye. how the fuck does she know all of this shit?

steve fires and subsequently misses the makeshift target, cursing under his breath with a nasty side eye to robin who hits it straight in the drawn on face.

“steve,” you warn, walking over to him with a slight frown, “keep it steady, that kick back is no joke.”

he pulls a face, realigning the gun to his eye and tries again.

missing the target entirely this time.

“okay,” you sigh, the feel of your arms wrapping around his startle him for a second before the rest of your body presses against his back.

oh god.

it’d look pretty weird if he popped a boner while on shooting practice, he thinks.

it’s not as if human contact is a thing he encounters regularly, how was his body supposed to know the difference?

your chin rests on his shoulder, peering over at the target, hands coming to sit atop of his sweaty ones as you aim for him.

“that good?” you ask, breath tickling his ear.

it felt good, felt very good actually. your chest flat against his back, his breathing falling into to time with yours.

“ye- yup,” he flutters, almost choking on the words.

steve get it together.

“so go,” you order.

his finger presses the trigger, the bullet flies through the target, straight between the eyes.

“there you go!” you celebrate, the warmth of your body on his disappearing as you come to join him at his side.

he and robin share a look, robin’s smirk was unmistakable, steve knew what she was thinking, somehow he always did.

“go again, just you this time,” nodding with encouragement.

his thoughts are jumbled, preoccupied with the want for you to touch him again. just this time, maybe somewhere more private.

but he does it. the painted on silhouette is hit straight through the forehead, garnering a whoop from robin.

“you’re getting the hang of it,” you smile, fingers brushing over his as you take the gun from his hand. it makes him shiver, electricity pulsing between you. “don’t worry, we can come back out here another day,” sharing a look that lingers just a little too long.

you collect robin’s gun and announce something about lunch but steve can’t focus, still attempting to collect himself from a puddle on the floor.

“man, if you don’t get in there, i’m going to,” robin quips, slapping him quite harshly on the back.

“fuck off,” he hits back, trying to shake the loud, intrusive voice in the background of his mind.

there wasn’t much time for love and relationships while he had to fight the undead. a small part of him wonders if maybe now it’s possible, in here, with you.

okay, he’s definitely getting ahead of himself.

-

you don’t help steve’s delusions when you join him and robin at their table for breakfast, making sure to slide into the seat directly opposite just so he can try not to choke on his food.

“you guys settling in okay?” you ask, not really looking at robin at all, eyes glued to his.

“y-yeah, it’s nice here,” he sputters, trying to focus on the bowl of porridge in front of him.

“good,” you smile, sickeningly sweet.

robin’s foot swiftly connects with his leg, coughing on his mouthful as he returns the favour. he knows what she’s getting at, he’d divulged his fantasies to her a couple nights ago.

they’d been allocated separate rooms but hadn’t dared to separate yet, holing up in steve’s bed as they got used to this place.

you look up again, as if you want to ask something, “i think uh.. a few of the kids found out you were in a band and they wanted to know if you’d sing for them at some point?”

steve narrows his eyes, not forgetting that you’d already revealed yourself as a fan, “they asked?” quirking his brow.

your lips pucker, jabbing at your food in an attempt to hide, “well..” looking up at him through spindly lashes, “maybe not just them.”

he feels this intangible sensation in his chest, a burning that aches his insides.

“okay,” he smiles, managing to keep it down, “i’ll sing for y- them,” hoping no one pulls him on his freudian slip, cheeks burning scarlet.

your eyes light up, the whole world encapsulated within your iris’, a sight he already dreamed of.

he feels like a teenager again, wondering if the pretty girl on the other side of the table liked him back.

-

“ready?” you nod, slinging your backpack over your shoulder.

steve’s been anxiously awaiting his first shift on watch, scared about the prospect of accidentally fucking up and someone dying or something like that.

so for his first shift, he’d been graciously paired with you on the back wall. he’s been told there’s never much action there, usually a few stray infected but nothing too serious.

it doesn’t help that you’re in some ridiculously skimpy vest with the tightest pants he’s seen. there’s not a chance in hell that he’ll be able to keep his mind focused.

the pair of you stroll over to the wall, climbing the rusty old tower and relieving argyle and will from their positions.

grateful that you were given the evening shift as the hot july sun is setting and the breeze is beginning to kick in.

you immediately slump into the camp chair, slinging your bag from your back and kicking your heavy boots off, clunking against the metal as they land.

“so.. now we just sit here?” steve asks, cocking a brow at your relaxed disposition.

“yup,” nodding along as you squint up at him. “back wall’s never too exciting, i bet we don’t see a soul.”

“yeah.. okay,” he nods too, taking a seat in the adjacent camp chair, praying for a quiet night.

time ticks on for what must be hours, the courtyard had gone quiet and all he can really hear is your gentle breaths and a cricket somewhere in the long grass.

it must be gone 2am by now and you’d not seen a single thing, not even any infected.

steve can feel your eyes on him, not daring to look over until you start speaking.

“bored yet?”

he shakes his head, he wasn’t. this was pretty exhilarating if he was honest. every time you spoke to him, his heart rate seemed to soar.

“no, no this is nice.”

“the quiet?” you question, tilting your head to the side.

“yeah.. i feel like i haven’t really stopped since we got here.”

there’d been copious amounts of training and the like since he had properly recovered. nancy had shown him how to tie and set up traps. dustin had attempted to explain how you guys had power, though he couldn’t really grasp it.

and you, you had shown him how to shoot and fight and how to use a knife correctly rather than just flailing it around and hoping for the best.

“you’re not a bad watch partner, some of them are so annoying,” rolling your eyes in jest, snickering quietly.

steve smiles, genuinely. he hadn’t really experienced anyone other than robin’s company for a long time and while he loved her to death, it was nice to speak to someone else.

“you’re not too bad yourself,” shying away after his pathetic attempt at flirting.

there had been a fair amount of consideration and a perhaps a little bit of delusion but he had dwelled on it and came to the conclusion that he really liked you.

probably more than he should do at this point.

you pout your lips, considering something before starting, “you know.. there’s something else we could do to pass the time..”

he stares, befuddled for a moment until the glint in your eye makes it all click.

“oh,” is all that comes out of his suddenly very dry mouth.

there’s a flash of hurt and maybe embarrassment on your face, “or not.. i mean- i was just.. forget it,” squeezing your eyes shut as your palm hits your forehead.

“no! god no! i didn’t think you’d want to.. y’know, here..” terrified that he had screwed up his one chance.

not only would he have to leave hawkins, he’d probably have to curl up and die somewhere out of sheer embarrassment and regret.

“i wouldn’t have asked if i didn’t want to,” you shrug, uncurling from your blushing state.

steve almost falls from the rickety chair, “of course i do.. is it a good idea?” motioning over the wall somewhere, “with the watch and stuff..” eager to not disappoint the rest of his new group mates.

“we haven’t seen a thing all night.. we’re not being relieved for another few hours.”

“i don’t.. i don’t think i’ll need a few hours,” hell, ten minutes would be fairly optimistic.

a smirk nudges at your lips, standing from your chair to perch in front of him, hands on his shoulders as you take one last quick peek around.

“you’re sure?” you ask, as if he wasn’t gazing up at you like some pathetic puppy dog right now.

“so sure,” nodding enthusiastically. hesitant to touch you until you smile down at him, egging him on.

“get on the floor,” you instruct, still leering over the metal barriers, “just in case.”

he does as he’s told, sitting back against the wall with a lopsided grin as his heart rate increases tenfold.

it’d been years since he’d had sex. he supposes there was that one girl at the third or fourth camp they were in but she was pretty weird and a little obsessive. it only happened once and then he couldn’t bring himself to do it again.

but you’re smiling now, resting on his thighs and he thinks his heart might give out. there’s no certainty that he’ll even be able to last long enough for you to get any enjoyment from it but he’s willing to try.

a moment passes, eyes locked as you lean down, pressing a gentle yet excited kiss to his lips, it’s more human contact than he’s had in years.

you waste no time, fumbling with the button on his pants, sighing as you pop the button, waiting for him to return the honour.

steve lifts both of your bodies, barely kicking his jeans off before you sit back down, his fingers tingling with pure excitement as they unbutton your pants.

they end up somewhere in the pile of discarded clothes, focusing your attention back on his lips, carelessly connecting your lips.

your hips rock back and forth, sending a deep grumble from his throat to yours as his dick twitches in his boxers. he might as well not even bother to actually have sex, he was about to cum right then and there.

it’s made worse when your middle and index finger slide into the waistband of his boxers, struggling to stay afloat as you tug the material down just under his balls, cock springing up the second it’s freed.

you position your hands on his shoulders, looking down at him with wet lips, the only sounds are the crickets watching this degeneracy.

your hands find their place on his shoulders, holding yourself up while his fist finds his cock, lining himself up with your entrance, heart rate skyrocketing as you gasp above him.

his fingernails graze your skin, leaving indentations in the soft flesh, unable to contain the husky groan that escapes his lips.

your palm slaps over his mouth immediately, eyes wide as your hips rock, “you have to be quiet,” you hush though the smirk tugging at your lips tells him you’re not angry.

steve feels electric, pulsing through his veins with every slight movement you make, garbling into your palm when your pace quickens.

bouncing on his cock, making the entire structure creak and wobble.

he realises now that it’s silent, how obvious the sounds of sex are, skin slapping against skin as you squeak and grunt alongside it.

you’re insane, keeping your hand firmly over his mouth as you use his shoulder for leverage, rolling your hips and squeezing around him.

he’s about ready to cum already, there’s no surprise there. but he’s trying his hardest to hold out, to let you get something from this before he blows his load.

clinging on to your hips for dear life as they roll, eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks while he turns to utter mush behind your hand.

“oh shit,” you whine, clit nudging against his pubic bone, louder than he could ever be.

that’s it, hearing you whine sends his stomach lurching, with barely enough time to life your body from his lap before he explodes.

hips stuttering into the air as you watch with bated breath, still covering his mouth as a series of expletives tumble out, muffled and breathless.

steve’s never felt so embarrassed and yet so good all at once, the back of his head thwacking against the metal panel as he floats back to earth.

you rest atop of his thighs, nibbling on the skin of your bottom lip. there’s a silence that makes him want to crawl up the side of the barrier and let infected rip him apart.

he wants to apologise for his premature ejaculation, a little ashamed that he couldn’t prove himself to you but before he can conjure up the appropriate apology, your finger tilts his chin upwards, to meet your eyes.

you stifle it for a minute before bursting into a fit of giggles, “it’s okay.. maybe next time.”

albeit a very vague promise of a next time, steve starts to beam, still catching his breath as you shuffle off of his thighs, pulling your panties on as you lay back on the floor, gesturing for him to join you.

dawn breaks around the two of you, the birds rising to sing their song as you lay on the uncomfortable metal grates next to him.

it’s so serene, a picturesque view peeking from outside the little hut.

this is a feeling steve had thought he may never experience again, content with his life despite the rest of the world crumbling outside of the walls.

it’s something in the orange hue, an aching feeling that he owes to blind optimism. a spark of hope, remnants of a fear to lose anyone else.

to lose you.

your tongue pokes from the side of your lips, sighing softly, “there’s something i have to tell you.”

he turns, watching your face fall. apprehensively awaiting the harsh truth you were about to unleash.

“go on..”

this time you sigh loudly, exhausting the air from your lungs, “my ex.. lives here too. he’s out on a run to fort wayne at the moment but, they’re due back anytime now and i just need to pre-warn you that he’ll probably be a bit of an ass when he finds out.”

relief washes through his body. was that it?

crazy psycho exes weren’t something new to steve, albeit a long time since he’s had to even think about anything like that, but he doesn’t care.

“oh my god,” he exhales, “you scared me.. i thought you were ‘bout to say something crazy,” chuckling at his preemptive fear.

you whack his arm, “i’m being serious,” turning your head to glare at him, “he’s not.. the nicest person and he definitely won’t be nice about this.”

“what’s wrong with him?” steve asks, genuinely. they’d crossed paths with a lot of fucked up people in the six years since this had started but he had never believed that anyone truly bad could live somewhere as nice as this.

those places always seemed to crumble, he’d seen it enough times to know. people had taken the apocalypse as a means to become awful people, dictating the lives of everyone around them as if you weren’t all trying to do one thing.

survive.

you sigh, scrunching your nose, “he and his uncle have been here from the start of it all, helped build this place to what it is now. but his uncle, wayne, left a year back.. went to try and find his brother, eddie’s dad.. and now eddie’s just eternally pissed off about it.”

steve contemplates your words, knowing he’d probably also be incredibly infuriated too. family, real blood family, was a rarity nowadays. most people had lost most, if not all of any semblance of family by now. he was astounded to arrive here and find real family, joyce had her sons, nancy had mike, even lucas had his sister.

“oh.. that’s.. it’s understandable, i guess,” not quite finding the right words.

you nod, biting on the inside of your cheek. you’re holding something back, steve’s not sure what and he’s certainly not going to ask now. unwilling to ruin the moment.

“why’d you guys break up?” considering if he’d like to get in the middle of some complicated, messy situation.

for you? definitely.

“i dunno.. he was just so angry, he let it consume him,” a certain twinge of sadness to your tone.

“and he took it out on you?”

you scoff a little, “me and everyone else.. look, does it help if i say that he probably won’t shoot you?”

steve hums, “not really.”

that does it, brings your smile back as you crack up shaking hysterically as you turn back to the sky.

“i still think you should sing for us all,” changing the subject completely.

steve groans, wiping the layer of sweat from his forehead. before all this, he would’ve said that he preferred summer but now that there were corpses roaming the streets, he definitely favoured winter. that stench is something he’ll never forget, rotting flesh and hot july sun were not a good mix.

“didn’t i already agree to sing for the kids?” he teases.

you’re interrupted from any further begging as nancy’s voice rings out from below, “hey guys? you there?” worry embedded into her voice.

“shit,” you hiss, shooting up as you grab your pants. “sorry.. sorry,” apologising for your lack of clothing and the accidental fright you’d given them.

“oh wow okay,” nancy bites from down below, laughing her head off, jonathan covers his eyes to give you a little privacy as you pull your jeans on, “how’d i know that you two were gonna fuck this up?”

“yeah yeah, shut up,” you rush, cheeks burning as you jump into your clothes.

steve shuffles over sliding his pants back on as he turns beetroot red, not only was this his first shift, it was also the first time he was showing everyone that he was a capable person to keep around. he’s not so sure they’ll agree now.

nancy and jonathan climb up the ladder, a bemused expression shared across their faces, “quiet night?” nancy asks, cocking her head to the side.

“something like that,” shrugging off her quick remarks as you grab your backpack and shove steve’s into his chest.

the two stand there gawping as steve flushes, stepping into his sneakers and attempts to hurriedly brush his hair into place. he wants to be embarrassed, really, but he’s still riding the high of you even kissing him.

“see anything interesting?” nancy bites, eyebrows raised expectantly.

“nope.”

“mhm i bet,” she smirks, her lips pursed as you shuffle past her, ignoring the smug look on her face as you climb down the ladder.

steve gives them both a little wave, still trying to hide his reddened cheeks as he follows you down from the perch.

you’re waiting for him at the bottom, tugging him away as the pair watch from above. it takes everything in him not to turn around and smile.

“y’wanna shower?” you ask, breaking the silence as you enter the building.

he damn near jumps into the air, clicking his heels together, suppressing his excitement with a simple nod, bounding along behind as you pull him along the corridor.

he’d take any shift if it meant ending up with you.

[chronicdisasterwrites]

domestic bliss

pairing: jean kirstein x reader (modern au)

genre/warnings: just pure domestic FLUFF

author’s note: so, i had a dream. about jean. and i just wrote it down. easily one of the best dreams i’ve ever had 😭 this is not proofread so excuse any mistakes lmfao- I am still reeling from the dream.

enjoy <3

It was a rough day. Nothing made sense and your mind was in overdrive. Nothing sounds good and you just want to crawl into a hole and stay there, until maybe, someone remembers you and drags you out.

Walking into your apartment, you drag your tired, aching body into your bedroom and find the one thing that could make you feel more like a person and less like a worthless zombie. You stand in the doorway, soaking in the sound of TV channels switching; the news, a weather report, a joke followed by roaring laughter, static, some live performance, sizzling sounds of something in hot oil. You gaze at Jean laying almost diagonally on your shared bed, clad in that white shirt you love so much, head resting on a pillow propped against the headboard as his arm lays lazily on the bed by his sid, fingers switching channels nonchalantly.

He sees you immediately and smiles softly. You fail to reciprocate and only manage to drag your feet toward the bed and fall next to him, pulling your body up to lay next to his. He opens his arms and lets you lie against him, like a key in a lock. A perfect fit. So familiar, so practiced, so normal. Your chin lays against his shoulder as his arm comes around your weighed-down shoulders. He continues switching the channels, not liking anything that was playing.

His scent, so musky, so him, so known. You breathe him in and watch his adams apple bob. His veins, his growing hair, his eyes that look like everything you know and love. He knows you. He knows you're hurting. He knows he makes it better. Makes it a bit easier for you to handle. Just his presence is enough. Still, wordlessly he turns his head and leaves a gentle kiss against your forehead. You feel the prickles from his beard. He drops the remote and holds you a bit tighter. You lie there, feeling alive, as something plays on the TV. You can't hear it, really.

[emblazons]

So I know I said I was tired (I am lmfao), but:

As I was thinking about that ask regarding Jonathan and Mike both trying to fill "fatherly" roles for Will and Eleven because they've been parentified, I realized that the fight mlvn get into and the talk JonWill have in MADMAX in S2 are reflections of each other—both proving that JonMike are trying to soothe their charges with a familial type of love (given the mlvn fight also parallels an El/Hopper argument in S2)...but also proving that the Byers Brothers love and trust each other in a way El and Mike just don't.

Let's see if I can explain.

In both of these conversations, we get a “charge" (aka the 'child' in the relationship—El and Will, in each case) who is isolating themselves after something painful/traumatic. Both of them are making art in their room as an expression relating to what's going on in their hearts/minds...which is when Jonathan and Mike come into their room, notice the art and then something is wrong, and invite Will/El to connect emotionally by talking.

From there, we get Jonathan and Mike pushing just hard enough to get something out of Will and Eleven—getting them to get just close enough to the heart of the problem to get defensive, and admit that they feel outcasted and different (in will's case like a "freak," and in El's that she's a "monster").

Both Jonathan and Mike try to comfort Will and El by leveling with them about the way they too feel different, trying to make them see that they are valuable in their difference and lack of normalcy as outcasts/freaks in the wake of "nobodies—"

But, as we know from the actual fights themselves, Jonathan succeeds in soothing Will and making him feel valuable despite how others make him feel for being "Zombie Boy," while Mike pretty much (forgive the reference) rolls a one on persuasion trying to convince El that she is inherently valuable to him in her difference.

Basically: these fights intentionally mirror each other, and through that show us that both Jonathan and Mike are trying to have a "replacement father" moment for Will and El...while also showing us that one of these parentified figures (Jonathan) is mature enough to step into an older brother/father role...whereas the other one (Mike) certainly is not.

Even just in these scenes, we can see that Jonathan and Will have a depth of bond and trust between them that Mike and El absolutely do not—down to little context clues that show us why Will is open to relating and repairing with Jonathan (because Jonathan knows Will well + Will believes he’s loved) where El is not. Ex:

Jonathan offers Will options when he comes in to talk about movie night, showing that he's open to what Will wants and desires without projection or expectation—where Mike simply assumes El is the same as she always has been (in this case food-wise), despite her not a day before saying directly to him she was open to something new and different (El Rodeo for burritos...which Mike even says aloud to her is 'weird').

Jonathan builds an "us v the world" moment with Will by both saying they are best friends (leaning into their closeness) while showing he knows Will by making a reference to an artist he likes...where Mike, despite admitting to also being bullied, immediately alienates El by reiterating how she's different from him and everyone else.

Jonathan even says something similar to Mike by saying it's better to be different—Jonathan just frames being different as the power (with emphasis on the humanity of the difference), whereas Mike frames the power as central to being different.

TL;DR: this is just one of the many moments that show Jonathan and Mike have taken on similar roles in Will and El's lives (emotional father replacement), though both the maturity of the "parentified" figure and the depth of the relationship between each pair is put into stark relief when you compare them.

The effects of parentification are clear in the way both Jonathan and Mike interact with Will and El in a way similar to a fully adult male/fatherly figure (see: the Hopper/El scene parallel)—both of them are trying to comfort/console from a place of (somewhat) authority/experience over Will and El...Jonathan is just equipped to speak into Will's life in a way Mike never could be with El.

also, a bonus if you made it through this: the real kicker proving these scenes are intentionally written & edited as parallels on some level comes in the very next shots after these...when we cut to the exact same setup shot of a TV, followed by a shot of Jonathan and Will. :)

anyway. more parentified byler in-law commentary to come lol

[hyperfixingfr]

Okay I was originally only gonna show Hoagie's design and then a piece from the zombie stages HOWEVER I want to show off my design for Abby

Just like Hoagie, she kinda abandoned the earrings lol. In an apocalypse where your friends have died before your very eyes you really don't need to be concerned about EARRINGS so any person in Sector V who wore earrings (so... Everyone but Nigel) ended up ditching them. To replace the earring colors to still keep that yellow integrated into the design, I gave her a yellow hair tie. Yes, that's the best I could come up with. I want the amount of yellow to be there but not very prominent just like in canon

If anyone guesses the death toll/missing toll within Sector V for the middle of the time period of the AU before I release the references I'll give you a virtual thumbs up or something lmfao. I want to make a fanfiction on this (as I've already planned entire lore and an ending to this AU) however the references will be captured within the middle of the story instead of the beginning, when there's already missing/dead key characters. Every main or key side character within the KND escapes the *start* of the apocalypse alive (ex: Sector V, Numbuh 362, Numbuh 86, Numbuh 10, and so on). But a lot end up dying and a few faces end up disappearing without a trace around the middle of the plot at various times, for reasons mostly to do with... The damn apocalypse out their window?? What else?

By the AU's end, there will be no character without severe injuries related to the apocalypse. And a LOT dead. Your favorite operative is more likely to have died the painful death that being infected causes rather than to have survived. As said previously: brace yourselves...

As for the reason to the apocalypse? Father. Pretty explanatory. He got tired of chasing kids, so he snuck into a KND event and infected himself (yes, he's patient zero...). Yes, this means he inevitably died early on due to the fact that the infected last for a mere 5 minutes to, at maximum, 1 day after being infected due to the symptoms. But not before infecting multiple other operatives of course... Similar to one of the episodes, this has to do with his DNA being in the system. It only severely infects/kills KND operatives. Thus, takes place before that episode. It does infect adults, though. Father got so fed up that he not only decided to kill off the entire KND, but also make adults incapable of reproduction. They are considered infected, and it can be spread by touching other adults or even kids (which will lead to death of the kid) however they don't experience any symptoms aside from complete infertility. KND operatives from all the way across the world were immediately informed when the discovery of adult infection was made and swiftly took in hundreds of captive unaffected adults and supplies for them and basically locked them away. So no, the existence and creation of kids wouldn't come to an end - but they're sure as hell gonna need to find out how to cure infertility cuz a few hundred adults only being able to reproduce isn't gonna end well LMFAO

[dark-elf-writes]

ROUND TWO! It is still technically tomorrow so yeah.... 😁

-(Remus. Safety. A port in the storm while everything shattered around him.)

Oh honey, hugs all of the hugs. This whole passage is fucking beautiful. The moment of Harry realizing Shouta is testing him and appreciating it. Recognizing where the adults in his life failed him and seeing that the man in front of him won't fail his students in the ways Harry was failed. AAAHHHH

-(Dark eyes looked him up and down. “Take ten. No need to traumatize them by throwing a zombie at their feet.” 

Harry scoffed, edging around Shouta to open the door he hadn’t bothered locking (anyone who could break into UA and get past all of the staff to a top floor flat and could get around Bill’s wards deserved to steal his shit honestly) and shooting the man a rather unimpressed look even as he nodded for him to follow. “I know damn well you own a mirror being married to Yamada so the only other options are you’re blind and just a very good actor or you’re so deep in denial you truly believe you don’t look worse than I do and I’ve literally died four times.”)

AAHAHAHAHUENJDSAKGNR CALL HIM OUT! but for real I love this. We see sassy Harry and Shouta, sir, pot kettle. ahahaha

-(Twenty teenagers looked back at him, eyes bright with suspicion as they shifted their stances to cover the little girl in their midst. The little girl who had no problem popping her head around a massive shoulder to beam at Harry and Shouta as they approached. 

“Hi, Harry-san!” The white haired girl waved. “Did you bring more cookies?”)

Leave it to the tiny human to relieve the tension of the room. And sassing Bakugou to boot. Love it.

-(With a shriek of laughter Eri launched herself from the green haired kid’s back and wormed her way between the protective gathering of teenagers to collide with Harry’s leg, going up on her toes to check the container. “Where’s Teddy?”

“With Weasley-Sensei. If your dad is okay with it you can come over for dinner tonight to see them.” 

She didn’t so much as look at Shouta. “Dad says yes.”)

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 THIS SWEET HILARIOUS CHILD! I CAN'T SHE MUST BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS! The only thing that would have made this better is if Hizashi had been present to witness it.

-(This time, Harry did smile, letting every shattered piece of himself show in the lopsided lift of his lips. Let them see the boy he was: fifteen and so fucking angry at the unfairness of everything, sixteen and terrified of the monsters that lurked around every corner, seventeen and tired down to his very bones. Let them see the reflection looking back at them. 

One child soldier to twenty. )

god fucking damn the absolute beauty in the writing here. dsjabcim I'm speechless. 10000000000/10

-(“You look like a fucking fetus.” Bakugou hissed. “How the hell can you be a Top Ten?” )

Cackling at this. Just the phrasing. Hit me right in the funny bone for some reason🤣🤣

-(“Dormant.” At the kid’s surprised blink, Harry shrugged. “I have a no slur policy when it comes to my students. That includes against themselves.” Which had been developed the exact moment Aoyama hissed the word. Not that Harry was going to tell them that. )

Yup good policy, timing don't matter. Nope not at all.

-(they are in my top five most terrifying sisters)

Who's number one? Ginny or Hermione because I feel like that could go either way lmfao

-THE ENTIRE END NOTE OF CHAPTER SEVEN HAD ME LAUGHING TO TEARS

-(“Welcome to the world, cub,” Harry breathed, pulling back to press a kiss to Teddy’s temple. “You hungry?” 

Teddy let out a jaw cracking yawn, rubbing at their eyes with the back of their hands, and blinked at him uncomprehendingly. After a second, they nodded. )

AAAAWWEWW The mental picture of sleepy little Teddy is just javirughdxkwiaiurytlh;iwo I CAN'T

-(Harry shrugged. “Bragging rights, mostly. I’m in a new country at a new job with very little of my reputation carrying over and only to a select few people who already knew about me anyway. All of you are the next generation of heroes and will more than likely make up a second chunk of the Top Fifty in the next few years. I need something to prove to my kid that I’m still cool when they inevitably decide one of you is their second favorite hero.” 

Disbelieving eyes came from all around the room. Well, except for Asui and Sero. As the two with the most experience with young children, there was not so much as a flicker of doubt in their eyes that street cred with a seven year old was Harry primary motivation. Harry smiled back  at all of them, unrepentant. )

Believe him guys. Believe him. 🤣🤣🤣And he's not wrong, room full of the future? He doesn't stand a chance at being his kid's favorite if he doesn't work for it🤣🤣🤣🤣

-(“If your ghosts try to convince you that dying is fun, just know that they are liars and it absolutely is not.” 

______

From the moment they had first met their new sensei, Izuku had been pretty sure that he was, on some level, completely fucking insane. )

THE PLACEMENT OF THESE SENTENCES IS FUCKING PERFECT👩‍🍳💋 🤣🤣🤣

-(One singularity recognizing another. )

I'm going to keep sounding like a god damn broken record but this entire passage is fucking poetry. Like fucking hell, 'it was more than their shared green eyes. more than the bruised eyes and too thin cheeks. more than the massive scar that took up half of the man's face that seem to glow with an eerie green light." jdfaiuhganfvjfdkalghr Fucking master of words you are.

-(“ Excuse me? ” First hissed, materializing at Izukums shoulder with the same pissed off cat expression he had given Second after he broke Izuku’s laptop during movie night. 

“You’re excused.” Potter-sensei shrugged. Shrugged. Like dealing with angry ghosts was normal for him. )

ahshasjiafownejwlafnuju SASSY HARRY!!!!!

-Okay death calling Harry a disaster twink in the end note completes my entire existence.

-(There was a snort and Harry lifted his head enough to see an unmasked Snipe grinning at the two of them. “Ah yes, the first day ‘how did my teachers ever put up with me’ guilt. Bright side, you didn’t have a single broken bone in your class and there was no Nezu level threat against humanity as a whole so y’all did a damn good job.” 

“The bar is so low,” Hermione whispered in horror, setting Harry off in half hysterical giggles.)

Nezu level threat is the most terrifying thing to happen on a teacher's first day, bar none. nothing else. nope.

-(Harry blinked. “Since when are you on a first name basis with Aoyama?”

“Like two minutes ago, dad, keep up. They’re Aunt Fleur’s cousin and that makes us cousins so Yuuga is family and last names with family is weird unless it’s for a joke.” He didn’t have to look to know there was a duh expression on Teddy’s face,

“Did you ask Aoyama if you can use their first name, or did you assume?” Teddy’s silence was the only answer Harry needed. “Teddy—.”

point two seconds later

“Can I call you Yuuga because we’re cousins?” 

Teddy turned back to Harry, still wearing Aoyama’s face, and pointed at the teen over their shoulder. “See. Cousin.”)

KIDS ARE A GODDAMN MENACE AND I'M FUCKING LIVING FOR IT

-(A familiar snort had them turning to see a grinning Hizashi leaning over the back of the couch where Shouta was attempting to appear asleep. It would have been more convincing if the man wasn’t grinning into his sleeping bag. “That’s just parenting. If it helps, they can keep up with Eri so I highly doubt Teddy is going to cause too much damage.” 

They were probably right, but…

“Doesn’t one of those kids have shark teeth?”

“ Fuck.” )

Crying laughing oh my fucking god yes this is perfect

-There is something so special about how this moment between Nemuri and Hermione is written. True connection, not unnatural, just two women who have fought to protect their families and came out scarred and hurting relating and commiserating, stunning writing.

-(“If you stretched more, you could do it too.” Harry pointed out, slowly rising out of the stretch before bending backwards, more to annoy his brother than out of any real need for the stretch. His palms hit the mat behind him as he held the back bend without too much effort. 

Ron shuddered. “That’s horrifying to watch have I ever told you that?”

Harry took a few too-quick shuffle-crawl steps towards him, just to make Ron lurch back with a shriek. The shorter man hit the mat a second later, laughing too hard to keep himself up. )

NOT THE HORROR MOVIE IMPRESSION ahahahahahahahhahahahah

-(In the ring, Hermione missed the leg sweep sent from Hizashi and hit the mats hard. It didn’t seem to stop her as she turned to gape at him. 

“Harry James Potter are you telling me you saw Tom Riddles’ penis?” 

“No I’m telling Ron, Shouta, and Kayama. You just happened to be eavesdropping.” )

CACKLING!!!!!!!!!

-(Honestly, there were worse ways to go rather than being murdered by a beautiful woman. )

Glory, Glory, what a helluva way to die!

-Shouta totally handed Ron his own ass, repeatedly and with glee

This is seven through nine! I'll be doing more tomorrow! I totally love this and want to keep going. I'm also interested in doing this with some of your other fics and maybe some tagged aus on here? if you're okay with it?

I’m loving this so much it’s such a delight to see all the parts you enjoy if you want to do it with other fics/aus as well I’m totally down just be aware that I will probably tell you that I love you platonically more than once.

[umemiyan]

Omg Robin you and megumi go camping (idk if either of u are into it 👁️👁️ but you’re forced if not) who’s having a bad time?? Who sets up the tent or do both of you?? Who’s getting scared and who’s comforting the other? Do you make s’mores or roast sausages at the fire????? I need the details right 💥 NOW!!! 💥

OMG!!!!!! okay, sorry i’m a little late to this chxjdjdnej BUT i think camping could be fun!!! the only part that i feel like might be difficult for me is the sleep situation 💔 unfortunately my bitch ass brain is rather particular about my sleeping environment (almost any noise that’s not white noise will bother me, i don’t like any lights or visual disturbances, etc.) but idk maybe it wouldn’t be too bad if i could set things up properly??? and if i was tired enough

we’re also setting up the tent together!! unless it’s kinda easy and one of us could do that while the other takes care of something else

tbh i’m not that scared of nature (i’m literally more afraid of people) but i do sometimes have weird irrational thoughts about like demons or zombies or something 😭😭 or at least i used to. but i was also not as mentally well in general LOL so i could very well be fine now. but other than that i don’t think i’d get that scared?? like i said, i’m not really afraid of nature—i’m quite used to it. legit i would be more afraid of a weirdo murderer finding us instead of a bear lmfao i think camping would be nice actually if we were far away from other humans ❤️

we would definitely do s’mores and stuff!! and for sure go swimming too if we’re near water. i think we’d also maybe play cards or something while sitting around and chilling.

we’re 100% fucking as well 😌 i want it on the sleeping bags, against the tree, on the river bank—i’m making him cum in my mouth while he’s knee-deep in the water ❤️ and i have to reassure him that no one’s around to see!! he gets nervous sometimes. at least until i unlock little feral parts in his brain

[delta-rex]

TORCHWOOD EPISODE ONE

@manyfandomsonelog as promised live react below

Okay already this is a dramatic as hell intro

WHAT DEAD GUY??? HELLO????

Oh my God this is so much rain that is so BAD for your evidence

THEY GET TO SWEAR????? WOAH

HELLO???? JACK WHAT IS THAT LORE DROP

Woah zombie glove and rain stopped silly

The absolute drama- COLD OPEN BAR FIGHT LOL

Woah sealed hospital hallway spooooooky

Oh this guy seems normal. Like REAL normal

WHOOPS HE ATE RHE HOSPITAL GUY LOL

CAR CHASE YAAAAAY

Lol yeah he really do just be like that huh

HAHAHA SHES THOROIGH HUH ALL THE WAY TO THE PIZZA PLACES

GIRL THEY KNOW WHO YOU SRE YOU ARE NOT SUBTLE

What is that DOOR

WHQT HEY WHATS DAVID TENNATLNTS HAND DOING THERE

LMFAOOOO 'IBDONT HAVE ANY MONEY' god they're terrible

THERES A FUCKING PTERODACTLY

yeah just fucking. Stare at it yeah. Comprehend aliens by making eyes at it

THE FLIRTING WHY

HAHA THE ELEVATOR COLUMN WHAT

Lmao the TARDIS did it. That's what

Girl what the hell is the coverup for

SO MUCH EYE CONTACT WTFFFR

but on the other hand y'all have NO oversight that cannot be good

'no one can take anything outside' cut to literally all of them taking things home

Aw man amnesia pill lol

GIRL NOT THE SEX POLLEN OKAYYK

yeah I'm sure none of this is plot relevant

NOOOOOO MORE SEX POLLEN

That is a weird fucking shape for a building

GIRL HES SO DRAMATIC LMFAOOOO WHYS HE DOIN IT LIKE THAT

you go girl I believe in you

WHAT IS HAPPENING??? SUSIE WHAT YHE HELL DID UOU DOOO

Girl WHAT???? SHES BEEEN FUCKING MURDERITNG PEOPLE???? lmao you forgot he can't die

WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK THERES SO MANY LEOPLE THERE.....

oh gwen.... Ik this is the plot but it seems like the worst choice

okay damn just cold close like that lmfao

I'm too tired to have coherent thoughts about this right now but. Man that was some weird shit. Okay bye ig lol

[favoringeyes]

hi lena!! :DD can i ask do the likes / dislikes of kagepro characters have any particular significance? whats your personal opinions?

HII SEBASTIAN

this gets really really long and i didnt even talk about any of the fun likes/dislikes for any of the characters im sorry u dont have to read all of this 😭😭😭

HII SEBASTIAN this is such a great question oh my god thank u. okay not for all of them but in some cases yes. i'll start with the ones that DO matter though. shintaro looooves cola it's like his lifeblood, he has this scene where he drinks it with konoha and he says smthn along the lines of "praise be to soda" and konoha's like "erm what." but in this scene shintaro's introduced konoha to cola for the first time and it's basically a turning point in their friendship it's really sweet. it's actually a parallel to when haruka introduced shintaro to cola for the first time ever and that's when their friendship started and augh augh augh it makes me so crazy. momo (shintaro's sister) also really loves soda, except her favorite is red bean soup flavor. uhmm okay next seto LOVES animals and nature in general, this is probably due to his eye ability, since he can communicate with animals and nature is usually far away from cities and such so not a lot of people to accidentally read the mind of. before he had gained his eye ability he had a stray dog named hanako, who he thought understood him as he understood her. hanako is the one he got stuck into the daze with when bullies from his orphanage threw her into a river and he drowned attempting to save her. later on he has a pet hamster named hanao who he talks to and stuff. in general he'll just talk to random birds at times, he's often showed with them actually. he also met marry (someone super important to him) in a forest so that probably contributes to it as well! okay well idk if this counts but i say it does so it does uh the color red for ayano! red has huge significance in kagepro, as it's the color someone's eyes will turn into when their abilities are activated. the mekakushi dan was started by ayano when she put on a red scarf in front of her siblings and exclaimed that red is the color of a hero, and theyre just like secret agents. that's why ayano has her scarf on most of the time if not all of the time! i like to think ayano gained an affinity for the color in general bc she told shintaro he looked good in red (hence why he has his silly little jacket) and it brings a sense of comfort. a neat detail in mekakucity actors is in the last episode after she had been free from the daze, she's shown with an outfit without her scarf, symbolizing how she's not the tragic "heroine" of the story anymore, how she doesnt have to fight alone anymore. makes me emotional. kido really likes music, mainly bc her bio mom loved music as well, i cant remember quite right but she might have been a musician as well? but basically in her younger years before her mom passed away, she was raised to love music. it's quite significant to her design as well, on her hoodie she has like a little mp3 player button on the front. one of her favorite bands is radiohead LMFAO. OH takane and video games! due to her disability growing up she was often isolated since she was so tired all the time and didnt like having to deal with randomly falling asleep in front of her peers, who usually thought of her as weird and stand-offish. so as a way to cope she turned to video games and actually got quite good as she grew up. by highschool she's well known in the gamer world as "flashing dancer ene" and is 2nd in a national tournament for some zombie game i think. in manga route 2, videogames is the main way she bonds with haruka while they are in the hospital together. actually a video game she, haruka, and their teacher made brought the entire yuukei quartet together technically. shintaro and haruka also played online games together basically every night and thts how they got so close. so in my personal opinion those r probably the ones that hold the most significance for certain characters… i would talk abt fun ones but im hitting the word limit sorry SOB

[justagalwhowrites]

I’ve loved the game since it came out and it’s always so interesting when people only watched the show and just all the stuff they don’t know! Like!! There’s so much story!! Haha!

Like so many people don’t knew Bill and Franks actual story! Yeah, they were partners/lovers for a very long time but in the game, Frank eventually got tired of Bill and how he always acts and left him. He stole supplies and the car battery (the one that Joel needs haha! In the game Bill is still alive and Joel, Ellie and Bill have to go to a school where a military truck crashed for the battery they need. When they get there, the battery is already gone. Frank took it!)

On the way back to his hideout, Frank gets bitten multiple times. Frank hangs himself so he doesn’t turn and Joel, Ellie and Bill find him. (Later on you find a note from another smuggler, Frank arranged to get into the Boston QZ with the help of this guy but he died before that.) you also find a note from Frank saying he hated Bills guts and he hated this town and Bills attitude. And that dying is still better than spending another day with Bill.

The player can decide if they want to give the note to Bill or not!

So completely different to Show Bill and Frank! And it’s kinda funny to me because people always say they were so amazing together when in the game it was so different.

The Frank and Bill thing I know because my friend who I watched the show with LOVES the game and as soon as we were through episode 3 he told me all about it lol bud I think that’s the only game stuff I really know. I keep trying to get my husband to play the game so I can watch 😂😂 like I know there are play throughs online but I want to watch someone play while I’m there lmfao (and playing on my own is a no go, I tried to play some zombie games in college and was like “NOPE!”)

[burned-lariat]

I don't like it when consequenses and plot armor are used so frequently it takes me out of already terrible stories where because of said issue I can't enjoy the 10% of GH that is enjoyable: the commercials.

TJ is so forgotten they only let him out to prop Millow and save a life or two then throw him back in the dungeon. Reduce stable bumb and give that fine TJ more air time. Hardly see Molly anyway. Wasted talent. I miss Shawn too. Bring on Gia and the Wards and Wu family. Get rid of hatman the clarinet Curtis Stella can stay.

I thought we would be leave behind all this nina nelle story. Instead we gotta watch it be reborn and grow several heads into a new Wallow cancer miracle paternity reveal story being talked about for another five years. My head hurts. 😫

How many active cases is Sam working on at once. Speaking of Dante looks like he needs a day off, when is that other dude gonna be his partner again or wait isn't there a new detective 🤔 idk

Wrap up some of these old tired beat up walking dead stories. Ooh zombies!

Good thing the v day wedding of doom is vastly approaching.

Pound puppy joss will soon have dex licking her wounds when cam gets done raking her over the coals. Yay! Hope Trina follows suit and Spencer nearby.

What in the world is blq doing? noooo this is not hsmtm, whyyyy? Thank god the Wallow crisis stopped her from further embarrassment. She needs new friends too. Fortunately lovesickness is incurable. I hate this story for her endgame or not.

I'll say it, Wallow needs intensive therapy. Her sanctimonious soul-sucking and cult upbringing trauma would be much better suited for hour long sessions with Kevin off screen. I still won't like her tho 🤷🏽‍♂️🤷🏾‍♀️

Ava and Spencer being allies is not a surprise and a welcome plot point indeed.

I will NOT accept Harrison milhouse bradshaw growapair Chase glorify Millow in any way shape or form. Their dynamic is crippling. No amount of sunshine Chase brings will take away Millows dark force energy, I can't stomach them interacting anymore. Nope I'm not buying GH pushing this fakery on me. Get Chase new friends too. Soul sucking sea urchins is what they are.

Free dex cam tj blq sasha chase and anyone else I forgot

LMFAO you're right. And yep - lack of consequences + plot armor = no payoff and no joy. Why do you think a lot of us lament Benson stories?

Agreed! More TJ & Wus, less Curtis & LSB.

Yeah it's all so bad and these writers can't come up with a new idea to save their life, like they can't even have a unique, new spin on a redone story.

Sam never works, but at this rate, she should be Dante's new PCPD partner. Sante trying to solve crimes? I could be down for that!

Why have Dex comfort her when he can stand there and watch her take it before he gets some shots taken at him for his behavior? He doesn't deserve as harsh of a dragging as Joss, but he deserves a dragging.

Both Chase AND Brook are being done so dirty. This pop-star story is utter rubbish, and Chase should hate Millow for what they did to him. You're right - Chase won't make Millow "fetch." And I agree - Willow needs therapy more than anything else. She needs to be deprogrammed from the Benson cult so she can have an identity of her own, and if Independent!Willow still hates Nina, then so be it. The Bensons ruin their partners, I swear to God...

Yep. Free all those people and then some!

[aerltarg]

Maybe this is a stupid question, buuuuut:

I just can't imagine a world that Rhaegar comes back from the Trident, wins the war and becomes king. No, I'm not a anti Rhaegar, matter of fact I like him very much, I'm just can imagine how would Lya, little Jon, this whole affair, would settle in the capital. The norm that fics (at least those I read) tend to follow is to make Rhaegar:

1. A douche, paranoid and destiny-obessed king.

2. Completely incompetent, aloof monarch, that deep down has a heart of gold, but can't really be understood.

I mean, isn't he supposed to be a scholar since he was a kid? What's are your thoughts about it?

oh, yeah, i can totally understand this! it's is the whole point in canon actually, "the wrong man came back from the trident". you would expect a hero win against his antagonist and have a happy ending w his lady love but it doesn't happen. instead the subversion happens to them with rhaegar being killed by robert who becomes obviously a shitty king and lyanna dying after him. they were never supposed to have happy ending, they were created as tragic and doomed and dead from the beginning for the whole plot to start, jon to have his parentage mystery and dany to take the passed baton as the last dragon, prophesied savoir and the heir who has to carry entire house on her back now.

as for the realistic rhaegar wins aus that's the difficult question. tbh we just don't know enough abt their situation, plans and wishes. you see, e.g. in agot we can be right in ned's head and see his motivations, what he was thinking abt, what he was planning, what he was hoping to do. but if his story was told the way rhaegar's was i bet he would have his own crowd of haters and ~intellectuals~ jumping out every two seconds w their "hot takes" how actually all hints abt what rlly happened (ned being a good man w his own sense of honour, justice and experiences affecting him and the deal w cersei's children) doesn't matter and he was an ambitious prick, planned to grasp the power by being joffrey's regent and make his daughter sansa queen. (you can actually insert there any bullshit and still don't reach the level of stupidity of such "hot takes" this fandom loves so much lmao). also he would be blamed to the hell and beyond for being too stupid and not foreseeing the future and actions of other ppl bc ofc after everything happened it's so easy to say what was so obvious to notice. also they would say that the deaths of his men and horrible fates of his kids are 100% his fault and even straight up say he killed them lmao. i can rant abt it for hours so yeah. this is a situation w too many unknown variables bc it depends too much on actions of too many characters we don't know enough abt. the only thing it's possible to tell for sure is the fact that there couldn't be any perfect solutions since things got too complicated at this point.

such fics as you've mentioned tho are just a part of this dumb fanon where rhaegar is "too prophecy obsessed"/"incapable of love"/shrodinger's rhaegar both smart and stupid at the same time/whatever/all of this combined lmfao. the man was notably intelligent from the early age as you've absolutely rightly mentioned, his guesses abt himself being tptwp have nothing to do w egocentrism as some parts of the fandom would want us all to believe unless he wouldn't be so reasonable abt it and later on, after so many years, wouldn't have changed his mind and thought his son could be tptwp.

and literally fuck all antis that think you shouldn't consider prophecies that hold real power in this fantasy world lol. you know, aegon the conqueror was said to be motivated (or at least partly) to unify westeros by the prophecy and still got the treatment of perfect/maximum close to perfect figure of a leader everyone should look up to from the narrative and grrm. prophecy obsessed much, huh? i don't even talk abt all these parallels between him and rhaegar grrm put there not for bitches to ignore them completely! and i will never get tired of reminding that dismissing prophecies is UNWISE for targaryens of all people. the house whose story is built on the dream of young daenys and her father aenar that listened to her despite common sense (or what local "anti magic"/"anti prophecies" clowns consider to be common sense). targs would be as dead as the rest of dragonlords if not for daenys the dreamer. who else in the world has as many reasons to take prophecies seriously as them?

yet antis out there act as if rhaegar is one dimensional weirdo whose every character trait is abt mf ~prophecy obsession~. like how can they miss one of the main points so badly?? the game of thrones distracts ppl from the real danger beyond the wall, yk, the one rhaegar was aware of and meant to deal with. there wouldn't be such a problem if he became king and had as many years of head start before ice zombies apocalypse as ignorant bobby b did. rhaegar had to die just for westeros to sink in shit and our main heroes to save everyone to make this story more epic LMAO

so yeah, too many ppl portray rhaegar as this one dimensional robotic creature without any knowledge of what feelings are idk even for what reason. it seems these ppl can't read for real bc rhaegar was not only intelligent af as well as dutiful ("it seems i must be a warrior" but "he loved his harp more than his lance") but also. ugh emotional?? my boy had constant emo sessions w brooding at ruins of summerhall, sleeping out there beneath the stars all alone and writing songs that made all women cry. does it sound as someone who "isn't capable of love" lol? folks act as if he was completely heartless from the day he was born (bc he didnt play w other kids ig??) but in reality their emotional range is less than the one of a spoon in comparison to rhaegar's lol. i'm not even gonna address the horrible attitude of demonizing him for his implied depression, vile clowns never listen to themselves when they talk abt targaryens and their "madness".

tldr; these fics are mostly lame af and suck at characterization if they're making rhaegar like that lol. anyway his character isn't abt being a good or a bad king, it's abt being a would-be-king for characters in books and readers in reality to sigh over his tragic aura and pretty aesthetic abt how it could've been. however, grrm clearly doesn't write rhaegar as evil or incapable as some parts of the fandom would want to try to persuade others. realistically speaking in the scenario where he wins there couldn't be any perfect decisions but it's a territory of speculations on thin air and lit nothing more since canon doesn't provide us with enough information to rlly theorize anything instead of building biased headcanons some ppl call "analysis".

but remember what barristan said about rhaegar while practically watching him all his life, from a literal baby to the man grown:

“I know little of Rhaegar. Only the tales Viserys told, and he was a little boy when our brother died. What was he truly like?”

The old man considered a moment. “Able. That above all. Determined, deliberate, dutiful, single-minded.” (ASOS, Daenerys I)

“Prince Rhaegar’s prowess was unquestioned, but he seldom entered the lists. He never loved the song of swords the way that Robert did, or Jaime Lannister. It was something he had to do, a task the world had set him. He did it well, for he did everything well. That was his nature. But he took no joy in it. Men said that he loved his harp much better than his lance.” (ASOS, Daenerys IV)

[koreandragon]

The sensuality in love and leashes made crave things in dramas I know we're never gonna get, I'm not talking about sex scenes the show didn't even go beyond a kiss, I mean the intimacy and sensuality of a touch a kiss etc the most romantic thing can be fingers interlacing together, a kiss to the neck just small things that show longing and yearning in a physical way they elevate a love story so much more but kdramss even when they give us kisses usually it's the grand sweeping moments with cameras whirling around and that's not what makes a great kiss they could do so much more without ever showing skin if they don't want to I'm thinking about the almost kiss and hand flex on pride and prejudice things like that someone inhaling someone's smell idk ane just showing people wanting to be close to someone in that way I'm rambling lmfao I hope I made some kind of point across also Netflix should think about investing in romances not just thrillers and zombie shows romance books sell as much as crime and scifi/fantasy books combined, romance is what made Korean dramas such a big phenomenon in the first place, it's what made Bridgerton their biggest show ever until squid game, it sells almost more than anything in the right circumstances but as usual since it's mostly men in the higher positions no matter the evidence to its success it will always be looked down on and not invested as much in if at all bc it's something mostly women enjoy and things we enjoy are surely inferior and not as important...

oh my god you're so right!!! no i totally get what you mean like the whole appeal and tension came from them doing bdsm without actually having sex and it was just so electrifying i cannot even form words rn.... ngl kdramas were always appealing to me because i did get tired of american shows always hyperfixating on sex. there were so many sexual innuendos and just unnecessary sex scenes in general that did nothing for the show that kdramas were a breath of fresh air. but yeah sometimes they are way too mild like 30 something people doing the fish lips kissing and calling it a day. i remember watching days when they kissed for the first time (which was actually one of the best kisses ever) and inguk did that little thing when he almost went back for more after they finished...now that was cinema!!!! or the finger flicking scenes in vincenzo. or when chayoung hugged him and he had to grab onto the chair to restrain himself!!! like it's about the tension and the longing!!

and yes as much as i enjoy gore I'd really love to see a really really really good romance. and you're right romance is always looked down upon because with the action/gorey stuff they can appeal to more people and bring in more views i guess but what about us... romance is the stepping stone, romance kdramas walked so these others could run!! anyways i really hope we get something good this year

[bananahkim]

this is cain, he's a silly goofy zombie dude who's committed several atrocities against god just by continuing to exist /hj

but for semi-serious lore: he's a sentient zombie living in the custody of an organization after the fall-out of his home country. he's permanently tired, bitchy and has loser dad instincts (affectionate) because he used to be a single father back when he was still human. the lack of eyes and nose was a creative drawing choice, i swear he has eyeballs and nostrils, i just can't draw them anymore and i'm kinda too lazy to relearn the basics lmfao 😭

Vix - She literally wouldn’t give a shit to Cain(at first). But she would hang out with him(only when she has literally nothing to do and she’s bored) and gossip about everything because she thinks he would never tell anyone about her unlike her bazillion fake bitchesfriends.

Desmond - when everyone’s being grossed out at the sight of this zombie Desmond wouldn’t mind about him because he has seen worse things back in the old lab. Desmond and Cain have some similarities, one of them being that they used to take care of kid(s) all by themselves. Also both are tired so Desmond would get along with Cain.

Rissa - She’s seen a bunch of zombies in the underworld but she’s never met this one though. She wouldn’t entirely trust Cain but she wouldn’t see him as her enemy. Once they get close she might be more honest to him. Maybe he could adopt her?

M - She would bite him when he comes too close to her. Or she would annoy him by saying her half logical, half childish thoughts out loud.

Angelle - She would freak out every time she sees him because his very existence defies her religion(a.k.a Christianity). But she would try her best to be nice to him because after all we should love one another…?

Send your ocs

[oddlybitter]

draft excerpt from “for the good of the people, tartaglia must die”

hehe i am creating more and more work to do hehe

i am FINALLY writing a chili piece lmfao but it’s also got a lot of other ships in it. so, uh, it’s a bit of a wild ride. here’s what i have so far!! it’s rather unpolished but it has heart!!!

- (zhongli/childe, yanfei/hu tao, chongyun/xingqui + more to come)

- this part mostly focuses on yanfei/hu tao and chongyun/xingqui

cw: violence, blood

Pressing his back to the wall, Childe pants, blood rushing in his ears as he tries his best to listen out for the tell-tale sound of shoes pattering against the pavement. A few yards away, the sound of labored breathing grows louder, and two boys, each about the same height, skid to a halt underneath the Stone Gate's towering sheet of rock, nearly tripping on the uneven boards of the walkway. 

"Where'd he go?" One of them asks, his face very red and eyes clouded with wavering focus.

The other clenches his hand around his sword, brushing his navy bangs out of his face. "I'm not sure. The sun has not yet set. If we keep searching, I am sure we shall locate him before nightfall."

Childe swallows, his eyes wandering to the long poles of bamboo that appear to be his ticket out of here. The first boy, the one with pale blue eyes and thaumaturgist's gear, frowns, wiping his brow. 

"I don't know how much longer I can stay in control, Xingqiu."

While maintaining a look of stony focus on his face, Xingqiu leans closer, brushing the other boy's fluffy hair back with his hand to place a gentle kiss on his forehead. The light-haired boy closes his eyes, swaying slightly. 

Xingqui pulls back, cupping the other's cheek with his palm. "You're doing so well, dearest Chongyun. Just hold on a little longer."

Instead of waiting around to see this exchange and be swayed by their affectionate ways of reassurance, Childe is shimmying up a bamboo trunk, taking an arrow, and sticking it into the wood to get a leg up onto the stone ledge above the walkway. Breathing heavily, he rests for a moment, leaning his hands above his knees as he bends over. Then, wiping his nose with the back of his hand, Childe starts into a sprint again, frowning against the biting wind that beckons from Mondstadt.

How he ended up running from what seems to be the entire population of Liyue is a rather long story that you've probably heard by now. You know, the whole "summoning a destructive tentacle god, nearly drowning the entire city of Liyue Harbor, having a rich lady drop her house on him" thing. He'll spare you the gritty details that you've seen before and cut straight to where the most relevant bit started: this morning, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. 

As an apology for trying to steal his Gnosis and wipe Liyue off of the map, Childe had taken to delivering gifts to Mr. Zhongli, the consultant at Wangsheng. Usually, he would send them by mail, seeing as giving Zhongli those gifts face to face was too much for the other man to bear, especially after Childe realized he had played him like a cheap flute. How a man so polite and honorable could be so cruel was beyond him, but Childe had finally plucked up the courage to see him once again. 

He had entered the funeral parlor with a box of imported wines and teas that he had learned Zhongli was fond of, only to find two young women whispering between themselves at the front desk. One of them had light pink hair that fell loosely around her waist and a set of antlers peeking out from underneath a red hat, a heavy ledger attached at her hip. The other was a girl with dark brown hair tied into twin-tails dyed red at the tips. She was dressed entirely in black with a recurring butterfly motif, and her fingers chimed each time her rings brushed up against one and other. 

Setting the box on the counter, he gave them each a quick smile. "You wouldn't have happened to see the consultant, would you?"

The young women stopped muttering, turning around to face him with faces of dawning satisfaction. The pink one smiled sweetly, clasping her hands in front of her chest. 

"Oh, but of course! Right this way, please." She beamed, leading him into a room Childe hadn't seen before. 

As soon as they stepped over the threshold, something felt off to Childe. The pink-haired girl had her back turned to him, fiddling with something on the shelf as she hummed a cheery tune. The smell of old parchment and something terribly musty clouded the air, and before Childe could react, something pressed hard against his windpipe, yanking him backward. Instantly, the pink-haired girl turned around, nodding to something behind Childe's shoulder. With a grunt, he clawed at the rope looped around his neck, digging his fingers between it and his skin as he flipped his assailant over his back. 

The dark-haired girl from earlier went flying, knocking a shelf out of place as she tumbled into the arms of her accomplice. "Yikes! He's feisty!"

As Childe went to summon his water blades, the pink-haired girl set the other on her feet once more, pulling a catalyst out of the air and drawing out the shape of a diamond with her forefingers. A sudden heat flared up by his stomach, and he looked down, taking in the seal on his Vision with a confused stare. The space in his hands remained decidedly empty. 

"According to the recently amended codices, chapter forty-one, segment three dictates that if a criminal goes unpunished and escaped justice, the allogenes within a ten-mile radius of the scene of the crime are permitted to subdue said criminal by any means possible." She said, holding her hands out in the air in front of her. "Revision date of the law is as follows: last night, June, a month after the passing of Rex Lapis."

The dark-haired girl thrust her spear out, slicing through the flesh of Childe's upper arm. "I wanted to give you an advance on our new deal, but Yanfei said that would be first-degree murder."

"We compromised," Yanfei added. "Hu Tao can be very persuasive."

Hu Tao grinned, batting her eyelashes at the other girl. "My, my... Stop it,  you! You're so cute when you flatter me."

Blinking, Childe pressed his palm to the cut on his arm, trying to stop the bleeding. "What's going on?"

"Manslaughter of the second degree!" Yanfei chirped helpfully, and then set his scarf on fire. 

“I thought you said you compromised!” He screeched, batting at the rather fiery half of his scarf.

Smoke clouded the room like thick, cloying cobwebs, and just as Childe had extinguished the blaze that set the entire room full of very flammable objects on fire, he saw Hu Tao and Yanfei slip through a doorway cleverly hidden by a cabinet. Ducking out after them, he left the door open behind him, letting the plumes of smoke cloak his departure. Without a moment’s hesitation, Childe sprinted to the back exit, ripping off the pointedly un-burned part of his scarf to wrap around his arm. 

As he pressed his back against the outside wall of the funeral parlor, Childe ran a hand through his hair, streaking ash over the bridge of his nose. What in the ever-loving fuck just happened, he asked himself, and who the fuck were they?

Before he could have received an answer, Childe lifted his head from his hands just in time to avoid a sword plunging into the ground at his face. Frost crept from the blade, stretching across the cracks in the cobblestone. He looked up, already tired, to see a young girl perching on the roof, peering down at him from above. 

"Qiqi missed..." She muttered, raising a finger to her mouth as if she were trying to remember something. "What were Qiqi's orders again?"

Before he could think, Childe blurted out the first thing to come into his mind. "Do you know a Hu Tao?"

The child's face darkened. "Hu Tao... Qiqi knows."

"She tried to kill me. I think you should run away before she does the same to you."

If realization could have dawned on this expressionless child's face, it would have been blooming like spring flowers. Hopping down onto the pavement beside him, Qiqi nodded solemnly. 

"Qiqi greets you, strange-looking zombie. Many a time has Hu Tao tried to bury our kind. Qiqi will protect you, seeing as we stand against her in solidarity." Qiqi promised very earnestly, and Childe felt a twinge of guilt in his chest for lying to a kid. It quickly vanished as the sound of rushed footsteps echoed behind the doorway a few yards away. 

With a salute, he nodded at Qiqi with a grim look on his face. "Thank you, Qiqi. I am sure you will live on as a hero."

"Qiqi already died, but thank you for the sentiment."

Childe was gone before he could even clock what she meant. 

[clood]

#13 and leopika please? :D :D

heeheehoohoo i think i got a little carried away with this one lmfao (also, slight spoilers for the succession arc, but nothing too major)

thank you so much for the ask!!! i hope you enjoy :')

13: "How could you do this to me?"

“That will be all for today’s meeting,” Kurapika says, clasping his hands behind his back in what he hopes looks like a dignified and in-control kind of gesture. “If you run into any questions or problems, please hold onto them until our next lesson. Asking someone other than myself may hinder your learning.”

Once the small gathering of bodyguards is gone, Kurapika can feel that tightness behind his right eye that always signals a migraine or at least several hours of dizziness and the ability to feel his pulse behind his eyes. He’s been pushing himself too far with this, spreading himself a bit too thin between Oito and Prince Woble and everything else going on…

What he wouldn’t give to be back in his forest reading with Pairo.

But he’s here, on the Black Whale, on a job. And Pairo is dead. And he’s alone.

“Kurapika?” A gentle voice breaks through the dark veil that always descends with a migraine--it’s Melody’s. “Your heartbeat sounds… different. Is everything okay?”

Kurapika pinches the bridge of his nose. “I will be fine after a glass of water and a moment to myself, but thank you, Melody.”

“Are you sure? I would be more than happy to--”

In the blink of an eye, the thick veil descends once more and Melody’s voice is gone, the ornate tiles of the floor are gone, his neverending to-do list for the day is gone.

The next thing he remembers is waking up in a far-too brightly lit room that smells of antiseptic and the slightest trace of a very specific cologne.

“You’re finally awake,” comes the voice of the only man he knows could smell like those things and still smell like home. “You’re overworking yourself, ‘Pika.”

“I’m--” Kurapika’s voice is cut off by a tremendous pounding in his head as the lights seem to flare in his eyes.

“If you’re going to tell me you’re fine, you can cut the crap,” Leorio says in a calm, measured tone. “Melody and Bill brought you here and Miss Oito has requested you stay until you’re cleared by me. Can’t do your job lying prone on the floor, my friend.”

“Clear me.” Kurapika can’t manage a full, articulated sentence, but he does know that in these moments where he is lazing around, Prince Woble is in extreme danger. He has so much to do and so little time in which to do it.

“No can do,” Leorio replies. “You’re on bed rest until at least this evening, don’t even try to lie to me about how shitty care you’ve been taking of yourself: the IV always knows.” It is here for the first time that Kurapika takes notice of the tubes extending from his arm, of his jacket and shirt neatly hanging by the door, of Leorio’s pink scrubs.

He ignores the way his heart clenches at the scrubs, favoring an acidic, “How could you do this to me? You’re endangering--”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m endangering the prince, ruining your life, killing babies, setting churches on fire.” Leorio looks impossibly tired through the fog in Kurapika’s head. “Listen, jackass. You’re putting the prince and yourself in even more danger by running around like a damn zombie. Pump the breaks and do as you’re told for once in your life. I’ll let you go after another round of fluids if you’re that hellbent on leaving me again so soon.”

It hardly registers in his head, the pain in Leorio’s voice just at the end there, but it does. And it hurts Kurapika too. “I will stay for two,” he relents. “Unless I am needed elsewhere. There is a chance.... that you may be right.”

Leorio smiles and lets out a long, long breath before he leans back in his chair and pulls out a book to read. Kurapika can’t quite focus on the letters, but something about the pattern on the spine reminds him of his clan, of home. Maybe once this is all over he could teach Leorio some words in his mother tongue, take him to see where he grew up.

That would be nice.